Friday, June 14, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
Romans 1:1–15

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish — hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome. (NRSV)

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Reflection

Today’s reading is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and it teaches us a lot about how we live through Christ and how we are to spread Jesus’ love and teachings to others around the world. I can imagine that was a pretty interesting time to live in — churches sprouting up and so much new knowledge to learn. Inspirational!

Paul, being a former persecutor of the church, had completely changed his ways and became a devoted follower of Christ, and he was doing his best to tell the world of Jesus, his teachings, and his love for all of us. We aren’t all the best people all of the time, and Paul was a prime example of that. We all have our moments when we make mistakes. We hurt other people. We have made poor decisions. Paul reminds us that we can be a changed people and that our past does not define us. We are forgiven, and it is our job to spread Christ’s teachings to us, show love, and uplift others.

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Prayer
Loving God, thank you so much for the gift of Christ that you have given me. Help me to show your love and the gospel to others. Inspire me to be your servant. Amen.

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Written by Briana Belding-Peck, Family Ministry Coordinator

Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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