Romans 15:14 – I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. 15 Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. (NLT)

In this passage Paul is nearing the end of his lengthy letter to the church in Rome.  He’s wrapping things up, and doing his best to smooth over any feathers that he’s ruffled!  (A good lesson in and of itself, by the way).  Today I’d like to focus on just two verses from this passage.

First, consider verse 17: “So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.”  There is a difference between being filled with pride and being filled with enthusiasm.  Paul was enthusiastic about what God was doing with and through his life.  Consider Paul’s life before his Damascus road experience.  He had spent much energy on persecuting Christians, running many out of Jerusalem (and inadvertently aiding the spread of the Gospel).  Paul considers his life then, and compares it with his current life.  When he considered such things, he got enthusiastic – he got excited about Jesus!

Now consider verse 18: “Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me.”  Paul did not say that he would not boast.  Paul said that he would not boast about what he had done, but rather he would boast about what Christ had done!  Boasting about Christ is good stuff!

Today, let us consider a powerful way to witness – by being enthusiastic about the difference that Jesus has made in our lives.  Let us boast about the things Christ has done! 

Posted by Ramón Torres