Romans 1:16–17 (ESV) —
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
NOTE: This the theme of the book, the incredible power of the gospel. It is the gospel which reveals God's righteousness and which gives us righteousness. Before the millennial kingdom can begin, Israel will acknowledge Jesus as their savior, and weep for their long rejection of his saving power.
Zechariah 12:10 (ESV) — “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Can I say as strongly as Paul, "I am not ashamed of the gospel?" It has changed my life. I have experienced the power-- the explosive power -- in my life. I am radically different because I put my faith in Jesus decades ago. It is still changing me from one degree of glory to another. I will never be the person I want to be in this life, but I am much better than the person I was because of Jesus. I look forward to that day when my body will be resurrected into a glorified body that can stand in the presence of awesome righteousness, but for now, I need to boldly proclaim to all that question my faith, that the gospel has the power to save and change us.
PONDER:
- When was the last time I stood up for the gospel?
- Am I more interested in the world's praise or God's "well done?"
PRAYER: Father, I am so grateful for my salvation. I know the gospel has started a process of transformation in my life that will continue until you come again. Thank you so much!
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