Day 3: Lonely Days, Where Is Comfort?

"To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 1:7

In his commentary on Romans, E.F. Bruce says, "Because they are well-loved people of God, they are called to be holy as he is holy. He has summoned them to be set apart for himself; they are saints by divine vocation" (Bruce 70). This love and "set-apart-ness" is essential to who we are. 

Where do you start building community when you first land in a new country? I remember this being something I even struggled with when I moved to the States for the first time after living in the Czech Republic for my entire life. The beginning weeks, and even months can easily feel disconnected from the world that is known, even with the excitement you're experiencing of finally arriving. 

In this time, I offer not a list of things to do, but the hope of a living God to turn to in your discouragement. Not only does our Lord offer himself to us, but he also loves us and calls us to holiness, giving us grace and peace through his Son, Jesus Christ as we continually turn to him in faith. 

You are not merely set apart from something, but you are set apart for the one who loves you. We take great personal comfort in this reality, yet there is one more truth we cling to when loneliness sets in. 

There's one more part in verse 7 to notice. Let's take a look at the first half of the verse again.  When Paul wrote these words in the first chapter of Romans, he applied them specifically to all of the readers of his letter - both Jew and Gentile (Bruce 70). He insists on making it clear that there are no longer any divisions between the saints. Who you are depends on God's love and call, rather than your cultural background. This has implications for the way that you get to relate with believers all over the world! Even just in these very first verses of Romans Paul makes it so clear that Jesus is the heart of the gospel (Moo 55), and this transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. 

Remember that when those barriers seem too high to scale, those believers in the church near you are united with Christ, with you, as one body. Yes, you have been called to the mission field and you are loved right there, but there may be believers that share the same sainthood with you, with whom you can commune with. 

Take heart. You are loved, you are set apart, you are called to holiness, and you are one with Christ and his body, no matter where you are at. The Lord never leaves you, and neither do the members of his body, the church.

Bruce, F. F. Romans - The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985. Print.

Moo, Douglas J. Romans. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000. Print.