Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Romans 16 before reading the devotional below.
We finish Romans today, reading this final chapter in which Paul greets and thanks many people who have worked alongside him and supported his ministry. As I read the first two verses, I just want to pause and celebrate that Paul first mentions a female church leader, Phoebe. Not all churches allow women to be deacons, and some even use portions of Paul’s other writings to validate that view. But here is Paul, calling this woman deacon someone worthy of honor and respect. We can’t stop there though, because Paul keeps going to mention a total of seven women plus other “sisters.” He mentions a lot of men too, and that’s the point. Men and women are supposed to be interchangeably mentioned when it comes to doing what God has called us all to do.
Overall, Paul’s letter is making one key point: Jesus is for everyone. Jews. Gentiles. Men. Women. Doesn’t matter. Jesus is for you and God can use you for any purpose he chooses. Paul reiterates this in his letter to the Galatians as well. As they say (in The Princess Bride), “anyone who says otherwise is selling something.” Paul warns the Romans to watch out for people whose teaching disagrees with what God has inspired him to write.
Here’s your freedom for today: God can call you for any purpose. He can call you to be a leader. He can call you to be a servant. He can call you to be a martyr and put you in chains for the Gospel. No matter who you are, God can use you. He will call you and put you to work for his kingdom, and he’ll let you go as far as your “yes” will take you. Just keep saying yes to his leading and no matter who you are you will end up having influence of supernatural proportion. Eternity is the limit!