Category Archives: Romans

14 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ² For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ³ Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

Dear God, I want to look at these verses from yesterday again because I am having an important meeting today that these thoughts from Paul could influence.

You know that my wife is Catholic, and although I am not Catholic, we attend Catholic church together, participate in church activities almost as if I was Catholic. I’ve been all of the way through the Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and found that I couldn’t get myself close enough theologically to actually become Catholic. But I’ve happily attended for 13 years now, and I’ve actually grown quite accustomed to it. Outside of the obvious thing that I do not go forward for Eucharist, I dare say that anyone there would otherwise think I am Catholic.

So why am I bringing this up today? Well, one of the leaders of the church asked my wife and me to consider working with couples who are doing the premarital program–specifically the couples where one is Catholic and one isn’t. I suppose we are seen as a good example of a “mixed” marriage. But I am concerned about it. Basically, I think it is important for couples to worship together and serve the church together. I would overlook my theological differences with the church and consider being confirmed Catholic except that there are a couple of them that the church places paramount importance on, and if I do not believe these one or two things then they do not want me taking part in the sacraments. And I get and respect that. No problem. But if I am working with a couple that has a Catholic and then one who is either unchurched, nominally churched, or churched in another tradition, I don’t want my decision to not be confirmed Catholic to influence them.

I’m glad I’m doing this because I think I might have just had a thought. Holy Spirit, is that you? Perhaps I should just not talk theology, but encourage them to walk the path I have walked, which I think has been a good one. When my wife came to be nearly 14 years ago and told me she had visited a Catholic church for the first time and loved it, I was resistant. Then, as I felt more and more disconnected from her spiritually, a friend encouraged me to start going to church with her. Eventually, we went through RCIA together, and I now know more Catholic theology than a lot of cradle Catholics. What I found in that first year of that church was people who are truly lovers of you. They want to worship you. They want to serve you. I’ve sat in the balcony during a Christmas Eve service, looked down on the crowd, and thought about how much you loved them and me. And how much we love you. So while I couldn’t be confirmed, I certainly found no reason why I couldn’t worship with them and keep my differences in opinion to myself. Then, a couple of years ago, I listened to the Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. It was so good for me. Yes, he taught some Catholic doctrine throughout with which I disagreed, but nothing was beyond the types of disagreements Paul describes above. I’m not saying one of us has a less mature faith than the other. In fact, mine is probably less mature if we are measuring on a scale. But the act of worshipping with my wife, supporting her involvement in the music program and visitation ministry, and being involved in a couples group with six other couples has been very good for me. I think I have been a blessing to at least some of them as well. So maybe as I’m visiting with engaged couples of different Christian denominational faiths in the future I can just point them to my path without giving them a sense of my theological differences. Maybe I can point them to my support for my wife’s spiritual development under you as opposed to the places where I think I am smarter that 2,000 years of Catholic theology.

Father, guide me in this conversation today. Help me to submit to the authority of the church leader who runs this program. Help me to be humble. We all like to think that we are the mature one in our faith, but even the example Paul gives above with food is not clear cut. I can say that it is paramount and a dealbreaker if someone doesn’t believe in the deity of Jesus; his life, death, and resurrection as reconciliation with you; and the need to love you with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourself. If the Nicene Creed is a foundation for both, the rest is us working out our faith with fear and trembling before you. Help me to come one step closer to working out my faith before you today. And use my wife and me to be your blessing to others, including possibly couples at the beginning of their lives together.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Dear God, it’s verse 2 that caught my eye this morning: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. I think you’re transforming me into a new person. Well, let’s say this: I know I am being transformed into something new. I pray that it is you who is transforming me into your image.

There are times when I see myself transforming into something that surprises me. Something different even than what the church normally teaches I should be. Or I think about things in a way that the church says I should not think. In these instances, is the church the “world,” or am I?

Father, I really want to hear you clearly. I want to understand who you are. I want to see others with your eyes. I want to hear them with your ears. I want to know your heart for me and for them. I want to know who to help each person I know heal. Of course, I want to be healed as well. I feel like I am working through that slowly but surely. I guess, beyond anything, I just want people to be reconciled to you so that they can be at peace with themselves, their “enemies,” and you. Help me to introduce you to people in that way.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection,^[e] and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.^[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ¹³ When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ 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,”^[g]
    says the Lord.

²⁰ 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.”^[h]

²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Dear God, I just wanted to stop before I get this day going and tell you that I need you. I thank you. I thank you for, well, everything. You are a good God. Oh so good. And I’m reminded of this through this passage. What a weird perspective of life Jesus authored for us as Christians. Everything here turns the world on its head. What would it look like if we really did this?

Father, help me to do this today. Maybe I should read this every day. If my enemies are hunger feed them? Okay. Wait for you to avenge me if there is something to avenge? Okay. Pray that you will bless those who persecute me? Okay. I will.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Romans 12:6-9

Dear God, it was the “do it gladly” at the end of verse 9 that caught my eye this morning. Do it gladly. How many of us (and this definitely includes me) don’t do what we are called to do gladly? How many of us don’t live into our gifting gladly?

Leadership is one that kind of floats to the top here for me. First, I confess that I am one of those people who seems to fill the void if there is ever a leadership vacuum. For example, when I was only 27 I served on a jury and, even though I was one of the youngest, if not the youngest, person in the room, I ended up being a presiding juror (the word they used for foreman). It just kind of happens to me. And there are a lot of times when I find myself in a situation that needs leadership–that could use my leadership–but I am reluctant to do it because of the commitment. Will it require too much of me? Too much of my time? Like I don’t have mountains of time I waste every day. I’m not maxed out. I could give a little more. But when I am asked to do it, too many times I don’t do it gladly.

One of the things I really don’t do gladly that you call me to do is pray more–especially for others. I have a friend right now whose home and city were hit by a big storm. He has a lot of damage and no electricity. We texted about it, but it didn’t occur to me to pray for him about it until he said, pray for electricity to be restored. I thought, Oh, yeah. I should pray about that. There is a family in our town who tragically lost a child in an accident last Sunday. I’ve prayed for them a little, but I haven’t really, in a focused way. asked for you to just cover them in your Holy Spirit. To minister to them through your angels in the spiritual realm and your church and their friends in the physical realm. No, I don’t pray gladly.

Father, help me to embrace the gifts you’ve given me. I like to give. Help me to give gladly. I live to serve others. Help me to serve gladly. I have leadership gifts. Help me to lead, when appropriate, gladly. Help me to love my wife and family gladly. Help me to pray for all of them, my friends, my community, and my world gladly. Help me to carry your joy in my heart. Help me to do it all gladly so that I might experience the fruits of the Spirit you have for me, and I might take you to a world that is looking for you.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

¹³ I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, ¹⁴ for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. ¹⁵ For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! ¹⁶ And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

¹⁷ But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. ¹⁸ But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

¹⁹ “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” ²⁰ Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. ²¹ For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.

²² Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. ²³ And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. ²⁴ You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

²⁵ I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

Dear God, the first passage I noticed this morning was the first sentence in verse 25: “I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves.” Then I started backing up to see what mystery Paul was referring to. Of course, it was about Gentiles feeling entitled and proud of themselves because they (we) are grafted in to your vine like the Jewish people are.

Pride in ourselves in an interesting thing. I certainly get it. I will pray to you. Ask you for things. Ask you to provide. Ask you to be with me when I speak. And then when it goes well, I am so ready to bask in the glory of it. Why is that? Why do I want or need this kind of praise–even if it’s only in my own eyes?

I’ve been sick the last 36 hours and it hasn’t been fun at all. And I have a lot to do. I also have a couple of challenging things to deal with and accomplish. I need your help to address them. Honestly, until I sat down and started praying like this right now, I hadn’t thought to really pray to you about it. But I really do need you. I need your guidance. I need your wisdom. I need to you prepare hearts to discuss what we are going to be discussing, including my heart. I need for you to use these struggles to make us better than we otherwise would be. I need you to forgive me for my selfishness. I’m so sorry.

Father, be with me today. Guide me. Strengthen me. Help me. And please be with my wife today and her health. She isn’t feeling great either. Oh, Lord, please wrap her body up and love her. Restore her to complete health. And thank you for all that you are doing in our lives that is good. While the hard things are difficult, the good is very good and I am so grateful to have it.

I offer all of this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans 1:18-23

Dear God, when I first read the Bible Gateway verse of the day today (Romans 1:20), I started singing “How Great Thou Art” in my head. “Oh, Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my savior, God, to thee, ‘How great thou art. How great thou art.'”

Here’s what scares me to death: verse 21. “And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” Yeah, that terrifies me. Do I do that? Do I remake you in my own image? Do I justify my own actions or the actions of others to fit my own desires or sense of justice, and denigrate how you see everything? To I claim to be wise and yet allow myself to evolve into a fool?

I talked with a man a couple of nights ago at a party about the idols we all set up to put our certainty in besides you. I do it too. My bank account. My marriage. My children. My job. The government. The economy. The church. Whatever it might be, it can be easy to let any one of those things slowly take over my heart and attention. I am sorry for that.

Father, I am here this morning to do my best to worship you and you alone. To strive for the purity you have for me that you know is best for me. To repent for the things I do that fail you and myself (and others). Oh, Father, forgive me. Forgive me for any part of me that tries to fit you into the box that is most comfortable for me. I am your servant. Guide me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen