By Annaika Dastine | Founder, Who Is This Jesus? Ministry

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

Deep-Seeded Love

Have you ever loved someone so deeply that your heart longed simply to be with them?

As I read Romans 1:10–14, I am deeply moved by Paul's love for the believers in Rome. Although he had never met many of them, they were continually on his heart. He prayed for them, longed to visit them, and desired to strengthen their faith.

What strikes me most is that Paul's desire was not centered on himself. He was not seeking recognition or building a following. His greatest longing was to encourage fellow believers and see the gospel continue to bear fruit.

That kind of love challenges me.

How often do I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world? How often do I rejoice when God is working through believers outside of my own church, denomination, or tradition?

Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can become so focused on our own ministries, congregations, or religious traditions that we lose sight of the vastness of God's Kingdom.

Yet Jesus never intended His people to be divided by pride, competition, or religious identity.

Before going to the cross, Jesus prayed:

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one... Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them." (John 17:20–23, NIV)

The enemy understands the power of a united Church. That is why he continually seeks to divide God's people through pride, comparison, offense, and religious division. But God's desire has always been to unite His children under one Lord—Jesus Christ.

Paul lived out that prayer.

As a servant of Christ, he longed to strengthen the believers in Rome while also receiving encouragement from them. Notice his humility. He did not view himself as someone who only gave. He recognized that mutual encouragement is part of God's design for His Church.

I have experienced this in my own walk with Jesus.

There are days when my flesh resists gathering with other believers. Yet those are often the very moments when God strengthens my faith—sometimes by allowing me to encourage someone else, and other times by encouraging me through them.

God never intended us to walk this journey alone.

Paul's ultimate desire was to see people from every background come to know Jesus Christ. Whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, they all shared one identity: they belonged to Christ.

As I reflect on Paul's longing for the church in Rome, I ask myself:

Do I have that same deep-seated love for the people of God?

Do I eagerly seek opportunities to strengthen the faith of others?

Am I fighting for the unity Jesus prayed for, or allowing the enemy to distract me with things that divide?

May our love for Christ overflow into a genuine love for His people.

May we encourage one another faithfully.

And may our lives help answer the very prayer Jesus prayed—that His children would be one, so the world may believe that He is Lord.

Weekly Scripture Romans 1:11–12 NIV (2)