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Romans 1:7–17
Who does God want you to help today?
“I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”” (Romans 1:7–17, NLT)
The testimony of those in the Roman church had reached the Jerusalem church. Because of that, Paul was praying for them faithfully and longing to see them.
He strongly desired to encourage and uplift others spiritually whenever he could get in their presence. He longed to meet the Romans to do just that, and he knew that his understanding of Jesus and the Gospel could help them in their spiritual journey.
It is truly a joy to help sharpen others spiritually as they do the same for you. Paul had a long list of people that he was praying for, and typically he was praying for spiritual needs.
There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. — John Andrew Holmes
What if every Christian had this type of mindset and dedication? What if we all had a burden to be a help and a blessing? What if we all had a group of people that we were praying for and seeking to encourage toward spiritual maturity?
Did God bring anyone to your mind?
