Romans 16:4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles
Yesterday I received an old book that was published in 1938. Inside, faintly inscribed in pencil, were the words, “To Charlotte, From Grandma.” When I saw that, I was instantly sucked into to all the places that book had been. I’m certainly not the first owner and maybe not even the second owner, and whoever Charlotte was, probably a little girl at the time, is probably now in her nineties if she is still living.
If you think about names, you may wonder which ones will last? Which ones will be remembered? In faint pencil I have the names of Charlotte and her grandma many years later. How many names will last in another eighty-five years? Which ones will matter? The truth is that every person matters. We are all creations of God. The question is not, “Will your name matter?” but “Will you, your name, make a difference? Will you make a constructive difference in this world into which God has placed you?”
As we are beginning this new year, I look at Romans 16 and there are a whole host of names. Most of them are obscure. Paul commends a number of people, and he greets a whole host of people. Then, Paul changes gears in verse 17 and mentions people who are to be marked and avoided. So, you have those who are greeted, affirmed, and those who are marked to avoid. What is the difference? What is the difference in the names we remember, because God remembers, and names that are not even mentioned here?
I would say there is a difference between living for self and living for eternity, the cause of eternity, something greater than self. There is a difference between living for just today and living in light of eternity. There is a difference between living for self and living for Christ, for others, for eternity, for things that matter.
There is one notable couple mentioned in Romans 16:3. It says, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus.” This is a couple who had more than one church that met in their homes of various places. Here Paul is writing to Rome and he greets Priscilla and Aquila, helpers in Christ Jesus. Their lives made a big difference, not only to Paul, but to many others.
Then Paul gives us an indication of why they are greeted and commended. It says, “Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.” This is a couple who worked together in harmony for something greater than themselves.
There is a difference between a long-range plan and real time action. What does long term even mean? Is it ten years? That’s a drop in the bucket. Do you mean twenty years? It is good to have a twenty-year plan, but what is even more significant is real time action, making habits that become your character, that are your life. Priscilla and Aquila were people who made choices every day for eternity.
In Romans 16:18 you find a contrast. Paul mentions people who are to be marked and avoided because they cause divisions and offenses contrary to the truth. Why? “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” The truth is you either are going to be a giver or a taker. All of us know people who are takers. They take all the energy out of the room. They just absorb everything. Then, there are givers. They leave us better, nourished, and with things that are true, right, and significant.
In Philippians 3:19, speaking about those who are takers, it says, “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” They don’t care about eternity or God. They don’t obey or submit to God. What they do care about and submit to is their own belly. So, there is a stark contrast between Priscilla and Aquila and those who just live for themselves and what they can get.
I recently came off of a long Christmas vacation. It was a great time. I relaxed and there were days I was fairly lazy. But do you really want to live the next fifty-two weeks the way you lived vacation? Most of us would probably like to try, but do I really want to live my life that way? No! I want my life to matter and to make a difference. Is my life of value to things that matter?
What is most significant is not what you accomplish but what you give. It is not how great you become or how well people think of you. What matters is what you give. Priscilla and Aquila were people who gave. They gave to eternity and to the Apostle Paul, and for that reason we read of them today. Others, who are nameless, did not serve the Lord or others. They served themselves. Their god was their own belly. The difference between living for self and living for eternity is whether you are a giver or a taker.