Romans 1

New International Version

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit^a of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God^b by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yes Jesus, it is Your resurrection that makes all the difference. Thank-you so much for the proof and the evidence to encourages my faith. You are alive and that makes all the difference. Alive forever more! You can change my life and the lives of others because, You are alive!

5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, I know I am called to belong to You and obey You. I see that obedience comes through faith. Increase my faith Jesus, for I am so disobedience. Lord, I just feel like I’m falling apart sometimes. Use this to increase my faith so I can obey You and please You.

7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

Lord, help me to pray constantly. And not just to pray constantly, but to pray in Your will constantly. Give me a cause like Paul had, a burning desire which he pursued and gave his life for. Of course, You are that cause. It is before me, if I am willing to grasp it. Lord, help me to be what You want me to be and live in Your will. Help me to pray constantly Lord. Please Lord, change me.

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Jesus, help the men’s group I belong to become a group that really helps each other grow. Help me to speak Your words there, but only Your words and not my foolish ramblings. And Lord, find a group like this for my wife and children. Help them to bless others and be blessed themselves by Your words and Your fellowship.

13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.

Jesus, Paul wanted to tell everyone about You. You, and Your salvation was all he really wanted to talk about. I am so slow to talk about it. I say it so seldom. Have I ever led anyone to You? Am I ashamed of You? I am worried Lord, something seems very wrong to me now. Help me to proclaim Your greatness exactly as You would Lord.

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^c just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”^d

Your gospel is the power of salvation Lord. Power – that is the word. You live in power to change lives. You have changed mine. Jesus, help me to live in Your power and to proclaim Your power and to love the power of Your salvation to change lives. Praise You Jesus!

God’s Wrath Against Mankind

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Father, we have no excuse for not seeing You all around us. You are so obviously in all of nature. In my own life, I know You are with me, and yet I live as if You cannot see my sins. Forgive me Father, and guide me. You are so powerful, yet so merciful and kind. Make me kind.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Help us to not be so foolish Father. I know my mind can be darkened so easily. I can be led estray and think I am so smart, when I am a fool. Open my eyes and the eyes of all those around me so we may live in Your presencen and give You glory all our days.

22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Jesus, I often think I am so smart. I so often think I can think, when all I do is foolish. Lord, I have given up Your glory to worship sexual images sometimes. I have done what You hate, over and over. But You are pulling me up and bringing me out. But do not let me forget where I fell to and how great Your mercy and love is, so I do not think I am wise, and do not forget to always be merciful to everyone around me.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Jesus, please never give me over to my sins. I know how auful I can be. Please do not abondon me, but protect me. Keep me close Lord, please Jesus. You have never abondoned me before but have always used my afflictions to bring me close to You again. If I need to forever live in afflictions, so be it, but do not let me stray from You any more.

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Jesus, am I like that. I’ve just spent the night away from my wife because of a fight for the first time ever. I feel like life is over. I feel like there is no hope. I am afraid I have done a terrible thing. I feel so bad for my daughter. I wish I was dead. Lord, please help! I know I don’t deserve it, but please help me. Please help us.