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Romans 1:8
Paul gave his greeting to the church at Rome in the first seven verses of chapter 1 in his letter to the church at Rome. In Romans 1:8 the Apostle Paul begins his address/reason for writing this letter. He begins with thanksgiving to God for the faith He has given to those who make up the body of the church at Rome and states in Romans 1:8 (NKJV), “that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” This is very exciting news to the Apostle Paul as he is witnessing the spread of the gospel message throughout the whole world. This is the calling in which Jesus gave to His disciples in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8, and the calling in which Jesus revealed to Paul/Saul in his conversion on the road to Damascus, and I believe, in the quiet room in Damascus for the following three days while he was blind (Acts 9:8-9, 15-16).
This is an example of giving thanks and encouragement for our fellow Christians throughout the world.
One of the best ways to build one’s faith in their walk with the Lord is to give them thanks for being a Christian. Encouraging one another in Christ is part of the calling that Jesus puts within our hearts through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that we are “one” in Christ (Galatians 3:28). For the body of Christ to function properly we must work together within our individual differences to a higher power – in Christ.
Dear LORD,
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all” is the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome, and I too thank You Lord for everyone who is a part of this daily devotional Bible study. Please help us to follow in putting the application of this lesson into practice in our lives and be thankful and give thanks to our Christian brothers and sisters as we all are the pieces that make up the whole of the body of the Church. In Jesus name I pray, amen.