For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you--- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
Romans 1:11-12
How often do we truly seek to edify another? How often do we enter in to an interaction with the explicit intent of building up someone else? Unless I am misguided, I would venture to guess rarely. More often, our interactions are at best transactional: we need to communicate information X or receive information Y, or manipulative at worst. Even when our encounters are entered into with the best of intentions they often are sterile and lifeless. Contrast this with Paul's intent to impart some gift to the Roman church. He writes with the same intentionality witnessed in the life of Christ, who though teaching, preaching, and healing, did so with a purposeful intent for the individual or group. We know that spiritual gifts are given for the benefit of the body; of all believers, yet rarely do we intentionally seek our opportunities to edify our brothers. To do so requires both attention to the details and affairs of another's life as well as the selflessness (or should I say Christ-likeness) to relegate one's time and desires to build up another. We have been given the tools to strengthen and embolden our sisters if we would only put on the attitude of Christ, who gave himself for our benefit and salvation.
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