No, I hadn't forgot it...it's just been busy!! A good kind of busy, though. Between speaking engagements and writing assignments, the Lord continues to fill my life with opportunities that I love and tasks that tap into the very talents He gave me....He's really a good God, isn't He?!
Well, I started studying the book of Romans. It is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Why? Well, Paul writes so many good nuggets that teach, inspire and encourage readers. There are parts of Romans that makes me stop and think, passages that bring me to the ground in humility and then verses that make me rise up like a warrior for God.
So I thought I would take you on this journey with me...through this amazing book of the Bible. But before we dive in, let me give somethings to think about....
- The church Paul is writing to has Gentile and Jews that make up its body
- Because there were both Gentile and Jews, Paul wanted to encourage them to live in harmony and peace. Paul deals with this topic a lot in Romans
- Paul outlines the very foundation of Christianity
- Paul tries to retrain the brains of these believers who have been so wrapped up in laws and traditions....since Jesus died on the cross, a whole new way to have a relationship with God came into existence. No longer were perfect sacrifices necessary and days of rituals. Jesus was the sacrifice and bridged the communication and relational gap between man and God.
In Romans 1:5 Paul says, "Through Him (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among who you also are the called of Jesus Christ.
I love that Paul starts right at the beginning of the book and at the beginning of the chapter with the grace we are given through Jesus. Paul could have ended the book right then....that message alone has power.
Paul says that because of Jesus and what He did...dying on a cross to be the sacrifice for our mistakes and wrong doings...becuase He did that and if we believe that He did that for us, then we have grace. Grace meaning a supernatural, unearned blanket that covers us, hides our imperfections from a God that cannot stand to be in the presence of sin.
So for you and I, who believe that Jesus did what He did, we are able to walk around with a sin cloaking device....Jesus' blood. To God, the blood of Jesus acts as a corrective covering that changes our sinful nature to a pure, good, clean heart.
That is good news! That means we can stop beating ourselves up over the guilt we carry. That means we don't have to be afraid of God beating us up or being a dominating, overbearing bully because we have messed up. If you see God that way, take rest in this verse from Paul. That isn't God's view of you!
In fact, Paul goes on to say that we have apostleship for obedience to the faith. That means that we are good enough to be entrusted with the greatest mission God has...to share His love with others. We don't have to be anything special, or be theologians, or preach on Sunday morning. Because of Jesus, through Him, we are apostles...just as capable as Paul or Peter or any of the other amazing giants of the Bible.
So there you have it. In one verse Paul tells us that we are good to go and we are capable of going. We're covered, we're called and we're capable. In a world were people are aching to belong, to feel loved and to have a purpose....we can hold on to the truth that because of Jesus we have that and more. We also have the answer for those that are searching for what we have....JESUS!
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