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Priscilla: Romans 1:8-15
The Heart and Mission of Paul the Apostle

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of in all the world.

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how without ceasing I make mention of you

10 always at my prayers, beseeching if by any means now at length I shall be blessed by the will of God to come to you.

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, for the establishing of you;

12 and this is to be comforted together among you, through the faith in one another, both yours and mine.

13 But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I purposed to come to you, and was kept back until the present, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the other nations.

14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to wise, and to foolish,

15 so as far as lies in me, I am eager to preach the gospel to you in Rome also.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, today I offer to You my reflection on Your Word and the things I have learned in Romans 1:8-15. I am grateful to You.

Dear God, I understand that the Apostle Paul was overjoyed and thankful to his God for the believers’ good faith in Rome. He always prayed for them and proudly mentioned them wherever he went because the good reputation of the believers in Rome had spread throughout the land.

Dear God, I understand that the Apostle Paul emphasized to the believers in Rome that he served God with his spirit in preaching the Gospel. He preached by the power of the Holy Spirit and according to the truth of God’s Word. He did not preach based on human reasoning or his own desires. Although the believers in Rome shared the same faith, had the same mindset, and worshiped the same God as him and had received many blessings from You, Paul still desired to share with them the blessings he received from You. He wanted to visit the believers in Rome in person, if possible, to encourage and build up their faith by sharing the blessings of God and having mutual fellowship.

“So then, if there is any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tendernesses and compassions, fulfill my joy, that you think the same, having the same love, one in soul, minding the one thing” (Philippians 2:1-2).

Paul hoped that through this mutual fellowship, he could achieve many good results in building up the faith of the Church and leading many Gentiles in Rome to salvation.

Dear God, I think that Paul’s desire to visit the believers in Rome was natural and pleasing to You. It can be understood as a beautiful wish that You granted him. Paul was always faithful to the ministry that You had entrusted to him.

“For if I proclaim the gospel, no glory is to me; for necessity is laid on me, and it is woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel. For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a stewardship.” (I Corinthians 9:16-17).

Dear God, Paul believed that he owed a debt to both the Greeks, who were considered wise and cultured, and to the barbarians, who were considered foolish and uncivilized. This debt was the responsibility to preach the Gospel to them, in the role of the apostle that You had given him. Paul was chosen and set apart by You to serve God in the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. If he did not fulfill his duty, it would become a burden for him.

I understand that the commandment for each of Your people is to proclaim the death of Christ until the day of His return. We need to follow Paul’s example of faithfulness in serving God.

I thank You, Father.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
03/03/2023