The Good News

DEVOTION
ROMANS
THE GOOD NEWS

Rom 16:25-27
25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. NIV
The end of the letter to the Romans is here and I might add ends with a real mouth full of what appears on the surface to be quite a mystery. A mystery which was hidden for long ages past, that now has been revealed. It actually was there all along, but no one really understood until Jesus actually came and fulfilled all those prophetic writings. Now I have to admit, I am quite glad he did. It is because of the gospel preached by Paul, the Gospel, a good message, according to the Greek, that I am able to be within the Kingdom of God. I am part of all nations who might believe. I am one who does believe and tries me level best, but fails at times, to obey him. The good news, about Jesus was preached to me, as Paul preached it to those Romans, I heard the message tell me I was a sinner, I heard the message tell me the wages of my sin was death, I heard the message about the free gift of God, through Jesus Christ is eternal life. And, as the message told me, I believed in my heart that God raised him from the dead and I confessed with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and I was saved. Now that is at the center of the whole issue of life right there. If I had never believed, if I had never accepted the free gift of God, if I had never believed in my heart God raised him from the dead and confess with my that Jesus Christ is Lord, I would not be saved, I would be a lost person destined to perish. I would not be within the Kingdom of God. I would, in fact, be destroyed fully, that is the meanings of this word perish. I am fully aware both what most people believe as heaven and hell will cease to exist as well, and all there will be is the Kingdom of God, the new city of Jerusalem, on a new earth. Either in or perish, that was my choice. I choose not to perish, but to live. But my choice was made possible by the only wise God and to him be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.