We don’t need to be the same to be unified. We may be different colors, temperaments, genders, or ages. Our backgrounds and financial status may be on opposite ends of the spectrum, but Paul tells us we are all one harmonious family in Christ. Sometimes we all sing in unison, but in Christ we can also harmonize beautifully. This is Paul’s message for us in the U.S. today.

Romans 15 & 16
Our faith-given strength is to be used for service to and empower others, not our own status. (15:1-3)
The scriptures are there for you to learn–dig in! (15:4)
WWJD: What Would Jesus Do? (15:5-7)
Jesus brought salvation for all. (15:8-13)
As God worked through Paul, he works through all of us. (15:14-17)
Paul encourages, explains, gives his hope & timeline, God willing. (15:18-31)
He warmly says goodbye, thanking for refreshment and peace in their company. (15:32-33)
Paul gives personal greetings, messages, blessings, final wisdom, & cautions (16:1-24)
Praise and worship God. (16:25-27)

God has given me a passion for writing, a need to understand stories in their historical context, and a Holy Spirit push to share His gospel message with others. I identify with Paul in feeling a passion for talking with others who don’t know Christ. Ten years ago, I found this verse.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Romans 15:4, NIV

I’ve read this verse so many times before, but now it has become my life-motivating verse. It’s why I write books such as Less Than a Widow which is the story of Ruth and Boaz retold with Biblical accuracy in a fictionalized account set in true historical context. Doing the historical research and developing the character profiles for Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and others helped me to learn through this story at a depth I had never done before. I write historical fiction based on Biblical stories in order to share my excitement of learning with others.

Less Than a Widow is available for purchase at local bookstores, my website, and Amazon.

The other graphic I wanted to share with you is from thebibleproject.com. They offer a poster of the video you watched to learn about Paul’s letter to the Romans (below).

Thank you for joining me for 29 weeks as we dug into Romans together. Having a deadline each week for this study made it impossible for me to dilly dally, and that was a wonderful blessing in tenacity and endurance.

I hope you will continue to follow my blog as I jump into a new adventure with all of you. Please feel free to comment below or email me with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show His face to shine on you and give you peace.