Paul ends his letter to the Romans by encouraging both Jewish believers and non Jewish believers to be in harmony. And he told those who were strong in the faith to help those who were weaker.

Since we are all part of Christ’s body, we are one body. Right now I have a bit of a bum knee. I’m not sure quite how I hurt it, but when I walk it really smarts. And guess what. When my knee hurts, my whole body reflects that when I walk. I limp, which is my body doing what it can to ease the pain that the knee is feeling. It’s trying to help the knee, so that it can recover, so it can gain strength. The parts of my body that are strong are trying to help the weak part.

This is what Paul told the Roman church they should do. Those strong in the faith should help the weaker members. Encourage them. Help them through times of weakness. Lift them up. Love them.

Don’t think of yourself as something special if your faith is strong, or if you’ve been a believer for a long time. Consider that you have a big responsibility to encourage others who are not as far along as you are.