QT 1/8/2025 Rom 15:14-21, Reminders

Romans 15:14–21 (ESV) —

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,

and those who have never heard will understand.”

 

NOTE: I think that in verse 14, Paul was saying that the Romans had all that they needed to continue to grow in the faith, Paul was merely reminding them, rather boldly of those things they already knew. Reminders are good. God uses multiple means to remind us of truth. Sometimes, it is the simple re-reading of a passage that many years ago had taught us something or changed a behavior. Sometimes, God uses people to remind us of things we ought to know. Those are not always comfortable, as Paul's BOLD comments probably were not. I suppose they are many ways for God to remind us, but the third one I think about is what I call the 2 by 4 (or brick wall) approach. In the US, a 2 by 4, is a piece of lumber approximately two inches by 4 inches, and at least six or eight foot long. Learning something through the 2 by 4 approach is where you get banged over the head pretty hard by a 2 by 4 in order to knock some sense into you, just like running into a brick wall when you don't know where you are going or a running from God.

 

The point of the three methods of reminders is this: If you are a child of God, he will not let you go. He will start easy with a verse, but then bring in a person or something, but when you finally won't listen, he will use a 2 by 4 or a brick wall to get your attention.

 

PONDER:

1. What has God been trying to say to me and I am not listening?
2. How has God been trying to get my attention?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to be sensitive and receptive to your word and your Spirit within me. Help me to see my faults before they get any worse.