Romans 16 -- Remaining "Innocent"

Paul shows us that he was definitely a friend maker.  “He didn’t try to live an isolated life … The servants whom God has used the most were people who could make friends.  They multiplied themselves in the lives of their friends and associates in the ministry,” my commentary said.  I look back at friendships that God brought into my own life as a direct result of ministries that I’ve been a part of and I marvel at how He has worked in the lives of those people to increase His kingdom all the more.

 

Paul expressed a desire for all of his friends and also for those he was writing to:  “I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.”  That is even more important today.  The “innocent” part is especially important.  The less we expose ourselves to evil, the less we think about those parts of it that might eventually serve as “bait” to ensnare us.  By avoiding, say, television shows and movies and songs that tantalize us with evil or very suggestive themes, we can do much to maintain our innocence regarding evil and even reverse the effects of years of saturating our minds with those very things.  I’ve seen it happen in my own life, and I know it words.

 

Father, Satan tries his best to ensnare us by any means possible.  We now have so many more ways to let him gain a foothold than Paul’s generation ever did.  Please help my boys and me to realize when we’re allowing such attacks on our lives and give us the willpower we need to say no to it.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford