trendy God

I am going to be going through Romans for the first few weeks of school. A mentor type friend of mine, Melissa Jimenez, told me that this would be a good book to go through because it tells us who God is and how He wants us to behave. So, like a  good little mentee I jumped right into it.

Also, before we get into it I want to give credit where credit is due. I read out of a life application study bible (Zondervan) so a lot of the ideas and question that I write out are probably coming out of that, but I do get some epiphanies every now and again.

Romans

I am not going to go through the entire chapter, but rather share with you a bit of what I thought was interesting, and maybe some questions that popped up for me.

First off, Romans is a letter written by Apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome. During this time the “Roman empire controlled most Europe North Africa, and the Near East (see map to your left, dark orange is Roman territory).” Christians were the ‘odd man out’ when it came to worship in Rome, and Paul wrote this letter to help encourage, lead, and love them.

Romans 1

- Paul jumps into it right away in 1:5 by telling us who Jesus is and what he has done for us.  Paul reminds us in this verse that it is a responsibility when we accept God. We are now on a journey for the rest of our lives to become more like Him! To forgive, love, and share the message of God just as Jesus and his disciples did.

- In verse 12 Paul tells us his reason for wanting to visit Rome. He want “be encouraged together…each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Here Paul is showing what a humble guy he is. As Christians today we should follow this example, but like any good relationship it cannot be forced. We must first accept the people or person for who they are before we try to have an effect on them.  This verses reminds me of Proverbs 27:17 – As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. We need to utilize our relationships and learn from one another. We don’t take enough time to just listen now a day. We always have something to say or something to look at or think about while another person is talking to us, but how much richer would our relationships be if we just took the 20 minutes or hour to listen? If you feel so inclined you should check out the story of Jesus healing Jairus’s daughter, but pay close attention to the woman who touches his robe as he is making his way through the crowd, and notice the time he takes to listen to her whole story.

- Next in verse 18 and 19 Paul hits a very interesting topic. It says “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is know about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” In other words (at least what I took from it) because we know this truth we need to share it, not keep it to ourselves and if we do it’s considered sin.  We only know God because He allows us to know Him.

- The last thing I want to mention is the problem Rome had with idolatry. In verses 21-23 “For even though the knew God they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” This one hit me pretty hard. We know of God, but do we really know Him? In James 2:19 and 20 it says, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” Foolish means, unknowledgeable and although it’s hard to admit, I am totally a fool! Now taking this verse (from Romans) into today. We may not have idols like they did in Paul’s time but we still have idols, are phones. I for one am the worst at this, I am constantly messing around on my phone. We are so consumed by technology today that we hardly take the time know God. To read his word instead of scrolling trough pinterest, to pray instead of watching cat videos on youtube, or to sit and listen instead of filling our ears with music. This is definitely something I feel convicted about because without my phone I feel naked, and that is not ok.

So here’s a little challenge for you (and myself) this week, or even for the day, turn your phone of or put it ‘do not disturb mode’ and listen, pray, read. Take the time to be with God, you’ll be amazed at how refreshed you feel.  #phonefasting