1:3 Concerning his Son who was descended from David according to the flesh
The more I read and memorize Romans the more and more I am convinced Paul was really focusing the message of this letter for Jewish Christians. This verse shows us who is at the center of the Gospel of God, God's Son. The reason I said that I am more and more convinced that this letter is to Jews is because this Son was a descendant of David, and I don't know how important that would be to a gentile before conversion but to a Jew it would be huge.
David was one of the greatest kings of Israel with a promise from God. 2 Samuel 7:11b-13 Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Jesus is God fulfilling his promise to David. He is not only the son of David but he is also the Son of God. Dear heavenly Father please touch the Jews so that they may see your Son who is descended from David your servant!!!!
Thank you Lord Jesus for giving me Kendra as a wife.

Before there was a was.

1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
The other thing that I would like to ask about this verse is when did God make these promises that we so desperately need and love? Ephesians 1:4 says, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, This gospel of God was designed before there was even a was. The way God gets this Great and awesome news to his elect is through his prophets in a collection of writings called, The Holy Scriptures. Thank You LORD JESUS!!!!
I love you Kendra!!!

God is faithful

1:2 Which he promised before hand through his prophets in the HOLY SCRIPTURES.
God made a promise to Adam and Eve,"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Adam and Eve ate of this tree and earned God's promise of death. In God's mercy towards Adam and Eve he killed an animal instead of them and covered their nakedness and shame for disobeying God with the animal skin. This was a temporary covering of their shame, which all animal sacrifices of old were. Then God made another promise to Adam and Eve and the serpent," I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." God promised to send someone who was going to conquer this serpent of old, but it would be a painful victory. It is a picture of a conquering king, stepping down with a fatally crushing blow on his enemy's head while all the enemy can do is bite at this conquering kings foot as he is about to die. Every time God touches another heart to trust in this conquering king the faithfulness of God's promise is revisited as we watch the head of the enemy being crushed just that much more.

I love you Kendra! aka msww

God's Gospel, not man's

God had set Paul apart for God's Gospel. This is God's gospel, not man's, not Paul's. God is the author of this gospel (good news) and the perfecter of those who are enabled to believe in this gospel(good news). After the introduction of this letter it is made very clear why it is called the gospel of God. We need to know the bad news in order to appreciate the good news, or the Gospel of God. I think the best part about this good news is that God came down to us. Thank you Lord Jesus!!!!
I love you Kendra

Set apart for JOY!!!!!

Paul was set apart for the gospel of God. When it says set apart I believe before the foundation of the world God had set Paul apart to be the apostle to the Gentiles. I think another thing that God had set Paul apart for, which he sets all of his children apart for was to enjoy a relationship with the living God.
So I think the main question is do we enjoy God? The joy of the Lord is my strength.

I don't want you to worry Kendra, I love you

What are You saying Lord?

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Paul lets us know who's servant he belongs to, Christ Jesus. And he lets us know what his masters mission is for him, called to be an apostle. And this mission as an apostle was to tell people about the gospel of God. Why I titled this what are You saying Lord is the way the Lord Jesus got Paul's attention. He was confronted by Jesus Himself as he was going out to destroy the church. Jesus called Paul in a very dramatic way. He was blinded by a great light and left blind for a few days, I would call that a pretty dramatic introduction into this calling of his.
I believe as the years passed by he was probably able to discern God's directions with a little less dramatic measures. I believe that God speaks to us through life's circumstances, good or bad, happy or sad, glad or mad. So I think our goal is to hear the Lord, hopefully through a little less dramatic circumstances, and trust Him and obey. To full fill our own lives and to show others how great our God is.

I love you Kendra!!!

Paul

The first verse to the Romans goes like this
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Now I have gotten a lot of my thoughts about Romans from listening to John Piper's expository preaching on the book of Romans and the other thoughts from just meditating on it.
The opening word to this letter is an identification of who the author is, Paul. The more you learn about this man Paul the more amazed at him you become. He was Saul of Tarsus, born a Hebrew and a Roman citizen. He was an up and coming Pharisee, faithful to the traditions of his religion, taught by a well known and respected rabbi of his day named Gamaliel He was zealous to the point of being willing to see those who were claiming Jesus to be the Christ executed because it went against what he believed or so he thought.


I love you Kendra