Thursday, March 17, 2016

Day 1: Suitcases are Packed, What Now?

The suitcases are packed. You've probably already loaded up a huge container with all of your belongings to be shipped across the ocean to arrive who-knows-when. You have already said goodbye to most of the people you have loved for so long. You've walked around your neighborhood, gone to your favorite restaurants, stood up in front of the church, been prayed for and sent out.

You're mourning what you've already lost, and you're also indescribably excited and anxious to just make the move.

You get on the plane, settle into your window seat, and let the emotion of it all finally set in: You're moving overseas with your family. It's finally here, and you can't contain your relief and grief, all at the same time.


For the next 15 days, I'd like to walk this journey with you. In a time of so many unknowns, we can only cling to what is eternally true: God's Word. I invite you into drawing from this wellspring of life by faith and letting it refresh and revive you through a time that could feel like a drought. We will be specifically looking at life through the lens of the book of Romans.


Faith and righteousness. Two powerful words that will give you hope as you transition together as a family. But before we dive into those two words in Romans, let me give you a little background on this letter. This will help you see how it applied to the people of the day, and how it can apply to you right where you're at now.

The book of Romans was written by Paul to the church of Rome. Rome was a city of class and wealth, but also of spiritual brokenness, pagan idolatry, and disunity. Those who belonged to the city of Rome had largely given up their own cultural values to adapt to the Roman system. Christians lived right in the heart of all of these issues. 

Interestingly, there was a large group of Jews in the city who didn't quite know how they felt about Christianity (Morris 4). The very first converts who followed Christ were Jews, but at this point, the number of Gentile believers was rising higher and higher. Paul urges believers to accept one another, which tells us of disunity in the church at the time. What does Paul say about both the Jews and the Gentiles? That God is God of both (Romans 3:29). The teachings in this letter apply to all Christians, everywhere. Truths of the Gospel are not limited to just one place or one people group.

You're moving to a place where you don't yet belong. You will have to adapt to new cultural values and try to navigate the issues in this foreign place. And you will live out the gospel right in the heart of that. God is God in the States, and in this country you're moving to! He will be with you just as much now as before.

Take comfort in knowing that what you have believed and the Word of truth will be what you cling to as you enter a new culture. Amidst spiritual brokenness, potential disunity, and, yes, even idolatry, God is still God.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 
- Romans 1:16-17



Works Cited: 
Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1988. Print.

1 comment:

  1. I love everything about this blog and this post! Well done! Can't wait to read more!

    ReplyDelete