Romans Week 4
07/14/2017 .“Paul was so anchored in the gospel that no wind could capsize him. That’s not new news, but this may be: the steadiness of Paul is possible for us too.” Sometimes, I can sit in church under an amazing pastor and think to myself, “I’ll never be as close to God as he is.” If I’m not careful, I can proceed to create a spiritual ceiling for myself. And if I’m not really careful, my mind can dig up old hurts and struggles and use those as reason why I’m not useable for The Kingdom. I know those thoughts are lies, and these Romans verses gave me handholds of truth to keep me stable: God is sovereign and His goodness defines how, where, and when He will use me. Our study continued to walk the tension of God’s constant goodness amidst our inevitable chaos.
Truth is found in the tension. Our authors bravely addressed prominent and often distressing questions that Christians encounter: “How can I know God is trustworthy if I pray and my circumstances don’t change?”, “How can I help a friend who is headed down the wrong path?”, and “Doesn’t my sin disqualify me from God’s presence and The Kingdom’s work?”
We can know that God is trustworthy and good because He is sovereign and always has our best interest in mind. We were never promised painless lives, but we were promised meaningful lives. We can know how to comfort and guide a friend when we remember that only God knows the full story. We can humble ourselves and let the Spirit speak the real words of life and love through us. We can trust that Jesus’ sacrifice satiated God’s wrath for our sins forever. He has prepared good works for us and we have full permission to go after them. Not only are we made for good works, but, we have access to all of God’s power and strength to complete them through His Holy Spirit!
All of this grace, all of these free gifts and truths, completely halt the creation of my spiritual ceiling. I am always in process, I will always need the cross to steady me in the face of my sin, and I will always need divine wisdom to speak life into the world and the lives of others. I soaked in the Grace of God on our Grace Day and dwelt on many more of the verses besides alongside the suggested memorization. I love what Sharon Miller wrote, “Only God knows the whole picture and the entire story. Our task is to share the good news to the best of our ability, in humility, and then prayerfully leave the rest to Him.” Prayerfully leave the rest to Him. Leave our questions, our worries, and our discomforts all at His feet and set our feet towards where The Good News still needs to be.
Click here to watch our discussion video on the Holy Spirit's role in our lives!