Daily Word

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Romans 14:1. Our basic attitude as Christians towards fellow-Christians is one of welcome and acceptance based on God’s attitude to us in Christ. There must be charity toward the “weak” person whose conscience is still bound by scruples from which the gospel normally sets us free. Meditate on this for a few moments…is there yet something that you have set to allow the gospel to set you free from?

Weekend Quote

Think often on God, by day, by night, In your business, and even in your diversions. He is always near you and with you; leave Him not alone. You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you; why, then, must God be neglected? ! Brother Lawrence

Weekend Quote

For thy great gift, O Father, We thank thee today- The gift of silence; For the rich, warm, generous silence We thank thee, Wherein our souls, Stunted and shriveled and starved In the arid desert of everyday hurry and strain, May rest, and quietly grow, and expand upward to thee. -John S. Hoyland

Daily Word

Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealously. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:13-14. Paul’s warning against a sinful life-style strikingly includes not only the traditional sins of the flesh (“orgies and drunkenness…sexual immorality and sensuality”) but also insidious vises that can be harbored or even paraded in the heart of the church. Paul’s exhortation can be summed up in the call to put on...Christ. The metaphor of putting on clothing implies not just imitating Christ’s character but also living in close personal fellowship with Him. Even though believers have a new life, they still must constantly renounce the flesh and refuse to gratify desires. How much more of the “putting on of Christ” could you apply each day if you were to remove the layers of compromise you’ve allowed yourself to be clothed in instead?

Daily Word

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11-12. These final verses call us as Christians to action, given the shortness of the time before Jesus returns. Sleep here is a metaphor of a life of moral carelessness and laxity. Salvation is viewed as a future reality here, and it draws nearer everyday ( the day is at hand). The nearness of the end summons each of us as Christians to put off all evil works and to live in the light. If you knew of the exact time of Chris’s return…how differently would you live your life the year, month, week, day…before His arrival?

Daily Word

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13:9. Paul sites several OT commandments regarding responsibility to others, all of which are summed up in the call from Lev. 19:18 to love your neighbor as yourself. How does your treatment towards others demonstrate what you think of yourself?

Daily Word

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8. “Owe no one anything” links back to verse 7, and thus the command does not prohibit all borrowing but means that one should always “pay what is owed”, fulfilling whatever repayment agreements have been made. The debt one never ceases paying is the call to LOVE one another. Indeed, love fills what the Mosaic law demands. How often do you become delinquent for non payment of love to others?

Weekend Quote

The soul loves and is loved in return; she seeks and is sought; she calls and is called. But in this, she lifts and is lifted up; She holds and is herself held; she clasps and she is closely embraced, and by the bond of love she unites herself to God, one with one, alone with him. ~ Saint Thomas Aquinas

Daily Word

Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them; taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13:6-7. Christians must not refuse to pay taxes simply because they think some of the money is used unjustly, for the Roman empire surely did not use all of its money for Godly purposes! So, too, believers are to honor their leaders, even if they are not fully admirable. As Christians our submission is a response of the conscience instructed by divine revelation. Because the task of government is divinely ordained and requires financial support, We as Christians can pay taxes with a distinctive motive and understanding, as an element of devotion to God. Paul was evidently familiar with Jesus’ statement (Matt 22:21), and indicates here how it is applied. Have you ever considered paying your taxes as an honor to God? Think of a leader, or someone in authority over you whom may not be full admirable and lift them up in prayer today.

Daily Word

For rulers are a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear for the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for you good. But if you do wrong. Be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is a servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s own wrath on the wrong doer. Romans 13:3-4. Rebellion against the authority implies rebellion against God’s ordinance. The state’s authority is for society’s benefit; this is its normal function, and Paul assumes it may be realized in practical terms even when governments are professedly non-Christian. The power of life and death (the sword). Capitol punishment is undoubtedly in view here. Elsewhere Paul accepts the principle of such punishment appropriate (Acts 25:11). What the individual must not do out of revenge, the state may legitimately do in pursuit of justice. We certainly live in a day and time where it’s easy to question the appointed government. However, scripture is clear that He appoints, and we are not to walk in rebellion. Do you find yourself spending more time complaining about or praying for the appointed government before you?

Daily Word

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Romans 13;1-3. Civil government is a means ordained by God for ruling and maintaining order in communities. It is one of a number of such means, including ministers in the church and parents in the home. Each such means has its own sphere of authority under Christ, who now rules and sustains creation, and the limits of each sphere are set by reference to the others. In our fallen world these authorities are intuitions of God’s “common grace” (kindly providence), standing as a bulwark against anarchy and the dissolution of ordered society. Whatever we think, or however we might feel about the government scripture is clear that God is in charge and we are to trust in Him

Daily Post

If possible, so far as it depends on you, leave peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be over come by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:18-21. We as Christians have an obligation to be peacemakers. Harmony is not always possible, since truth divides us as well as unites. Paul’s double qualification (“if…so far as”) recognizes this, but the obligation to strive for peace in our personal relations with others remains. We must be free from the desire to “get even.” Such release from the instinct for revenge is possible because the believer knows that God will right all wrongs in His own perfect judgment. Scripture urges us, while God remains patient with the wrong doer, to show grace to him. As you reflect on these verses be reminded just how often it “depends on you” on a daily basis. While there maybe someone who comes to mind in regards to “getting even” with; also be reminded that you to are a “wrong doer” of whom God is showing His patients with.

Daily Word

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Romans 12:14-17. Paul reflects here on the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew (5:39,44). The genuine unity of the body of Christ is especially evident in the empathy of its members in moments of high joy or deep sorrow. Paul’s language gives the idea of Christians sharing the same thoughts with respect to one another, another indication of the strategic role of the mind in sanctification. One manifestation of this will be an absence of conceit and pride in worldly position. Christians should be distinguished by their readiness to “associate with the lowly.” Many will look at this, and will agree whole heartily. But, at the end of the day is there an evidenced application of this in your life for others to distinguish you?

Weekend quote

The dearest idol I have known, Whatever that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne, and worship only thee. ~ William Cowper

Weekend Quote

The most fatiguing activity in the world is the drive to seem other than you are; it is less exhausting to become what you want to be than to maintain a façade. ~ Sydney J. Harris

Daily Word

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:9-13. The remainder of this chapter is a life that is pleasing to God. Not surprisingly, LOVE heads the list, for all that Paul says is embraced by the call to love. Love cannot be reduced to sentimentalism. Christians are to hate evil. There must be no hesitation or sloth in Christian living. We should be “fervent,” living for Christ with enthusiasm and energy. Hospitality was very important for early Christians, for most of them could not afford hotels when traveling but depended on the provision of fellow believers. How much different would your life be today if you were to put into practice, and daily living the above scriptures?

Daily Word

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: If prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8 Christians should concentrate upon and give their energies to the gifts God has given them, whether in serving others, teaching God’s word patiently, or in exhortation and encouragement in the things of God. Some interpreters see “faith” as the prophets own faith. Others understand “faith” to mean the truth content of the gospel as the standard and measure of each prophetic utterance, testing whether the utterance conforms to “the pattern the sound words.” Paul recognizes the wide variety and practicality of these gifts and the intertwining of natural endowments with them. Throughout, it is clear that the blessing of those ministered to is the paramount consideration in using the gifts. How diligent are you in using the gifts God has given you to bless and minister to the body of Christ around you?

Daily Word

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Romans 12:4-5.. Paul makes use of the analogy of the body and its various parts to illustrate the nature of the church. He stresses it’s unity in verse five. Church is so much more than a building we show up to once or twice a week, and of above all other places we go. This should be the one place where which we should find love, peace, and unity among one another. To simply show up and do nothing is in itself a selfish act. Do you add to, or take away from, the unity of your church?

Daily Word

For by grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3. Paul’s ministry exists only because of grace, as do spiritual gifts. Realistic assessment of one’s gift (”think with sober judgment”) is essential, and involves a recognition of one’s “measure of faith,” that is, knowing to what extent one has the faith suited for exercising particular gifts. The faith by which we are justified is a separate question. Sometimes the frustration and discouragement brought about in serving the body of Christ is simply our own doing of attempting to operate outside that which God has gifted us to operate in. Our you operating in the gift God has given you or struggling in your attempt to something else?

Daily Word

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2. For Christians our mind-set is to be determined and reshaped by knowledge of the gospel, by the power of the Spirit, and by the concerns of the age to come, rather than by the passing fashion of this age. Only by such sanctifying renewal is the Christian made sufficiently sensitive to “discern” the behavior that is God’s will in each situation. “By testing you may discern” translates in the Greek, which often has the sense of finding out the worth of something by putting it to use or testing it in actual practice. In all honesty with yourself; how often do you really put the worth of God’s word to use or to test in each of the situations you face throughout the day as you walk with Christ?

Weekend Quote

It takes real faith to begin to live the life of heaven while still upon the earth, for this requires that we rise above the law of moral gravitation and bring to our everyday living the high wisdom of God. And since this wisdom is contrary to that of the world, conflict is bound to result. This, however, is a small price to pay for the inestimable privilege of following Christ. ~ A.W. Tozer

Weekend Quote

Hold loosely all that is not eternal. ~ Angus Maude Royden

DDaily Word

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. “By the mercies of God” is to love the poor and needy, and support those who cannot support themselves in a sinful world. The doctrines of Grace in Chap. 3-11 leads to a life motivated by gratitude. Jew and Gentile now belong together as the people of God for whom the final blood sacrifice has been made. The sacrifice that remains is that of thankful response by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. “Bodies” means whole persons as embodied individuals. Spiritual worship is the worship that is appropriate for redeemed creatures to offer. How much more time and effort do you put into presenting yourself to those here in this world then you do in presenting yourself before God?

Daily Word

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever, Amen. Romans 11:33-36 The words of Isa. 40:13 teach that no human being knows the mind of the Lord apart from revelation, and no one can serve as God’s adviser. Likewise the majestic words of Job 41:11 are a reminder that no one ultimately gives anything to God, instead, everything humans have is a gift from God. Today be reminded that everything you have, even the very next breath you take is a gift from God…the creator of heaven and earth.

Daily Word

For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they to have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. Romans 11:30-31. Salvation history is structured to feature God’s great mercy. God saved the Gentiles when one would only expect the Jews to be saved, but in the future He will amaze all by His grace again by saving the Jews, so that it will be clear that everyone’s salvation is by mercy alone. The final now in this text does not mean the promise to the Jews in now fulfilled but that the promise of Jewish salvation could be filled anytime. The disobedience of the Jew leads to God’s mercy reaching the Gentile; the mercy of God to the Gentiles leads to the reception of mercy to the Jews. There is no difference…All have sinned, and God has mercy on both. What does “mercy” mean to you exactly, and how does your understanding of it impact your relationship with Christ on a daily basis?

Daily Word

As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards to election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:28-29. The unbelief of Israel has benefited the Gentiles, as this is the period of history in which Gentiles are being saved, while most of Israel remains in unbelief. But God’s electing Promise given to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be fulfilled in the future. Israel will be saved because God never revokes His saving promises. “Gifts” means thing freely given by God, and the word can be used to refer to different kinds of gifts. Sometimes the word refers to spiritual gifts for ministry and sometimes to the gift of salvation, but the context here favors yet a third kind of “gifts,” namely, the unique blessings given to Israel which Paul mentioned at the beginning of this long section. “Calling”( same root word in GK) for “election” refers here to calling to salvation. The process of Christian conversion, involving illumination, regeneration, and the transformation of the will. It is a sovereign work of God performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today meditate on the depth of your conversion and recognize it is much more than a simple prayer!

Daily Post

And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. “ Romans 11:26-27. A critical expression at this point in Paul’s argument, and one whose meaning is much debated ( All Israel). It could mean “all (spiritual) Israel,” that is, all elect persons both Jew and Gentile. Alternately, it may mean “all” Israel in the sense of “all Jews destined to be saved throughout history.” Or, as suggested above, it may point to a time of mass conversion among Jewish people.” When I take away their sins,” The salvation of Israel fits with God’s covenantal promise to save his people and forgive their sins. God has always been a God of Grace...be it over sin, disobedience, or unbelief His Grace is sufficient for you! Spend a few moments pondering His Grace over your life…

Daily Word

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25. Paul discloses a mystery to the Gentiles to prevent them from being proud. The “mystery” does not necessarily refer to something puzzling or difficult to grasp, but to something that was previously hidden and is now revealed. The mystery has three elements: 1) at this time in salvation history the majority of Israel has been hardened; 2) during this same time the full number of Gentiles is being saved; and 3) God will do a new work in the future in which he will save all “Israel.” As we go through this book of Romans…Do you see the importance of understanding the riches of biblical history that is foundational to who you are in Christ today?

Daily Word

And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Romans 11:23-24. The cutting off of Israel is because of their unbelief, and not because the Gentiles were inherently better qualified for life in the olive tree. Moreover, the Gentiles believers should never forget that the gospel came to the Jews first. Has unbelief or lack of commitment hindered the process of your being fully grafted into the body of Christ or are you living your life fully grafted unto His body for His glory?

Daily Word

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you to will be cut off. Romans 11: 21-22. The Gentile readers must contemplate God’s kindness and severity. His severity has been the portion of the Jews who have not believed, but His kindness has been poured out on the Gentiles. Still , they must persevere in the faith. Other wise they to will be judged as unbelievers. We as Christians should thank God for our conversion, look to Him to keep us in His grace, and wait with confidence for His final triumph, according to His plan.

Daily Word

Do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I may be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. Romans 11:18-20. Gentile believers are warned against arrogance, for its God’s saving promises (root), not their goodness, that saved them. Thus Gentiles might be tempted with pride because God removed the Jewish branches from the olive tree and grafted them in instead. But this should provoke fear and awe, for the Jews were removed because they failed to believe and the Gentiles remain only because of their continued trust. Meditate on this for a few moments…How would your life change today if you could be cut off because of “unbelief”? Just because we claim to be Christian, and attend church once a week does not mean we BELIEVE; does arrogance play any part in your walk with Christ?

Daily Word

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. Paul refers back to OT When Jeremiah speaking to the men of Judea and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He reminded them that the Lord had once referred to them as a “green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.” Hosea made reference to this as well in Hos. 14:6. The illustration of the root and branches will be elaborated on more in the next few verses. The people of God are portrayed here as the olive tree. When Paul says some branches are removed, he probably has in mind the majority of the Jews in his day. Gentiles as wild shoots were grafted into the olive tree and now share in the root (promises made to the patriarchs). Today meditate on the fact that you to have been grafted in to the body of Christ. Your nourishment comes directly from the root (JESUS). Are you strong enough to maintain and grow with the other branches or are you allowing the disease of life to weaken you becoming the branch that looks like it needs to be trimmed?

Weekend Quote

Prayer for today: Lord, how excellent are your ways, and how devious and dark are the ways of man. Show us how to die, that we may rise again to newness of life. Rend the veil of our self-life from the top down as Thou didst rend the veil of the temple. We would draw near in full assurance of faith. We would dwell with Thee in daily experience here on this earth so that we may be accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Taken from A.W. Tozer)

Weekend Quote

My Prayer for today: O God, I have tasted thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to know thee; I long to filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Taken from ~ A.W. Tozer)

Daily Post

For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead. If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. Romans 11:15-16. The Phrase “life from the dead” may simply denote unprecedented blessing. Although the wording is slightly different from Paul’s normal usage (resurrection from the dead), some take the phrase to refer to the general resurrection of the last day, understanding the conversion of the Jews to be an event of end times, an immediate herald of the final resurrection. Paul applies spiritually the principle that the first fruits serve as the pledge of the final harvest as explained in Numbers 15:17-21. Does your idea or understanding of “first fruits” extend beyond your tithe? Why or why not?

Daily Post

There is much to much to be thankful for that cannot possibly be contained in a single day of celebration. Today I will be surrounded by family, and enjoying great food and watching football (ALL DAY); thinking about all the incredible friends both near and far who bless me through out the year, I will celebrate in my heart as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 100: Make a Joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us and we are his; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him and bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations! HAPPY THANKSGIVING to one and all...Hope your day is ABUNDANTLY BLESSED!

Daily Post

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. Romans 11 13-14. Why Paul singles out the Gentiles in the Roman church is made clear in latter verses (17-24). Paul had a special calling and commission to preach to the good news to the Gentiles. But he uses his ministry to the Gentiles also to benefit the Jews, for he hopes that the more Gentiles come to salvation, the more this will provoke the Jews to jealousy, so that they will be saved. I wonder If my relationship with Christ has ever exampled enough to others that it would provoke a jealousy for what they were missing without Him?

Daily Post

Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their inclusion mean? Romans 11:12. In the context of Paul’s argument, “full incursion” here can only signify their reception of Christ and their restoration to God. The more difficult question is whether the term “full” points to full restoration of the remnant or to the restoration of the full number of the nation in some sense. The second seems to fit better the general direction of the passage. While this passage speaks of restoration to God for Gentiles and of Jew’s as a nation. Meditate for a moment on your own personal restoration to God…was your restoration to God “full restoration” or ‘ partial restoration”? How does your life in Christ demonstrate His restoration in your life to others around you?

Daily Post

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass “salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Romans 11:11. Once again the form of Paul’s question anticipates (and receives) a negative answer. The Jews’ rejection of Christ is not irreversible. Paul sees a divine pattern and purpose behind the unbelief of which the Jews are guilty. The pattern of his thought in v. 11, therefore, is as follows: a) the transgression of the Jews has led to the justification of the Gentiles, b) the salvation of the Gentiles will cause the Jews to envy; c) the envy of the Jews’ will draw them to the same salvation as the Gentiles. God’s plan is as divine today in your life as it has been throughout the history of time. Trust God no matter what the circumstance you may be facing!

Daily Word

To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances! To seek Him is the greatest of all achievements! To find Him is the greatest human achievement! ~ Raphael Simon

Weekend Quote

God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. ~ C. S. Lewis

Daily Word

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” Romans 11:7-10. The passages cited describe a biblical pattern of divine activity in the judicial hardening of hearts- a pattern Paul sees repeated in his own day. Paul then prays for judgment over the Jews of his day who have rejected Christ. I often wonder why it is that most Christians appear today to refuse to believe that One’s heart can be hardened. Perhaps it is that lack of belief or fear that allows compromise to be worn like a second skin?

Daily Word

“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But What is God’s reply to him? “ I have kept myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:3-6. In Elijah’s time there was wholesale apostasy, and yet the presence of a remnant of the faithful indicated that God had not fully and finally rejected His people. Paul’s thinking about the remnant is rooted in the teaching of Isaiah, whose son Shear-jashub’s name means “a remnant shall return.” ELECTION and Grace are inseparable, for both show that salvation is God’s work alone, and that it has nothing to do with works. Today, remember that you were chosen by grace, and nothing you can do will earn you favor with God…you already have His favor…give Him PRAISE!

Daily Word

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am a Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? Romans 11:1-2. The majority of Israel failed to believe. Does this mean that God has rejected his people? Paul presents himself as an example of the remnant that has been preserved, a remnant that indicates that God is not finished with Israel and that He will fulfill the promises made to His people. Foreknew reaches back to the OT, where the word “know” emphasizes God’s special choice of, or covenantal affection for, his people. The Bible is filled with the promises of God…Like many of Israel, what promise(s) are you failing to believe in God for?

Daily Word

But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “ All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. Romans 10:19-21. The failure of the Jews cannot be excused because they did not hear the message, or because they did not understand it. Moses and Isaiah contrast God’s own people with those who lack understanding, and with those who were not God-seekers but who were brought to know Him. The prophesy of Isa. 65:1 has been fulfilled in that the Gentiles who did not seek after God have now experienced God’s saving promises. Israel, on the other hand, has fulfilled the words of Isa. 65:2. They have rebelled against and disobeyed the gospel message. Still, God extends His hands to them, inviting them to be saved. On the other hand, God still longs for all to be saved. Though it may not seem impossible to understand how both these statements are true, the bible teaches both, and one should not use either truth to deny the other. Do you put in enough time in the Word to know why you believe what you believe, or do you simply follow hanging on to the coat tails of those who do?

Daily Word

But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Romans 10:18. The immediate context of the citation from Psalm 19:4 is that of God’s general revelation (Ps. 19:1-3). Paul’s use of it to prove from scripture that Israel has heard the message of God implies that his quotation of this section of the psalm carries with it the teaching of the entire psalm, which speaks of both general revelation in nature and special revelation in His word. The latter takes place in the context of the former. The underlying logic may be: if those without special revelation have “heard” the message of God’s glory in creation, how much more have those who received special revelation heard that message. The special revelation refers to the proclamation of the gospel message. Today, stand up, step up, and speak up…proclaim the gospel message to someone that needs to hear it in your circle of influence!

Daily Word

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:14-17. With a series of rhetorical questions, Paul considered the chain of events necessary for a person to be saved. Vs. 13 is linked to vs. 13 with the word “call”. The logic of these verses is clear: First, People will call on Jesus to save them only if they believe He can do so; Second, belief in Christ cannot exist without knowledge about Him; Third, one hears about Christ only when someone proclaims the saving message; Fourth, the message about Christ will not be proclaimed unless someone is sent by God to do so. That is why Paul was so urgent about spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth, for he believed that the only way to be saved was to hear and believe in the gospel. It is not enough to let your life demonstrate an example of Christianity to those around you. You must share the gospel with others. When was the last time you did so?

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For the scripture says, “everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13. Paul again cites Isa. 28:16 to emphasize that trusting in Christ (not works righteousness) is the pathway to salvation. Shame here refers to the end time humiliation that those judged on the last day will experience when they are sent to hell. God bestows His saving riches on all, both Jews and Gentiles who call on Him. Paul goes on to quote from Joel 2:32…”Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We see here that the Lord is “Lord of all” meaning no respecter of man…but how is “Lord of all” applied in your life and daily walk?

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But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:8-10. In the parallelism of vs.10 Paul reverses the order of verbs in vs.9 and thereby indicates that heart- belief and mouth confession belong together for justification (“righteousness’) and salvation. Saving faith is not mere intellectual agreement but deep inward trust in Christ at the core of one’s being. Many today confess to be Christian demonstrating a faith that appears to be “head-faith” lacking the depth to reach the heart. Do you trust Christ at the core of your being or have you simply settled for an intellectual agreement that has failed to travel any farther than “head-belief?”

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For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? ”The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim). Romans 10:5-8. Paul quotes Lev.18:5 regarding the righteousness that is based on the law, to show that those who keep the law will attain life. But as Paul has already shown, life will not come in this way since all violate the law. Paul then quotes Deut. 30:12-14 to show the contrast between the righteousness based on faith and the righteousness based on the law. The righteousness based on faith reinterprets these OT statements and sees them now fulfilled in Christ. There is no need to travel to heaven to bring Christ to earth, for God has already sent Him into the world. Nor should anyone think they must bring Christ up from the realm of the dead, for God has raised Christ from the dead. What God requires is not superhuman works but faith in the gospel Paul preaches. Do you base your righteousness on the law and “works” or on faith?

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Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:1-4. A heartfelt appeal to the sympathy of his fellow Christians, the pathos of which is underlined by his recent reference to his relatives in the flesh. Paul’s concern in Chp 9 was with the salvation of the Jews, not merely with their role in redemptive history. He speaks here from personal experience, as to both the reality of the zeal and its wrong-headed and wrong-hearted character. Even in the context of the covenant God had made with them, they perverted His grace by seeing it as dependant on their own law keeping. The only hope you have of righteousness before God is complete submission in Christ. There is NOTHING else that you can do…period! On a scale of 1-10 where would you rate your submission unto Christ?

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What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Romans 9:30-31. Having accounted for Jewish unbelief in terms of divine sovereignty, Paul now diagnoses it is due to a fatal prior commitment to a false way of righteousness. Divine sovereignty and the guilt of human willingness are for Paul two aspects of reality. By God’s grace and sovereignty, Gentiles who did not seek God’s righteousness have now received it faith through in Christ, but Israel as a people have failed to receive it because they sought it by legal means in which it could not be found. Christ has been to the Jews a stumbling stone over which they have fallen. There are many things we do today thinking that because of them we will look good or find greater acceptance in God’s eyes. What is it that has become a stumbling stone for you?

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As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call beloved.” And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” Romans 9:25-26. Paul quotes Hos. 2:23 and 1:10 to illustrate the stunning grace of God- that those who are not His people…will be called “sons of God.” In calling the Gentiles into salvation, God calls sinful people to Himself, just as in saving Israel He showed mercy to the undeserving. No one can presume on God’s grace. In calling anyone to salvation, He shows undeserved mercy to those who were not His people. Meditate on this one today and recognize just how undeserving you were because of the sin in your life. Remind yourself of His great mercy upon your life today as live and walk as “sons of God.”

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What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory- even us whom he called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles. Romans 9: 22-24. The addition of “beforehand” in connection with the vessels of mercy may be pointing to the mercy that originates in God’s good pleasure from eternity, while the wrath in view is in direct response to existing ungodliness and unrighteousness. The distinction between the elect and reprobate does not lie in anything in themselves (all deserve wrath), but exclusively in the will of God. Within that context, however, the objects prepared for destruction experience the wrath that is the only possible and just reward for sin. God created a world in which both His wrath and mercy would be displayed. Indeed, His mercy shines against the back drop of His wrath, showing thereby that the salvation of any person is due to the marvelous grace and love of God. If this is difficult to understand, it is because people mistakenly think God owes them salvation!

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You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will.” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Romans 9:19-21. By what right can God lay the blame for their sins on those He has hardened against Himself? Paul answers partially in terms of human experience. It is unreasonable and irreverent for anyone to question the righteousness of God’s ways. Potters have every right to do as they please with the clay. All belong to “the same lump” of fallen humanity in Adam; all actively sin even before God hardens them in sinning. That God should show mercy to any from the Adamic lump and create vessels of honor from it is the kindness of grace; that others should become vessels for lesser use is a matter of His sovereign prerogative and is itself a display of perfect justice towards them. It doesn’t mean we give up on those around us; we keep preaching the gospel and living a Christ like example. However, recognize also that without His sovereign justice His love would lack merit and His grace would be cheap.

Weekend Quote

Self is one of the toughest plants that grows in the garden of life. It is, in fact, indestructible by any human means. Just when we are sure that it is dead, it turns up somewhere as robust as ever to trouble our peace and poison the fruit of our lives. ~ A.W. Tozer

Weekend Quote

A thousand voices clamor for attention, and a thousand causes vie for our support. But until we learned to be satisfied with fellowship with God, until He is our rock and our fortress, we will be restless with our place in the world. ~ Erwin W. Lutzer

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So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills and, and hardens whomever he wills. Romans 9:16-18. It was God who spoke those words to Pharaoh through Moses (Ex. 9:16), but for Paul the words of scripture and the voice and authority of God are one. The divine choice is an expression of free and sovereign grace. It is not merited by anything in those whom are chosen. God owes sinners no mercy of any kind, only condemnation; so it is a wonder that He should choose to save any of us. Like every truth about God, the doctrine of election involves mystery, and it sometimes stirs up controversy. But in scripture it is a pastoral doctrine, helping Christians to see how great is the grace that saves them, and moving them to respond with humility, confidence, and praise! Again, take some time and meditate on this…look back over the past couple of days and reread what has been posted. Put it all together and read it through as one whole piece.

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As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Romans 9:13-15. Paul explains by citing two biblical texts (Ex.33:19, 9:16) from which he concludes that God is righteous in showing mercy to some while he hardens His heart to others. When God shows mercy it is not a person receiving a reward earned by one’s own efforts, but God’s sovereign free grace extended to persons who are morally incapable of any acceptable effort. God owes mercy to none, so there is no injustice when mercy is not shown. Mercy is a divine prerogative; it rests on God’s good pleasure. When God “hardens” Pharaoh’s heart, He does not create fresh evil in it, but gives Pharaoh over to his already evil desires as an act of judgment, resulting eventually in God’s display of “power” in the destruction of Pharaoh’s army. What is it exactly about this passage that makes you feel a little uncomfortable; has it become clear to you yet that there are some who are not chosen by God?

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For this is what the promise said: “about this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad- in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls- she was told, “ the older will serve the younger.” Romans 9:9-12. When looking at predestination the case of Jacob and Esau clinch the argument in three ways: 1) because they were twins, as nearly equal in nature as possible; 2) because the purpose of God reversed even the small distinction that did exist, by causing the older brother to serve the younger; 3) because the purpose of God was stated before they were born (and therefore was not dependent on their actions). Election is not based on foreseen actions, deeds, or faith. Rather, it is based on God’s sovereign predestined grace. Remember to go back and look at yesterdays post…Again, meditate on this for a bit and be reminded you were CHOSEN!

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But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Romans 9:6-8. Even though many Jews have failed to believe; God’s promise to them has not failed, for there was never a promise that every Jewish person would be saved. It was never the case that all the physical children of Abraham were truly part of the people of God; for Gen. 21:12 teaches that the line of promise is traced through Isaac, not Ishmael. In the Old Testament era, natural descent did not automatically guarantee inheritance of the promise. God chose who should inherit it. Meditate on this one long and hard today…as scripture(s) over the next couple of days will challenge that which many have been taught and believe as truth. If there was never a promise for that every Jew (God’s chosen people) be saved…Why would He promise that every gentile be saved?

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I am speaking the truth in Christ- I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit- that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:1-3. Here Paul himself now accounts for rejection by most of his fellow Jews. Scripture nowhere defines “conscience.” Here, Paul clearly thinks of it as self-awareness informed by divine revelation. Paul is taking a lawful oath to swear to his sincerity. Although Paul is an apostle to the Gentiles, he echoes the sentiments of Moses in the face of the unbelief of the Jews. They are his own countrymen and he agonizes over them. To be willing to suffer God’s curse for them is a strong statement of love. So many Christians today are too caught up in themselves seeking only that which God can do for them. Never giving any real thought to those living the world around them except to point out their sin. When was the last time you held sorrow or your heart anguished over those dead in sin around you?

Weekend Quote

God delivers us from sin; we have to deliver ourselves from individuality, that is, to present our natural life to God and sacrifice it until it is transformed into a spiritual life by obedience. ~ D.W. Lambert

DailyWord

No, in all these things we are more than conquers through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels or rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39. The strength shown in enduring the hostility of persecutors and the pain of circumstances is astonishing. No aspect of the created order, nor any event or being within it, can end our enjoyment of the active love of God to us in Christ. Meditate on this today…recognize that whatever you may be going through He has made you a conqueror! You are His child and NOTHING can separate you from His love! Read through this…then read through it again…!

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “for your sake we are being killed all the daylong; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” Romans 8:35-36. The ease with which Paul uses the phrase “the love of Christ” interchangeably with the “love of God in Christ” testifies to his underlying assumption of the identity of essence between the Father and the son. Paul’s appeal to Old Testament Scripture indicates that suffering is not an unexpected novelty for God’s people. But in Christ such sufferings become stepping stones on the pathway to glory. As Followers of Christ His Word never promises us the luxuries that this world has to offer. Victory in this life is not achieved through living a happy go lucky self pleasing life in the flesh. Everything that you walk through is ordained by God for His purpose, and to draw you closer to Him and bring Him glory. Both happiness and victory in this life are found through faith, obedience, and glorifying God through whatever circumstance is set before you.

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Who shall bring charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34. The judge has already dealt with all charges against us in the death and resurrection of Christ, self-justification id futile. “At the right hand of God” is the position of honor and executive authority. There can be no condemnation for us, if our enthroned sin-bearer intercedes for us in heaven while the Holy Spirit intercedes in our hearts. If you are living your life under “self made” condemnation recognize the truth in this passage and walk in His freedom today and forever more!

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He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32. Here Paul’s words are an effective echo of the Greek translation text of Gen. 22:12. The phrase “gave him up” is used elsewhere of active participation in the judicial condemnation of Christ. Even for the worst of us (for us all) who now believe. Once more, Paul reasons from the greater to the less: for God to give His Son to die for us was the supreme gift, guaranteeing the subsequent gift of everything else that we need for our full and final glory. What has God not given you that you think you need at this moment in your life? More importantly what has God given you that you fail to recognize and utilize for His glory?

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What than shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. There will certainly be opposition, but Paul’s point is that it lacks the ability to destroy faith. Since “God is for us”, victorious spiritual survival is assured. “For us” expresses the eternal commitment of the all mighty love that is spelled out in later verses. Today remind yourself that no matter what, or whom may come against you…God is on your side, and who or what is greater than that? NOTHING!

Weekend Quote

There are two dangers the church must avoid. Isolation from the world and imitation of the world. ~Leighton Ford

Weekend Quote

The church has often been more concerned to prove itself right than to present the message which by its transforming effect is its own proof. ~ Myron Augsburger

Daily Word

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30. Those predestined are, in due time, “called,” or effectively summoned through the gospel into saving fellowship with Christ. Note that all those “called” are also “justified.” The call cannot refer to the outward call of the gospel that many reject. It is an inward call of God that performs what He intends. All who are predestined are called in this way. Predestination includes God’s determination that a person will receive such an effective call (that is, the “effectual call). Predestination is not based on God’s knowing beforehand how people will respond to the gospel. Just as the predestined are called, so the called are both justified and certain to be finally glorified. The past tense of “glorified” indicates that from God’s standpoint the work as is good as done. He will complete it as planned. They whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. The regenerate are saved through persevering in faith and Christian living to the end as God preserves them. The regenerate may backslide and fall into sin. In so doing they oppose their new nature and the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and compels them to repent and be restored to righteousness. When regenerate believers manifest a humble, grateful desire to please the God who saved them, the knowledge that He has pledged to keep them forever increases that desire.

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For those whom he forknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. Romans 8:29. It is a plan of sovereign saving grace, entitling all who now believe to trace their faith and salvation back to an eternal decision by God to bring them to glory as a guaranteed certainty. The destiny appointed for believers (conformity to Christ and glorification with Him) flows from divine foreknowledge. Here it is persons, not facts or events, that God is said to foreknow. God does foresee events, but Paul’s point is that God has of His own initiative chosen the objects of His active, saving love. “Know” implies intimate personal relationship, not merely awareness of facts and circumstances; it is virtually the equivalent of “elect”. When Adam "sinned" was there any part of him left uncorrupted by sin? What was it in you that was good, pure, or holy enough in your life of sin that made you turn towards a Holy God?

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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. We as Christians are to assess the present in the light of our assurance about the future. As true Israelites, in whom the first and great commandment was fulfilled, our love for God is evoked by knowledge of His love for us. To be “called” is to be brought to faith. The “purpose” of God guarantees “good” for His people. For them this is not necessarily easy and quiet, but being like Christ. Whether it is building faith, character, or destroying pride, arrogance, or even through the tragedy of the loss of a loved one. God’s providence rules in such a way as to ensure everything that happens to us is working for our ultimate good. Taking a long hard look at all that is going on in your life at this moment; both past and present. What are you blaming the enemy or others for rather than recognizing the greater picture of purpose?

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Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27.God made us and redeemed us for fellowship with himself, and prayer is an important part of that relationship. God speaks to us in and through the contents of the bible, which the Holy Spirit opens up and applies to us and enables us to understand. We then speak to God about Himself, ourselves, and people in His world, shaping what we say as response to what he has said. The Holy Spirit strengthens us in our state of weakness, of which we are constantly conscious. Perplexity as how to pray for oneself is a universal Christian experience. Our inarticulate longings to pray properly are an indication to us that the indwelling Spirit is already helping us by interceding for us in our hearts, making requests that the Father will certainly answer. The most important conversations in your day are prayer...is it a strength or weaknesses in you’re life?

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For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of child birth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:20-25.the present condition of creation is not the final one; it is like a mother groaning in labor pains. The entire creation has a destiny planned by God, and longs to be fulfilled, much as believers do. Our salvation has begun- we have the Holy Spirit as down payment- but it will not be consummated until the resurrection (the full realization of adoption in Christ). Inevitably, therefore, you’re Christian life involves waiting in hope. Chew on this one today…God has planned out your destiny both here and now, and for eternity. Maybe for you it’s time to stand up, stand tall, and stand strong in HOPE!

Weekend Quote

No one questions the need of times of formal address to God, but few admit in any practical way the need of quiet waiting upon God, gazing into His face, feeling for His hand, listening for His voice. God has special confidences for each soul. Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths come only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation. ~ Charles Brent

Weekend Quote

The Spirit-filled walk demands that we live the Word of God as a fish lives in the sea. By this I do not mean that we study the bible merely, nor that we take a “course” in bible doctrine. I mean that we should “meditate day and night” in the sacred word, that we should love it and feast upon it and digest it every hour of the day and night. ~ A.W. Tozer

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For creation waits wit eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:18-19. Paul began this major section of the letter (Assurance of Hope) by emphasizing the final hope of believers, and now he concludes with the same emphasis. The ultimate glory that Christians receive is so tremendous that the “sufferings of this present time” are insignificant in comparison. We must look forward to the resurrection of the body and to the new heaven and new earth. Spend a few moments today and reflect on HEAVEN…resurrection of your body…eternity on a NEW earth, and express you’re THANKFULNESS to HIM.

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The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:16-17. This joint witness, of our own spirit and Holy Spirit surfaces in the Cry “Abba! Father, “as explained in yesterdays post. In this life there are many ways in which we suffer. Some suffer greater than others. Often times we are quick to blame the enemy for circumstances that take place in our lives that were our own doing. Whining and complaining does not glorify God. Praying the circumstance or situation through, and trusting God in whatever the outcome may be does. When was the last time you experienced “suffering” in your life, and how did it glorify God?

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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15. In addition to justification and freedom from condemnation, believers are taken into the family of God and are persuaded by the Spirit that they belong there. The cry of the believer, “Abba! Father!” indicates how vividly union with Christ was realized in the experience of the NT church. The cry is an expression of an assured awareness of sonship. The idea of adoption does not appear in the OT legal system, and Paul seems to have borrowed this apt concept from Roman law, filling it out with the biblical theology of God’s fatherhood over His people. Interestingly, today’s church seems more interested in creating experiences with signs and wonders, prophetic sharing etc…that our union with Christ having been justified and set free is no longer fulfilling enough. What makes you cry “Abba! Father”, or when was the last time you did for the right reason?

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So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who live by the Spirit are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14. The body is not evil itself. Sin originates in the heart, the spiritual center of our being, including the will. But since we live in physical bodies, sin finds expression through the body. Therefore, not only the inner points of origin, but also its bodily expressions, sin must be put to death, that is, terminated. This way of holiness is now further described as the leading of the Spirit and is specified as the mark of God’s sons. How much does holiness play a part in your life that those around you see the “mark” that specifies you as a son of God?

Daily Post

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:10-11. The passage itself emphasizes the Holy Spirit, His work, and His close association with Christ. The indwelling “Spirit of God” is called the “Spirit of Christ” and His indwelling is the means whereby “Christ is in you.” These passages do not take away the distinction between Christ and the Spirit as separate persons of the trinity. Rather, Paul teaches that Christ and the Holy Spirit work together in applying the resurrected Christ to the believer. The Spirit’s presence now is a guarantee of the future bodily resurrection of the believer. Meditate on this for a few, and recognize the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within you…you need not look any farther for a “guarantee” or “proof” regarding your eternity!

Weekend Quote

According to the Scriptures the Church is the habitation of God through the Spirit, and as such is the most important organism beneath the sun. She is not one more good institution along with the home, the state and the school; she is the most vital of intuitions- the only one that can claim a heavenly origin. ~ A.W. Tozer

Weekend Quote

Dear Christ, make one that which we are and that which we appear to be. Be Lord of naked faces. ~Calvin Miller

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You, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. Romans 8:9. Christians are not in Adam, dominated by the “flesh”, but are under the rule of Christ, because the Spirit who dwells in them is the Spirit of Christ. Though the body is still subject to death, life prevails because those united with Christ live to God in the sphere of the Spirit. The duality in view here is not simply the distinction between the physical and the spiritual sides of the believer’s life, but between two spheres of existence- bodily life in a fallen world with its ever present physical death, and life in the Spirit, a participation in the resurrection of Christ. Think long and hard on this throughout today. What does it mean to you knowing that the Spirit of Christ dwells in you, and how will that change your does that change your life from this point forward?

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For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot. Romans 8:6-8. Paul’s contrast between the old life and the new, between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit, is now worked out in detail in terms of two settled attitudes or mind-sets: one under the influence of the “flesh”, the other under the influence of Christ through the Spirit within believers. The natural person regards God as an enemy. Pure anti-God hostility is incapable of anything else, and is the real mind- set of everyone who is not yet renewed by the Spirit. Each of us must seek to put God “first” daily in our lives. With so many distractions it’s easy to let our relationship slip down the list of priorities. Slow down today and ponder on where you’re mind spends more time…in the Spirit or the Flesh?

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For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-5. Paul does not criticize the moral law, but notes once more that because of humanity’s sinfulness it cannot bring salvation. Many today claim to be “Christian” yet by all outward appearances appear to walk purely in the flesh. What does it mean to you to walk in the Spirit, and how is the “righteous requirement of the law” fulfilled in you as compared to those who walk in the flesh?

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There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2. Paul wants the glory of their salvation, rather than the depressing reminder just given of their continuing sinfulness, to fill his readers’ minds and bring joy to their hearts. The apostle’s concern here is pastoral. Paul is telling his readers, in light of the foregoing reminder of their continuing sinfulness; they must now recall their acceptance, immunity, and security in Christ. “No condemnation” was probably meant in both senses- the judgment and the punishment. The law of the Spirit means His operative power. The law of sin is the operative power of sin, or else the divine law as used by sin to produce death. When we feel condemned over sin it is a matter of the Holy Spirit working within us to make right through repentance that which we have done to offend our God. Following our repentance there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! What has the Holy Spirit laid upon your heart?

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Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25. Paul is not crying out in despair (who will deliver me from this body of death). The physical body, is viewed as the means by which sin is expressed. Paul’s desire here is not for death as such, but for the deliverance that will ultimately be consumed in resurrection. Paul totally approves God’s law, yet his “flesh” still serves sin. New life in the Spirit is experienced by individuals in mind, body, and spirit that continue to bear the marks of sin. What does it mean to you to “serve the law of God with your mind, and how are you applying that in your life today?

Weekend Quote

It is the great moment of our lives when we decide that sin must die right out, not be curbed, or suppressed or counteracted, but crucified. ~ Oswald Chambers

Weekend Quote

There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to us well nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear the whisperings of God. He is always whispering to us, only we do not always hear because of the noise, hurry, and distraction which life causes as it rushes on. ~ Frederick Faber

Daily Word

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have a desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil is close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Romans 7:15-23. Paul is able to analyze, but not to explain the contrast between himself and the “sin that dwells within me.” There is a real and bewildering conflict between the energies of sin and of the grace in his life. He hints, however, that the indwelling sin is a temporary lodger in him. While sin still accompanies his new identity in Christ in his life, the new identity will result in the final triumph over indwelling sin. Today, spend some time to truly grasp who you are in Christ. The flesh is full if sin but triumph over it is both promised and assured.

Daily Quote

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. Romans 7:13-14. Paul poses a question, and then answers it. It was sin in him that became the cause of his spiritual death by leading him to break God’s law. Sin is seen to be “sinful beyond measure.” Paul declares the law sets forth the standard to which life governed by the Spirit should conform. By contrast, he calls himself “of the flesh” because he cannot fully reach his standard. As a moral ruin, now under construction, he displays the marks of what he has been as a result of Adam as well as of what he will be in Christ. Most Christians today recognize their sin on the surface, but fail to recognize the depth of their “moral ruins.” Unfortunately the grace of which they walk is simply “cheap grace” that quickly gives way to compromise in their lives and prevents them from truly becoming what they can be in Christ…There is nothing partial in total depravity!

Daily Word

I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death for me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Romans 7:9-12. He was alive, not in the sense of having a spiritual life, but in his own estimation. Knowing the law, which promised life for obedience, made Paul realize that law-keeping was required. Trying to obey it made him realize that inwardly, in the desires of his heart he was constantly breaking the law even before he knew it, and when he saw what he was doing he couldn’t stop it. Paul writes that sin, the anti-God, anti-law driving force within him, “deceived me and…Killed me.” He became convinced that spiritually he was lifeless and lost. In itself the marks out a path that guarantees God’s favor and humanity’s happiness. But where sin reigns, the law brings only misery and death. The law reflects Gods character (holy); it is the objective norm for humanity’s covenantal response to God (righteousness); and it is beneficial for each one of us personally, since we have been created in God’s image (good). Chew on this one several times today!

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What than shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would have not known sin. For I would have not known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “you shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. Romans 7:7-8. The God-ordained role of the law in a fallen world is to reveal the nature of human sin. The law not only defines sin, but acts as a catalyst, provoking the precise sinful reactions that it forbids and condemns. In itself the law, which brings us to know the reality of sin in our own moral and spiritual system, is “holy and righteous and good.” The law is a faithful revelation of what is right or wrong, and does not lose its validity to measure and direct moral behavior. If you were to randomly ask five people on the street to name the 10 commandments (God’s law). I bet 4-5 couldn’t. Ask the same five to name 15 types of beer, and 5-5 probably could. Which category do you fit in?

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Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4-5. The believer dies through being united with Christ in His death, breaking the chain of disobedience and death that bound the sinner together with Adam in his destiny. Here Paul refers to the physical death of Christ. Bearing fruit is a metaphor meaning result or consequence from and action. In this case bearing fruit for God is a way of determining who belongs to Christ (Matt. 7:16). Do those around you recognize you for living out a fruit bearing life, and is it good fruit or bad fruit?

Weekend Quote

The Sermon on the Mount cuts across differences of temperament and variations in capacity. It outlines the kind of character which is possible for any man, gifted or relatively ungifted, strong or weak, clever or slow. Once more we find Christ placing His finger, nor upon the externals, but upon the vital internal attitude. ~ J.B Phillips

Weekend Quote

A man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God. ~ C.S. Lewis

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Or do you not know, brothers’- for I am speaking to those who know the law- that the law is binding of a person only as long as he lives? Foe a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Romans 7:1-2. Paul now expands on the theme of the believer’s relationship to the law. Although the law is holy, just, and good, the sinner’s subjection to it resulted only in condemnation, because law in its justice uncovered every transgression and failure. In this section the relationship of the sinner to the law is compared to marriage. The point of the comparison is that death brings an end to these relationships, and the widowed partner is free to be in a new relationship. Because the “marriage” was broken by death, the believer is not an adulteress and cannot be condemned by the law. The believer dies through being united with Christ in His death, breaking the chain of disobedience and death that bound the sinner together with Adam in his destiny.

Daily Word

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regards to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at the time from the things at the time of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23. How many things do you spend wasted time on that bear absolutely no fruit in your life in comparison with that which you do that bears fruit?

Daily Word

I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Romans 6:18-19.Christians have been set free from the law as a system of salvation. Being justified by Christ, you are no under God’s law, but under His grace. You have been set free from sin’s dominion. You have been supernaturally regenerated and made alive to god through union with Christ in His death and risen life. The illustration of slavery is an inadequate representation of the Christian life, especially in Roman context, because it could convey harsh connotations of human slavery and inadequately express the truth that the yoke of Christ is made easy. Nevertheless, Paul retains the metaphor, probably believing that the greater danger is of failing to fulfill personal moral responsibility to the Lord. Sinfulness does not stand still but grows worse.

Daily Word

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves to sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:17-18. While Paul stresses the activity of the individual in conversion (“present yourselves”, “obedient”), he gradually traces all right responses to the grace of God. While the individual is active in conversion, it is in a non-contributory and non-meritorious way, so neither divine grace nor divine sovereignty is compromised. The opposite of slavery to sin is commitment to the new life-style that grace produces. Where has compromise made its way into your new life-style leaving trace of bondage and sin from your old life- style?

Daily Quote

What then? Are we to sin “because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:15-16. That the Christian is not under law but under grace might appear to provide a license for moral carelessness. Paul denies this, since under the reign of grace Christians have become slaves of God. The freedom of grace is therefore freedom for obedience and service, not for license in moral carelessness. Paul called himself a “bond slave” of Christ. Today, consider the depth of what it means to be a slave and whom it is you tend to be most obedient towards remembering “you are slaves to the one you obey.”

Weekend Quote

In the average church service the most real thing is the shadowy unreality of everything. The worshiper sits in a state of suspended mentation; a kind of dreamy numbness creeps upon him; he hears words but they do not register, he cannot relate to anything on his own life-level. He is conscious of having entered a kind of half-world; his mind surrenders itself to a more or less pleasant mood which passes with the benediction leaving no trace behind. It does not affect anything in his everyday life. He is aware of no power, no Presence, no spiritual reality. There is simply nothing in his experience corresponding to the things which he heard from the pulpit or sang hymns. ~ A.W. Tozer

Weekend Quote

God fully expects the church of Jesus Christ to prove itself a miraculous group in the very midst of a hostile world. Christians of necessity must be in contact with the world but in being and spirit ought to be separated from the world- and as such, we should be the most amazing people in the world. ~ A.W. Tozer

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Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14. Since the reign of sin has been broken, all attempts on sin’s part to recover dominion can and must be resisted. Your body, once ruled by sinful desires, must no longer be yielded to them. The controlling principle in the life of the believer is the reign of grace that sets free from the reign of sin and transforms into the likeness of Christ. In what area have you yielded yourself over to sinful desires? Today, repent…and allow the reign of grace to control and set you free!

Daily Quote

For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. Romans 6:7-10. Here Paul is discussing the reign of sin, and not merely its guilt. “That we will also live with Him” includes the idea of resurrection, but also implies present participation in the risen life of Christ as one who is “alive to God.” Are you “alive to God?” What area(s) in your life do you need to submit to God in order to live your life more fully to God?

Daily Word

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6. While the “old self” includes pre-conversion life, it includes much, much more, and should be interpreted to mean all that we were through our union with Adam. We are to think of this as having been nailed to the cross to die. Union with Christ in His death does not destroy the body as such, but it does in the body’s role as the inescapable tool of sin by destroying the reign of sin in the body. Christian’s bodies are now dedicated to Christ and bear Holy fruit in His service. We are no longer “enslaved to sin”, since bodily existence dominated by the cravings of sin has given way to bodily existence dominated by a passion for righteousness and holiness. How does the understanding of your body’s role as an “inescapable tool of sin”; having been destroyed through your union with Christ…Change the way you live your daily walk…or does it?

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Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we to might walk in the newness of life. Romans 6:3-4. Baptism, the sign and seal of the initial union with Christ, is the burial service for the “old self” as well as the inauguration ceremony for the new person in Christ. As such, it proclaims that those united to Christ have died to sin. Having been baptized, signifying an inward cleansing and remission of sins, Spirit-wrought regeneration and a new life, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as God’s seal testifying and guaranteeing that you will be kept safe with Christ forever…Are you still walking around in your grave clothes?

Daily Word

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2. So great was Paul’s emphasis on the freeness of God’s grace in the face of sin that his preaching had been accused of ignoring the ethical requirements of the law. Now he makes the point that to continue in sin would involve a contradiction of the Christians new identity in Christ. Christians are to refuse to allow sin to usurp authority in their lives, and instead are to yield the whole of life to God in the assurance that since they are under grace, not law, as the means of their salvation, sin is no longer their master. What area in your life does sin appear to usurp authority and lead as master?

Weekend Quote

The church must examine herself constantly to see of she be in faith; she must engage in severe self-criticism with a cheerful readiness to make amends; she must live in a state of perpetual penitence, seeking God with her whole heart; she must constantly check her life and conduct against the Holy Scriptures and bring her life into line with the will of God. ~A.W. Tozer

Weekend Quote

The cross would not be a cross to us if it destroyed in us only the unreal and the artificial. It is when it goes on to slay the best in us that its cruel sharpness is felt. ~ A.W. Tozer

Daily Word

Now the law came to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20. The “law” was given as an additional element in God’s dealings with His people, so to “increase trespass.” While sin was in the world before the law was given, the law reveals sin in its specific character as trespass, lapsing from a set standard. Such lapses “abound” because the laws demands stir up contrary cravings in sinners’ hearts. But in the face of this increased sin, “grace abounded all the more,” not only keeping pace with offence, but outdoing it, in the great salvation accomplished through Christ. How often do you recognize the “grace abounding” in your daily life?

Daily Word

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For, if because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in the life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:16-17. Paul affirms that all mankind is naturally under the guilt and power of sin, the reign of death, and the inescapable wrath of God. He traces this back to the sin of one man, Adam, whom he describes as our common ancestor. Genesis gives us the history of man’s fall, and it may fairly be claimed that the fall narrative alone gives any convincing explanation of the perversity of human nature. Today, take a few moments and ponder at who you really are by nature, and just how incredible His grace is in your life. Be reminded also that His grace was freely given you’ve done nothing to earn it!

Daily Word

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. Romans 5:14-15. Adam, the first man, was the divinely appointed head of the whole humanity, and his sin forfeited righteousness for all those he represented. In the same way, God made Christ the representative head of the new humanity so that His obedience to death might gain their justification. Paul spells out the contrast between Christ and Adam. Not only are the acts of the two men contrary, the grace of the work of Christ is seen to be greater than the sin, judgment, and condemnation of Adam in the way it brings justification, righteousness, and the life to ruined souls. When was the last time you shared the greatness of Christ with a wounded soul?

Daily Word

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all me because all sinned- for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Romans 5:12-14. Paul viewed both Christ and Adam as historical individuals. In the case of Adam, the focus of attention is on his “one trespass” by which we were all made sinners. (Paul begins a comparison here that will be completed later on in this chapter). Death is not natural to humanity, but is the direct result of sin. The universal reign of death is the consequence of sin, and all have sinned in the sin of Adam. All people were subject to death before the law was given to Moses. Yesterday we looked at what needed to be “laid aside” through repentance; today we need to take a long, deep look at the sin in our lives that we have made compromise in to justify it in our own minds. Sin is Sin…period.

Daily Quote

Since, therefore, we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Romans 5:9-10. If God would do for us the greater work of reconciliation, at the cost of the suffering and death of His son, He will not hold back the final salvation that is “by Him”, and by “His blood” as the ascendant Mediator. God’s alienation from us is ended by removing the cause of alienation (our sin, guilt, condemnation) by the death of Christ. However, it must be received, by the laying aside of our own alienation and hostility, that is, by repentance and faith in Christ. Repentance is a daily act(s) of laying aside our alienation and hostility towards a Holy God. What needs to be “laid aside” through repentance in your life today?

Weekend Quote

It is ludicrous for any Christian to believe that he or she is the worthy object of public worship; it would be like the donkey carrying in Jesus into Jerusalem believing the crowds were cheering and laying down their garments for him. ~ Charles Colson

Weekend Quote

Rise, O Lord, into the proper place of Honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health, and even my life itself. Let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, “Hosanna in the highest.” ~ A.W. Tozer

Daily Word

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one would scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 7:6-8. The wholeness of Christ’s outpoured love is seen in the cross. There God acted “at the right time”, both in the sense that the death of Christ took place according to the divine timetable, and also because it meets us in the moment of our deepest need. This is Paul’s point when he says “still weak,” “still sinners,””while we were enemies”. It easy to claim to be a “Christian”; however, is the life you’re living worth Christ dying for?

Daily Word

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out unto our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5. Character confirms our confidence that the glory we hope for will one day be ours. Often times we confuse other situations with true suffering? Not everything we go through causes suffering; if it doesn’t provide an opportunity to endure by which character is created then there is nothing to hope in or rejoice over.

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Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2. That “we have now received reconciliation” implies that we are at peace with God already. With peace established, we now have access to God’s presence. The wall of partition has been removed. This peace is not a guarded truce subject to warfare. It is a permanent peace. NT hope is assurance of something not yet fully experienced, and quite different from uncertain, wishful thinking. That this hope will not be frustrated is guaranteed here and now by the love of God that the Holy Spirit pours into believers hearts. Acknowledge His presence in your life and dwell for a few moments His peace. If you find it difficult, then what is it in your life driving that peace from you?

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But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:23-25. Christ’s death and resurrection are two aspects of one saving work. In the first part Christ bore the legal penalty for our guilt. In the second, He rose from the dead, His resurrection confirming that His death was a sufficient and effective offering for sin, pleasing the supreme judge. Take a moment and grasp the fact that that this was written for YOU’RE sake, and that righteousness is counted to you if you believe in Him. Today…cast out ALL distrust, waver no more, and stand firm in belief that God is able to do what He promised!

Daly Word

No distrust made him waver concerning the promises of God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:21-22. What is it that you a wavering on, and what will it take for you to become fully convinced? He is faithful in ALL that He has promised…

Weekend Quote

To be brought within the zone of God’s voice is to be profoundly altered. ~Oswald Chambers

Weekend Quote

It is not only prayer that gives God glory but work. Smiting on an anvil, sawing a beam, whitewashing a wall, driving horses, sweeping, scouring, everything gives God glory if believing in His grace you do it as your duty. To go to Communion worthily gives God great glory, but to take food in thankfulness and temperance gives Him glory too. To lift up hands in prayer gives God glory, but a man with a dungfork in his hand, a woman with a slop pail, gives Him glory too. He is so great that all things give Him glory if you mean they should. ~ Gerard Manley Hopkins

Daily Word

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. Romans 4:18-19. Trusting in God’s power, Abraham gained assurance that the promise would be fulfilled. Paul indicates that true faith is directed towards God and not humanity, toward divine word and toward human situation. In the natural course of events, believing that Sarah would bear a child (the first requirement for receiving what was promised) was utterly futile given the barrenness of the womb. Trust God’s power and gain assurance… What is it in your life that “In hope you must believe in hope” as taught by Abraham.

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As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”- in the presence of God whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls in to existence the things that do not exist. Romans 4:17. Rather than father of the Jews only, it was already clear in Genesis that Abraham was to be the spiritual patriarch of all believers, Jew and Gentile. Nor is it unbelievable that the promise of God should be received by Gentiles also, for the one whom Abraham believed “gives life to the dead.” This is evidenced in the new life that came from the apparently dead womb of Sarah, in the life given back to Isaac when he was under the sentence of death, and ultimately in the life restored in the resurrection of Christ. Life has been given to your once “dead bones”; how will you glorify God today in that newness of life?

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That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring- not only to the adherent to the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:16. Because the promise in all its elements is received by faith, it also rests “on grace”. Had it been on the basis of works, the promise would have failed; had it been on the basis of circumcision, it could have only been received by the Jews. Because it is by faith, and therefore by grace, it is “guaranteed” to come to Abrahams true spiritual offspring, or all believers whether Jew or Gentile. Take every opportunity to strengthen your faith by stepping up and stepping out in FAITH today!

Daily Word

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. Roman 4:13-15. The promise was received by Abraham through faith, “not through the law”. If the inheritance were dependent on obedience to the law, faith would have no place in the divine scheme of things, and the promise would be void, since the law cannot bring the obedience it requires for its fulfillment. Given the established truth of sinfulness of all people, it is impossible that the promise could be received on the basis of law-keeping. How much different would your walk with Christ be if you had faith like Abraham?