Unashamed Reading Plan – W1D1
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 1 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask Him to teach you more about Himself today.
Bible Reading: Romans 1:1-4
Read these verses three times slowly.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reflection & Questions
Romans has been called the greatest letter ever written and over the next 17 weeks we will be walking through it together. Right out of the gate, Paul wants to make sure we know what it’s all about, or better said, WHO it’s all about: Jesus! Do you see how many times in just the first four verses Paul mentions Jesus? Six times in four verses right at the beginning.
Paul is Jesus saturated and rightly so! For since before the beginning of time, He has been the center of it all. Paul tells us that Jesus was “promised” by God the gospels are all about him, the scriptures are all about Him, that King David was the predecessor of and that the Holy Spirit proved for all time his identity as the Son of God, and that was proved through His resurrection. In the stroke of a couple of sentences, Paul has demonstrated Jesus’ deity, humanity, power, and supremacy.
No wonder Paul begins his letter, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus” and ends his opening with “Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is a privilege to consider yourself a servant of Jesus! And it’s incredible to be able to call Him “our Lord.” We are going to read a lot of things over the next 17 weeks, things about the world, about us, about the past, the future, about Israel, about suffering, about heaven and even about the government. But at the center of it all is Jesus. And He is the One our lives should be all about!
- Read the following sentence, with your name in the blank. “______________. A servant of Christ Jesus.” When you say that, what comes to mind? Why? Talk to God about that.
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 1:1-4
Read these verses three times slowly.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reflection & Questions
Romans has been called the greatest letter ever written and we are going to be reading it together for the next 17 weeks! It was written by the Apostle Paul to the people living in the city of Rome. From the very beginning of his letter, he tells us who this letter is all about: Jesus! Can you count how many times the name “Jesus” is written in these first 4 verses? That’s right: six times!
Paul had good reasons to mention Jesus so much. Since the beginning of time, Jesus has been the center of everything! The Bible tells his story: He was promised by God, the 4 Gospels in the New Testament are all about Jesus and His life, King David in the Old Testament was his ancestor, the Holy Spirit says Jesus is the Son of God, and then his amazing resurrection proved that he truly was the Son of God. Paul told us all of that in just these first 4 verses!
In the beginning of this letter to the Romans, Paul calls himself “a servant of Christ Jesus.” It is a big deal to be considered a servant of God like Paul. He is our Lord, which also means our master. We are going to read a lot over the next 17 weeks: all about the world, the past and future, ourselves, Israel, about heaven, and even about the government. But at the center of it all is Jesus. And He is the One our lives should be all about!
- What are some things you can do to be a servant of Jesus?
Prayer
Spend a little time thinking about how great Jesus is and then ask Him to show you ways that you can serve and be more like Him.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
