The Heart of a Jesus Follower
Romans · Romans 9:1–5 · August 30, 2026
How can you tell God’s voice from your own thoughts?
It’s easy to feel lost in the crowd, as if no one notices or cares. But Jesus said “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7). The lost sheep, the lost coin and the son who came home all show God’s heart: He pursues the one.
That heart runs through Romans 9–11. Paul opens with this: “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1). In one sentence he names two very different gifts God gives us.
Two gifts from God
1. Your conscience. The word means “to see and know with.” It’s an internal moral compass God placed in every person. That’s why almost every culture agrees that stealing, murder and unfaithfulness are wrong, because “the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness” (Romans 2:15). But a conscience can be damaged. Every time we ignore it, it gets scratched, until it can become “seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2) and stops warning us at all. That’s why you can’t always trust your conscience on its own.
2. The Holy Spirit. Here’s the good news: we don’t have to rely on our conscience alone. When you follow Jesus, you’re “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). He’s not a ghost but a person, the Comforter Jesus promised, who guides us into all truth. Your conscience is fallible; the Holy Spirit is not. He cleanses and sharpens our conscience, testifies that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16), and prays for us when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26). You provide the want to; God provides the power.
A heart for the one
Then Paul reveals his heart: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart… for my people” (Romans 9:2–3). He would rather be cut off from Christ himself if it meant his Jewish brothers and sisters would be saved. That’s the heart of a Jesus follower.
We’re saved to save others. Does it break your heart when people you love reject God? It should. Like Paul, we become “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
We’re blessed to bless others. God told Abraham, “I will bless you… and you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). We’re meant to be a river of His blessings, never a stagnant pond. “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
We’re given the Holy Spirit to share His Word. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
Scripture references
Romans 9:1–5 · Luke 15:1–32 · Romans 2:14–15 · 1 Timothy 4:1–2 · Romans 1:32 · Ephesians 1:13 · John 14:16–17 · John 16:13 · Romans 1:4 · Romans 5:5 · Romans 8:16, 26 · Romans 14:17 · Romans 15:13 · John 1:11 · Matthew 8:5–11 · Romans 11:13–14 · 1 Corinthians 9:22 · James 5:20 · Matthew 28:19 · Genesis 12:2 · Proverbs 11:25 · Hebrews 13:16 · Acts 1:8 · Acts 7:55–56
More from Romans
- The Family of God in Action
- Strong Like Jesus
- Whose Are You?
- When the Wrong Person is in Charge
- Three Commands for Christians
- Does God reject me?
- Important Conversations
- God's Kids
- Rescue Me
- Life and Death
- Peace to Change Your World
- Applying What You Need
- Three Words to Change Your Life
- No Excuses
- The Man, The Motive, The Message
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