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Grace and Peace

Words of Faith Final

Grace and Peace
Words of Faith 7-1-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Today we begin a new devotional study in the book of Romans. The invitation is to soak for a time in a revolutionary truth-- the righteousness from God that is received by faith. Romans is actually a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome. The letter would circulate and serve as a foundational document in the early church. In many ways, it is the greatest statement of New Testament theology that we have in the Bible. Within these chapters, we find the fundamental interpretation of the human condition and the life, death, and Gospel of Jesus. Romans is about "the gospel" (1:16). Specifically, Romans declares that there is "a righteousness from God" which "is revealed" in the gospel and is understood and appropriated "by faith from first to last" (1:17).
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Romans 1
    Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God‑‑ [2] the Gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures [3] regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, [4] 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. [5] 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. [6] And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
     [7] To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
    Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

       Have you written a resume lately?  Perhaps you have written hundreds. Or maybe you are among those who would find their last resume so out of date that starting over would better than an overhaul.  A resume is an interesting tool because we use it to commend ourselves to others for consideration.  In a page or so, we attempt to summarize our identity, life accomplishments, gifts, and other preparations with an eye toward the future.   
        Paul opened the letter to the Romans, as he does all his letters, with a sort of resume.  In this case, it was not a lengthy commendation.  After all, he knew the Roman community of believers fairly well.  There was no real need to make a big impression here.  But as Paul began a letter that would surely circulate throughout the church, it was an opportunity to stop and identify himself.  
        Paul sought to answer a few obvious questions in the heart of the reader. Who am I?  I am a servant of Jesus.  I have only one boss.  I am called to be an Apostle, or more bluntly, one "sent."  I am set apart for the Gospel of God.  There is nothing else that I can do with my life.  I do not have a "career"; I have a calling.  I live under orders.  My specific calling is to reach the Gentile world with this Gospel and call those people to the obedience that comes through faith.  
         Certainly, Paul could have gone into more detail regarding his background as he did in the letter to the Galatians, but what we see here is clear and concise.  
         Today, as we begin a new study in Paul's letter to the Romans, the occasion might cause us to ask:  What does my spiritual resume look like?  Who am I?  Have I committed my life to Christ?  Am I among those called to belong to Jesus Christ?   Can I say first and foremost that I am a servant of Jesus?  Is there a calling in my life that I have identified?  
       There are many callings in life.   There are calls to serve-- to support, parent, guide, disciple, or witness. We are called to worship, intercede, aid, pastor, teach, preach, administrate, and many more.  
        Am I set apart?  Do I recognize and submit to the intention of God to make me holy for His purposes?  Is there a group of people that I am called to reach?  
        To respond, we are much in need of one thing: His grace.  When we receive the call of God, we receive "grace and apostleship," the power and the sending. Even if we are "only" sent across the street, we need grace.  With that grace comes peace, the peace to trust and go where He is calling us to go.
       The journey of Romans will be one of grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  The journey will require both grace and peace as we discover the Gospel of God in Jesus, hear His call, and respond by faith. Are you ready for grace and peace?

          Lord, I want nothing more than to be available to You.  I desire to be completely Yours. But I very much need grace and peace. Lord, may my spiritual resume read only that I am a servant of Christ Jesus, called and set apart for the Gospel of God.  In Jesus' name.  

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.