8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Paul simply had to get something off of his chest, and that was that he was thankful for the Roman Christians as expressed through his prayers for them. Oftentimes in life, we forget to praise those with whom we work. I actually don't hold to the common theory that every single person has something praiseworthy about them, but I do think that it is true in most cases. If one looks in Revelation 2-3, the way the seven churches are addressed can give additional insight. Some were very praiseworthy, most had some good and some bad, and some just didn't have anything really good to say about them. When we dole out praise where there is nothing praiseworthy, we reinforce negative behavior, cheapen the praise for things truly praiseworthy, and make ourselves out to be liars. That being said, it is unfortunate that the act of praising others is often lost. It is easy to focus on the negative and assume that others know you are appreciative of their efforts or that they are valued. Hint: rarely do people assume positive things, but in the absence of other evidence, they almost always do assume the negative.
In verse 12, we see Paul refer to a "mutual faith." This is always something that has struck me throughout my well-traveled 27 years- Christians have an immediate bond of friendship regardless of anything else. I can meet a fellow Christian for the first time and have not only something in common but a bond. Here, the Apostle Paul finds himself on equal grounds with the average Christian in Rome. Though there are different offices of service (pastor, deacon, etc.), Christians are on a level playing field. Compared to Christ, as we will see in a few chapters, none are righteous and all have fallen short. That is all that matters, well, at least until we are made equal again by sharing Christ's righteousness. If it is His righteousness that I have, than who am I too think highly of myself?
The "personal" introduction section is concluded here in verse 15. Even in these 15 verses where he is pouring out his personal thoughts and heart desires (though inspired by God) the theology is incredibly dense. The soteriology (doctrine of salvation) information was heavily seeded into yesterday's reading and today's provided insight into prayer and spiritual leadership. One must also notice the ever-present "gospel" throughout the passage. Paul was seemingly obsessed with it, but isn't that really the point? If we had the good news of a solution to America's economic woes, wouldn't we be announcing it everywhere we went?
Applications:
Take some time to praise someone in your life, someone you often neglect in such matters. Take that a step further and express your appreciation for them through prayer. Thank God for those in your life, by name, that are encouraging and accomplishing great things.
Find another Christian you don't know personally and take a few minutes to share in the joy of a "mutual faith."
Look Back:
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