Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Romans 15 and Psalm 111

“(Christ Jesus) gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (v.16)

What a wonderful way for the apostle Paul to view his ministry.

He understood that the Lord had committed to him the task of proclaiming the good news of Jesus in such a way as to bring his primary audience (the Gentiles) to salvation through faith in Jesus. He understood that when they surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus they were offering themselves as living sacrifices to God. Their entire lives were then committed to the goal of pleasing God. As they pursued this goal, the Holy Spirit went to work in their surrendered lives to purify their hearts, beautify their character, and empower their good works.

Ultimately, the aim was that through Paul’s Gospel ministry, plus the subsequent believers’ own lifelong commitment to Christ, plus the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work, these people would be presented to God the Father as a delightful love offering – an offering of “radiant (people), without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).

So, in Romans 15:16, Paul described his ministry as a priestly task – the task of preparing an offering to present to God. The people to whom he ministered would become that beautiful and pleasing “sacrificial offering” to God.

Life application: Whatever your particular form of service is within the Body of Christ (and every believer must have one), view it in a “Romans 15:16 way” from today. View your service, whatever it may be, as a way to bring a beautiful offering to God that will delight Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let your ministry never become a grudging service, but always a love offering to the Lord.