See if you can carve out some space to spend with Scripture today. Allow yourself an uninterrupted moment to ponder what Paul is saying about the reach of Jesus’ saving power. Then reflect on the questions from Sunday. Lord! Thank you for your faithfulness.
Romans 15:4-13
New Living Translation (NLT)
4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8 Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews[a] to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to your name.”[b]
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people,
you Gentiles.”[c]
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”[d]
12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne[e] will come,
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”[f]
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What if we pause to think about the plan of God for setting the world right?
What if we pause to think about salvation in the way Isaiah paints it in the passage we read: Salvation that not only promises me heaven over hell, but a salvation that sets the world spinning back in the direction God has always intended it to go.
What if when we’re on our way to the first of a hundred Christmas parties we take a breath and think about the fact that when Jesus stepped into our time and space He was taking the first step towards the cross…Towards resurrection
What if we joined that stream of people from all nations and walked the road to Christmas embracing the rumble beneath our feet? The rumble of God’s unbreakable promise. That the salvation Christ offers is a salvation that actually changes things. Actually changes us.
What if, when we heard Jesus beckon us to come, we actually did?
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