They Risked Their Lives
November 19, 2022
Romans 16:4 - “They risked their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles, are grateful to them.”
The verses right before this one began with Paul listing two dozen or so people that He wants his readers to greet for him in Rome. He starts with introducing them to Phoebe, the lady who would actually deliver this letter from him. Then he instructs them to greet Priscilla/Prisca and Aquila who have returned to Rome after being in Asia. If you remember, Paul was a tent maker by trade, and he worked with them making tents and in his ministry.
That is who Paul is talking about when he wrote that they risked their lives for him and the churches of the Gentiles. We don’t know exactly how that happened, there doesn’t seem to be a record about it, but mostly likely it was during a riot in Ephesus which we can read more about in Acts 19:23-41.
Has anyone ever risked their life for you? I seriously can’t recall a time that my life was in danger like that. But Priscilla and Aquila, and all 26 others that were listed in Romans 16 had a strong friendship and devotion to Paul and they were willing to risk their lives for him, and he felt it necessary to list them all by name.
When you are faced with a tough challenge or asked to step outside of your comfort zone for your faith, do you do it? Do you witness to a stranger, or make a commitment to church, or do you give sacrificially? It’s so easy to shrink back and let someone else experience the new opportunities that God has placed before us.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we will be called to take risks. And when we do, the Holy Spirit will stretch and mold us into stronger, more empowered believers! We just need to let God’s hand steer us toward that experience. He will always be faithful to us and will protect us along the way. And eventually, He will use what we’ve learned from that experience to help someone else. Risk-taking helps build our trust in the Lord. Even if we can’t see the outcome, God will go before us. And He is faithful in rewarding the risks you take to follow Him.
Life is an adventure. God has amazing things in store for you! So take that risk.