Category Archives: Romans

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Romans 13:8-14

Dear God, I am struck by the line in here, “Love does no wrong to others…” That seems very definitive, and I don’t think it’s exactly accurate. For example, I can think of a lot of mistakes I did with raising my children, and I never did them because I didn’t love them. Nearly all of them were done because I thought I was doing the right thing for them. And then there were times when I was actually doing the right thing, but they didn’t perceive it as the right thing. So this doesn’t feel quite accurate.

I was talking with someone a couple of months ago who is in their 50s, and they were referencing a decision their parents made when the person was in their early 20s. They were still holding on to a grudge over it. This friend has told me this story before, and I’ve told them, “Be frustrated with the decision, but don’t ascribe malice to it. The parents thought they were making the right decision. They thought they were doing the merciful thing.

I was talking with a young woman last night, and we were talking about having mercy for your parents. She is still in high school and, like any high schooler, is sorting through dealing with parents who are flawed–because we are all flawed and we all have flawed parents. I hope I was able to at least plant some seeds of mercy.

Father, make me the example you need me to be today. I just heard about a woman who left her husband because of his alcoholism. She did this for her own sanity, but she also did it for him. She loves him and doesn’t feel like she can enable him anymore. He didn’t see the fact that she filed for divorce as love, but in some ways it is. Be in that situation. Be with the young woman I spoke with last night. Be with the parents of the other person I mentioned. Be with me, a flawed parent in need of mercy from my children and a son who needs to extend mercy to his parents. Be with me, a flawed husband and me a man who needs to extend mercy to his wife. Be with me, a flawed supervisor who needs mercy from my staff and me the flawed subordinate to our board of directors who needs to also extend mercy to them. I am sorry for how I fail you. Sometimes I did it out of love for you and I got ahead of myself and sometimes I did it out of selfishness and vanity. I am sorry. Help me to accept your forgiveness and to forgive myself.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:31-34

Dear God, I know I’ve prayed about this before, but this passage reminds me of the idea that we are at our worst as individual Christians or as the church when we are fighting for our own rights, but we are at our best when we are fighting for the rights of others. There are a lot of American Christians feeling like they are currently being persecuted, and have decided to fight for their rights and for top-down influence over society. It’s an ugly look because we are supposed to be able to rest in the peace that we are loved by you, and then we have the opportunity to spread that love to others by loving them as ourselves.

I could go on an on about how the church as a whole should do this for social justice issues, but I wonder what more I should be doing. I think the first thing is relationship. I need to be more purposeful about building relationships with those who are on the other side of the social justice scale than I am. That will be the first step.

Father, in the midst of a lot of strife right now, give me the courage to know what to do, how to help, and how to give.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

Romans 13:6-7

Dear God, it’s just so much easier in life if you just pay people what they are owed–and even err in their favor when there’s a questions. As a manager, I could quickly build a culture of distrust if I operated in a way that tried to keep every penny away from staff that I could. I’ve worked for people like that before, and they completely lost my trust and loyalty. I think they even lost a little of my work ethic. There was one job that I would actually go to the bathroom before I left for lunch because I was going to go on the company’s time as opposed to my time. That’ll teach them! (I know that’s pitiful, but it’s true.)

The same goes with taxes. If the IRS contacted me tomorrow and told me an audit is coming my way, I would be at total peace because I know my wife and I have not shorted them in any way. If anything, they might find that we didn’t take advantage of enough breaks and we could have paid less in taxes. There is a joy in generosity, and I think it starts with tithing. If I can learn to give away part of my money and resources to the needy then I find I’m much less likely to hold onto it when it comes to my business dealings with others.

Case in point, I had a family who was looking for a wheelchair for their father. Our nonprofit has wheelchairs that people donate and then we, in turn, give away indiscriminately. The man came by to pick up the wheelchair I set aside for them and he was so grateful that he left a donation. The donation was not necessary, but our generosity of spirit inspired his generosity.

Father, I’m still not where you want me to be on the spectrum between selfishness and selflessness, but I feel like I’m at least making progress. Help me to continue down this path until I am truly willing to look beyond my own wants and needs and see what you’re calling me to share in any given situation.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

Romans 13:1-5

Dear God, I’m just not sure how I feel about this. I mean, sure, I get submitting to authority, but Paul takes this to an interesting place when he starts talking about leaders supporting good actions and punishing bad actions. Logically, this makes sense, but there are a lot of leaders who are not logical. They will put down good people because they see them as a threat. And I’m not talking about our government. I’m talking about countries like Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, etc. What do I do when the leader is a despot?

Well, I think I still do what I do and then submit to the consequences. No one said that the person in charge harming me for doing what’s right isn’t part of your will as well. If I lived in North Korea and was found to be talking about things with which I disagree with the leader and was put to death for it, then I could accept that because, for whatever your reason, he is the person you have put in charge of that area of the world.

Obviously, this is the “verse of the day” on Bible Gateway because it is election day in our country. Everyone is very torqued up about it. Well, not everyone, but a lot of people are torqued up about it. They are fearful of the outcome, but I would posit that they (and I) should be submitted to and at peace with this outcome as much as we should submit to the authorities that Paul mentions above.

Father, I pray for our elections today. I pray that they will bring about the outcome that fits within your will for our world. Not only our country, but also our world. Bring glory to yourself through what happens. Bring peace. Make me an instrument of your peace to the people around me. Help me to simply live in your kingdom regardless of whether my physical home is here or I am in the place to come.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 11:30-32,12:1-2

Dear God, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway is The famous Romans 12:1, but it starts with “Therefore.” So what thought is Paul completing with this verse. Why am I offering my body as a living sacrifice? Well, if you go before the doxology at the end of Romans 11, verses 30-32 give us the answer. We offer our bodies as living sacrifices because of your mercy. We offer ourselves as purely as we can because we are incapable of offering ourselves as holy.

I was thinking this week about what I do, if anything, that is evangelical. How do I help bring anyone closer to you? Do I ever encourage someone who is living a Godless life to turn loose of themselves and submit to you? The answer is pretty much no. The best I offer to the people around me is a life of example. I think everyone with whom I work knows how important you are to me, but I don’t really do anything that then reaches out and invites them into a life that is permeated by the fruits of the Spirit.

Father, help me to be more sensitive to offering the amazing gift you gave me to others. Help me to be an example and then to offer that example to those who know me. Even when someone comes to me with a problem, help me to remember to first pray to you for guidance and to then encourage them to first approach you. I don’t want my short time on earth to be wasted.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

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.

Romans 15:5-7

Dear God, I’m not sure this really fits with this passage today, but I’ve been struggling lately, as is evidenced by past prayer journals to you, as to what level the church as a whole and I as an individual should concern myself with politics. I’ve tried to imagine Jesus living in America in 2020, walking the earth and having his ministry now. How would he respond to the pandemic, social justice, or the election? In the gospels, we didn’t see him moving in a democratic system so it’s hard to be certain, but I can’t help but feel that he would be more concerned about how Christians are treating each other and non-Christians than how they are voting. Something tells me that he wouldn’t be putting any energy at all into who the next president, senator, congressman/woman, governor, etc. would be. I’ve also come to think that you, as the Father, are controlling all of this on a macrolevel that is far above what I can understand or influence.

In terms of social justice and the pandemic, again, I think Jesus would bring it down to a personal level. What am I doing to show love to my neighbor? What am I doing to ensure that I am representing you to the world? What am I doing to draw others to you so that they might experience the fruits of the Spirit? If I insist on my right to not wear a mask or have my favorite football team play, am I doing your kingdom any good at all? If I shout from the rooftops that all live or blue lives matter, am I bringing more healing or am I dividing?

Father, I am asking for two things this morning. First, help me to turn loose of the different political things that are happening right now. From the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice to the election of national and local officials, help me to put my faith, hope, and trust in you and not in any person or any person’s plan. Peace will not be found in a candidate or a judge. Peace will not be found in the economy or even my own health. Peace will only be found in you and me representing you as best I can through loving others richly and extravagantly. Show me how to do that.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:1-5

Dear God, arrogance seems to be the operative word right now. I see it everywhere, and, on my Facebook feed, it seems to be coming more from the Christians than anyone else. I see it in the responses to COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, politics… So I think I’ll do a quick bulletin point list of what Paul is telling us here to see if I can extricate some truth and guidance from him/you.

• Offer my body as a living sacrifice.
• Do not conform to the patterns of the world.
• Be transformed by renewing my mind.
• Use my renewed mind to test and determine your will.
• Look at myself humbly and realistically.
• Realize that I have specific roles to play and I’m not intended to do it all.
• I need others in the body (Christian community) to be complete.

Father, I guess it all starts with dying to myself, humbly asking for your grace and forgiveness and then carrying that true humility to others as your ambassador and laborer. Help me to do that. Help me to love others well on your behalf. Help me to represent you. And help me to love and worship you like I should.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

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. 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. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 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.” And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.” And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.” And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.” 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.
Romans 15:4-13

Dear God, patience. Patience, patience, patience. I measure time in days, weeks, months, and years while you measure it in decades, centuries, and millennia. Even after all of my prayers about dying to myself and waiting on you to work your plan out on your own timetable, I can get my feelings hurt and become completely selfish. But that good news is that you are teaching me. I did a little better this time than I’ve done before. I at least had the sense to keep my mouth shut. Then, after time, I was able to see beyond the surface and appreciate that there might be more at play than I realize.

I say all of this because Paul is talking here about patiently waiting on you. But I think waiting might mischaracterize it a little. I just have to adjust my eye to see what you are actually accomplishing. It might seem like a snail’s pace to me, but if I look closely I can see that you are working.

I also have no idea where you are going. Life is a little like a who dunnit? murder mystery. My wife and I saw Knives Out this week. It kept us guessing the entire time, but the final answer made perfect sense. In retrospect, I could see how all of the pieces fit. The same is true of life. It’s hard to figure out what you’re doing in real time, but I can often look back and see what your hand working.

Father, I’ll quote a Newsboys song here. “Lord, I don’t know where all this is going or how it all works out. Lead me to peace that’s past understanding. A peace beyond all doubt.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Romans 13:6-7

Dear God, I think one way to look at this whole set of verses from Paul, including the ones before it, is him telling us to lighten up, do what’s right, be part of society, and stop being so hostile out of selfishness.

Hostile. It’s actually Election Day in our town/state (and probably in most or all states around the country). I voted early last week. There were about 10 things to come on, and about half of them involved taxation. There was one to prohibit a state income tax ever. There was one about taxing the value gained on precious metals stored in a place where you store them (that one seemed weird). There is this constant push/pull in our society around taxes. And I understand the desire to pay as little in taxes as possible. I feel that way too. But there are times when I feel like we start holding onto our money so tightly (I start holding onto my money so tightly) that it steals our (my) joy. That’s why it’s important to be a generous giver to others. I think the more I turn loose of my money in that way the more I can let go of all of it.

Father, first, thank you for providing me taxable income. Thank you for generously giving my wife and me the resources to cover emergency needs (like a new appliance that just broke) as well as enough money to help those around us. Second, help me to continue to turn loose and consider it all joy so that the money I have is not my own, but all yours. If that means paying taxes to support the common good, so be it.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Romans 12:19-13:7

Dear God, I’ve always found this passage fascinating. For a guy who ended up being killed for disobeying the authorities over him (in this case, the church and then the government), this is an interesting take on authority. How could he say this? Did he think that what he and the other apostles were doing was wrong? Did he just think it was worth getting in trouble?

I think the thing I’m learning to appreciate about Paul is that he never complained about how the church, the government, or even you treated him. Now, I might be forgetting some verses, but, for the most part, Paul accepted the consequences of his actions. He considered his life worth nothing to him.

In a modern day sense, I think of Martin Luther King, Jr. He would submit himself to the authorities while trying to let them know where he thought they had blinders. In the end, he changed a lot of hearts while working within the system (including imprisonment). I suppose Nelson Mandela is another example, although I don’t know his story as well as I should.

Father, help me to respect whomever I need to respect and to be your example. If I need to respect leaders of either party in Washington, help me to do that. If I need to object to anything they are doing, help me to do that in a way that honors you and accepts the consequences of my actions. And I pray for everyone in Washington right now. Whether they are prosecuting someone, defending someone, defending themselves, or testifying for or against others, I pray that you will be very present and provide for their safety. Make all of this pain count. Make it count for the individuals, the country, and the world. And reveal your truth and bring all of us into submission to you. Help us to be the United States of America.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen