Day 52 "Final Words of Encouragement " (Romans: Chapter Sixteen)

As we reach the final stretch of Romans, Paul writes with tenderness requesting that the Christians in Rome greet and welcome a list of people Paul identifies as being involved in the church family one way or another. Separately, we are each parts of a whole. But functioning together, we make up the body of Christ with Christ being the head.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all given one Spirit to drink." 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Chapter sixteen closes the book of Romans with a few last encouragements:

Verse 16: "Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Verse 18: "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."

Verse 19: "but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."

Verse 20: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."

Key verses for me:

Verse 17: "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them."

In Paul's day, there seem to be extremism in the way people walked and behaved. Either they walked to an adherence to a strict set of rules and laws activated and maintained by performancism or they seem to follow their own set of standards and moral implications placing "self" as the center of their universe. Throughout the journey through the book of Romans, Paul has dispelled the act of performing in exchange for embracing grace and faith in Jesus Christ. As long as there is the belief that something else needs to be done to amend or repair our relationship with God, there will be a tendency towards striving to become better with the underlying motive of appeasing. But Paul has taken us on a journey to understand that in Jesus, everything needing to be done was done. In Christ, we live by faith and freedom, not by self performance in bondage. So, if you and I have been set free, and everything has been taken care of for us, now what are we to do? I sense the heavenly Father's great delight in answering this question, "Anything you want, but do so in love."

As our creator, I perceive within my spirit, the Father's joy in watching how we live out our lives in our freedom to choose . Only when their is real freedom can one determine the heart and real motive of why someone does what they do.

The question that Jesus asked Peter in chapter 21 of John is somewhat surprising when you think about it. Peter had denied Christ three times as Jesus had predicted. Here, having been resurrected from the dead, Jesus is with Peter. Our human nature would have possibly twisted the knife a little deeper into Peter's self-condemning regret by saying, "Told you so!" But not Jesus. Three times Jesus asked Peter the question, "Peter, do you love me?" Nothing more did Jesus ask of Peter. Most likely, the takeaway from all this is that love is the greatest motivator that we can have. When someone truly loves someone else, there is little that the person wouldn't do for the other person. The most important thing on Jesus' mind was to know how Peter really felt about him. Knowing this, there was little that Peter wouldn't do for Jesus.

We have no reason to fear what may arise after our lives here on Earth is over. Therefore, take comfort in knowing that our eternity is secured no matter what the current circum- stances behold for us. Take heart and do not believe that God may be punishing the world for its sin. The penalty was already fully paid by Jesus on the cross. Any other belief that there is still something we need to do or not do to sway God is erroneous. Be encouraged. We are God's children on an eternal basis no matter what happens here- Coronavirus or no Coronavirus. So seek to live your life guided by the Spirit of God in all that you do. And that Spirit is rooted and established in love.

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Live in the moment. Live the moment in love.

Stay well. See you tomorrow...

"Carpe momentus in love."