Dec 6: Letter to Romans

Reading like today’s invoke fear of God in me. It happens when we think of God’s righteousness, his judgement and our sin. We will continue reading in the letter to Romans in the next few days how grace then comes into the picture. But what particularly got me today was how the Jews who were under the law, boasted in it and still broke the law:

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? (Romans 2:17-24)

All this reminded of what God has been speaking to me lately: don’t procrastinate in your faith, but grow today. As a Christian, I call myself a Christ follower, one who loves Jesus. Yet, do I keep all the commands Jesus gave me?

Jesus came to us and gave us salvation through Him and told us how we should live. He said: “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) So the reminder of God’s judgement in Romans today, the law and the salvation through Jesus, made me think what if I substitute in the above passage the word ‘Jews’ with ‘Christian’, and the ‘the law’ with ‘Jesus’ commands.’ So please indulge me:

Now you, if you call yourself a **Christan**; if you rely on **Jesus’ commands** and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by **Jesus’ commands**; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in Jesus’ commands the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in **Jesus’ commands**, do you dishonor God by breaking **Jesus commands**?

In my support group yesterday we were reading a Christian allegory book and in it there was a character called Sloth - he was asleep under the cross on which Jesus was crucified. See, he accepted Jesus as his Saviour at the food of that cross, but then lazily fell asleep and did not move on to the journey with Jesus. It was a depiction of how sometimes we doze off and don’t grow in our faith.

So will we love Jesus this Christmas by following his commands? Will we let him grow us in our walk with Him.