FRIDAY December 15th
As I mentioned in the previous devotion I will list the possible dates that we have for the writing of Paul’s letters today, using information often found in study books and study Bibles.
Romans 57AD
1 Corinthians 54/55AD
2 Corinthians 55/56AD
Galatians 48AD
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon possibility of 55AD, 58AD, or 62AD depending on which imprisonment of Paul they were written from.
1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians 50/51AD
1 Timothy and Titus Unknown
2 Timothy 65/66 AD
These approximate dates give to us the information that Paul wrote the letters over a period of twenty years, and we know that at the same time he was involved in three of what we would call missionary journeys and while pioneering he was still concerned for the spiritual welfare of the Churches he had either planted or had heard of and wanted to encourage them.
But to end this week of devotions and over into next week for some of the devotions I will just give to us some key verse from some of Paul’s letters that encourage us along our way. You will see from today how difficult it is going to be to choose as I have only been to one chapter, the well-known eighth chapter of Romans.
‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’, (8:1).
‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you’, (8:11).
‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’, (8:28).
‘For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’, (8:38-39).
These are just from ONE chapter! And I wonder how often these verses have been a powerful means of blessing to us? We are no longer under condemnation, we have the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling within us!
Because we have been loved by God and in return we have come to love him, all things WILL work together for good!
And despite anything and everything that the enemy of our souls will seek to throw against us, nothing, absolutely nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Oh how blessed we are to have these wonderful truths penned for us today as a result of the Lord Jesus meeting with and transforming Saul as he travelled on the road to Damascus.