Dana Hagstrom – Page 381

Romans 15:14-22 – Having Purpose

We all want to have a purpose in life. I remember as a teenager sitting at the kitchen table as I often did after everyone had gone to bed. I had my pen and paper. I would write and write, journalling whatever came into my head. Years later I read through those late night scratches and see how I was wrestling with God wondering why he put me on this planet. Have you ever wondered that?

It seems like some people have it all figured out. It’s as if their life has a script or something. Mine hasn’t, and I continue to ask God to show me what his plan is for me. I feel like I have so much more to give. I just want to be clear like Paul on what my mission is. Paul told the Roman church his mission was to make sure the Gentiles who have not heard about Jesus hear about him. Paul’s job is to be a missionary to the Gentiles, to us.

Romans 15:1-13 – People Pleasers

Read Romans 15:1-13

You’ve probably met people like me, and perhaps this describes you, too. Always striving to please, be liked, make others comfortable. I often take it a step too far when I try to “fix” things. My efforts are sometimes welcomed, and other times I just mess things up worse with my silver lining kind of attitude. Well, the opening verses of this chapter sure made me smile.

I suppose a lot of my joy bubbles up from inside because I know who I belong to. I am the daughter of a king. My Lord and Savior has my back. No matter what life throws my way I have His love and promise of eternity. The same is available for you, too! How does that make you feel?

Romans 14:1-12 – Seek Unity

Read Romans 14:1-12

I had forgotten how much I love this chapter. There are so many helpful things, I’m going to break it into a couple of days. But the overall theme is unity. Paul starts by addressing the relationships between people who are strong in their faith and weak in their faith. When differences of opinion arise, and they will, he cautions both sides to seek unity and avoid confrontation, which can quickly escalate to condemnation.

Romans 14 might be one of those chapters you bookmark to return to time and time again. Such profound truth on unity in relationships. After all, we are continually meeting and interacting with new people. That’s the beauty of life and building relationships. What are Paul’s three nuggets of wisdom for this? Let’s check it out.

Romans 13:8-14 – Living is Loving

Read Romans 13:8-14

Have you ever felt obligated to love someone? In one of my translations, this was spelled out as the “debt of love for others.” Interesting. Jesus wants us to love one another, and Paul reminds us of that here. To love your neighbor as you love yourself.

The debt of love starts with Jesus. His great love for us was poured out when he sacrificed his life for ours. We can never repay Jesus for what he did for us, so we obey him and love others. If we’re having trouble loving ourselves just now, remember to love as Jesus taught us, to love others as he has loved us.

Paul warns us here that time is running out. We must be ready. Many years have passed since Paul wrote these words, yet we still look forward to the imminent return of Jesus. We want to be ready. We want to be clean. I liked the image of shedding dirty clothes. We can all think of habits and tendencies in our lives that aren’t helpful. What are you doing to avoid evil and step into the light?

Romans 13:1-7 – Authority

Read Romans 13:1-7

Have you ever exceeded the speed limit? I know I’m not the only lead foot to walk around this planet. Moving to Mexico has definitely changed all of that. We really can’t drive fast on the cobblestone. And on the highway, there’s something about looking down and seeing “100” on my dashboard. We’re in kilometers here. (So, like 62 mph.) I feel like I’m flying!

This text was one I would read to keep me paying attention to the speed limit. It’s a law after all. And today’s reading tells us “Everyone must submit to governing authorities.” I remember the first time I was directed to this passage. It was probably after receiving a speeding ticket or being put in my place after talking about my propensity to exceed the speed limit. Until that day, I had no idea it was also a Biblical truth I should be obeying.