Slices
Prepare
Think through your plans for the next 24 hours. Ask God to speak to you about them as you spend time with him now.
Bible passage
Paul’s longing to visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’
Explore
Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of being in debt? The feeling of owing someone else what is rightfully theirs can trigger very negative emotions, but positively it can push us to do all that we can to make sure we pay back what is owed.
In today’s passage, we read that Paul thought of himself as a debtor (v 14). It wasn’t financial debt, but gospel debt: he had the good news that rightly belonged to others. For sure God was the giver of the good news (1:2–4), and Paul himself had received it, but its rightful ‘owners’ – the people to whom it was addressed (v 14) – were not yet in possession of it.
Paul’s ministry had demonstrated that when people hear the story of God’s love, as shown in Jesus, it could have powerful and life-changing effects. So he’s not ashamed to talk about Jesus. Quite the reverse: he can’t wait to get to Rome to pay off some more debt (vs 10–13)!
What is your church doing to pay back the debt of the gospel to the world? Where else do you see this happening?
Respond
Do you have friends, colleagues or family to whom you owe the debt of God’s good news? How might you go about sharing Jesus with them? Pray for the courage to trust the gospel’s inbuilt power and for the opportunity to pay the debt soon.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 7,8; Psalms 13,14
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that SU’s Young Leaders Enabler, Rachel Blake, will have wisdom as she seeks to widen the reach of the young leaders’ development programme. Give thanks for the many young people who come back, and pray we can encourage more young people to come as young leaders.
