This devotional story is the 2nd devotional story about my reading and insights. Again, I hope this encourages you to start your own Bible reading and prayer time with Jesus.
We are going to focus on this verse:
Romans 1:5
5 Through him, we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake.
Here's my key takeaway from the verse above:
Christians received two things from God (verse 5):
Grace
Apostleship
Let's focus on these gifts individually, starting with grace.
What is Grace?
Below is the definition from Christianity.com.
Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don't deserve and not getting what you do deserve.
I'll give you an example. Let's meet the twins' Bob and Rob.
Bob and Rob went to their grandmother's house to mow the lawn. The twins' grandmother promised to give them $10 each in exchange for their service.
Bob did all work. Rob sat down in the corner and played games on his phone.
When Bob finished the lawn, their grandmother gave both of them $10 each.
That's an example of grace. Rob didn't deserve to receive $10, but he got the money.
Here's another example. Let's go back to the twins.
Bob and Rob went to a coffee shop. Bob ordered a $3.50 long black, and Rob ordered a $4.25 cappuccino.
When the bill came, Bob paid $7.75 to cover both orders.
Rob received the cappuccino and had to pay $4.25, but since Bob paid for it, Rob didn't need to pay anymore.
Again, this is grace.
Below is the people's concept of God:
We need to obey and fulfil all the commands in the Bible to please God and receive blessings from God.
This concept is too much of a burden to carry.
Life is hard, and it's challenging to meet worldly standards. If we believe that God is pouring more responsibility on us, then that belief can be frustrating.
We need to remember that God gave us grace as a gift. We don't have to work to receive gifts. If we need to work for it, then it's our salary.
All we need to do is to believe in Jesus. That's all!
Jesus is like Bob in the twin's story.
We need to follow God's commands, but Jesus followed them for us.
We need to pay for our sins, but Jesus paid it with His life.
We don't need to focus on fulfilling all the laws in the Bible. Thanks to Jesus, we only need to focus on how much God loves us and have a relationship with Him.
What is Apostleship?
Merriam-Webster defines an apostle as:
One sent on a mission.
One of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul.
God gave us a mission: To share the good news of grace to everyone!
Many people are feeling depressed. The people around them don't care enough. The media focuses too much on problems and casualties. If we don't share the good news, people will be crazy.
These are hard times. We need all the help we can get. People need to know that we have a God who cares and listens to our prayers. They need to know that the creator of the universe is willing to protect us against anything because God loves us.
It's our job to spread this good news. God doesn't hate us. We can call on Him, and we can cry at His feet. We can place our trust in Him because the plans that He has for us are good.
If we feel that we don't have a purpose, then we're mistaken. We are called to preach the love of Jesus to all nations.
Let's Sum it Up
We live under the grace of God right now. If we have faith in Jesus, we don't need to live in condemnation. We are free from the curse of sin and death.
Because Jesus saved us, He also wants us to share the message of love, forgiveness and salvation to others. People don't need to live in guilt or fear. People can start believing for good things because God wants us to live life fully.
Prayer of Salvation
Friend, if you want to have an intimate relationship with God and you are unsure of your standing in faith, say this prayer.
God sees your heart and says the words with conviction and faith.
"Father, I am a sinner. Forgive my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross so I could live fully on earth and in heaven. Change my heart and mind according to your will. This I pray, in the mighty Name of Jesus, amen."
Friend, if you prayed that prayer in faith, I believe you have set things right with God. If you want to grow in faith, find a Bible-based church. You can also reach out to me through my social media platforms and this website, www.high3r.com. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading this devotional story, and I pray that it encouraged and empowered you in your walk with Christ. Please read other devotional stories on the website.
If you're interested in supporting this ministry of sharing the Gospel online, please subscribe, like and share this devotional story so we can spread God's goodness, empowerment and love.