Thoughts & Reflections

"power of God that brings salvation" Romans 1:16. "Are you saved?" can sound like an accusation, questioning whether we have crossed some mysterious line. Whether we have joined the right group. The question loses the gracious, healing character of salvation, the power to restore us in Christ’s image.

"…because it is the power of God…" Romans 1:16. Words clutter our information channels, often drowning our most powerful messages. God’s word to us can therefore get lost in the verbal traffic. We are each responsible to monitor our own traffic, to ensure that we clearly His Good News to us.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel…" Romans 1:16. Shame is often a culturally defined weapon to oppress non-conformity. When we use it control others, we close our close our minds to other possibilities. Paul reminds us that human dignity requires us to listen rather than shame.

"That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome." Romans 1:15. We cannot expect our effort to change anything unless the gospel first creates a passion within us. We must be overcome by the its power before we can ever hope to share it effectively.

"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish." Romans 1:14 How we human beings define one another does not matter to God. He does not use our categories. We are obligated to love all His children, even those who don't fit in our categories.

"That I might have a harvest among you..." Romans 1:13 God has already done the hard work of saving the world in Christ. Our work then is to share in the harvest, to see the power of His life, sacrifice and resurrection make a difference in the way that people live.

Contagious Faith "that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith." Romans 1:12 Genuine faith naturally inspires others, especially when we remember our role as agents of encouragement.

"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong...." Romans 1:11. Any empowering gift that we share with others is a gift that God's Spirit has shared with us. #exploring-gods-story #dirkscornerapp

"I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you." Romans 1:10. Praying in God's will saves us a lot of time uselessly chasing our own will.