Before we get into today’s devotional, today is Palm Sunday – don’t forget to join us for our Palm Sunday Service!
Everything you need is at www.saarfellowship.com, and we’ll be LIVE at 6pm Bahrain time.
Now on with today’s devotional…
The crux of Paul’s letter to the Romans finishes after 15.33, and in chapter sixteen there are various greetings, some final instructions, and a word of blessing. Today we’ll have a look at the greetings, of which there are many, so go ahead and read Romans 16.1-16 (click here to do so!).
So, a long list of real people that show us this letter was written by a real person to other real people addressing read problems with real answers.
From this collection of greetings we see a couple of things; first, the business of the Gospel (v.2, 4, 6, 12, 13b), but mainly we see that Paul is generous in compliments.
Often times nowadays people are quick to complain, but seldom as quick to offer thanks and compliments. This isn’t right. How different would the world look if people were as quick to praise as they are to publicly shame others and trash companies?
Paul didn’t finish his letter with a list of what-could-be-betters, rather, he finished with a list of thank-yous, praise for those living out their faith, and words of encouragement and edification.
So, today, let’s not be quick to complain, quick to shame others, or quick to jump online and publicly trash people and companies. Instead, let us be people of encouragement, of edification, and people who live out their faith with their lives.
Point to ponder – Am I as quick to offer praise and thanks as I am criticism and complaint?
This devotional was originally part of a series through Romans.
You can find it on kindle here and iBooks here for less than the price of an espresso.
and in print here.
James Travis 