This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

I want to welcome you back to our daily drive time devotions through the book of
Romans. Today we're looking together at Romans chapter 1 verses 1 to 7. You
might remember that in our last study together we talked about how Romans is a
history changing book.

Today we get to take a look at how God changes history as we dive into Romans
chapter 1 verses 1 to 7. I want to share with you what those verses say. Read
those verses and then we'll take a quick look together at some of the ways those
truths can impact our lives and then pray together as we close this time of
devotion.

Romans chapter 1 verses 1 to 7, Paul starts out and says, "Paul, a servant of
Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, the
gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets and the holy scriptures
regarding his son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who
through the spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by
his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his
name's sake we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the
Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those
who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

" And then Paul writes that he's writing in verse 7, "To all who are in Rome who
are loved by God and called to be saints. Grace to you, he says, and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. " As you look at these first few
verses in the book of Romans, they're pretty personal to the life of Paul.

And one of the questions that comes out of these verses is why do you do what
you do? Paul talks in these verses about why he does what he does. People do
what they do for all different kinds of reasons.

Some people are motivated by selfishness, and we're all motivated by selfishness
sometimes. But there are some people, just about every action and decision in
their life, selfishness is the motivation. There are other people that are
victims of circumstance.

And just about everything that they do results from them feeling like I'm a
victim of a circumstance in my life. There are those who are driven by others.
Everything they do is driven by the opinion of somebody else.

But there are those few people, like the Apostle Paul, those history-changing
people who are called by God and who sense that call of God and live out that
call of God in their lives. I think all of us want to live a motivated life.
It's interesting.

The Apostle Paul doesn't talk a lot about motivation, but he does talk a lot
about calling. Motivation too often can be from the inside, I've got to get
self-motivated. Calling comes from the outside.

And history always changes when we follow God's call. Whenever someone follows
God's call, history changes. God called and Abraham answered in the Old
Testament.

History changed. God called and Moses answered and led the people into freedom.
And history changed.

God called and David said yes, and history changed. God called and we're looking
here at the fact that Paul said yes, and history changed. God's calling in my
life, in your life, it's the key to energy and passion, to living out the life
that God has for us.

Without calling, you're trying to live God's will, you're trying to live God's
plan, God's dream for your life even, on your own energy and power. But when you
sense and when you live out God's calling, all of a sudden you realize I don't
have to do this on my own energy and power. It is God calling me forward.

It is God calling me even heavenward to live out his will in my life. As you
read through these first few verses in the book of Romans, it's very easy to
pick up on some realities behind what it means to be called by God. In fact,
Paul talks about four specific things that are behind calling.

He talks about being a servant. He was called to be a servant. He talks about
being set apart to follow God.

He talks about being specially loved, and that's how he sensed God's calling and
others. And he talks about the fact that all of us are called to be saints.
Let's take a look at those four things.

We are all called to be servants. We serve our way into significance. We give
our way into greatness.

It's interesting, this word servant. One sense behind it is the idea of a slave,
a willing slave. In the Roman Empire at that time, there were a lot of unwilling
slaves.

By some estimates, about half the population of the Roman Empire at that time
were slaves. Six million slaves in the Roman Empire, but they were unwilling
slaves. Paul is saying, "I am willingly giving my life to obey Jesus Christ.

" In fact, he says, not only am I a servant, but notice in the first verse he
also says, "I'm an apostle. " A servant is a slave. An apostle is one who's sent
by authority with a commission.

And Paul says, "I'm both. I'm a slave and I'm an apostle. " That's a sort of a
balance of power.

He was a slave, and so he had great humility, but he was also an apostle, so he
had great authority to speak for God. We have both. You have both.

And when you sense that true balance of power in life, then you begin to sense
God's calling and how to live by his energy, his passion. Paul says, "I'm a
servant. " He also says, "I'm set apart.

" Set apart to do what God has called me to do. He says, "I'm set apart for the
gospel of God, for the good news. " Nothing better to be set apart for than
that.

And you and I are set apart to be the kind of people that God has called us to
be. God has chosen you to make a significant difference through your life. You
won't have the same ministry as the apostle Paul, obviously, or anyone else in
this world today.

God has set you apart for your unique ministry to make a unique difference in
this world. That's what it means to be called. Paul also says, "Not only am I a
servant and set apart, but I'm specially loved.

" Tailor made by the God of this universe to live out his plan and calling for
my life. And as he writes the Romans, the first words he says to them is to all
in Rome, down in Who are loved by God. Among the people who are called to belong
to Christ Jesus, he says up in verse 6.

Loved by God. Called to belong to Christ Jesus. I hope that right now you'll
take just a moment to recognize that Jesus Christ called you to belong to him.

There is a relationship in this calling. It's not just a task, it is a
relationship. We are called first and foremost to a relationship with him.

And that's what changes our life. I serve Christ Jesus. I love Christ Jesus
because he loves me.

And he also served me. He served you when he gave his life for us. So we are
specially loved.

That's part of this calling. As Paul talks to the Romans, he also reminds them
and us that we're called to be saints. Now I know for some of us, when we hear
that word saints, all we can think of is somebody who has earned some special
right to be more holy than the rest of us.

But the Bible doesn't use the word that way. The Bible uses the word saints not
to refer to some select few, but to every single believer. Now that blows some
people's minds.

That is something that they just cannot take into their hearts because they
think I'm not holy. I'm not a saint. But God says yes you are.

God says yes you are holy. And yes you are a saint. He knows you're not perfect.

He knows that you sin. But because of what Jesus Christ did for you, he paid the
price for those sins. So God sees you as a holy saint.

And you and I get the privilege the rest of this life and this world of living
up to how God sees us. Part of living out God's calling is living up to the way
that God already sees us because of his love for us in Christ Jesus. Don't feel
like you're having to try to impress God with who you are.

He's already impressed with who you are in Jesus Christ. Just begin to live out
who he's made you to be in Jesus. That's what it means to live out his calling.

You are holy. You are living out what God has made you to be. So we take a few
minutes to pray.

I'd like to give you an opportunity to pray right now. Maybe do something you've
never done before or to reaffirm something. I'd like you to pray and accept
God's calling in your life right now.

Just take a minute to say Jesus Christ, I accept your calling in my life as the
most important calling in my life. There's a lot of other people calling, a lot
of other voices. This person wants me to do this and that person wants me to do
that.

But no one loves me more than you, Jesus Christ. And no one knows me better than
you. And so right here and right now, I accept your calling in my life.

If you already know what it is, say it to him right now. I accept your calling
too and say what that calling is. If you're not sure what it is yet, say Jesus
Christ, I'm not sure what it is yet.

Help me to understand what that calling is. I'm willing. I accept your calling
in my life.

In Jesus' name, Amen. Tomorrow we're going to take a look together at Romans
chapter 1 verses 8 to 17.