Be Still…

Read Romans 10:14-21

Have you ever missed a great concert or event you would have liked to have attended…all because you didn’t hear about it in time? You are probably still kicking yourself. It’s all about hearing. It’s hard to stay connected to a community if you’re not hearing about what’s happening.

So how can people call upon the Lord if they don’t know him yet? Or if they know him, maybe they haven’t heard what happens when we call on the Lord? It’s a bit tragic. God has a great message of salvation for all those who hear it. Unfortunately, God doesn’t have a big megaphone that will get everyone’s attention. What he has instead is us.

Continue reading “Romans 10:14-21 – Have You Heard?”

Read Romans 10:5-13

Paul’s teaching continues to try and help his readers understand how their salvation works. Verse 9 is a familiar verse I would often teach Sunday School kids with a little song. Here is the verse, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s how salvation happens.

God can see into our hearts. He can see how we are responding to him. Remember, this promise is not for just the Jews but for us Gentiles, too. We just need to boldly declare our faith. It is something we should not keep secret. Yet many of us are not bold. What is holding us back?

Continue reading “Romans 10:5-13 – Salvation”

Read Romans 9:30-10:4

Are we trying too hard? Do we put too much emphasis on God’s rules and forget to let our faith guide us? Certainly, this was Paul’s message to the Romans. For those who were Jews, this wasn’t meant to slap their hands, but to slap them upside the head. What I mean is they needed a wake-up call.

When we allow ourselves to be only focused on the letter of the law and not take into account having faith, we miss the point. Paul wanted to set the record straight here. The Jews had been so preoccupied with following the law, they failed to rely on their faith to make them right with God. The Gentiles didn’t know the law, so I suppose you could say they were able to avoid that trap. Ignorance is bliss you might say?

Continue reading “Romans 9:30-10:4 – Faith Matters”

Read Romans 9:14-29

Paul quotes the prophets Hosea and Isaiah in today’s passage. Paul is seeing these words fulfilled before his very eyes. These chapters in Romans are full of history and are quite “deep.” Paul is digging in with the Romans to help them see the power and majesty of God. God is very much present among us, and Paul wants us to realize that.

As I’m writing these reflections on the passages, I want to be listening carefully to what God’s message to me (and us) is. How do we fit into this picture? We aren’t Jews after all (at least I’m not). I’m looking at God’s character playing out here. What do you see?

Continue reading “Romans 9:14-29 – Prophecy Fulfilled”

Read Romans 9:1-13

Sometimes we get caught up in the details and miss what’s right in front of our faces. I have always wondered what will happen to the Jews, God’s “chosen people” if they don’t accept Jesus (one of their own) as God’s son? That isn’t for me to worry about. God chooses who he will choose. Their destiny is in his hands.

Paul seems to be a little distraught about his fellow Jews, as well, in today’s passage. Experiencing “bitter sorrow” and “unending grief” doesn’t sound particularly pleasant. Paul is not in a happy place to be sure. He is probably not alone, and he is addressing that “elephant in the room” to his audience in Rome. We, too, can look around at our brothers and sisters and be saddened that some of them aren’t followers of Christ. But today’s passage goes deeper than this. What is it saying to you?

Continue reading “Romans 9:1-13 – God’s Choice”