New Year. New Beginnings.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set a part for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all those beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: grace to you and peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:1-7

Usually when we speak about a calling, we are talking about someone’s profession. Some people are called to be ministers. Some people are called to be teachers. Others are called to exercise their talents in various ways, such as being musicians, or accountants, or craftsmen, or artists. Most of us feel the call to do something.

In this greeting to the church in Rome, Paul is speaking about being called at a different level. We are not called to do, in this passage, but we are called to be. We are called to be part of the kingdom of God. We are called to be part of a movement to spread the message of love and grace that Jesus brought to us when he was here on earth.

No matter what profession we have chosen, or maybe simply have fallen into, God has a greater calling for us. We are called to be part of something much larger and more important than simply what we have decided to do professionally. We are, like the people in Rome to whom Paul was writing, called to be saints of God.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help us to pay attention to our true, calling in life, or calling to be part of your kingdom. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jim Stovall and read by Owen Ragland.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.