Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: Romans

  • Weekly Devotional: God’s call (14 in Romans series)

    Statue of St. Paul
    “Statuette of St. Paul” by Unknown is licensed under CC BY 3.0 

    I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done –by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. Romans 15:14–22 (NIV)

    As Paul wraps up his letter to the Romans, he adds the longest of his closing remarks in any of his letters – partly, scholars think, because he had never visited this church before. He tells of upcoming travel plans and implores the church to support his missionary efforts. Note his laser-like focus on what he perceives as God’s calling on his life – that he’s a “minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” (v.16). He has, with God, determined what his unique mission is in life, and all that he does reflects that calling, as powered by the Spirit.

    Have you considered what your special calling is from God – what your mission is in life? When we have a sense of what this is, we can more easily say “yes” or “no” to requests that we receive. Of course sometimes we need to help out at church or in the community when it’s outside of our immediate calling and gifts because of the needs and lack of resources – such as me and the children’s ministry at church. But we feel most alive when we are doing what God calls us to do – whether that’s providing meals for the homeless or leading a business or running a toddler group.

    If you’d like to explore this issue more, I highly recommend Os Guinness’s book The Call (Nelson, 2003). In a series of short chapters and engaging stories, he examines not only our calling, but the One who calls us and loves us.

    Now to him who is able to establish us in accordance with Paul’s gospel, the message he proclaims about Jesus Christ, to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen (after Romans 16:25–27).

    Prayer: Giving Father, loving Son, and comforting Holy Spirit, thank you for your never-ending love for me. May I live and love and learn and bring you glory, now and always.

  • Weekly Devotional: The weak and the strong (13 in Romans series)

    “Court Gavel”by bestlawdir is licensed under CC PDM 1.0

    You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. Romans 14—15:13 (NIV)

    Some friends of ours are Christians who have come to Christ out of their Hindu background. Having been vegetarians their whole lives, they continue the practice of not eating meat – but as one of them says, “Of course, now that we follow Christ we could eat meat if we wanted to.” I appreciate the way he states the matter – although he no longer is under the laws of Hinduism, he now neither is forced to eat meat nor forced to abstain. He has freedom in Christ.

    Paul was concerned about the division in the church at Rome, mainly between the Gentile and Jewish Christians and how the former were looking down on the latter for sticking to their lifelong practices of following the Jewish dietary laws. Paul has words of exhortation to both parties – to the Gentile Christians he says stop showing contempt, and to the Jewish Christians he says don’t judge those who eat everything. After all, God alone is our Judge and we should leave the pronouncements to him.

    We might find ourselves falling into bad habits of judging in little, subtle ways – perhaps we don’t shop on Sundays but we know other who Christians do. Or we hold to a doctrine of belief that others disagree with, and we’re certain that we are right and they are not. Whatever the matter, we can follow Paul’s instruction to seek the kingdom of God, which is filled with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (v.17) as we “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (v.19).

    For reflection: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

  • Weekly Devotional: The clothes of Christ (12 in Romans series)

    The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11–14 (NIV)

    Although Paul’s conversion story was dramatic, as we explored last time, we see in his writing that he acknowledges the continuing process of sanctification that followers of Christ engage in throughout their lives. Paul uses the active forms of verbs when describing that we put on the new self and take off the old self in Ephesians 4:22–24, as he does here when saying that the Roman Christians should “clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (v.14). Just as we get dressed daily, so should we “put on” the clothes of Christ.

    Do you ever consider what these clothes may be? We see in verse 12 they are described as the “armor of light” that we can don as our culture becomes increasingly dark and troubled. Paul gives us other images of Christ’s clothes in his letter to the Colossians, for he says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

    Let’s consider some of these. When we put on compassion, we’re putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes – the roots of the word, after all, mean “to suffer with.” Kindness is obvious, but easy to withhold, for example when we fear our act of kindness might be rejected or misunderstood. Can we wear this virtue without worrying about how it will be perceived? Humility is neither viewing ourselves as nothing nor as too much – we see that we are made in God’s image and so are priceless, but we also know we are sinful and need his grace and mercy every day.

    I invite you to wear the most beautiful clothes ever!

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to take off the rags of bitterness and anger and put on the royal robe that you give me. I know I am your beloved child; help me to live out of that identity this day.

  • Weekly Devotional: Rebellion (1 in Romans series)

    Liongraph of the apostle Paul reading a scroll.
    Image from page 40 of “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans : with notes, comments, maps, and illustrations ..” (1888). Found on Flickr.

    Many Christian figures in history named Romans as their favorite book of the Bible. For instance, John Stott tells in his commentary that the great reformer Martin Luther said of Romans that not only “should every Christian know it word for word, by heart,” but that they should occupy themselves with it “every day, as the daily bread of the soul.” William Tyndale, a translator of the Bible, also urged his readers to learn it by heart, for “the more it is studied, the easier it is; the more it is chewed, the pleasanter it is.” Others who were affected by reading it were Augustine of Hippo and John Wesley. (As cited in John Stott, The Message of Romans, IVP, 1994, pp. 19–22.)

    Romans has been so important over the centuries because of the deep and rich theological truths about salvation and sin that Paul shares in it. And not only that, but the latter part of his letter contains practical instructions on how to live. We can find much to stretch and encourage us as we read what the apostle wrote to the church in Rome.

    Paul had never visited this church, but heard of the divisions in it, especially among the Jewish and Gentile believers that formed it. He desired that they would find unity across their differences, and that mutual respect and love would mark their lives. After all, they were all sinners in need of Jesus’ grace and redemption. And they were all one in Christ.

    When you read, keep in mind that Paul’s letter is half of the story. We don’t hear the other side of the conversation – the issues that he was addressing in the church there in Rome – but we can made an educated guess. And although he wrote this letter such a long time ago to this particular context and place, yet we can find God’s truth in it speaking to us and to our situation.

    The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them (Romans 1:16–32 NIV).

    The wrath of God – not a very cheery way to open up our set of readings on Romans, now is it? As modern people, we often shy away from speaking of God’s wrath, for it feels so hard and final, especially for us who live in a relativistic society that rails against judgement and black-and-white truth. But Paul doesn’t hesitate to name the major problem at the heart of the human condition – we’re all sinners who need God’s redeeming love and grace (as we will see in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”). So although this passage can make for uncomfortable reading, we also can find hope in it, for it names the truth of what we know through our actions – we fail God and others and need the Lord’s grace and help.

    Paul in this passage explores what happens when people rebel against God and his laws. When they follow their own desires and refuse to bow the knee to their Maker, their minds and hearts become darkened and they become fools (vv. 21–22). No longer are they infused with God’s wisdom and understanding. As the Lord gives them over to their lusts, they become imprisoned by these wrongful desires and become filled with wickedness and evil, as we see in the list in verses 29–30: “envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful…”

    But we can escape the consequences of our sinful actions through Jesus’ sacrificial act on the cross. No longer are we defined as gossips or boasters, but as God’s redeemed who are filled with his Holy Spirit as they spread his love and grace. Thanks be to God!

    For reflection: “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name” (Edward Mote, 1797–1874).