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Day 37: Romans 16/Psalm 95
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Thursday April 1, 2004
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Greet one
another with a holy kiss... (Romans 16:16)
When I was in college I tried this line a few times on some of my
dates. For whatever reason, it never worked.
I think Paul wrote
this verse not for desperate young romantics like me but to remind us
that the church is built on relationships. After all, no book in the
New Testament has more mind-altering doctrines than Romans, yet, what
is interesting is that Paul, after tackling sanctification,
justification through faith, predestination, doing what we know we
shouldn’t do but keep doing anyway even though we really, really,
really don’t want to do it (I certainly don’t know what that doctrine
is called but it has to be one), he concludes not with a summary of the
greatest theological book ever written, but instead tells us about his
friends. Paul’s depth of gratitude for his friends jumps out. Phoebe
was a great help to him, Prisca and Aquila risked their lives for him,
Mary worked hard for him; Andronicus and Junias went to prison with him
and the mother of Rufus was a mother to him. Wow, Paul had some great
friends, although you have to wonder about Rufus’s mother --- who names
their kid Rufus?
What this tells me
about Paul is that he invested deeply in relationships. And it is not
like he didn’t have a lot of other things going on. In between being
flogged; stoned; imprisoned; shipwrecked; lashed; going hungry,
homeless and naked; and globe hopping (too bad they didn’t have
frequent flyer miles back then), Paul had the minor job of being
responsible for the church in the entire known world. And you thought
Dave Workman had a tough job. Paul realized that the only way to
survive all of the craziness of his reality was to have friends, real
friends that would support, encourage and most importantly stand with
him when things got tough.
I thank God daily
for my best friend and wife Jenny, and my friends, Mark, Phil and
Allan. The four of them are God’s principal instrument of grace in my
life. Do you have the kind of friends Paul had? If not, you should run,
not walk but run, to the Connections Room off the Atrium this weekend.
Ask the nice people in there wearing the nice blue polyester golf
shirts how you can get in a friendship incubator. After they get done
saying “A what?”, tell them you need to get in a small group right
away. That’s where you’ll find the friends you need. You might get a
friend and a holy kiss out of it.
Today’s
Prayer:
Father, help me understand my need for friends. Help me find
friends like Paul had. Help me get over any fear of rejection,
laziness, busyness, independence, or anything else that is keeping me
from trusting You to meet my needs through a small group.
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Memory Verse of the Week:
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in
the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD , "He is my refuge
and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 (New International Version)
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For a complete
listing of all the previous devotionals in this "50 Day
Experience," click here.
To read the chapter or psalm of the day online, click on one of the
following links:
o
Romans
16
o
Psalm
95
Scott Phillips, sphillips@fbtlaw.com, A
Non-Staff Trustee at VCC
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