Abundant Greetings

Abundant Greetings

¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Romans 16:13

In Romans 16, Paul sends greetings to many of his friends that are already in Rome.  He is finishing his letter that he hopes will be an encouragement to them.  We are so spoiled with our ability to talk instantly with people that we love and miss.  I talked with a friend in South Korea the other day on Facebook online chat.  There was absolutely no delay in our conversation.  It is amazing how blessed we are with our easy access technology today.  Where would we be if all electronic communication was gone?

Do you realize that a whole chapter made it into our Bible that is full of “greetings”.  The Bible is the inspired word of God, so is this chapter.  What do you think God wants us to observe and learn from this chapter?

First Paul’s greetings reflect the diversity of the body of Christ and their service unto the Lord.  Women are prominent in every place that Paul ministered as a missionary.  Some have been in prison and others have sacrificed to support Paul.  Paul talks about his Jewish friends and his gentile friends.  We should celebrate the diversity of the body of Christ.  It’s not all about us.

Second, we should know that our sacrifices do not go unnoticed.    Each of these people helped Paul fulfill God’s call on his life.  Some are not even mentioned by name, such as Rufus’ mother.  But their contribution is appreciated. Every place that we participate in the advancement of the kingdom is noted and will be celebrated when we get to Heaven.

Finally it is important that we share appreciation for one another.  All of us appreciate a sincere thank you.  The parchment that Paul wrote this letter was expensive.  Writing the letter was time consuming.  Can you see the value that Paul was placing on these individuals to include them in his closing greetings?  Remembering people that have had an influence on our spiritual journey is important.  Communicating that appreciation in writing is like refreshing rain on parched land.  You will never know how much those words could mean, this side of Heaven.  Pause now and ask God if there is someone that you have been thinking about writing, but haven’t taken the time to do it.  Make the list and set aside the time to finish that project.

Father, thank you for your written word.  Thank you for those who have walked together with us in our spiritual journey.  Bless those who minister unnoticed.  Help them not to become wear in well doing.  In Jesus Name, Amen.