Monday, December 12, 2016

Devotional 12-12-16

Romans 1: 1-7

1 Paul a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote this letter to the Church in Rome to introduce himself.  He had not been to Rome yet and did not start this church. However, even in the early days there was friction between the Jews & Gentiles in the early Christian Church.  In the scripture reading we can see Paul appealing to the Jewish sense of tradition referencing the prophets and David’s lineage while also reminding the Gentiles that through Jesus death and resurrection they were receivers of the same grace.

As we prepare for Christmas I hope these few verses speak to you. How? Well- Paul reminds us that we too are called to Christ!  We are called to serve, we are called to witness, we are called to love and we are called to forgive.  Paul states that obedience to Christ comes via faith.  So during this time of Advent why not take the time to prepare yourself both physically and spiritually to be called to do God’s work here on his Kingdom on Earth!  Grace and peace awaits all who do!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day.  We ask that you help to strengthen us in faith and obedience so that when called we can be your servant while we await that house not built with hands but eternal to the Heavens. Amen
Marv Jones

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