Rom 15:31 | KingComments | STEP | . Again, Paul let the believers in Rome know that he’d like to come to see them. At the beginning of this letter in Romans 1, he also said this ( ). But now he said he would come to them when he journeyed to Spain. He would visit them on his way. He expected them to give him what he needed on his journey. He was counting on their love. He wouldn’t go on before he had enjoyed their company for a while. Yes, you can enjoy your brothers and sisters in Christ. You probably have had the experience of people around you who care about you and who are interested in you. When you didn’t know the Lord Jesus there were many people who behaved as if they cared. But often, this was only a pretense. They only cared for you as long as they could profit from you. Now that you have come to know the Lord Jesus, you’re accepted into a new company of people. These people also know the Lord Jesus and have learned to love each other. And everyone who’s added to that company is going to share in this love. Sure, sometimes you’ll be disappointed in your fellow-believers. In themselves, they are weak, failing human beings. But if Paul, the great apostle who knew well enough that in Rome not everything was spotless, could enjoy the believers in Rome, then we can enjoy one another, can’t we? . But before Paul could come to Rome, he had to do something else. He had money with him from a collection from believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The money was destined for the poor believers in Jerusalem. . This collection hadn’t resulted from a charity movement set in motion when they heard of the poverty in Jerusalem. It was a voluntary collection because twice it says it “pleased” them. Yet there was a certain obligation too, since the nations had shared in the spiritual things that were first destined for God’s earthly people. Since Israel had rejected the Lord Jesus the gospel had gone out to the Gentiles so they too could be blessed spiritually. Then the nations should do something in return when there was need among the Hebrew saints in Jerusalem. It was a debt they could repay in this way. This applies to us too. When you’re blessed spiritually by a brother or sister, you can share material gifts with him or her ( ). You can give something in the collection at the meeting and you can give personally too. Paul took this service seriously. He was mainly concerned about the spiritual well-being of the believers, but nonetheless this assignment with respect to the believers’ bodily well-being was important to him. . When this assignment had been performed, he would come to them on his way to Spain. At least, this was what he was thinking. Later he went to Rome, but not in the way he had intended. He came as a prisoner. So you can see that even with this man of God, things worked out differently from what he had supposed. This was no disappointment to him. He knew God was leading his life. In your life too, things can take a different course from what you expected. God knows the best way for you as well. If you think of this, you’ll be guarded from disappointments. . Paul knew something else too, that if he were to come, he would “come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ”. Well, that full blessing came. It was from the prison in Rome where he wrote letters about the highest blessings of the church. We have these letters in our Bible. You can read about the “fullness of the blessing” in these letters to the believers in Ephesus, Colossae and Philippi. These letters provide you with a view of Christ’s full blessing. . Maybe Paul had some feeling of what was before him. He appealed earnestly to the believers in Rome. This appeal was inspired “by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit.” This is a fine way of appealing to someone. He could say this because he knew that both the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit stood behind this appeal. The Lord Jesus is mentioned here with His full name. You see too, that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who loves. So this appeal of Paul to strive with him in prayer comes in fact from the Lord Jesus, while the love of the Spirit is the power to respond to it. Paul speaks about striving in prayer. Do you know something of this? Real prayer is like fighting. This fighting is not done with hands and feet. It is a spiritual fight. We must fight so the service of the servants will not be hindered by opponents, and the work of the Lord will go on as a blessing to the believers. . In this way we can contribute to the servants doing God’s will with gladness. The believers will be refreshed by this. The Lord’s servants are not machines without feeling. They need prayer to be able to do their service with gladness and be refreshed by other believers. “Now the God of peace” is ready to give you inner peace and to help you in the fight you have to fight in so many fields. Now read Romans 15:22-33 again. Reflection: Is there someone to whom you would like to give or to send something? Do it and think of .

‏ Romans 15:31

How Paul Made His Plans

Rom 15:22-24. Again, Paul let the believers in Rome know that he’d like to come to see them. At the beginning of this letter in Romans 1, he also said this (Rom 1:11). But now he said he would come to them when he journeyed to Spain. He would visit them on his way. He expected them to give him what he needed on his journey. He was counting on their love. He wouldn’t go on before he had enjoyed their company for a while.

Yes, you can enjoy your brothers and sisters in Christ. You probably have had the experience of people around you who care about you and who are interested in you. When you didn’t know the Lord Jesus there were many people who behaved as if they cared. But often, this was only a pretense. They only cared for you as long as they could profit from you. Now that you have come to know the Lord Jesus, you’re accepted into a new company of people. These people also know the Lord Jesus and have learned to love each other. And everyone who’s added to that company is going to share in this love.

Sure, sometimes you’ll be disappointed in your fellow-believers. In themselves, they are weak, failing human beings. But if Paul, the great apostle who knew well enough that in Rome not everything was spotless, could enjoy the believers in Rome, then we can enjoy one another, can’t we?

Rom 15:25-26. But before Paul could come to Rome, he had to do something else. He had money with him from a collection from believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The money was destined for the poor believers in Jerusalem.

Rom 15:27. This collection hadn’t resulted from a charity movement set in motion when they heard of the poverty in Jerusalem. It was a voluntary collection because twice it says it “pleased” them. Yet there was a certain obligation too, since the nations had shared in the spiritual things that were first destined for God’s earthly people. Since Israel had rejected the Lord Jesus the gospel had gone out to the Gentiles so they too could be blessed spiritually. Then the nations should do something in return when there was need among the Hebrew saints in Jerusalem. It was a debt they could repay in this way.

This applies to us too. When you’re blessed spiritually by a brother or sister, you can share material gifts with him or her (Gal 6:6). You can give something in the collection at the meeting and you can give personally too.

Paul took this service seriously. He was mainly concerned about the spiritual well-being of the believers, but nonetheless this assignment with respect to the believers’ bodily well-being was important to him.

Rom 15:28. When this assignment had been performed, he would come to them on his way to Spain. At least, this was what he was thinking. Later he went to Rome, but not in the way he had intended. He came as a prisoner. So you can see that even with this man of God, things worked out differently from what he had supposed. This was no disappointment to him. He knew God was leading his life. In your life too, things can take a different course from what you expected. God knows the best way for you as well. If you think of this, you’ll be guarded from disappointments.

Rom 15:29. Paul knew something else too, that if he were to come, he would “come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ”. Well, that full blessing came. It was from the prison in Rome where he wrote letters about the highest blessings of the church. We have these letters in our Bible. You can read about the “fullness of the blessing” in these letters to the believers in Ephesus, Colossae and Philippi. These letters provide you with a view of Christ’s full blessing.

Rom 15:30-31. Maybe Paul had some feeling of what was before him. He appealed earnestly to the believers in Rome. This appeal was inspired “by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit.” This is a fine way of appealing to someone. He could say this because he knew that both the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit stood behind this appeal. The Lord Jesus is mentioned here with His full name. You see too, that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who loves. So this appeal of Paul to strive with him in prayer comes in fact from the Lord Jesus, while the love of the Spirit is the power to respond to it.

Paul speaks about striving in prayer. Do you know something of this? Real prayer is like fighting. This fighting is not done with hands and feet. It is a spiritual fight. We must fight so the service of the servants will not be hindered by opponents, and the work of the Lord will go on as a blessing to the believers.

Rom 15:32-33. In this way we can contribute to the servants doing God’s will with gladness. The believers will be refreshed by this. The Lord’s servants are not machines without feeling. They need prayer to be able to do their service with gladness and be refreshed by other believers. “Now the God of peace” is ready to give you inner peace and to help you in the fight you have to fight in so many fields.

Now read Romans 15:22-33 again.

Reflection: Is there someone to whom you would like to give or to send something? Do it and think of Mt 6:1-4.