July 12
Set Apart

Romans 1:1-17 New International Version (NIV)

 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life^[a] was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power^[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from^[c] faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹ God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,^[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.

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As followers of Jesus Christ, do you realize that YOU have not simply "decided" to follow Him..... end of story?

If you have real desire and real commitment .... you must realize that YOU HAVE BEEN SET APART for Him.

You have been chosen....

As a child, I was not very gifted at anything athletic, and so, when it was time to choose sides for anything in gym class at school, I was always the very last to be picked... in fact.... I usually had to be "delegated" because no one wanted this gangly uncoordinated girl on their team.

I was a handicap. I was a sure miss.

To find out that the LORD Himself CHOOSE ME! was overwhelming!

I could not believe it!

 

My friend, you too have been set apart by God for some special purpose in His Kingdom!

YOU have been chosen to sit on the lap of Abba Father... our mighty God.

He loves you and calls you to Himself... Jesus advocates for you... and they dote over you in heaven! WOW

ACKNOWLEDGE that call of God on YOUR life!

Stay connected with the Lord everyday in prayer! Those are your special moments alone with Him!

Never put off the tug of God on your heart...

He loves YOU so much ... that He set you apart... picked YOU... to be His very own!