Whew!

Christmas is over and I can catch my breath. Our Christmas was full of friends and family and food. Thanks to all those who sent warm Holiday wishes.

It is time to consider a New Year. I am personally stirred by the wonder of God's grace and mercy. It causes me to commit to the purposes of God. I have been studying in Romans and have been amazed on how much Paul speaks of obedience. He speaks of how Christ's obedience many were made righteousness (Ro 5:19) and how his life mission was effected. Paul viewed his call and apostleship 'to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ's name among all the nations' (Ro 1:5). He would make no boast except what Christ has accomplished through him to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed (Ro 15:18). His great joy was the testimony of the church and their obedience to the faith. (Ro 16:19).

I wonder how much attention we pay to the idea of obedience. Do we view grace as a way to escape the responsibility to obey God in everything, or do we look at grace as the empowering presence of God to do what is right. One of the great themes of Romans is that we are dead to sin and alive to God. Paul would write 'Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness'.

This is my endeavor and prayer. That I may be a slave to the grace of God.