Illustrations from Romans
1310 illustrations referencing Romans
Quiet Time: Friends
Dear Heavenly Father, As I reflect on Friends in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 12:2. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes and respond with the love and grace you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Friends. May my actions reflect your character and draw others closer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Take a moment today to consider how God might be calling you to engage with Friends i...
Morning Meditation: Inclusive Language for God
Dear God of Love and Justice, As I reflect on Inclusive Language for God in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 16:1-2. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes of love and respond with the compassion and justice you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Inclusive Language for God. May my actions reflect your character of love and work for the transformation of our world into your kingdom of ju...
A Modern Story of Climate Change & Stewardship
The climate crisis is perhaps the greatest moral challenge of our generation. Like the parable of the talents, we have been entrusted with a precious gift - our planet - and we will be held accountable for how we steward it. Meet David, a church youth leader who organized a "Green Sunday" where his congregation committed to reducing their carbon footprint. They installed solar panels on the church roof, started a community garden, and challenged each other to carpool to services. What began as ...
A Contemporary Nonviolent Resistance Story
In our modern world, Nonviolent Resistance presents both challenges and opportunities for people of progressive Christian faith. Like the biblical characters who faced similar struggles in their time, we too are called to navigate these waters with wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to justice. Consider how Romans 12:18 speaks to the contemporary issues surrounding Nonviolent Resistance. The timeless truths found in Scripture provide a foundation for understanding and responding to the comple...
A Modern Story of The Bible is Not a Sex Manual
In our modern world, The Bible is Not a Sex Manual presents both challenges and opportunities for people of progressive Christian faith. Like the biblical characters who faced similar struggles in their time, we too are called to navigate these waters with wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to justice. Consider how Romans 16:1-2 speaks to the contemporary issues surrounding The Bible is Not a Sex Manual. The timeless truths found in Scripture provide a foundation for understanding and respond...
The Suffering Challenge
Suffering isn't a sign of God's absence—it's often a sign of His presence. Take the story of Rachel, a young woman who lost her husband in a tragic accident. Instead of turning away from God, she chose to lean into Him, finding comfort in Scripture and strength in community. Her journey through grief eventually led her to start a support group for other widows. This contemporary example of suffering shows how Romans 3:23 speaks to our deepest pain. Suffering isn't meaningless; it's purposeful. ...
A Modern Story of Leading Toward Peace
In our modern world, Leading Toward Peace presents both challenges and opportunities for people of progressive Christian faith. Like the biblical characters who faced similar struggles in their time, we too are called to navigate these waters with wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to justice. Consider how Romans 12:18 speaks to the contemporary issues surrounding Leading Toward Peace. The timeless truths found in Scripture provide a foundation for understanding and responding to the complexi...
Prayerful Joy
Dear Heavenly Father, As I reflect on Joy in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 8:28. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes and respond with the love and grace you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Joy. May my actions reflect your character and draw others closer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Take a moment today to consider how God might be calling you to engage with Joy in a way that...
Prayerful Children
Dear Heavenly Father, As I reflect on Children in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 12:2. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes and respond with the love and grace you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Children. May my actions reflect your character and draw others closer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Take a moment today to consider how God might be calling you to engage with Childre...
Daily Hatred
Dear Heavenly Father, As I reflect on Hatred in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 8:28. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes and respond with the love and grace you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Hatred. May my actions reflect your character and draw others closer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Take a moment today to consider how God might be calling you to engage with Hatred in a...
Daily Science and Faith
Dear God of Love and Justice, As I reflect on Science and Faith in my life today, I am reminded of your wisdom found in Romans 16:1-2. Help me to see this area of my life through your eyes of love and respond with the compassion and justice you have shown me. Guide me to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and healing wherever I encounter Science and Faith. May my actions reflect your character of love and work for the transformation of our world into your kingdom of justice and peace. ...
Non-Conformity as Resistance - Progressive (Romans 12:1-2)
Rosa Parks refused to conform. She didn't give up her seat because she had been transformed by a different vision—human dignity, equality, divine image-bearing. "Do not conform to the pattern of this
The Blood of Martyrs as Seed - Anabaptist (Romans 8:28)
Thousands of Anabaptists were killed in the 16th century—drowned, burned, beheaded. Their persecutors expected to exterminate them. Instead, the martyrs' courage attracted others. As Tertullian said c
The Fall of Constantinople and the Spread of Orthodoxy - Orthodox (Romans 8:28)
When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, it seemed like the end of Orthodox Christianity's heart. Scholars fled west, carrying manuscripts that sparked the Renaissance. Others went north, str
Luther's 'Best Thing That Happened' - Lutheran (Romans 8:28)
When Luther was condemned and hunted, his friends staged a "kidnapping" to hide him in Wartburg Castle. Luther called it "the best thing that happened" to him. Why? In hiding, with nothing else to do,
John Newton's Amazing Journey - Anglican (Romans 8:28)
John Newton spent years as a slave trader—a profession he later called "a business at which my heart now shudders." After his conversion, those terrible memories became the raw material for empathy, f
Love as Covenant Commitment - Reformed (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
1 Corinthians 13 describes covenant love—love that binds despite circumstances. It's not "I love you because you make me happy" but "I love you because I promised." "Love bears all things, believes al
Luther's Tower Discovery - Lutheran (John 3:16)
Martin Luther spent years terrified of God. He fasted, confessed for hours, punished his body—trying to earn divine favor. Nothing worked; he only felt more condemned. Then, studying Romans in the tow
The Living Sacrifice That Keeps Crawling Off - Traditional (Romans 12:1-2)
Someone once observed: "The problem with a living sacrifice is it keeps crawling off the altar." Dead sacrifices stay put; living ones squirm. Paul's image is provocative—offer your BODY as a LIVING s
The Base Communities That Outlasted Dictators - Liberation (Romans 8:28)
During Latin American dictatorships, base ecclesial communities met secretly—reading Scripture, supporting each other, quietly resisting. Many members were killed; the communities were targeted. Yet t
The Persecution That Spread the Gospel - Missional (Romans 8:28)
When Idi Amin expelled all missionaries from Uganda in 1972, many feared the Ugandan church would collapse. Instead, it exploded. Without foreign leadership, local believers stepped up. The church gre
The Birmingham Jail That Became a Beacon - Progressive (Romans 8:28)
In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham for leading nonviolent protests. From his jail cell, he wrote a letter that would become one of history's most important documents on j
Full Surrender at the Altar - Baptist (Romans 12:1-2)
A.W. Tozer wrote: "The reason why many still live defeated lives is that they have never really surrendered." Baptist preaching often emphasizes total surrender—not just believing but yielding. Romans
Bodies on the Line - Black Church (Romans 12:1-2)
The Civil Rights Movement was bodily sacrifice: bodies in bus seats, bodies at lunch counters, bodies crossing bridges, bodies in jail cells. "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice." Activists lit