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I have been married to my wife and hero (Stage 4 Breast Cancer Survivor) Stacy for 23 years. We have raised three awesome son's. Together Stacy and I have learned that true love can ONLY be tested through time. True Love is tested through hardships, boredom, and pain. True love has to whether through life's busyness, while withstanding the pressures of Job, family, and home, middle and old age. You determine whether the LOVE you have is true over time. Respect each other,encourage each other, and serve each other minute by minute, hour by hour...As time alone will tell!

Friday, November 30, 2012

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?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

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?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

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?

Monday, November 26, 2012

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?

Sunday, November 25, 2012

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)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

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)

Friday, November 23, 2012

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?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

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?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

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?

Monday, November 19, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

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

Saturday, November 17, 2012

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

Friday, November 16, 2012

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?

Thursday, November 15, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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?

Friday, November 9, 2012

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!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

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?

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Daily Word

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?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Daily Word

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?”

Monday, November 5, 2012

Daily Word

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?

Friday, November 2, 2012

Daily Word

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?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Daily Word

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?