Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 17 | 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 15:23-29
Read these verses three times slowly.
But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
Reflection & Questions
This week we are in the final verses of Romans and Paul ends strong with affection for his readers and a charge to carry on their mission with unity. What we will see is that Paul gets very practical by describing the real life actions of believers. His purpose is not only to appreciate them, but also that his readers would learn from them. That we would mimic them in doing the same things. This will be our theme for the week as we read about real believers and their real life actions.
It starts out today with the generous giving of poor believers to other poorer believers. You may remember at the beginning of the letter, Paul wrote how he longed to visit with the church in Rome. He tells them in today’s verses that he senses that his work planting churches in the area he is in is complete and the way is cleared for him to visit them. But first, he is going to swing by Jerusalem and help the poor saints there. The believers in Macedonia and Achaia had given money to help the needy believers in Jerusalem and Paul was bringing that gift. They weren’t rich believers – they had struggles of their own – but this is what believers do. We give to the needy, especially other believers. We realize that we are managers of the money that God has given us, not owners. In other words, we look at wages, pensions, or other sources of incomes and consider how we can please God with them. And one way we do that is to mimic the Macedonian and Achaia believers and give to the needy.
- WHo is someone you know that is generous? How has that impacted their life? Others’ lives?
- Do you look at the money God has entrusted you with as an owner or a manager? How do you know?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Romans 15:24-26
Read these verses three times slowly.
I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.
Reflection & Questions
Paul is going traveling after he finishes this letter. He is going to visit the Roman people he is writing this letter to. But first he has to make a stop in Jerusalem because the people of Macedonia and Achaia have given money to help the needy believers who live in Jerusalem.
Here’s what’s interesting about that: The believers in Macedonia and Achaia didn’t actually have a lot to give. They were pretty poor themselves! But they knew that God was calling them to give to those who were even poorer than they were. So they did.
That’s a pretty generous thing they did! They didn’t have much but what they did have was from God and they were going to use it FOR God! That’s what we are called to do too: give to those needier than ourselves. Maybe that’s sharing a snack at school or offering to buy a book for a friend at the school book fair. It might be going through your closet and donating clothing that you don’t wear anymore so that someone else can have warm clothing to wear this winter. Or perhaps gifting a Christmas present through our church’s Angel Tree Christmas project this year: https://crossroadsgrace.org/celebrate-recovery/. There are many ways that we can give, just like the believers in Macedonia and Achaia!
- Can you think of a way that you can give from what you have?
Pray
Ask God to show you someone who is in need and ask Him for the courage TO give!
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
