Romans 15:8-13

Passage

For I say that Christ became a servant of circumcision for the sake of the truth of God in order that the promises of the fathers be proven true and to give glory to God among the Gentiles for the sake of mercy.  Just as it has been written, “For the sake of this I will honor you with praise among the Gentiles and I will sing praise to your name.”  And again it says, “Rejoice, Gentiles, with His people.”  And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the people praise Him.”  And again, Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will be, and the one who is raised up to rule the Gentiles upon him will the Gentiles put their hope.”  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in order to believe in order that you abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Christ became a servant.  This is a fundamental tenet of Christianity that many of us care to forget.  Christ is our model and we are to imitate Him.  And He became a servant.  Although we might like to make our life about ourselves, Christ became a servant.  His life – and especially His death – was not about Him.

Do you desire to be a servant?  How difficult is it for you to let your life be about God’s will and not your own desires?

Second Thought:

Jesus became a servant for the sake of both the Jews and the Gentiles.  The Jews looked for the Law and the prophets to be fulfilled. The Gentiles needed mercy in the midst of their utter lack of relationship with God.  Yet, Jesus came to fulfill both accounts.  He was the answer to the promise for the Jews.  He was the unexpected gift for the Gentiles.

Have you thought about how Christ can be all things to both Jew and Gentile?  When you think of Christ, do you think of Him as the one who answers God’s promises for you or the one who invites you into a relationship you do not deserve?  How can Christ be both of these at once?

Third Thought:

The majority of this passage is about praising God’s name.  Here is the message about our response to salvation.  Christ came, now we should praise Him for it.  We can know salvation; we should give glory to God in response.  Our hope is in God, and He brought us that hope when we deserved it the least.  Thanks be to God!

How do you give praise to God?  How much of your life is about giving praise to God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 15:14-17