A Compelling List
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 07:26AM Greetings To:
Phoebe
Priscilla and Aquila
Epaenetus
Mary
Andronicus and Junia
Amplias
Urbanus
Stachys
Apelles
those who are of the household of Aristobulus
Herodion
those who are of the household of Narcissus
Tryphena and Tryphosa
Persis
Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine
Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them
Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Greetings From:
Timothy
Lucius
Jason
Sosipater
Tertius
Gaius
Erastus
Quartus
Today's Bible Reading of the Day was Romans 16. Look at that list of names he mentioned! So often, I tend to hurry through the salutations and skip down to the "meat" of the chapter in verses 17-20. But this morning, I attended to the greetings with a different eye. I noticed each name and each kind comment associated with them. I thought about Paul, the Apostle, and how he carried the burden of the churches and yet he never lost sight of the fact that the church is made up of individuals. He prayed for them by name, he remembered their service and their faith, he remembered their needs and their growth in grace. He paid attention. He encouraged the Elders of the church to do the same.
Verses 17 - 2o used to seem sort of out of place to me before. Paul is greeting the church, then he stops and urges them to pay attention to "note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." He's telling them to pay attention. He encourages them in their obedience and warns them "to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil."
Think about this for a minute. Imagine what Phoebe must've thought when she read her name in Paul's greetings. How encouraging that must have been for each individual on the list, to have been remembered by Paul so publically! And how it must have brought home to them the necessity of continuing in those good works, for they had been made an example to encourage others.
This morning, that list of names reminded me, as if Paul himself had mentioned my name, that I am part of the body of Christ as much as they and that I have the same responsibility to "Show myself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in my teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." (Titus 2:7-8)
I want to be noticed for the right things, don't you? After all, people are paying attention.
Reader Comments (5)
You lay a feast on the table of your blog this morning, Kim. It stirs my heart.
It's true...People ARE paying attention. Thanks, Kim. XO
It's been on my heart to be more like Paul, encouraging, and recognizing the service and faith of others. It does take effort.
cool! I love reading what other people learn and think from their devotions. This was very neat to read. Thank you for sharing.
We can so easily feel insignificant in 21st century America but you are right, Kim. In the small circle of influence each one of has, people do notice. Like you, I pray it is for the right things.