Ordinary Sinners with an Extraordinary Savior
8/25 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 17; Romans 15; Lamentation 2; Psalm 33
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8/25 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 17; Romans 15; Lamentation 2; Psalm 33
Romans 15:29
I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
BLESSING
Many of us have a tendency to think of Paul as some kind of super-apostle. I know I’m prone to such. The truth is that Paul was an ordinary guy, saved by God’s grace through an extraordinary Savior. We must remember that when Paul is carried along by the Holy Spirit to dictate Scripture, the words penned are Christ’s to us. Paul, on the other hand, is the same fellow who cried out just a few chapters earlier:
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:24
As a Christian, Paul strived to have an ever-increasing nearness to the One who redeemed him. Paul sought to know Christ through God’s Word (Jn 17:17: Phil 3:10). Paul was a simple man of faith serving a sovereign Lord and supreme Savior; and since his conversion in Damascus, he embraced God’s Word, trusted God’s Word, and by God’s grace, applied God’s Word to his life. This is why he could be so confident to tell the Christians in Rome that he would come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. We all have encountered such individuals in our lives. They’re not “special” Christians or “super” saints. They are simply filled with the knowledge of Christ, the peace of Christ, the joy of Christ, and the love of Christ. When they enter the room, the space is filled with the presence of Jesus. When they speak, their words are borne along with all the consolation of Christ. In their most modest deeds and actions, they carry all the comfort of the Good Shepherd. We, too, should be like this, regardless of our “calling” or particular giftedness. May this be our prayer today: that wherever we go, we go intentionally to bring the fullness of the blessing of Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Paul knew that when he went to Rome,
Christ’s blessing would be full,
So they might grow in grace and faith,
A crown set with fine jewels.