Romans 15:28-29 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
Paul’s plan was to go to Jerusalem, drop off the offering for the believers there, go to Rome, and then on to Spain. The books of Acts tells us that his plans did not work out like this. Once he made it to Jerusalem, he was arrested in the temple courts. Verse 28 reveals Paul’s ambition. His vision was to go to the “utter most parts of the world.” By this point, Paul was getting on the older side but he did not let this stop him. Age is not a restrict for serving God. Verse 29 provides an interesting insight in what Paul thought about the offering he was collecting. Through this act of giving and all the sacrifices that went into it, he was anticipating a deep and profound blessing from Jesus Christ. Faithfulness and obedience in giving provide blessings. Those who were in desperate need in Jerusalem due to the famine there would be physically blessed. Those who gave would be spiritually blessed because they were partners in the gospel. Paul would be spiritually blessed because he had been obedience and faithful in his collection of the offering and the challenge in bringing it to Jerusalem. Paul’s spiritual blessing was not simply from his trip to Jerusalem but in his overall faithfulness to his call as an apostle. He would go to Rome with the full assurance of the Holy Spirit’s presence. The simple lesson we learn from these verses is that following through with the leadership of the Holy Spirit will bring blessing to us. Living in God’s will brings the type of assurance and confidence that Paul shows in this passage.
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