22My work has always kept me from coming to see you. 23Now there is nothing left for me to do in this part of the world, and for years I have wanted to visit you. 24So I plan to stop off on my way to Spain. Then after a short, but refreshing, visit with you, I hope you will quickly send me on.
25-26I am now on my way to Jerusalem to deliver the money that the Lord's followers in Macedonia and Achaia collected for God's needy people. 27This is something they really wanted to do. But sharing their money with the Jews was also like paying back a debt, because the Jews had already shared their spiritual blessings with the Gentiles. 28After I have safely delivered this money, I will visit you and then go on to Spain. 29And when I do arrive in Rome, I know it will be with the full blessings of Christ.
30My friends, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray sincerely with me and for me. 31Pray that God will protect me from the unbelievers in Judea, and that his people in Jerusalem will be pleased with what I am doing. 32Ask God to let me come to you and have a pleasant and refreshing visit. 33I pray that God, who gives peace, will be with all of you. Amen.
My daughter, Mali Beth, constantly asks me when I'm coming out to see the grandchildren. I hope she really means "coming out to see me!" I love her and miss her, but my work always seems to get in the way.
It's not a good excuse, but a common one. Even Paul found he couldn't always do what he wanted to do because he was busy doing what God had called him to do. He says "my work has always kept me from coming to see you". Well, now he was finished with his work and he was making plans to go to Rome...on his way to Spain. OK, there's always more to do!
It's not in my nature to second-guess Paul. But, I'm not Paul. I need to cultivate relationships around me because they revitalize me. Paul understood it. He said "after a short, but refreshing, visit with you, I hope you will quickly send me on". We can see our friends as fuel for our passion to serve Christ. We don't have to see them as obstacles to ministry.
By the way...I'm going to Pittsburgh next week...
Live boldly out there today...
August 5, 2011
August 4, 2011
Romans 15:14-21, Paul's Work as a Missionary
14My friends, I am sure that you are very good and that you have all the knowledge you need to teach each other. 15But I have spoken to you plainly and have tried to remind you of some things. God was so kind to me! 16He chose me to be a servant of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles and to do the work of a priest in the service of his good news. God did this so that the Holy Spirit could make the Gentiles into a holy offering, pleasing to him.
17Because of Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my service for God. 18In fact, all I will talk about is how Christ let me speak and work, so that the Gentiles would obey him. 19Indeed, I will tell how Christ worked miracles and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have preached the good news about him all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum. 20But I have always tried to preach where people have never heard about Christ. I am like a builder who doesn't build on anyone else's foundation. 21It is just as the Scriptures say,
"All who haven't been told
about him
will see him,
and those who haven't heard
about him
will understand."
I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker recently...about a project we wanted to launch. He said "this is a great opportunity for us. People are watching!"
Huh? Is that why we tackle new projects and opportunities...so we look good for others?
We live in a day where we all want to take credit. We're offended if we accomplish something and nobody notices...so we make certain to tell them ourselves...just in case somebody else might get the credit. Of course, it lacks dignity...taking credit for somebody else's accomplishments.That doesn't stop many of us.
As Paul begins to close out this letter he brings his life into perspective. He says In fact, all I will talk about is how Christ let me speak and work..., I will tell how Christ worked miracles and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit". He didn't want to take any credit for what Christ had done. Paul's focus throughout his ministry was ensuring that Christ got all the credit for everything he did. It also happens that he did a great deal. coincidence? Probably not...
Somebody's watching alright, it's just not the boss down the hall...
Live boldly out there today...
17Because of Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my service for God. 18In fact, all I will talk about is how Christ let me speak and work, so that the Gentiles would obey him. 19Indeed, I will tell how Christ worked miracles and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have preached the good news about him all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum. 20But I have always tried to preach where people have never heard about Christ. I am like a builder who doesn't build on anyone else's foundation. 21It is just as the Scriptures say,
"All who haven't been told
about him
will see him,
and those who haven't heard
about him
will understand."
I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker recently...about a project we wanted to launch. He said "this is a great opportunity for us. People are watching!"
Huh? Is that why we tackle new projects and opportunities...so we look good for others?
We live in a day where we all want to take credit. We're offended if we accomplish something and nobody notices...so we make certain to tell them ourselves...just in case somebody else might get the credit. Of course, it lacks dignity...taking credit for somebody else's accomplishments.That doesn't stop many of us.
As Paul begins to close out this letter he brings his life into perspective. He says In fact, all I will talk about is how Christ let me speak and work..., I will tell how Christ worked miracles and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit". He didn't want to take any credit for what Christ had done. Paul's focus throughout his ministry was ensuring that Christ got all the credit for everything he did. It also happens that he did a great deal. coincidence? Probably not...
Somebody's watching alright, it's just not the boss down the hall...
Live boldly out there today...
August 3, 2011
Romans 15:7-13, The Good News Is for Jews and Gentiles
7Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. 8I tell you that Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors. Christ also came, 9so that the Gentiles would praise God for being kind to them. It is just as the Scriptures say,
"I will tell the nations
about you,
and I will sing praises
to your name."
10The Scriptures also say to the Gentiles, "Come and celebrate with God's people."
11Again the Scriptures say,
"Praise the Lord,
all you Gentiles.
All you nations, come
and worship him."
12Isaiah says,
"Someone from David's family
will come to power.
He will rule the nations,
and they will put their hope
in him."
13I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.
Sometimes, if we aren't careful, we let ourselves think its all about us. Then Paul stops us and says "Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors". It appears it's not about us at all, but about God's faithfulness and love for our ancestors...Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...David, Isaiah and Job. It certainly is a blessing to be counted among the spiritual seed of Abraham.
I wonder if I will ever rise to a level of faith where God will bless my progeny because of me? That should be our prayer every day.
Live boldly out there today...
"I will tell the nations
about you,
and I will sing praises
to your name."
10The Scriptures also say to the Gentiles, "Come and celebrate with God's people."
11Again the Scriptures say,
"Praise the Lord,
all you Gentiles.
All you nations, come
and worship him."
12Isaiah says,
"Someone from David's family
will come to power.
He will rule the nations,
and they will put their hope
in him."
13I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.
Sometimes, if we aren't careful, we let ourselves think its all about us. Then Paul stops us and says "Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors". It appears it's not about us at all, but about God's faithfulness and love for our ancestors...Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...David, Isaiah and Job. It certainly is a blessing to be counted among the spiritual seed of Abraham.
I wonder if I will ever rise to a level of faith where God will bless my progeny because of me? That should be our prayer every day.
Live boldly out there today...
August 2, 2011
Romans 15:1-6, Please Others and Not Yourself
1If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord's followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. 2We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. 3Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, "The people who insulted you also insulted me." 4And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. 5God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. 6Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, for the third time, Paul says "live at peace" with each other. In school we would call this a "teaching point". It might be on a test.
I've often wondered what it might be like to wander around heaven constantly meeting people I didn't get along with. Can you imagine Jesus saying "Lee, Gary and I are golfing. Want to join us?" And me, of course wanting to say "but Gary's an idiot! don't you see that!?" Now, That could be embarrassing.
Patience...
Live boldly out there today...
Now, for the third time, Paul says "live at peace" with each other. In school we would call this a "teaching point". It might be on a test.
I've often wondered what it might be like to wander around heaven constantly meeting people I didn't get along with. Can you imagine Jesus saying "Lee, Gary and I are golfing. Want to join us?" And me, of course wanting to say "but Gary's an idiot! don't you see that!?" Now, That could be embarrassing.
Patience...
Live boldly out there today...
August 1, 2011
Romans 14:13-23, Don't Cause Problems for Others
13We must stop judging others. We must also make up our minds not to upset anyone's faith. 14The Lord Jesus has made it clear to me that God considers all foods fit to eat. But if you think some foods are unfit to eat, then for you they are not fit.
15If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for. 16Don't let your right to eat bring shame to Christ. 17God's kingdom isn't about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit. 18If you serve Christ in this way, you will please God and be respected by people. 19We should try [a] to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith. 20Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat. 21It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord. 22What you believe about these things should be kept between you and God. You are fortunate, if your actions don't make you have doubts. 23But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin.
Paul continues...
I realize life in the Body of Christ can be tumultuous. It would be far easier if the Holy Spirit would say exactly the same thing to each of us...no confusion. But then, we are all at different stages in our faith journey. We don't all have the same spiritual maturity to hear the same things at the same time. So, Paul says "we must also make up our minds not to upset anyone's faith". In fact, some words to live by would be "as much as possible, live at peace and help others to have a strong faith". It seems all our well intended "constructive criticism" can actually be destructive.
"Why, oh why, can't people just agree with me?"
So, how do we live with this dynamic tension?
1. Regardless...if we think something is a sin...we are not to do it.
2. Regardless...if our actions hurt others...we are not to do them.
3. Regardless...we should keep these things between ourselves and God.
Actually, Paul says we are very fortunate if we have no doubts about our actions. Apparently it's human nature to be uncertain. Except when it comes to others?
Live boldly out there today...
15If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for. 16Don't let your right to eat bring shame to Christ. 17God's kingdom isn't about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit. 18If you serve Christ in this way, you will please God and be respected by people. 19We should try [a] to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith. 20Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat. 21It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord. 22What you believe about these things should be kept between you and God. You are fortunate, if your actions don't make you have doubts. 23But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin.
Paul continues...
I realize life in the Body of Christ can be tumultuous. It would be far easier if the Holy Spirit would say exactly the same thing to each of us...no confusion. But then, we are all at different stages in our faith journey. We don't all have the same spiritual maturity to hear the same things at the same time. So, Paul says "we must also make up our minds not to upset anyone's faith". In fact, some words to live by would be "as much as possible, live at peace and help others to have a strong faith". It seems all our well intended "constructive criticism" can actually be destructive.
"Why, oh why, can't people just agree with me?"
So, how do we live with this dynamic tension?
1. Regardless...if we think something is a sin...we are not to do it.
2. Regardless...if our actions hurt others...we are not to do them.
3. Regardless...we should keep these things between ourselves and God.
Actually, Paul says we are very fortunate if we have no doubts about our actions. Apparently it's human nature to be uncertain. Except when it comes to others?
Live boldly out there today...
July 31, 2011
Romans 14:1-12, Don't Criticize Others
1Welcome all the Lord's followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours. 2Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat only vegetables. 3But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone. 4What right do you have to criticize someone else's servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right.
5Some of the Lord's followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. 6Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor their Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don't eat meat.
7Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves. 8Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord. 9This is because Christ died and rose to life, so that he would be the Lord of the dead and of the living. 10Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us. 11In the Scriptures God says,
"I swear by my very life
that everyone will kneel down
and praise my name!"
12And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do.
When I point a finger at you, I have three pointing back at me...
If we're guilty of anything today, this is probably it...criticizing other Christians. Paul clearly says "don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours". I know, I know...professed Christians exhibit all sorts of strange habits..many seem destructive to good order and discipline. A little criticism might seem healthy.
Of course, we're not talking about denying Christ or elevating sacraments. We're talking about (mostly) well-meaning efforts of individual Christians to obey God. Yet, purity of faith is a high priority for all of us...
Paul uses a number of examples from his time and place. They look different from ours, but the principle is the same. We speak in tongues...or we don't. We tithe...or we don't. We share the Gospel...or we don't. Nobody should argue that there isn't a preferred (Divine) position in any dispute. Regardless, we are supposed to mind our own business. Paul says other Christians are not ours to criticize. They are God's property and he will manage them appropriately.
Or don't we believe they can hear the Holy Spirit like we do? Now, that's just ugly! Actually, Paul's counting on it. That's why he says "each of you should make up your own mind". He could only say this if he trusted people to listen to God. Paul has far greater confidence in the Holy Spirit than he does in the Church as a whole.
Anyway, I have enough to do cleaning up my own life. We should all be too busy with our own habits to pay attention to others. Paul says "whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord". Bottom line...other Christians are not ours to criticize. They are God's. Wow! is that a weight of my shoulders!
Live boldly out there today...
5Some of the Lord's followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. 6Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor their Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don't eat meat.
7Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves. 8Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord. 9This is because Christ died and rose to life, so that he would be the Lord of the dead and of the living. 10Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us. 11In the Scriptures God says,
"I swear by my very life
that everyone will kneel down
and praise my name!"
12And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do.
When I point a finger at you, I have three pointing back at me...
If we're guilty of anything today, this is probably it...criticizing other Christians. Paul clearly says "don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours". I know, I know...professed Christians exhibit all sorts of strange habits..many seem destructive to good order and discipline. A little criticism might seem healthy.
Of course, we're not talking about denying Christ or elevating sacraments. We're talking about (mostly) well-meaning efforts of individual Christians to obey God. Yet, purity of faith is a high priority for all of us...
Paul uses a number of examples from his time and place. They look different from ours, but the principle is the same. We speak in tongues...or we don't. We tithe...or we don't. We share the Gospel...or we don't. Nobody should argue that there isn't a preferred (Divine) position in any dispute. Regardless, we are supposed to mind our own business. Paul says other Christians are not ours to criticize. They are God's property and he will manage them appropriately.
Or don't we believe they can hear the Holy Spirit like we do? Now, that's just ugly! Actually, Paul's counting on it. That's why he says "each of you should make up your own mind". He could only say this if he trusted people to listen to God. Paul has far greater confidence in the Holy Spirit than he does in the Church as a whole.
Anyway, I have enough to do cleaning up my own life. We should all be too busy with our own habits to pay attention to others. Paul says "whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord". Bottom line...other Christians are not ours to criticize. They are God's. Wow! is that a weight of my shoulders!
Live boldly out there today...
July 30, 2011
Romans 13:11-14, The Day When Christ Returns
11You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord. 12Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. 13So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. 14Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.
We might call it "dignity".
My coach used to say "act like you've been there before". When we scored, he wanted us to show a little class, no showboating, no celebrating...just a humility that that suggests we've only done what was expected. .
We've all done it, I suppose...gotten so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we acted a little like country bumpkins. I visited Windsor Castle. If I recall, Mali was a little put out by me reactions. She, however, was acting like she'd been there before.
Paul says "we must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light". The time is rapidly approaching when we will be called to live with God in glory. When we get there, how are we going to act? Like we've been there before? Or like bumpkins? The answer to this question is going to reveal how seriously we tried to serve God here and now.
Does it surprise us that Paul talks this way to Christians? "Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent". Well, I'm a little old for wild parties, but...if we take our faith seriously, Paul could have left this part out of his letter altogether...
Live boldly out there today...
We might call it "dignity".
My coach used to say "act like you've been there before". When we scored, he wanted us to show a little class, no showboating, no celebrating...just a humility that that suggests we've only done what was expected. .
We've all done it, I suppose...gotten so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we acted a little like country bumpkins. I visited Windsor Castle. If I recall, Mali was a little put out by me reactions. She, however, was acting like she'd been there before.
Paul says "we must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light". The time is rapidly approaching when we will be called to live with God in glory. When we get there, how are we going to act? Like we've been there before? Or like bumpkins? The answer to this question is going to reveal how seriously we tried to serve God here and now.
Does it surprise us that Paul talks this way to Christians? "Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent". Well, I'm a little old for wild parties, but...if we take our faith seriously, Paul could have left this part out of his letter altogether...
Live boldly out there today...
July 29, 2011
Romans 13:8-10, Love
8Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. 9In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that says, "Love others as much as you love yourself." 10No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.
C'mon...can love really be that powerful? It can actually serve to fulfill all the other laws? If so, I can't help but admit I haven't been doing it as well as I should. If I had, I wouldn't see all those dead and wounded in my wake. When Paul says "No one who loves others will harm them" I'm personally convicted.
In another letter (1 Corinthians 13) Paul describes love...
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.
Love isn't selfish or quick tempered.
Love doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
Love never fails!
Now, I think we can see that Paul might be right. Can we even imagine what the perfect application of love would do for our relationships?. So...how are we doing?
Live boldly out there today...
C'mon...can love really be that powerful? It can actually serve to fulfill all the other laws? If so, I can't help but admit I haven't been doing it as well as I should. If I had, I wouldn't see all those dead and wounded in my wake. When Paul says "No one who loves others will harm them" I'm personally convicted.
In another letter (1 Corinthians 13) Paul describes love...
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.
Love isn't selfish or quick tempered.
Love doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
Love never fails!
Now, I think we can see that Paul might be right. Can we even imagine what the perfect application of love would do for our relationships?. So...how are we doing?
Live boldly out there today...
July 28, 2011
Romans 13:1-7, Obey Rulers
1Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of power. 2People who oppose the authorities are opposing what God has done, and they will be punished. 3Rulers are a threat to evil people, not to good people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities. Just do right, and they will praise you for it. 4After all, they are God's servants, and it is their duty to help you.
If you do something wrong, you ought to be afraid, because these rulers have the right to punish you. They are God's servants who punish criminals to show how angry God is. 5But you should obey the rulers because you know it is the right thing to do, and not just because of God's anger.
6You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters. 7Pay all that you owe, whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.
We live in a democracy (well, representative republic). We don't freely subordinate ourselves to anybody. We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people...
This does fly in the face of biblical responsibility...even makes it a little confusing at times. "Obey the rulers who have authority over you" is sort of an anachronistic notion since we elect our authorities. They aren't appointed. This tends to breed a certain amount of contempt for authority with whom we disagree. After all, "my vote counts and I didn't vote for you!"
We put them in office...we can take them out!
The enigma is clear. Our leaders are a reflection of us. In america we get what we ask for. If we don't like our elected leaders we have only ourselves (collectively) to blame. We can't really blame the leader and we certainly can't blame God. We are the ones who stood in the voting booth and pulled the lever. To paraphrase a classic line..."we have met our leader and he is us".
So, we don't like our president?...he is us! Only in a democracy must we proclaim "we have a bad leader and it's our fault". Are we unhappy with our leaders? Then let's not look at them, but let's look into our own hearts and ask how we put him there...
Not honest? He's us...
Not fiscally responsible? She's us...
Not competent? They are us...
If, as Paul suggests, "we let God change the way we think", we might be thinking about choosing different leaders. And in America we have the great privilege and responsibility to do this every 2-4 years. Until we do, we owe obedience to the ones we have chosen.
Live boldly out there today...
If you do something wrong, you ought to be afraid, because these rulers have the right to punish you. They are God's servants who punish criminals to show how angry God is. 5But you should obey the rulers because you know it is the right thing to do, and not just because of God's anger.
6You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters. 7Pay all that you owe, whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.
We live in a democracy (well, representative republic). We don't freely subordinate ourselves to anybody. We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people...
This does fly in the face of biblical responsibility...even makes it a little confusing at times. "Obey the rulers who have authority over you" is sort of an anachronistic notion since we elect our authorities. They aren't appointed. This tends to breed a certain amount of contempt for authority with whom we disagree. After all, "my vote counts and I didn't vote for you!"
We put them in office...we can take them out!
The enigma is clear. Our leaders are a reflection of us. In america we get what we ask for. If we don't like our elected leaders we have only ourselves (collectively) to blame. We can't really blame the leader and we certainly can't blame God. We are the ones who stood in the voting booth and pulled the lever. To paraphrase a classic line..."we have met our leader and he is us".
So, we don't like our president?...he is us! Only in a democracy must we proclaim "we have a bad leader and it's our fault". Are we unhappy with our leaders? Then let's not look at them, but let's look into our own hearts and ask how we put him there...
Not honest? He's us...
Not fiscally responsible? She's us...
Not competent? They are us...
If, as Paul suggests, "we let God change the way we think", we might be thinking about choosing different leaders. And in America we have the great privilege and responsibility to do this every 2-4 years. Until we do, we owe obedience to the ones we have chosen.
Live boldly out there today...
July 27, 2011
Romans 12:9-21, Rules for Christian Living
9Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. 10Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. 11Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. 12Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. 13Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
14Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. [a] 17Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, 18and do your best to live at peace with everyone. 19Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,
"I am the one to take revenge
and pay them back."
20The Scriptures also say,
"If your enemies are hungry,
give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
on their heads."
21Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
Yesterday Paul suggested (begged) that we present ourselves as a "living sacrifice". He stated that this was done by "letting God change the way we think". I suggested this is intimidating for all of us because it means we have to give up the core of our identity. Nevertheless, God expects it of us. It's His way of getting the most out of us.
Today Paul tells us what this should look like.
How we think about others...Empathetic Love!
Be sincere in your love for others.
Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.
When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad.
How we think about ourselves...Graceful Humility!
Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.
Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,
Do your best to live at peace with everyone.
Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge.
Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.
Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
How we think about Life...Confident Faith!
Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.
How we think about service...Self-sacrifice!
Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
Exhausted yet? Think we can do this without letting God change the way we think?
Let me suggest that we DO NOT do these things in order to satisfy God's expectation of being a "living sacrifice". We see these qualities emanate from our lives and they prove we have become a "living sacrifice". I believe we all know the difference.
Live boldly out there today...How we think about life...Confident Faith!
14Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. [a] 17Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, 18and do your best to live at peace with everyone. 19Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,
"I am the one to take revenge
and pay them back."
20The Scriptures also say,
"If your enemies are hungry,
give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
on their heads."
21Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
Yesterday Paul suggested (begged) that we present ourselves as a "living sacrifice". He stated that this was done by "letting God change the way we think". I suggested this is intimidating for all of us because it means we have to give up the core of our identity. Nevertheless, God expects it of us. It's His way of getting the most out of us.
Today Paul tells us what this should look like.
How we think about others...Empathetic Love!
Be sincere in your love for others.
Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.
When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad.
How we think about ourselves...Graceful Humility!
Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.
Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,
Do your best to live at peace with everyone.
Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge.
Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.
Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
How we think about Life...Confident Faith!
Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.
How we think about service...Self-sacrifice!
Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
Exhausted yet? Think we can do this without letting God change the way we think?
Let me suggest that we DO NOT do these things in order to satisfy God's expectation of being a "living sacrifice". We see these qualities emanate from our lives and they prove we have become a "living sacrifice". I believe we all know the difference.
Live boldly out there today...How we think about life...Confident Faith!
July 26, 2011
Romans 12:1-8, Christ Brings New Life
1Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. 2Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
3I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
6God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
It may be the "most sensible way" to serve God...but doesn't mean it's the "easiest".
If we "offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice", as Paul suggests (actually, begs), it implies all the typical things we imply from sacrifice...except we don't die. It means we turn over sovereignty of our lives to another. it means our lives exist for the use and pleasure of another. It means we don't get a vote on any outcome involving our lives.
Total surrender...In order to be "pure and holy"
How? By letting God "change the way we think".
I read someplace that there are only six basic body types. This is why we constantly look around the mall and feel like we've seen many of those folks before. "They all look alike", at least every sixth person does. No so with our thoughts. Descartes said "I think...therefore, I am". Our thoughts are the only things that truly and uniquely define us. My thoughts make me "me". My thoughts distinguish me from every other living being. I guard that part of myself jealously. My boss can make me do something but she can't make me like it!
Let God change the way I think? Really, would I even be me anymore? This feels like intellectual suicide.
What's so sensible about something so frightening? And, if we piously say "it's not so frightening" why aren't we all doing it?
Paul alludes to a possible reason. "I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are". OK, sure...I may be truly unique in my cerebral being. That doesn't mean my uniquity (great word I just invented) is all that great. If we take honest inventory of our lives we may actually recognize that we are better off if we let God change the way we think.
And, if we do, we will become valuable resources that God can invest for His kingdom...exponentially increasing our worth. God can put us exactly where we can accomplish the most good.
I'm still very nervous...but that's just me thinking, not God.
Live boldly out there today...
3I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
6God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
It may be the "most sensible way" to serve God...but doesn't mean it's the "easiest".
If we "offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice", as Paul suggests (actually, begs), it implies all the typical things we imply from sacrifice...except we don't die. It means we turn over sovereignty of our lives to another. it means our lives exist for the use and pleasure of another. It means we don't get a vote on any outcome involving our lives.
Total surrender...In order to be "pure and holy"
How? By letting God "change the way we think".
I read someplace that there are only six basic body types. This is why we constantly look around the mall and feel like we've seen many of those folks before. "They all look alike", at least every sixth person does. No so with our thoughts. Descartes said "I think...therefore, I am". Our thoughts are the only things that truly and uniquely define us. My thoughts make me "me". My thoughts distinguish me from every other living being. I guard that part of myself jealously. My boss can make me do something but she can't make me like it!
Let God change the way I think? Really, would I even be me anymore? This feels like intellectual suicide.
What's so sensible about something so frightening? And, if we piously say "it's not so frightening" why aren't we all doing it?
Paul alludes to a possible reason. "I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are". OK, sure...I may be truly unique in my cerebral being. That doesn't mean my uniquity (great word I just invented) is all that great. If we take honest inventory of our lives we may actually recognize that we are better off if we let God change the way we think.
And, if we do, we will become valuable resources that God can invest for His kingdom...exponentially increasing our worth. God can put us exactly where we can accomplish the most good.
I'm still very nervous...but that's just me thinking, not God.
Live boldly out there today...
July 25, 2011
Romans 11:25-36, The People of Israel Will Be Brought Back
25My friends, I don't want you Gentiles to be too proud of yourselves. So I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel. Some of them have become stubborn, and they will stay like that until the complete number of you Gentiles has come in. 26In this way all of Israel will be saved, as the Scriptures say,
"From Zion someone will come
to rescue us.
Then Jacob's descendants
will stop being evil.
27This is what the Lord
has promised to do
when he forgives their sins."
28The people of Israel are treated as God's enemies, so that the good news can come to you Gentiles. But they are still the chosen ones, and God loves them because of their famous ancestors. 29God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen.
30At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. 31And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. 32All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.
33Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
34"Has anyone known
the thoughts of the Lord
or given him advice?
35Has anyone loaned
something to the Lord
that must be repaid?"
36Everything comes from the Lord. All things were made because of him and will return to him. Praise the Lord forever! Amen.
Every single member of the Body of Christ has, by faith, turned from evil and decided to obey God. 100%. The world doesn't really see it that way because the world rolls everybody that claims to be a Christian into that number. But...you and I know. It's not really that amazing because, by definition, faith in Christ is what is required to join the Body of Christ.
What "is" amazing is the fact that God, at some point in history, is going to open the hearts of every Jew and they will turn from evil...100% of them. Considering faith is not a prerequisite for being Jewish I'd say God is planning something never seen before.
Paul is right...being Jewish is very special indeed.
Sound unbelievable? Well, Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
This leaves us only two possible courses of action. We pray (and work) for the salvation of all the Jews who will die before God performs this mighty feat...or we pray that God will act before another of His chosen passes into eternity without Christ.
Live boldly out there today...
"From Zion someone will come
to rescue us.
Then Jacob's descendants
will stop being evil.
27This is what the Lord
has promised to do
when he forgives their sins."
28The people of Israel are treated as God's enemies, so that the good news can come to you Gentiles. But they are still the chosen ones, and God loves them because of their famous ancestors. 29God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen.
30At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. 31And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. 32All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.
33Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
34"Has anyone known
the thoughts of the Lord
or given him advice?
35Has anyone loaned
something to the Lord
that must be repaid?"
36Everything comes from the Lord. All things were made because of him and will return to him. Praise the Lord forever! Amen.
Every single member of the Body of Christ has, by faith, turned from evil and decided to obey God. 100%. The world doesn't really see it that way because the world rolls everybody that claims to be a Christian into that number. But...you and I know. It's not really that amazing because, by definition, faith in Christ is what is required to join the Body of Christ.
What "is" amazing is the fact that God, at some point in history, is going to open the hearts of every Jew and they will turn from evil...100% of them. Considering faith is not a prerequisite for being Jewish I'd say God is planning something never seen before.
Paul is right...being Jewish is very special indeed.
Sound unbelievable? Well, Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
This leaves us only two possible courses of action. We pray (and work) for the salvation of all the Jews who will die before God performs this mighty feat...or we pray that God will act before another of His chosen passes into eternity without Christ.
Live boldly out there today...
July 24, 2011
Romans 11:11-24
Gentiles Will Be Saved
11Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel jealous. 12But if the rest of the world's people were helped so much by Israel's sin and loss, they will be helped even more by their full return.13I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. 14I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. 15When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life. 16If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too. 17You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree that were made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree. 18But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember that you are not supporting the roots of that tree. Its roots are supporting you.
19Maybe you think those branches were cut away, so that you could be put in their place. 20That's true enough. But they were cut away because they did not have faith, and you are where you are because you do have faith. So don't be proud, but be afraid. 21If God cut away those natural branches, couldn't he do the same to you?
22Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.
23If those other branches will start having faith, they will be made a part of that tree again. God has the power to put them back. 24After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.
It's really something being a Christian. We get credited for having a great moral influence by some, and we are responsible for all the world's woes according to others.
I understand the contradiction. Adolph Hitler was a "Christian". It was a "Christian" who killed the abortion doctor in Kansas. But, of course, that's only if we define Christian as "not a Jew, or "Not a Muslim", or "not a Buddhist". The point being, Christianity has now taken its place beside all the other of the world's great religions...we are defined as a group.
But, of course, Christianity is not a religion. And, it most certainly is not a group. It is a relationship with God through His son. It is individual and personal...based upon faith. and, anybody can have this relationship...even a Jew.
So Paul reminds us...just as the nation of Israel was pruned from the family of God it can just as easily be grafted back in by faith...on at a time. Just as you and I can be pruned out if we abandon our faith...if that were possible.
Paul writes these words to ensure we never allow ourselves to be deluded into thinking our relationship with God is defined by the group we belong to. I should be honest here. There was a time when I couldn't imagine any member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church not being a Christian. Actually, with that attitude I was defining Christianity as a group.
Today each of us needs to realize it is just God and me. Nobody else...even my wife...is part of that relationship. It is sacred. It is personal. It is intimate. No name dropping. No credit by association. Just me...and my faith. That's how God wants it. That's how things work best. That's when everything begins to make sense.
Live boldly out there today...
July 23, 2011
Romans 11:1-10, God Has Not Rejected His People
1Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of Israel? 3He said, "Lord, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me."
4But the Lord told Elijah, "I still have seven thousand followers who have not worshiped Baal." 5It is the same way now. God was kind to the people of Israel, and so a few of them are still his followers. 6This happened because of God's undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have done. It could not have happened except for God's kindness.
7This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were stubborn, 8just as the Scriptures say,
"God made them so stupid
that their eyes are blind,
and their ears
are still deaf."
9Then David said,
"Turn their meals
into bait for a trap,
so that they will stumble
and be given
what they deserve.
10Blindfold their eyes!
Don't let them see.
Bend their backs
beneath a burden
that will never be lifted."
Imagine my surprise when I discoverd my dear friend Fr. Joseph was a "no fooling born again Christian". I didn't feel guilty with my surprise, based on my understanding of catholic church doctrine. I was disappointed with myself for the bigotry that was revealed in my spirit.
What I failed to recognize is what I saw as barriers to faith (catholic doctrine) Joseph saw as welcome signs.
Profiling...
Paul makes it clear today that God's adoption of the Gentiles did not mean God was through with Israel. God maintained a solid core of faithful believers within the Jewish nation...even though we all understand collectively the Jewish nation has denied Christ. You see... with God it's never "either, or". As much as possible it's "both, and". Fortunately, with God this isn't so difficult. You see, God comes to us as individuals, not as groups. He will come to any individual who calls upon Him, regardless of what group they belong to.
We do the Gospel a great disservice when we make the asumption that the Church is "us" (and I'm not certain about you). We deprive great portions of the Body of Christ fellowhip, prayer and encouragement that is so vital to powerful sanctified living. I believe God is honored when we imagine how great and diverse the Body of Christ is...rather than how exclusive it might be.
Which reminds me of the story of the famous Southern Baptist preacher. He died. When he arrived at the Pearly Gates and met St Peter he spoke wth the confidence borne of countless spirit-filled sermons.
"Good morning Peter" He said. "If you would be so kind as to point me toward my Baptist friends I will be grateful."
To which Peter responded..."who?"
Live boldly out there today...
4But the Lord told Elijah, "I still have seven thousand followers who have not worshiped Baal." 5It is the same way now. God was kind to the people of Israel, and so a few of them are still his followers. 6This happened because of God's undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have done. It could not have happened except for God's kindness.
7This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were stubborn, 8just as the Scriptures say,
"God made them so stupid
that their eyes are blind,
and their ears
are still deaf."
9Then David said,
"Turn their meals
into bait for a trap,
so that they will stumble
and be given
what they deserve.
10Blindfold their eyes!
Don't let them see.
Bend their backs
beneath a burden
that will never be lifted."
Imagine my surprise when I discoverd my dear friend Fr. Joseph was a "no fooling born again Christian". I didn't feel guilty with my surprise, based on my understanding of catholic church doctrine. I was disappointed with myself for the bigotry that was revealed in my spirit.
What I failed to recognize is what I saw as barriers to faith (catholic doctrine) Joseph saw as welcome signs.
Profiling...
Paul makes it clear today that God's adoption of the Gentiles did not mean God was through with Israel. God maintained a solid core of faithful believers within the Jewish nation...even though we all understand collectively the Jewish nation has denied Christ. You see... with God it's never "either, or". As much as possible it's "both, and". Fortunately, with God this isn't so difficult. You see, God comes to us as individuals, not as groups. He will come to any individual who calls upon Him, regardless of what group they belong to.
We do the Gospel a great disservice when we make the asumption that the Church is "us" (and I'm not certain about you). We deprive great portions of the Body of Christ fellowhip, prayer and encouragement that is so vital to powerful sanctified living. I believe God is honored when we imagine how great and diverse the Body of Christ is...rather than how exclusive it might be.
Which reminds me of the story of the famous Southern Baptist preacher. He died. When he arrived at the Pearly Gates and met St Peter he spoke wth the confidence borne of countless spirit-filled sermons.
"Good morning Peter" He said. "If you would be so kind as to point me toward my Baptist friends I will be grateful."
To which Peter responded..."who?"
Live boldly out there today...
July 22, 2011
Romans 10:5-21, Anyone Can Be Saved
5Moses said that a person could become acceptable to God by obeying the Law. He did this when he wrote, "If you want to live, you must do all that the Law commands."
6But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, "Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?" 7Neither will they ask, "Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?"
8All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, "The message is as near as your mouth or your heart." And this is the same message we preach about faith. 9So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
11The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
14How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? 15And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. 16Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, "Lord, has anyone believed what we said?"
17No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. 18But am I saying that the people of Israel did not hear? No, I am not! The Scriptures say,
"The message was told
everywhere on earth.
It was announced
all over the world."
19Did the people of Israel understand or not? Moses answered this question when he told that the Lord had said,
"I will make Israel jealous
of people
who are a nation
of nobodies.
I will make them angry
at people
who don't understand
a thing."
20Isaiah was fearless enough to tell that the Lord had said,
"I was found by people
who were not looking
for me.
I appeared to the ones
who were not asking
about me."
21And Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
"All day long the Lord
has reached out
to people who are stubborn
and refuse to obey."
Wow! I'd like to meditate on this for awhile..."you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death". It can't be any more clear.
I like Paul's analogy. If we want to find God, we don't need to make the unimaginable journey to to wherever He dwells. All we need to do is cover that small distance between the heart and the mind...maybe 18 inches. When the heart believes it and the mind is willing to let the tongue proclaim it...the journey is complete, we are at home with the Lord.
There are many, however, who see that 18 inches and say "we can't get there from here!" Getting both the head and the heart to agree on anything is difficult. Even at that, we're told "All who call out to the Lord will be saved". I have to believe the Holy Spirit is the exclusive and perfect guide to get all of us from point A to point B.
What concerns me most is..."How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord?"
These are not rhetorical questions...
Live boldly out there today...
6But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, "Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?" 7Neither will they ask, "Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?"
8All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, "The message is as near as your mouth or your heart." And this is the same message we preach about faith. 9So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
11The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
14How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? 15And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. 16Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, "Lord, has anyone believed what we said?"
17No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. 18But am I saying that the people of Israel did not hear? No, I am not! The Scriptures say,
"The message was told
everywhere on earth.
It was announced
all over the world."
19Did the people of Israel understand or not? Moses answered this question when he told that the Lord had said,
"I will make Israel jealous
of people
who are a nation
of nobodies.
I will make them angry
at people
who don't understand
a thing."
20Isaiah was fearless enough to tell that the Lord had said,
"I was found by people
who were not looking
for me.
I appeared to the ones
who were not asking
about me."
21And Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
"All day long the Lord
has reached out
to people who are stubborn
and refuse to obey."
Wow! I'd like to meditate on this for awhile..."you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death". It can't be any more clear.
I like Paul's analogy. If we want to find God, we don't need to make the unimaginable journey to to wherever He dwells. All we need to do is cover that small distance between the heart and the mind...maybe 18 inches. When the heart believes it and the mind is willing to let the tongue proclaim it...the journey is complete, we are at home with the Lord.
There are many, however, who see that 18 inches and say "we can't get there from here!" Getting both the head and the heart to agree on anything is difficult. Even at that, we're told "All who call out to the Lord will be saved". I have to believe the Holy Spirit is the exclusive and perfect guide to get all of us from point A to point B.
What concerns me most is..."How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord?"
These are not rhetorical questions...
Live boldly out there today...
July 21, 2011
Romans 10:1-4, The Law is No Longer Necessary
1Dear friends, my greatest wish and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2I know they love God, but they don't understand 3what makes people acceptable to him. So they refuse to trust God, and they try to be acceptable by obeying the Law. 4But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.
I sincerely thought I mailed my bills one month. I was irate when I received late charges. I called people and complained at their lack of thoroughness. Imagine my surprise when I found the stamped envelopes lying on my desk. When the truth was revealed I was completely embarrassed...mostly because I was so sure I had been right. I still wanted those companies to forgive me though...because I sincerely 'intended" to pay those bills. I'm not a bad person. Believe me when I say...sincerity does not pay the bills or avoid the late charges.
We all know sincerity is nice...but it's not the most important of qualities. It's possible to be sincerely wrong. Yet...if we arent' careful...we frequently let sincerity cloud our judgment of what right or wrong.
It's important to remember this when it comes to unbelievers...particularly our loved ones. It's tempting to excuse their lack of faith because they are "such nice people". And really...how many unbelievers do we know who really "deserve" what's waiting for them?
There are those who say we Christians are far to sure of ourselves when it comes to our faith. They say our absolute certainty...no matter how sincere...is still only faith. We could be just as wrong as the sincere Jews who reject Christ.
And, of course they are right. There is a risk inherent in any sincerely held belief. What if Paul is wrong about the law? If he is, I'm too far behind to catch up. As for me...I'm content with the risk I've taken...thanks to the Holy Spirit. I suspect unbelievers are just as comfortable with their risk as well. Impasse? I don't believe so. Paul says this was his "greatest prayer", that Israel would be saved.
A.B. Simpson's wife would occasionally get up in the morning and find him spread out on the floor weeping and praying for the lost. I honestly pray for unbelievers. I sincerely pray for unbelieving friends. Is it my "greatest" prayer? Honestly?
Well...?
Shame on me...
Live boldly out there today...
I sincerely thought I mailed my bills one month. I was irate when I received late charges. I called people and complained at their lack of thoroughness. Imagine my surprise when I found the stamped envelopes lying on my desk. When the truth was revealed I was completely embarrassed...mostly because I was so sure I had been right. I still wanted those companies to forgive me though...because I sincerely 'intended" to pay those bills. I'm not a bad person. Believe me when I say...sincerity does not pay the bills or avoid the late charges.
We all know sincerity is nice...but it's not the most important of qualities. It's possible to be sincerely wrong. Yet...if we arent' careful...we frequently let sincerity cloud our judgment of what right or wrong.
It's important to remember this when it comes to unbelievers...particularly our loved ones. It's tempting to excuse their lack of faith because they are "such nice people". And really...how many unbelievers do we know who really "deserve" what's waiting for them?
There are those who say we Christians are far to sure of ourselves when it comes to our faith. They say our absolute certainty...no matter how sincere...is still only faith. We could be just as wrong as the sincere Jews who reject Christ.
And, of course they are right. There is a risk inherent in any sincerely held belief. What if Paul is wrong about the law? If he is, I'm too far behind to catch up. As for me...I'm content with the risk I've taken...thanks to the Holy Spirit. I suspect unbelievers are just as comfortable with their risk as well. Impasse? I don't believe so. Paul says this was his "greatest prayer", that Israel would be saved.
A.B. Simpson's wife would occasionally get up in the morning and find him spread out on the floor weeping and praying for the lost. I honestly pray for unbelievers. I sincerely pray for unbelieving friends. Is it my "greatest" prayer? Honestly?
Well...?
Shame on me...
Live boldly out there today...
July 20, 2011
Romans 9:19-33, God's Anger and Mercy
19Someone may ask, "How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?" 20But, my friend, I ask, "Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? 21Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?"
22God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. 23He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. 24Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, 25just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea,
"Although they are not my people, I will make them my people.
I will treat with love those nations that have never been loved.
26"Once they were told, "You are not my people.'
But in that very place they will be called children of the living God."
27And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
"The people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand along the beach.
But only a few who are left will be saved.
28The Lord will be quick and sure to do on earth what he has warned he will do."
29Isaiah also said, "If the Lord All-Powerful had not spared some of our descendants,
we would have been destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah."
30What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31-32It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 33just as God says in the Scriptures, "Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one
will never
be disappointed."
If we pay attention we will see the amazing power and glory of Christ moving westward...to Asia. What used to be centered in the American church...the amazing evidence of the resident Holy Spirit has seemed to dissipate and we are now a shadow of what the last generation of believers bequeathed to us.
The role of being "special" involves faithfully proclaiming the works and wonders of God through His son Jesus Christ...to the underprivileged. How long should we suppose God will tarry while we attempt to "get our act together"? I promise you this. If we don't become the people God desires us to be He will choose somebody else to be the vehicle for His grace and mercy.
It's what He did with Israel...when He handed the mantle to the church.
Don Fransisco authored a great tune titled "The Steeple Song".
I don't care how many buses you own or the size of your sanctuary
It doesn't matter how steep your steeple is if it's sittin' on a cemetery
I don't care if you pave your parking lot rr put pads upon your pews
What good is picture perfect stage if you're missin' all the cues?
I don't care if your pastor's super-powered and your program's always new
What you need is love and truth and men are going to come to you
It doesn't matter that you know the Bible if it's all just in your head
The thing I need to ask you is have you done the things I said?
I don't care if you pray for miracles I don't care if you speak with tongues
I don't care if you said you love Me in every song you've sung
It doesn't matter that your sacrifice of praise is loud enough to raise the dead
The thing I need to ask you is have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for your children are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you living as a servant to your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
That's what it means to be special. Let's live like we're special. It's not our fault the God chose us...it may even be unfair. An entire world out there will remind us daily that we aren't special. But, believing God today means believing God was serious when He said the life of Christ should shine through us. We probably all know well intentioned folks who have "lost their first love". They are busy building steeples and sanctuaries but can't seem to find the time to live like Christ. How "special".
It began in Europe. The believers got distracted so it moved to America. As we become distracted with our sense of privilege God will find others to carry on.
It should break our hearts...
Live boldly out there today...
22God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. 23He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. 24Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, 25just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea,
"Although they are not my people, I will make them my people.
I will treat with love those nations that have never been loved.
26"Once they were told, "You are not my people.'
But in that very place they will be called children of the living God."
27And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
"The people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand along the beach.
But only a few who are left will be saved.
28The Lord will be quick and sure to do on earth what he has warned he will do."
29Isaiah also said, "If the Lord All-Powerful had not spared some of our descendants,
we would have been destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah."
30What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31-32It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 33just as God says in the Scriptures, "Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one
will never
be disappointed."
If we pay attention we will see the amazing power and glory of Christ moving westward...to Asia. What used to be centered in the American church...the amazing evidence of the resident Holy Spirit has seemed to dissipate and we are now a shadow of what the last generation of believers bequeathed to us.
The role of being "special" involves faithfully proclaiming the works and wonders of God through His son Jesus Christ...to the underprivileged. How long should we suppose God will tarry while we attempt to "get our act together"? I promise you this. If we don't become the people God desires us to be He will choose somebody else to be the vehicle for His grace and mercy.
It's what He did with Israel...when He handed the mantle to the church.
Don Fransisco authored a great tune titled "The Steeple Song".
I don't care how many buses you own or the size of your sanctuary
It doesn't matter how steep your steeple is if it's sittin' on a cemetery
I don't care if you pave your parking lot rr put pads upon your pews
What good is picture perfect stage if you're missin' all the cues?
I don't care if your pastor's super-powered and your program's always new
What you need is love and truth and men are going to come to you
It doesn't matter that you know the Bible if it's all just in your head
The thing I need to ask you is have you done the things I said?
I don't care if you pray for miracles I don't care if you speak with tongues
I don't care if you said you love Me in every song you've sung
It doesn't matter that your sacrifice of praise is loud enough to raise the dead
The thing I need to ask you is have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for your children are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you living as a servant to your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
That's what it means to be special. Let's live like we're special. It's not our fault the God chose us...it may even be unfair. An entire world out there will remind us daily that we aren't special. But, believing God today means believing God was serious when He said the life of Christ should shine through us. We probably all know well intentioned folks who have "lost their first love". They are busy building steeples and sanctuaries but can't seem to find the time to live like Christ. How "special".
It began in Europe. The believers got distracted so it moved to America. As we become distracted with our sense of privilege God will find others to carry on.
It should break our hearts...
Live boldly out there today...
July 19, 2011
Romans 9:1-18, God's Choice of Israel
1I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say 2my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. 3I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. 4They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. 5They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of Jesus Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! Amen. 6It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. 7-8In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised 9Sarah, "At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son."
10Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 11-12Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show that he makes his own choices and that it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. 13That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
14Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not! 15The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. 16Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. 17In the Scriptures the Lord says to Pharaoh of Egypt, "I let you become Pharaoh, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth." 18Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
God does whatever He wants. "The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to". But, He doesn't pick everybody. Of course, the perceived lack of fairness is mitigated by the fact that none of us deserves mercy. The fact that mercy reigns at all is, by definition, "unfair".
I'm counting on the "unfairness" of it all...
Paul is discussing this because God picked Israel...instead of somebody else. The inherent notion among the Jews (of his day) was that they were special people. And, they were. God chose to use Israel for His plan to redeem the world. How much more special could one be. However, "special" does not mean "privileged". Which is to say, the Jews of Paul's day turned their special role inward. They believed they had a privileged status among the nations of the world. The rules, as applied to all others, did not apply to them. They had the Law. They had the Prophets. They had the one true God. They had a temple for Him to live in. And in that...they had salvation. God owed them that much.
Not exactly...and, their misunderstanding broke Paul's heart...
We believers are the spiritual progeny of Israel. We are special. We have been given stewardship of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has chosen to use us as a means for evangelizing the entire world. It's an unspeakable blessing...but it doesn't make us privileged. It makes us responsible.
Live boldly out there today...
10Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 11-12Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show that he makes his own choices and that it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. 13That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
14Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not! 15The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. 16Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. 17In the Scriptures the Lord says to Pharaoh of Egypt, "I let you become Pharaoh, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth." 18Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
God does whatever He wants. "The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to". But, He doesn't pick everybody. Of course, the perceived lack of fairness is mitigated by the fact that none of us deserves mercy. The fact that mercy reigns at all is, by definition, "unfair".
I'm counting on the "unfairness" of it all...
Paul is discussing this because God picked Israel...instead of somebody else. The inherent notion among the Jews (of his day) was that they were special people. And, they were. God chose to use Israel for His plan to redeem the world. How much more special could one be. However, "special" does not mean "privileged". Which is to say, the Jews of Paul's day turned their special role inward. They believed they had a privileged status among the nations of the world. The rules, as applied to all others, did not apply to them. They had the Law. They had the Prophets. They had the one true God. They had a temple for Him to live in. And in that...they had salvation. God owed them that much.
Not exactly...and, their misunderstanding broke Paul's heart...
We believers are the spiritual progeny of Israel. We are special. We have been given stewardship of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has chosen to use us as a means for evangelizing the entire world. It's an unspeakable blessing...but it doesn't make us privileged. It makes us responsible.
Live boldly out there today...
July 18, 2011
Romans 8:31-39, God's Love
31What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? 33If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us. 35Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36It is exactly as the Scriptures say, "For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered."
37In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Religulous is a 2008 documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher. The title of the film is derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous"; the documentary examines and mocks organized religion and religious belief.
I doubt that God is either amused or intimidated. Maher can rant and rave with all the pomposity he can muster and nothing changes. Only one person has ever been able to shape reality with His words...God. As the bumper sticker says: "God's house...God's rules!"
God has chosen to satisfy the demands of the Law with the Blood of His Son....and ONLY the Blood of His Son. And so, when you and I are willing to take a "leap of faith" and claim Christ's work for our own lives...all the condemnation in the world cannot stick to us. We're like spiritual teflon.
Not that the world won't try. Most of the world still has other ideas...their own rules.
The world's great religions reject God's rules...and call us infidels
Satan can whisper in our ears...and call us hypocrites
Our own sin can eat away at our conscience...and call us pathetic
Bill Maher can laugh...and call us fools
Nevertheless..."God's house...God's rules!" None of it shapes realtiy. None of it will stick. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
This is a positive Gospel that should ovewhelm us. It should fill us with such a sense of thanksgiving that we cannot imagine a critical thought toward others...just prayers...that they too will some day recognize the Good News as we have.
Live boldly out there today...
37In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Religulous is a 2008 documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher. The title of the film is derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous"; the documentary examines and mocks organized religion and religious belief.
I doubt that God is either amused or intimidated. Maher can rant and rave with all the pomposity he can muster and nothing changes. Only one person has ever been able to shape reality with His words...God. As the bumper sticker says: "God's house...God's rules!"
God has chosen to satisfy the demands of the Law with the Blood of His Son....and ONLY the Blood of His Son. And so, when you and I are willing to take a "leap of faith" and claim Christ's work for our own lives...all the condemnation in the world cannot stick to us. We're like spiritual teflon.
Not that the world won't try. Most of the world still has other ideas...their own rules.
The world's great religions reject God's rules...and call us infidels
Satan can whisper in our ears...and call us hypocrites
Our own sin can eat away at our conscience...and call us pathetic
Bill Maher can laugh...and call us fools
Nevertheless..."God's house...God's rules!" None of it shapes realtiy. None of it will stick. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
This is a positive Gospel that should ovewhelm us. It should fill us with such a sense of thanksgiving that we cannot imagine a critical thought toward others...just prayers...that they too will some day recognize the Good News as we have.
Live boldly out there today...
July 17, 2011
Romans 8:18-30, A Wonderful Future for God's People
18I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. 19In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. 20Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope 21that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. 22We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.
23The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. 24And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. 25However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. 26In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. 30God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.
We hear about couples who have been together so long they can finish each other's sentences. They almost can read each other's thoughts. That can be good...but can also be intimidating!
It's the same way with the God who created us...whether we like it or not. Paul says "All of our thoughts are known to God". As people of faith we have His Spirit living within us. That is far more intimate than living "with " somebody. So it can also be far more intimidating. Imagine the Holy Spirit inhabiting our spirits. Before we can even think something, the Holy Spirit is privy to the thought.
I should be more careful...
While true, that's not the real point here. the real point is that God's Spirit is as constant source of comfort. For example, "when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words". Also, "The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future". If that can't lift out spirits we need an attitude check...
We will probably always have a level of discomfort with this degree of intimacy. Our human spirits don't like it. We like our privacy so we can sin unnoticed. In the case of God's Spirit, however, this discomfort is our friend. It is a reminder that we have some work to do in our personal lives. The most important thing to remember is we can't let this discomfort lead us to ignore the Spirit. Unfortunately, my many years of ministry convince me that most believers would rather "turn down the volume" than stop and listen when God's Spirit speaks. All this does is slow down the learning process and chip away at our joy. remember, real joy is not "doing whatever we please" but "doing whatever God pleases".
How joyful are we today?
Live boldly out there today...
23The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. 24And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. 25However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. 26In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. 30God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.
We hear about couples who have been together so long they can finish each other's sentences. They almost can read each other's thoughts. That can be good...but can also be intimidating!
It's the same way with the God who created us...whether we like it or not. Paul says "All of our thoughts are known to God". As people of faith we have His Spirit living within us. That is far more intimate than living "with " somebody. So it can also be far more intimidating. Imagine the Holy Spirit inhabiting our spirits. Before we can even think something, the Holy Spirit is privy to the thought.
I should be more careful...
While true, that's not the real point here. the real point is that God's Spirit is as constant source of comfort. For example, "when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words". Also, "The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future". If that can't lift out spirits we need an attitude check...
We will probably always have a level of discomfort with this degree of intimacy. Our human spirits don't like it. We like our privacy so we can sin unnoticed. In the case of God's Spirit, however, this discomfort is our friend. It is a reminder that we have some work to do in our personal lives. The most important thing to remember is we can't let this discomfort lead us to ignore the Spirit. Unfortunately, my many years of ministry convince me that most believers would rather "turn down the volume" than stop and listen when God's Spirit speaks. All this does is slow down the learning process and chip away at our joy. remember, real joy is not "doing whatever we please" but "doing whatever God pleases".
How joyful are we today?
Live boldly out there today...
July 16, 2011
Romans 8:1-17, Living by the Power of God's Spirit
1If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. 2The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin. 4He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. 5People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. 6If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. 7Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. 8If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.
9You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. 10But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. 11Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.
12My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. 14Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. 15God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. [b] 16God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. 17His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.
So now, Paul tries to wrap up this entire thought. He begins with "If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished" This is not because God has simply ignored the Law, but because He "used Christ's body to condemn sin". The Law is completely satisfied with us.
If we belong to Christ...
Have you ever wondered how we can "know" we belong to Christ? Well, I'm glad you asked. We have one certain test...The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him...But Christ lives in you. So you are alive.
We belong to Christ if the Holy Spirit lives in us.
OK...how do I know the Holy Spirit lives in me? Paul says we can know "if by the help of God's Spirit we say "No" to our desires". This is in stark contrast to people who DO NOT belong to Christ. They "follow their desires...think only of themselves".
This is an interesting dynamic. Saying "NO" to our desires is not synonymous with "obedience" (although the two should eventuallly look alot alike). Saying "NO" to our desires is "agreeing with God" that those desires are unhealthy and sinful.
When we've belonged to Christ for some time it's difficult to remember that everybody doesn't "agree with God" about what is right or wrong. We want to believe it's simply a matter of not knowing better. If we tell them, they will agree. Actually, that's not true. Only the Holy Spirit can get us to agree with God. I know I agree with God...so I know the Holy Spirit has to be in me...it's the only way that can happen. I hope and pray that my life looks like it agrees with God. On the occasions when it doesn't, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will let me know.
And I"ll agree with him...
Live boldly out there today...
9You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. 10But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. 11Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.
12My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. 14Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. 15God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. [b] 16God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. 17His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.
So now, Paul tries to wrap up this entire thought. He begins with "If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished" This is not because God has simply ignored the Law, but because He "used Christ's body to condemn sin". The Law is completely satisfied with us.
If we belong to Christ...
Have you ever wondered how we can "know" we belong to Christ? Well, I'm glad you asked. We have one certain test...The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him...But Christ lives in you. So you are alive.
We belong to Christ if the Holy Spirit lives in us.
OK...how do I know the Holy Spirit lives in me? Paul says we can know "if by the help of God's Spirit we say "No" to our desires". This is in stark contrast to people who DO NOT belong to Christ. They "follow their desires...think only of themselves".
This is an interesting dynamic. Saying "NO" to our desires is not synonymous with "obedience" (although the two should eventuallly look alot alike). Saying "NO" to our desires is "agreeing with God" that those desires are unhealthy and sinful.
When we've belonged to Christ for some time it's difficult to remember that everybody doesn't "agree with God" about what is right or wrong. We want to believe it's simply a matter of not knowing better. If we tell them, they will agree. Actually, that's not true. Only the Holy Spirit can get us to agree with God. I know I agree with God...so I know the Holy Spirit has to be in me...it's the only way that can happen. I hope and pray that my life looks like it agrees with God. On the occasions when it doesn't, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will let me know.
And I"ll agree with him...
Live boldly out there today...
July 15, 2011
Romans 7:7-25, The Battle with Sin
7Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do that. 8It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.
9Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.
13Am I saying that something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. 14We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.
I counseled an employee. He had been rude and dismissive to a co-worker, who had complained to me. During our conversation the employee excused his actions by saying it was his co-worker's fault for being so sensitive.
Huh?
We hear it all the time...people blame their bad behavior on others. Notwithstanding the fact that others have responsibilities as well, it has never been accepted rationale to blame others for our own actions. The attitude demonstrates an alarming lack of maturity and is destructive to relationships.
But..."the devil made me do it!"
"Really! I'm not a bad person. That's a stupid rule!"
And so, we blame the rule for our transgression. If the rule didn't exist we wouldn't be guilty of anything. And, really, what's the big deal?
Can we imagine the state we'd be in if God had his standards but never shared them with us? How would we figure our #4 on our own? Or, #9? Paul says we ought to be thankful to God for the information and consider the Law our friend. After all...it's what can keep us out of trouble.
Even at that, we struggle. As believers we agree with the Law but our human lusts are at war with the Law. This is a lifelong struggle that we cannot escape. The power of the Holy Spirit can mitigate the tension but it proves the truth...that we are all "recovering sinners".
What a dilemma! Is there any hope? "What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me".
Remember yesterday? "Jesus paid it all!"
Live boldly out there today...
9Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.
13Am I saying that something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. 14We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.
I counseled an employee. He had been rude and dismissive to a co-worker, who had complained to me. During our conversation the employee excused his actions by saying it was his co-worker's fault for being so sensitive.
Huh?
We hear it all the time...people blame their bad behavior on others. Notwithstanding the fact that others have responsibilities as well, it has never been accepted rationale to blame others for our own actions. The attitude demonstrates an alarming lack of maturity and is destructive to relationships.
But..."the devil made me do it!"
"Really! I'm not a bad person. That's a stupid rule!"
And so, we blame the rule for our transgression. If the rule didn't exist we wouldn't be guilty of anything. And, really, what's the big deal?
Can we imagine the state we'd be in if God had his standards but never shared them with us? How would we figure our #4 on our own? Or, #9? Paul says we ought to be thankful to God for the information and consider the Law our friend. After all...it's what can keep us out of trouble.
Even at that, we struggle. As believers we agree with the Law but our human lusts are at war with the Law. This is a lifelong struggle that we cannot escape. The power of the Holy Spirit can mitigate the tension but it proves the truth...that we are all "recovering sinners".
What a dilemma! Is there any hope? "What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me".
Remember yesterday? "Jesus paid it all!"
Live boldly out there today...
July 14, 2011
Romans 7:1-6, An Example from Marriage
1My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. 2For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free 3to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.
4That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
I went through the intersection and saw a "flash". A week later I got a I got a nice Olan-Mills quality print of me non-chalantly cruising through a "greenish-red" light. Busted!
Laws have sanctions when we break them...in this case, For $75, I could keep the picture! Sanctions are intended to encourage compliance.
But what if the laws don't apply? Then, no penalty. The military has something called "Status of Forces Agreements" with every country in which we station military personnel. The SOFA is mostly concerned with the legal issues associated with military individuals and property. This may include issues like entry and exit into the country, tax liabilities, postal services, or employment terms for host-country nationals. So, while Mali and I were stationed in Germany we were not required to pay the 17% Value Added Tax (VAT) of purchases. We also didn't pay $4 per gallon for gasoline.
Sweet!
Phil Driscoll sings a song titled "Jesus Paid it All".
With every drop of Blood that fell that day.
A billion tears of pain were washed away,
Ten thousand times ten thousand wars were won.
There was nothing left to pay.
Like the rain that washes earth and air,
Like a fountain flowing pure and clear,
Cleansing hearts and souls, and minds of men,
And tearing down the walls of fear.
Jesus paid it all,
Jesus paid it all.
With every stripe a final sacrifice,
Jesus paid it all.
One Man hung suspended in the space.
A power struggle for the human race.
It bridged the gap between mankind and God.
And dying with Amazing Grace.
With every drop of Blood that fell that day,
Ten thousand tears were washed away.
Ten thousand times ten thousand wars were won,
Till there was nothing left to pay.
Like the rain that washes earth and air,
Like a fountain flowing pure and clear,
Cleansing hearts and souls, and minds of men,
And tearing down the walls of fear.
Jesus paid it all, Jesus paid it all.
With every stripe a final sacrifice.
Oh, Jesus paid it all.
Jesus, Oh, Jesus,
Jesus paid it all.
The Law of God does has a dire sanction for Law breakers...eternal separation from God. Somehow, even that doesn't incline us to obey. It's like we've decided we'd rather spend eternity with somebody else. We are "walking dead". But, Calvary is our "Status of Forces Agreement". Calvary is our legally binding contract with God that the penalties have been paid.
That is...if we recognize we died with Christ. The law doesn't apply to dead people.
Live boldly out there today...
4That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
I went through the intersection and saw a "flash". A week later I got a I got a nice Olan-Mills quality print of me non-chalantly cruising through a "greenish-red" light. Busted!
Laws have sanctions when we break them...in this case, For $75, I could keep the picture! Sanctions are intended to encourage compliance.
But what if the laws don't apply? Then, no penalty. The military has something called "Status of Forces Agreements" with every country in which we station military personnel. The SOFA is mostly concerned with the legal issues associated with military individuals and property. This may include issues like entry and exit into the country, tax liabilities, postal services, or employment terms for host-country nationals. So, while Mali and I were stationed in Germany we were not required to pay the 17% Value Added Tax (VAT) of purchases. We also didn't pay $4 per gallon for gasoline.
Sweet!
Phil Driscoll sings a song titled "Jesus Paid it All".
With every drop of Blood that fell that day.
A billion tears of pain were washed away,
Ten thousand times ten thousand wars were won.
There was nothing left to pay.
Like the rain that washes earth and air,
Like a fountain flowing pure and clear,
Cleansing hearts and souls, and minds of men,
And tearing down the walls of fear.
Jesus paid it all,
Jesus paid it all.
With every stripe a final sacrifice,
Jesus paid it all.
One Man hung suspended in the space.
A power struggle for the human race.
It bridged the gap between mankind and God.
And dying with Amazing Grace.
With every drop of Blood that fell that day,
Ten thousand tears were washed away.
Ten thousand times ten thousand wars were won,
Till there was nothing left to pay.
Like the rain that washes earth and air,
Like a fountain flowing pure and clear,
Cleansing hearts and souls, and minds of men,
And tearing down the walls of fear.
Jesus paid it all, Jesus paid it all.
With every stripe a final sacrifice.
Oh, Jesus paid it all.
Jesus, Oh, Jesus,
Jesus paid it all.
The Law of God does has a dire sanction for Law breakers...eternal separation from God. Somehow, even that doesn't incline us to obey. It's like we've decided we'd rather spend eternity with somebody else. We are "walking dead". But, Calvary is our "Status of Forces Agreement". Calvary is our legally binding contract with God that the penalties have been paid.
That is...if we recognize we died with Christ. The law doesn't apply to dead people.
Live boldly out there today...
July 13, 2011
Romans 6:15-23, Slaves Who Do What Pleases God
15What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! 16Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. 17You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. 18Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.
19I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.
20When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. 21But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. 22Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. 23Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Bob Dylan sang "you've got to serve somebody". Man, was he right. Who we choose to serve makes all the difference.
Serving ourselves is a possibility. This is the person who claims "I answer to nobody!" The literal translation is...I serve myself. We've already determined the outcome.
Serving the stuff around us (our desires) is a possibility. This is the person who says "I can't help myself!" The literal translation is...I'm an addict. We've already determined the outcome.
Serving God is a possibility. We've already determined the outcome...by faith.
Some say "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". I understand the idea that a "sure thing" always seems better than a promise. In this case...faith trumps a sure thing.
Live boldly out there today...
19I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.
20When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. 21But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. 22Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. 23Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Bob Dylan sang "you've got to serve somebody". Man, was he right. Who we choose to serve makes all the difference.
Serving ourselves is a possibility. This is the person who claims "I answer to nobody!" The literal translation is...I serve myself. We've already determined the outcome.
Serving the stuff around us (our desires) is a possibility. This is the person who says "I can't help myself!" The literal translation is...I'm an addict. We've already determined the outcome.
Serving God is a possibility. We've already determined the outcome...by faith.
Some say "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". I understand the idea that a "sure thing" always seems better than a promise. In this case...faith trumps a sure thing.
Live boldly out there today...
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