3. CAMPING OUT IN ROMANS

GRACE & PEACE

"To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."  ~Romans 1:7

 The phrase 'When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do' refers to the importance of adapting yourself to the customs of the people who are in a certain place or situation and behave like they do.  As it turns out, it's all to do with the travel arrangements of a couple of early Christian saints.   If only we could adapt as easily to God's agenda, "I have kept the faith."

^"15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."  ~Romans 7:15-20

So I took out my cell phone and began taking photos as many others were doing.
I put on my smiley face and greeted many people and enjoyed the worship service.  Leaving base camp,  I took a whirl wind tour around the world.  Excitement and anticipation is in the air as tomorrow VBS will be in full swing.

This year’s VBS is June 25-29, and the theme is “Racin’ Around the World,” which focuses on 2 Timothy 4:7—“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

 

The icing on my cake, the lyrics to the song, "Nothing Can Separate Us" from Romans 8:35-39  that Carmella Jones sang this morning in her gentle soothing voice.

 What Can Separate You?

 His love reached from the heavens
 to the far ends of the earth,
 to give you life forever,

 He left no stone unturned. 
And before the birth of time,
 Jesus had you on His mind, 
 so you never need to question His concern.

 So what can separate you
 from the precious love of God?
 Who could ever come against 
His strong and perfect love?

 So when you're in the valley,
 and your nights are cold and lonely,
 the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
 Remember nothing can separate you

 from God's love.
 He numbers each and every star
 and calls them all by name. 
He counts them one by one

 and sees that they are still in place.
 If He cares for every star,
 then He sees right where you are.
 You can trust you'll never fall from His embrace.

  Neither pain or sorrow,
 not today and not tomorrow,
 nothing past or nothing present,
 nothing future, nothing ever.

Well it's back to base camp to see if there's gold in them hills in Romans.