Romans 1:5-8
Rebecca Lightfoot
The people Paul writes to n Romans have had their faith n Christ so change/impact their lives that their “faith is proclaimed in all the world”(Romans1:8).These people took their apostleship(Romans1:5)to heart,& “to life”.And because of this,the people around them were impacted by these “FAITH LIVES”!Verse 8 does NOT say that these people got up and became “Bible Thumpers”,nor that they looked to find who could be their latest “target” to “evangelize”.This verse says that their FAITH was proclaimed...that their neighbors and coworkers;family and friends...saw something in their LIVES that told story after story of a FAITH that sustained;gave hope;gave perspective;gave perseverance;and reflected a Grace&Mercy that could only come from a source of unexplainable Righteousness&Holiness from within...from a living relationship with Christ! There was something inside the people Paul is writing to that changed them and made them different in ways that only The Lord could enable.These people were not having easy laid back lives! They were being persecuted and challenged in all sorts of ways.& n the middle of these challenges,the world witnessed something so special,so unique, that “it” was proclaimed in all the world.Dear Lord,when I ponder these verses...PLEASE change me from the inside out with Your Word&Spirit so that my life may have a Lived Out Faith like these people.May the challenges this world brings on me be met with a FAITH that can only come from YOU...and my YOUR FAITHFULNESS be what people see...