Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Rom. 1:1-5 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Him and for His name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”
Understand:
Paul was tasked with telling primarily non-Jews (Gentiles) that the good news of the Gospel was also for them. In verse six, he calls them to “The obedience that comes from faith.” This simple but profound phrase frames the book of Romans as he repeats it again in the last chapter (Romans 16:26; in the Greek it is the same phrase). Why is this so important? Because it is the core of the gospel. To please and obey God is to believe (put your faith in) God’s good news of His Son.
Apply:
In his book “The Great Omission”, Dallas Willard states that “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone.”
Do you understand that you are saved by faith, not by works? This means that God applies the sacrifice and obedience of Jesus to your “account”.
Faith and obedience are two sides of one coin. If you believe, you will seek to obey; but, there is no true obedience without belief.
Today you will fail; if not in action or in word, then in attitude. Today you will fail to fully obey all that God desires and requires. But today, if you are a Christian, you will live by faith in the gospel. When the day is over, you will not have a “negative” balance with God. Christ has already taken care of all sin-past and future-in your life. Seek to obey Him in action, word, and attitude today. Not out of fear or duty, but out of joy and love.
*From what you have just read and considered: What is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.