Romans 1:8-17

Romans 1:8-17 NIV
⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹ God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

We need to pray for those people to whom we minister.  My first conviction upon reading this is I do not pray enough for my children.  My second conviction was I did not pray enough for the boys in the Pioneer Club I helped to teach.  Also notice the recognition that Paul gives.  He tells them that he has heard good things about them.  I've been real good at the admonition part of leadership.  Now to work on the prayer and praise part.

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Getting together is good.  The question is, do we encourage one another?  I attended a diner party one evening and the other guest looked at our host and asked, "What is the Lord doing in you life this week?"  I was blown away.  At 40 years of age and having been a Christian for better that 3/4 of that time, I cannot remember Christ being the center of the conversation during a social visit.  The next time it happened I went to a friend's after he and I went out to the movies.  He and I spoke till 3:30 in the morning about God and both of us left encouraged and refreshed in the Lord.

There is nothing wrong with getting together to watch football or hockey, I just want to encourage you to invite the Lord along.  Use the breaks and commercials to encourage each other in Christ.

 ¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

Paul was the apostle sent to the gentiles.  He did much of his preaching to the Greeks.  Now he had and opportunity to go to Rome and was excited about it.

 ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Paul was not ashamed.  I admit that sometimes I have been and I have not shared my faith when I was prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Faith is very prominent in this book.  Christianity is by faith.  We are not saved by what we do.  What we do is the result of what we believe.  It is the outcome of the faith we have in God.

God Bless.