An opportunity to bless others

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in 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. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Romans 1:8-12 Whether we purposely plan it or not, our life affects those we have in contact with. It may be a positive influence or a negative one, but our life will affect others. From the text, the Apostle Paul wanted to be a blessing to the believers in Rome. He had heard of the Christians in Rome, and he longed to go to be with them so he could encourage them to continue to grow in their faith. He always remembers them in his prayers. This is despite the fact that he had never met them (Romans 1:10). It was his desire that there will be an opportunity for him to visit Rome. Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of the most cherished and challenging books in the New Testament. We were given an example set by Paul on how to be a spiritual blessing to others. God will always provide us opportunities so we can encourage our parents, our children, our friends, our coworkers, and our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. But we have to make a deliberate decision to do this because our self-centeredness can get in the way that it will seek pleasing oneself rather than taking the initiative to bless others. Be determined to take the opportunity that God will open up so we could minister to others in Jesus’ name. We may not realize it, but our life has the potential to bless everyone we encounter each day. Are others strengthened and encouraged in their faith because of their relationship with us? Do we usually look at others in terms of what they can do for us or in terms of how we can encourage them? By God’s grace, let us strive to be a positive influence to others.

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com