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ROMANS 15 PLEA FOR PRAYERS

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June 15

ROMANS 15

22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.– Romans 15:22-33

ROMANS 15 PLEA FOR PRAYERS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

By prayers and supplications, God hears us

Let us therefore not fail to do so

Pray especially for the ministers of God

So that they can be led to spread God’s word.

Paul writes to the church in Rome telling them his need for their prayers so that his trip to Spain via Rome would lead him to unbelievers in Judea. He also mentions the importance of prayer in his letter to the Ephesians. He says that all believers need to pray at all times without ceasing. It is very humble of him to ask prayers from the saints in Rome.

How many Christians actually pray without ceasing? If we are only honest, many would admit that we don’t pray much at all. Prayers make us acknowledge our God-dependence.

REFLECTION

  • What does prayer do to our lives as Christians?

ROMANS 15 A PRAYER FOR JOY & PEACE

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June 13

ROMANS 15

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

                                                                 – Romans 15:8-13

ROMANS 15 A PRAYER FOR JOY & PEACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Because Jesus came to save the whole world

May your joy be complete and may you glorify God

Rejoice in the salvation that came to you through Christ

He will rule the earth and every knee will bow in his name.

Paul exudes his love for the church in this letter. He prays for the church of Christ that they continue to recognize the sacrifice that Christ did for all of them. His prayer is full of love and joy. One can almost hear the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul’s writing.

Spurgeon comments that “Christ did not receive us because we were perfect, because he could see no fault in us, or because he hoped to gain somewhat at our hands. Ah, no! But, in loving condescension covering our faults, and seeking our good, he welcomed us to his heart; so, in the same way, and with the same purpose, let us receive one another.”

Paul couldn’t stop emphasizing the importance of unity in the body of believers. Because the Gentiles and the Jews have disputed on many things, Paul exhorts them to give up their quarrels and focus on accepting that the Gentiles are also promised salvation just like the Jews were. He gives them hope that unity will soon come because the Holy Spirit will bring it on to them.

REFLECTION

  • Why is it important for us to pray for peace and joy?

ROMANS 14 BE CONSIDERATE

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June 11

ROMANS 14

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. – Romans 14:20-23

ROMANS 14 BE CONSIDERATE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When someone has a different view other than yours

Do not be quick to judge or quarrel over that difference

In the body of Christ, we are considerate of other people

We do not highlight conflicts that will create division

Instead, we do our best to accommodate our differences

We do not want to cause our brothers to stumble and fall.

In this letter, Paul addresses the church regarding using their liberty among their brothers so that they do not become a hindrance to their faith growth. He explains that the freedom that they have in Christ must not be used for their own conveniences if it aggravates another brother.  He pleads them to be considerate of their fellow believer’s preferences and not be legalistic and judgmental about their own preference.

In verse 20, he lays down the basis of consideration for others. They must not continue to eat anything that exacerbates another believer. They must take into account their brother’s preference and not judge them or provoke them into creating contentions and divisions. It is a trivial matter to argue about what to eat and what not to eat.

The whole point of this letter is how a believer uses his freedom to ensure that their brothers are built up in their faith. The Jews created a lot of laws within the laws that and have all these rules about what to eat and what not to eat. Paul is simply saying that legalism has no room in the Christian faith. Consideration is loving but legalism is not.

REFLECTION

  • What’s happening in a believer’s heart if he isn’t being considerate?

ROMANS 14 SEEK PEACE AND MUTUAL UPBUILDING

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June 10

ROMANS 14

13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. – Romans 14:13-19

ROMANS 14 SEEK PEACE AND MUTUAL UPBUILDING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you think highly of yourself

You will likely put down others

If you serve the Lord Jesus Christ

You ought to look too at others’ interests

Seek peace and live harmoniously

Pursue what is for mutual upbuilding.

It is easy to pass judgment on others without looking inside of us. The world’s system propagates standards for us to follow that doesn’t take into account each person’s best interests. It only focuses on what benefits the powerful and the rich, but marginalizes the poor and vulnerable. We were born in these standards. At a very young age, we received such mindsets from the world family systems, school systems, and later the community at large. It is ingrained in each one of us. We automatically think and follow the world’s systems. Unless we have been regenerated in Christ, we will follow our old nature that is selfish and sinful.

Paul reminds us not to hinder the peace or growth of someone else by judgments. He admonishes us to pursue peace and focus on ensuring that we don’t put a stumbling block on others. He also stresses the importance of being accepting and understanding other people’s differences so we don’t judge them or create divisions.

REFLECTION

  • What trials do we face in our world today that makes peace challenging?

ROMANS 14 ON BEING ACCOUNTABLE

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June 9

ROMANS 14

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

                         “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

                            and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.– Romans 14:10-12

ROMANS 14 ON BEING ACCOUNTABLE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Do not give your own verdict on others

When you pass judgment, you despise your brother

You will be judged by God himself if you do

He is the only One who is the righteous judge.

In our world today, very few people are accountable to someone. We live in a society that doesn’t generate “accountability.”  “To each his own” is an idiom which means that everyone has their own preferences and opinions. No one is right or wrong. Each person is free to believe what they want regardless of their conscience. They do not hold another person responsible for anything.  They have taken “mind your own business” to a dangerous level where there is almost apathy towards another human. They are free to do what they prefer even if it is harming them or someone else.

There are privacy laws that have been implemented so each citizen can continue to be irresponsible and not care about consequences of their actions. Each person thinks that no one can stop them from doing what pleases them. Even when it comes to health concerns, sometimes someone can take the “privacy act” to its extreme. A person can keep secrets about their diagnosis even from their own family like their children or spouse so they can continue to do as they please without any accountability. They pretend they are okay and continue to keep it secret for fear of not being perfect. They do not care to prepare their loved ones for the detrimental outcome of their diagnosis. They think only of their own life and don’t care how they impact the surviving family. This clearly manifests a life of no accountability but a self-focused life, isolated from everyone.

REFLECTION

  • What was Paul’s warning in verses 11-12 regarding judgment and accountability?

ROMANS 14 ON JUDGING ONE ANOTHER

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June 7

ROMANS 14

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. – Romans 14:1-4

ROMANS 14 ON JUDGING ONE ANOTHER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, be accepting of others

You are all different and yet all made in God’s image

Who are you to judge someone else different from you?

Didn’t God make you all equal with diverse functions?

Welcome those who are weak in their faith

Do not create divisions among the body of Christ.

In our world today, we want our voices heard. We want to be seen and respected. The prevalence of social media has propagated a culture of voicing out our own opinions and being judgmental and critical of others. We have been far from accepting and respecting those who look different from us. We like to control what makes us uncomfortable and try to mold others in the image that we would like them to be. We judge what we don’t understand. This is clearly the work of the devil: to divide us and to put down those who do not meet our standards. We forget that it is God’s standard alone that matters. He created us after all. We have clearly violated a lot of boundaries when we do not understand God’s character. He alone is the judge. He gave us his laws so we can hold each other accountable to keep watch on ourselves and one another so we don’t fall into the tactics of the devil to deceive us and create division among us, especially in the communion of saints. In his first letter to the Corinthian (vs.12-13) church, Paul says this: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the churchwhom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

REFLECTION

  • How is the word “judge” twisted by the world system?
  • What did Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 regarding judgment?

ROMANS 13 PUT ON CHRIST

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June 6

ROMANS 13

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. – Romans 13:8-14

ROMANS 13 PUT ON CHRIST

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you believed in the Lord, you will walk in love

Love covers a multitude of sins and can do no wrong

You will no longer walk in the works of darkness

Instead, you will put on the armor of light in Christ

Your flesh dies from cravings when you please God

The sinful nature won’t keep you anymore in bondage.

When you believed in Christ, you are born again. The old nature is gone and the Holy Spirit regenerates your entire being. Those sinful things you used to do will now be replaced with righteousness. The Spirit of the Lord will equip you to say “no” to sin and “yes” to what is right. This is called regeneration. There is a spiritual rebirth that was done in your mind, heart and soul. The fruit of the Spirit is now made manifest in you. You can now be patient, loving, kind, joyful, peaceful, gentle, good, faithful and have self-control. That is the work of the Spirit in your entire being. That is how you put on Christ.

It is sad to watch some people who claim they are believers and yet do not put on Christ. I wonder if they are truly born again. If the fruit of the Spirit has not been manifested in their lives yet, how are they regenerated?

REFLECTION

  • How do you know a true believer?

ROMANS 13 BE SUBJECT TO AUTHORITY

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June 5

ROMANS 13

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. – Romans 13:1-7

ROMANS 13 BE SUBJECT TO AUTHORITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As God’s children, we are expected to obey authorities

It is God who appointed these people to rule over us

If we resist their leadership, we are also defying God

Be subject to your leaders as God has given you

If you cannot obey such authorities whom you see

How much more can you follow God who is unseen?

In this letter, Paul admonishes the Christian church to obey authorities. He emphasizes the truth that these people who were placed in their positions of leadership were sanctioned by God himself. So, if we do not obey what they require, we are also defying God in the same manner. Years ago, I wrote another essay about the same following verses and I came up with comments that it would be crazy to follow corrupt and repressive leaders. Paul clearly states God’s sovereignty and power in this letter to the Roman church. As subordinates, we are required to follow those in authority over us. If God allowed them to be in that position, he has his reasons. Unless we are asked to do something that is totally against God’s commands, we ought to follow our leaders.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think obedience to authority has now been compromised by many?

ROMANS 12 MORE GUIDELINES FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

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June 4

ROMANS 12

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.– Romans 12:16-21

ROMANS 12 MORE GUIDELINES FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you live for the Lord Jesus Christ, hunt down peace

Do not allow evil to shake your faith, but live under grace

Do not be haughty and think you are wise, engage with the lowly

When someone does evil to you, don’t avenge but forgive

The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be calm

If your enemy is hungry and thirsty, supply them

With all your strength, pursue righteousness and peace

Live in harmony with one another for the sake of Christ.

Is it possible for Christians to follow these guidelines that Paul stipulated for the believers in Rome? It sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it? When we live in the culture and traditions of the world, these wouldn’t make sense. How can we love someone who hurts us or does evil to us? Why does this sound illogical? Because we are humans and we are by nature sinful. We automatically fend for ourselves, think highly of ourselves and fight back when we are hurt. How could we follow such a hard stipulation? It is not us who does it, but the Spirit in us who spurs us to do what is good and what is impossible for humans.

It is only possible because Jesus Christ sampled for us that it can be done. When he was rejected, he didn’t fight back or get angry. Instead, he spoke the truth and exposed their sins. Jesus was born of humble origins even though he was God to show us it can be done.

REFLECTION

·       What among these requisites do you find hard to follow? Why do you think so?

ROMANS 12 MARKS OF A TRUE BELIEVER

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June 3

ROMANS 12

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. – Romans 12:9-15

ROMANS 12 MARKS OF A TRUE BELIEVER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a true believer, you are to have genuine love

Hate what is wicked and cling to what is good

Love one another as Christ has loved you

Surpass each other in showing respect and honor

When trials come, rejoice for you are not alone

God is always there for you, you are not abandoned

When someone does you wrong, forgive that person

Continue to show kindness to him and to everyone

Show compassion to those who are in pain and grieving

Do not fail to acknowledge someone who is suffering.

In this letter, Paul enumerates some of the manifestations of the Spirit’s work in a believer’s life. On our own, we will not be able to do this because of our sinful nature. It is amazing how Paul gives us a clear illustration how a true believer would look like if they walk in the Spirit of the Lord. In verse 9, he defines what a genuine love is. He gives us a picture of Psalm 1:1-2 which says that blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but he delights in the law of the Lord and on his law, he meditates day and night. Genuine love is walking in righteousness and have nothing to do with wickedness.

Verse 2 is one of my favorite verses because if we outdo one another in love and showing honor, there will be no conflicts in this world. It is totally the opposite of the world system where people focus on gathering pleasures and cravings for self-satisfaction.

REFLECTION

·       Which of these marks of a true believer mentioned do you still struggle with?