Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

The book of Romans begins with Paul identifying himself as a “servant of Christ.” For those who may be new to the Bible, let me introduce you to Paul. He was a Jewish man who grew up memorizing large portions of what we now call the Old Testament. Deeply religious and, in my opinion, somewhat arrogant, Paul believed he knew God—but in reality, he only knew about Him. He was offended by those who followed Jesus, so much so that he actively promoted their persecution and even supported their execution.

That all changed one day when Paul had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. This life-altering moment, recorded in Acts 9, transformed him from a persecutor of Christians into a devoted servant—some translations even say “slave”—of Christ. His desire to eliminate Christ’s followers was replaced by a passion to know and proclaim the truth.

Our desires have a way of leading us. I know this firsthand. If I start craving Mexican food and let my thoughts dwell on it, you can bet I’ll be eating tacos before the day is over. Or if I decide I want a new dress, I’ll find myself spending way too much time scrolling through options on Amazon. But when I intentionally focus on God—when I choose to direct my thoughts toward Him—my desires shift. And when my desires align with Him, I find my life filled with truth, love, and a desire to share both with others.

Paul warns in Romans 1:18 not to “suppress the truth” and explains that God will “deliver us over to our desires” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). He lists many of these ungodly desires—sexual sin, gossip, slander, arrogance, disobedience to parents, lack of love, lack of mercy, and more. The reality is, we’ve all been guilty of focusing on the wrong things, of dwelling on what pulls us away from God instead of anchoring ourselves in His truth.

And here is the truth:

“Through him (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles.” — Romans 1:5 (CSB)

We have received grace! What if we allowed that truth to shape our desires? What if we craved knowing the Grace Giver more and making Him known to the world? What if, like Paul, our hearts and minds were transformed—and God used us to help others find the right desires as well?

Lord, help us to renew our minds by fixing our thoughts upon You! May our desires be found in You!

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.