Devotional Romans 16: Gratitude, Prudence, and Discernment Reflection on Romans 16: gratitude, prudence, and discernment in the Christian life. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional Romans 16: Gratitude, Prudence, and Discernment

Today’s devotional is found in the book of Romans, chapter 16, and this is what happened.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Paul finishes writing his letter to the Romans, greeting with gratitude all those who personally helped him in his walk of faith in Christ. In addition, he also warns the Romans to turn away from those who cause division and obstacles, going against the things of God. Finally, Paul asks the Romans to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

Observations

These were my observations:

1. We must be grateful and thank everyone who has helped us in life. In this chapter, Paul concludes his letter to the Romans by greeting the people who helped him. What we observe in his writing is the gratitude in his heart for these individuals. In our own lives, regardless of the difficulties we face, there are and have been people who helped us immensely, yet we were not truly grateful to them. As Christians, gratitude is something we should always practice—no matter how big or small the blessing we received. Therefore, gratitude in our lives should begin every day by thanking God for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Afterwards, we should also thank everyone for every contribution they have made to our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We must not take the people in our lives for granted (including our parents, siblings, relatives, friends, and acquaintances). Gratitude helps keep the heart humble and reminds us that in life, we need one another. It is only with humility in our hearts that we can properly submit to the Will of God and duly entrust our destinies into His Hands (1 Peter 5:5).
2. We must distance ourselves from people who cause division and trouble. Certainly, we all know people in the world who like to cause trouble, harm, and division among others. But Paul warns us to stay away from such people (Romans 16:17). Their behavior goes against all the teachings of Christ and will influence us to stray from the right path. For the flesh is weak (Romans 8:3). That is to say, it is much easier and more natural for us to satisfy the desires of the flesh (due to our sinful nature) than to satisfy the desires of the spirit. Therefore, the more time we spend living around these people, the more we suffer temptations that will lead us to sin against God and turn away from Him. When we start living for the pleasures of the flesh, we also stop listening to the voice of God (Romans 13:14). This is a precursor to the worst sin we can commit: blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31–32). Our hearts harden, and we cease repenting of our sins (Zechariah 7:12), leading us to reject God. For this reason, we must be very cautious and watch who influences us to do what Jesus (and God) forbade us from doing, and separate ourselves from them. Our salvation depends on it.
3. We must be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. This is the Christian’s operational framework, prescribed by Jesus and reiterated by Paul (Luke 6:27–28, Romans 16:19). As Christians in this day and age, we will encounter many people who will cause us various types of harm (e.g., emotional, physical, psychological, etc.). But it is precisely in these situations where we must demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). When we take advantage of these opportunities to follow Jesus’ example and practice good, we teach others the Glory of God through our actions (Matthew 5:16). This is what sets Christians apart from everyone else and will help people understand how glorious God is. Outside of Christianity, the common practice is to follow the principle of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Or even worse: “you start it, and I’ll finish it.” In other words, “don’t mess with me, because you only decide how our conflict starts, not how it ends.” People become far wiser at causing harm and taking revenge on those who hurt them than at doing good. That is the norm today. But this is exactly what Jesus warned us not to do. That is why Jesus told us that if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. For it is better to live in this world without your right hand than to have it and burn in hell eternally (Matthew 5:30). Therefore, we must always forgive our enemies, love them, and pray for their salvation. This is the standard example Jesus left us when He forgave us while being innocently crucified for our sakes (Luke 23:34).