Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Our Lord
Comes
Tincy Philip
Christos MTC, PA
9 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, 10 asking that by God’s will
I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you.
In this passage we can see how Paul
longs to visit Rome and how proud he is of the people there who are spreading
their faith. Paul struggles to come to his people as he has many barriers that
prevent him from doing so at that time. This reminds me of how no matter where
we are or what we are doing, our Lord comes to us. Sometimes we look towards
our parents, or our friends, or our colleagues to come to us in our time of
need; and while they are blessings that God has given us, no one can fulfill us
like God can. It is a promise from God that He will never leave us and He will
never forsake us. As Max Lucado said in his recent devotional "there is no
place He will not go. If He is willing to be born in a barnyard, then expect
Him to be at work anywhere— bars, bedrooms, boardrooms, and brothels. No place
is too common. No person is too hardened. No distance is too far. There is no
person He cannot reach. There is no limit to His love. When Christ was born, so
was our hope." I know there are many times when it feels like God isn't
there because He isn't tangible like our friends or our parents, but He is
there and He is protecting us and guiding us. This gives us hope and confidence
in knowing that despite trials and tribulations that we face, if we place our
hope and our focus on our relationship with Jesus, then we will be fearless and
bold in the midst of any opposition.
This passage also reminds me that
it is our duty to spread the gospel to others who do not know God so that they
may experience His love and Grace. As Paul reminds us, the Gospel is for
everyone and anyone who accepts is saved by Grace. We should work to spend our
time and our lives to spread this Good News so that others can experience the
same love that we have been able to experience. I think sometimes we think that
the only way we can spread the Word of God is by larger actions such as street
evangelism or mission work, which are important but not the only means of
spreading God's love. I think we can show God's love daily by loving the people
around us like Jesus. We can go to work with the same loving attitude
as Jesus, we can take time to volunteer in our communities, we can treat
our parents with respect and love. When we spread the love of God, we plant the
seed for God to come into their lives.
PRAYER
Jesus, we thank You that You come to us daily and that we have free and
open access to You. We are so grateful for Your love, Your mercy and Your
grace. Help us to spread Your Gospel of love to those around us who do not
know You. Help us to use our daily lives to proclaim Your love and live as You
did Lord. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
What can we do today to intentionally
and practically show the love of Jesus and to spread the Gospel?