2461) Because of the current economy, many of us think twice (or even more) about what we’re purchasing and how much it costs. Everyday living is costly.

The economy isn’t the only cost we should ponder. The other one is mentioned in Romans 15:5. It reveals to us that the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another.

Why would the Holy Spirit, via Paul, make the statement about God’s endurance and encouragement? I think it’s because endurance and encouragement can be costly.

As children of God, we are to model our lives after him and to choose endurance and encouragement in our relationships with others, and that costs us something just as it did with Jesus. Some relationships more so than others.

In our interaction, choosing to stick it out through difficult circumstances and making the effort to encourage when we might want to blow that person off, is what God does. It costs because it’s valuable.