On Our Side

I love Romans 8 for a lot of reasons, but one of the main reasons is the fact that this chapter includes a few of my favorite verses of all time, Romans 8:38-39. To get some context, read Romans 8:31-39 in the Message with me:

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture…”

Some days, I just need to remember that God is on my side. What about you? I think that one of the enemy’s greatest tricks is whispering the lie in our ears that God must actually not mean what He says. In fact, it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book… literally. Genesis 3:1 (emphasis mine) says,

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The line, “did God really say,” gives me chills, because I know I have heard this lie time after time. “Did God really say He loves you, despite the ways you mess up daily?” “Did God really say that life lived Jesus’ way is the fullest kind of life?” “Did God really say it was a big deal if you did that just once?” “Did God really say He’s on your side?”

Yes, He did. And not only did God say that He is on our side, but He means it. Our God is a God who keeps His promises and Whose words are true and able to be trusted. God is on our side, and just like Romans 8 says, with Him on our side, we simply cannot lose.

I want to live from this place: A place of waking up every morning and knowing that not only does the Lord fight for me, but with Jesus, I cannot be separated from that fierce kind of love by anything that comes my way. I want to look at life with complete confidence in this truth. And I want to invite other people into this place of complete peace in the fact that Jesus, our King, is literally fighting for us every single day. And I can’t imagine a better outlook for this normal Thursday morning.

A Believer’s Battle with Sin

Sanctification is the separation of the believer from his sin.  This separation is a believer’s ongoing struggle and a battle with himself.  It is internal.

In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul’s internal struggle with sin reveals how sin wages war against the Christian.  Do you struggle with sin?  (God’s word says you do. Romans 3:23, 1John 1:8, Isaiah 53:6)  If you are ready to admit that, the next step is to accept it.

The peace that comes with accepting how we relate to God (we are sinners that have turned away from Him and if we believe in Jesus our sins will be forgiven) will feel like a heavy load being lifted from you.  Remove the expectation that you need to be perfect to become a Christian or that once you become a Christian you will no longer battle with sin.

It is not about you being perfect – it is about Jesus being perfect.

Those who follow Christ hate sin because they remember what it did.  It crucified Christ.  In a way when we sin it is like taking part in that.  This is the Christians motivations to hate sin and flee from it.

Those who follow Christ hate sin because they remember what it did.  It crucified Christ.  In a way, when we sin it is like taking part in that.  This is the Christian’s motivation to hate sin and flee from it.

Here are some notes from a sermon (first link in the resources below) on how sin battles with a believer:

  1. It is within us. James 1:14-15
  2. It is a battle of the mind, of our thoughts. Romans 7:23, 1Peter 1:13
  3. Victory is in Christ.
    1. Confess your sin to the LORD and ask his forgiveness. (1John 1:9, Proverbs 38:13)
    2. Ask the LORD for the strength to refuse to entertain sinful thoughts.  (2Corinthians 10:5, 2Timothy 1:7)
    3. Avoid evil. (Psalms 1:1-6, Matthew 18:7-9)
    4. Draw nigh to the LORD, pursue His Word.  (Philippians 4:8, Romans 8:6)

Here are three great sermons that will arm you with the truth regarding separating from your sin:

  1. Sanctification and Sins of the Mind
  2. Spiritual Stability, Part 5: Godly Thinking
  3. Breaking Sin’s Grip

No longer slaves indeed!

Today’s Reading: Romans 6

Good Morning,

Today we have one of our regular guest writers over the last couple years Kris Walker.  Prayers for all of us as we continue this awesome journey together. No longer be slaves to fear and enjoy these words to a song that we will live fearless as a child of God! 

As we look in Romans, I once again find myself gravitating towards music. I can’t help it. It’s how I’m wired.

“I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God”.

 Romans 6:11-14
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

I feel like the song leaves out some important thoughts! I love how verse 13 says you have to offer yourself to God for this to happen! We have to make that conscious effort!

I also like how there is still accountability. There are some people that would say, “well, I’m saved now, I’m a child of God. Why strive to do better? Why push to serve with righteousness?”

Romans 6:15-18
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

I feel this is so important, because we cannot abuse our grace we are given. We are no longer slaves to sin, but we have to make ourselves be slaves to righteousness! So, we still are slaves… but we are VOLUNTEERING ourselves! We have to! It’s how we should serve!

The biggest take away from this?? Obviously is the reward for being a slave to righteousness.

Romans: 6:22-23
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is my hope, OUR HOPE, as we serve together, as brothers and sisters, that we can all be in everlasting life together! We can live in holiness! I can’t even imagine! I know personally my life is constantly filled with disaster. I look forward to a time to live in everlasting holiness. And, all we have to do, is make that choice, and become a willing slave to righteousness!

No Longer Slaves  – Jon David & Melissa Helser

 

 

Enough.

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”

I think these words above could be enough of a devotional for me today… wouldn’t you agree? The first verses of Romans 5 completely spoke to my heart as I prepared to write about Romans 5 for this Monday morning, and I can’t help but think that perhaps Jesus wanted to remind us that we are ENOUGH as we start off another new week.

I don’t know about you all, but I certainly do not have my act together 100% of the time. Scratch that… I don’t have my act together MOST of the time, and that fact is becoming more apparent the older I get! You see, for a while, I was really good at pretending that I had everything in my life tied up with a pretty little bow. I was good at saying “no” when my calendar got too full, but I avoided any reasons to let the world know that sometimes my house got messy, I wore yoga pants all day, or that I struggled with something much deeper than yoga pants. In fact, deep need to always be enough and to be perfect even began to impact my relationships. Often, I kept people in my life at arm’s length so that they would never know that I was not, in fact, perfect… that I struggled, that I doubted, that I became frustrated and angry and overwhelmed easier than I cared to admit. In case you were wondering, the very pursuit of being enough on my own left me lonely and feeling like anything BUT enough!

Friends, I’m convinced that the longer we run that race and try to reassure the entire planet that yes, we’re perfect, we’re enough, we have it all together all the time and can balance all the things without dropping the ball, the more we WILL begin to realize how false that is. As a result, we’ll realize our deep need for Jesus, because He is the only way we are enough. Yet, in a world that praises hustle over harmony and in a culture that believes one must be busy to be blessed, running that race to become enough seems to be what’s expected of us.

Let me step into your day really quickly (hopefully, before your busy start to your week begins) and remind you that there is another option available for us as children of God. All we have to do is slow down enough to see it and to take it. Read those first few verses of Romans 5 with me again today:

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”

“…we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.” Breathe that verse in as a sigh of relief this Monday and picture yourself throwing open those doors to invite God into your week, only to find that He has already thrown open the doors for us, just as those verses above say. This week, you can start off “out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory…” THAT is what Jesus offers to us. With Him, you are enough.

Happy Monday, indeed. 🙂

Faith, Righteousness and Glory

Are you a rule follower?  Have you ever thought about why?  Most of us were taught that we either follow the rules, or get punished.  If that is you, I have another question for you.  Who do you believe God to be?  The judge?  The wrathful prosecutor?  An angry father?   Do you fear his punishment and condemnation?  Believe it or not, our answers to those questions can help us understand our faith.  Or, maybe they highlight our lack of faith.  According to Paul in Romans 4, if we believe those things about God, we are living according to the law.  How can we tell?  Let’s first consider righteousness.

How could I ever consider myself righteous?  I am painfully aware of how short I fall from God’s expectations, which is to say that I am disobedient to him and his commands.  I am sinful. But, to say so, invites the condemnation and wrath that I fear.   Even worse, to believe it, is to ignore Jesus.  Truly, because of Jesus death and resurrection, I do NOT fall short of God’s expectations.  In fact, I fully satisfy them.  That is the message that Paul is preaching today in Romans 4.  In verse 25, Paul explains that Jesus was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”  So, does Jesus make us righteous?

Yes, Jesus can make us righteous.  In fact, the Bible elevates believers in Jesus to Priests and Saints, but there is a catch to reaching this mark.  We must believe. We must have faith.  Paul uses Abraham as an example.  Faith for Abraham was being “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:13).  Remember, Abraham was 100 years old, yet his faith in God’s promises enabled him to push through physical weakness (Romans 4:19).  Furthermore, “no unbelief made him waiver.”  Abraham’s unwavering posture points to mental toughness.  Faith in God, therefore, provided everything he needed to persevere and succeed.  That’s powerful!  So, the real question of righteousness looks less like living according to a strict set of rules and more like knowing, trusting and believing that God, through Jesus, has a plan for my life.

Finally, what is the evidence that our faith is full and real?  Glory.  Not to us, but glory to God.  Looking at verse 20, we see that Abraham “grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.”  We can conclude that faith is fully manifested in us when we give God glory for everything in every way.  Ironically, living for God’s glory means that we cannot possibly entertain thoughts, or engage behaviors that are contrary to his nature.  To do so would negate our belief and therefore, his very existence.

It’s that simple.    Faith, righteousness and glory do not come from finding all the right things to do in the Bible.  Instead, our perfection now and eternally, comes through “the one whom the Bible reveals,” Jesus Christ.  Believe it!

Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (Kindle Locations 2064-2066). Discovery House. Kindle Edition.

What We Cannot Do For Ourselves…

Today’s reading is from Romans 3.

The word grace is defined by dictionary.com as “the freely and unmerited favor and love of God.” I’ve also heard it put that God’s grace means he will love us no matter what. Dictionary.com also defines a gift as “something given voluntarily without payment in return.” We learn in Romans 3:24 that we “are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.” Google defines redemption as “clearing a debt.” Romans 3:23 tells us, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:20 says, “For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.”

Typically a writer should wait until the end to put all the pieces together in a summary, but this is big enough that I feel compelled to do it now. Put plainly, no one is without sin, and no one receives the favor, love, and forgiveness of God by doing good works. We receive God’s love and have all our sins erased though confession of sin and faith in the one who first loved us when we didn’t deserve it, his son Jesus Christ. That’s all we have to do to get right with God? Yep…that’s it. Praise God!

In his Book If, Mark Batterson puts into perspective God’s forgiveness by reminding readers of the story in Matthew 18 when Jesus equivalates God’s forgiveness to a master who forgave his servant 10,000 talents.  One talent was 180 months or 15 years of wages. Therefore, a debt of 10,000 talents was 150,000 years or 2,332 lifetimes of wages of debt forgiven! This puts things into perspective of how no number of good works during our lifetime could make us righteous before God. Thinking of what God has done for us which he did not have to do and the fact that this is something we could not do for ourselves is enough to move me to tears often.

Let’s stick to the definition theme here. Merriam-Webster’s website defines righteous as “free from guilt or sin.” Mark also discusses in If that our sins are transferred into Christ’s account and paid in full when we confess our sins through Jesus’ death on the cross, but that’s only half of it. A second transfer occurs that we often forget. Jesus Christ’s righteousness is then deposited into our account with God calling it even! Not only does God not see our sin, he sees the righteousness of his son Jesus who was without sin in us. This is told to us in 2 Corinthians 5:21. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we may BECOME the righteousness of God.”

How does all this change how we should live today knowing these things?

  1. We don’t do good works and live how God wants us to live to earn God’s grace and love. We do good works in response to God’s love and grace.
  2. We do not boast or brag of anything we do (Romans 3:27). We can only boast of his grace and tell others of our faith in him.
  3. Since no one receives the righteousness of God based on works, family lineage, race, financials status, or social status, but only through faith in Jesus, we view ourselves as better than no one else. We see everyone as a child of God who is loved by God the same as us. We realize that everyone has a desperate need to come to faith in, and have a relationship with, Jesus Christ.
  4. We live different. We live life fearlessly because we have the righteousness of Jesus in God’s eyes through faith in him. We know he’s on our side and wants the best for us no matter what. Subconscious doubts about God’s love can culminate is many fears daily, but when know of God’s abundant love and are absolutely sure of it, we can live life without worries or anxieties about today or the future.

Please say this prayer with me today..

Dear God,

                I’m sorry for my many sins. I thank you for your gift of grace through faith in your son Jesus and his death on the cross. I thank you that your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and that you see me as righteous like Jesus only through confession and belief in him. Because of what Jesus did, help me to do good so that everyone can know you and see your love through me. Help me to not draw attention to these works, except for so that everyone will know the love you showed on the cross. Help me to remember each day that I can take risks and live a fearless life to be all you have called me to be because you have made me righteous like Jesus through faith in Him. Amen.

God’s Judgement

Romans 2

What comes to mind when you hear the word “judge” or “justice” or “judgment”? I would like to focus on these three themes today as we read Romans 2.

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

The first word “judge” brings many images and thoughts to mind. Based on your own standards, expectations, morals, values, upbringing, etc., you have an idea of how you like to lead your life or how you think the world should operate. Do you sometimes carry that over into criticizing how others lead their lives? Or in your mind do you think , “I would not have handled the situation that way”? “That is not the way to parent that unruly child!” “Wow, those clothes are not appropriate.” In today’s world of imagery and social media, we are flooded with messages by which to judge others, but we shouldn’t, because God is the ultimate judge. My friend Jan and I have this saying “stay in your lane”. We refer to this motto when we are talking about our kids, our friends and parenting. If the situation at hand doesn’t affect you or your child, don’t get involved or judge. If it does present harm to you or your child, obviously, there is a time to jump in, but in general, it’s none of your business. Easy to say, sometimes hard to do.

The second word that comes to mind in reading this chapter is “justice”. Justice in our world today is carried out through our legal system. Unfortunately, I had a very rocky divorce over ten years ago (and you may be judging me know by writing about it here??). Multiple hours spent in the McLean Country Law & Justice Center, with the outcome of my life and my kids’ lives being determined by a judge. Was I capable enough to be given sole custody of my kids? Which holidays was I “assigned”? How much money would I be given or would I have to pay? It was pure torture. I can remember daydreaming in the courtroom thinking “here is this judge deciding our outcome without knowing the situation, me as a person/parent or my children. This is absurd. And how many times each day does this judge get to decide the fate of others and doesn’t know them either?”

However, I consoled myself thinking God truly decides in the end. He is the ultimate judge. His judgment is what matters. Justice will be served. The best part is that he knows us. He knows our thoughts, words, and deeds. His vote is the one that counts. It is based on the truth.  He gives us the gift of eternal life if we choose to take the opportunity and strive for it.

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Consider the three words and the words written in Romans 2. How can we all live a better earthly life and not judge others? Are you upholding the laws? Are you upholding what the Bible says or how it suggests we act? Do you show repentance for your sins and ask for forgiveness? Do you believe? How will you be judged? I hope to continue to do better each day seeking his glory, honor and immortality.

The Trap of Our Earthly Desires

I have the privilege of writing about Romans 1 today but I really want to focus on verses 18-32. It’s in those 14 verses that you can truly see the repercussions of the fall that happened way back in Genesis when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

 

We live in a broken world. Every day the news comes up with new stories about death, hate, poverty, and sickness all over the world. We try to turn it off but we never can. People propose solutions for all of these problems and don’t understand when they don’t work. We are a people who rely on things, machines, and other people to be our saviors in times of need rather than falling on our knees and crying out to God.

 

We know there is a God but we find ourselves turning towards earthly pleasures because we lack self-discipline. God is knocking at the door but we still have to open it and invite him in. We can’t keep talking to him through the door or only letting him in when we need him. Romans 1:24-25 says,

 

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

 

It says specifically God gave them up. There always will be a choice and you can choose to continually choose early pleasures but will that ever satisfy your soul? God gave them up means to me that he had was trying to protect them for a while but they never turned from their ways. It was never his plan but when these unrighteous people kept doing what they wanted, he had to give them up to their desires. The true king of their lives.

 

How can we relate to this?

 

Think about your life. Do you find yourself at church scrolling, checking email, or even napping? Do you find yourself buying new things because you have to have them in your life? Are you doing the minimum to just get into heaven?

 

These 14 verses show us how easy it is to lose yourself in these early desires. These men and women KNEW God and they still desired these worldly things. It is easy to fall into Satan’s trap so guard your heart. If you lost everything but still have Jesus, could you say that you still had all that you need?

 

Reflect on your own lives today. Pray that the holy spirit will convict you so that you do not fall into the same trap as these unrighteous people did in these 14 verses.

Intro to Romans

As we finished the book of Acts yesterday and reflect back over the book, I trust that you found the formation of the new church as exciting, refreshing and motivating as I did. I loved seeing lives change so quickly and dramatically as we witness Acts. I personally chose to follow God as a young child, and was raised in a home where Gods principles were the standard. Since I grew up in a relationship with Jesus (which I am so grateful for), sometimes I feel like I missed out on that radical adult life change that happens in some peoples lives when they meet Jesus mid life. I just love the example shown to us of the early church learning to function as one body instead of a bunch of individuals. Their willingness to sell what they owned, to have cash to meet others needs and care for those unable to care for themselves is so beautiful. Reading through their choices inspires, encourages and challenges me to be willing to live the same way.

So today I am given the opportunity to introduce our next book, Romans to you. The truth is that I am ill equipped for this project. Cosmetology school didn’t cover Romans, the Bible or even history for that mater so you are going to get to look at what I am able to root out of my commentaries about Romans. Hopefully I am able to find some little nugget that you didn’t already know. If not, then please get a head start on the book itself…God won’t let you down!!

It seems that it is widely accepted that Paul is the author of Romans. The two main purposes for writing this letter to the Roman church were to announce his upcoming visit and to present a detailed and complete statement of the gospel message. The believers in Rome had been on Paul’s heart and prayer list for a long time so he had a strong desire to visit with this group of believers. He was excited to share with them that he was finally getting to come. He also wanted to write to these people about the salvation that they all shared, to give a full and logical presentation of God’s plan for humans to be saved. He starts at the beginning with man’s sin and condemnation to the very end of God’s story where we are able to spend eternity in God’s presents, conformed to the image of Christ.

I’m going to copy a sentence from my commentary ( The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck) as it is encouraging and brings hope for our next few weeks in the book of Romans.

“God’s program of salvation for people will not fail because it is His work, and “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:6”

No matter what I face today, I can rest in the fact that God’s plan of salvation will NOT fail! This beautiful promise is more than enough.

Humble Servanthood

     Today, we are reading Acts 28 together.  In this chapter, the final one in the book of Acts, we continue to travel with Paul and his close friend Luke.  Luke, Paul and the rest of their group have recently been shipwrecked after a terrible storm; in fact, they have not eaten in 14 days and were forced to swim to the nearest island  (see Acts 27:14; Acts 27:33; Acts 27:43).  They learned that the island was called Malta, and they remained there for three months.  Fortunately, the native Maltans welcomed Paul and his group wholeheartedly.  From Malta, the group traveled to Rome and here Paul’s circumstances changed dramatically.  In verse 16, Luke writes, “When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.”  (Acts 28:16)   In fact, Paul was now under house arrest, and he knew that his years of ministry would soon come to a close.

Despite his imprisonment and impending death, Paul somehow managed to remain humble.  It is this character trait, humility, that I would like us to focus on today.  We see evidence of Paul’s humility right after he arrives in Malta.  Despite having just survived a terrifying shipwreck – he is most likely exhausted and starving – Paul doesn’t hesitate to help his hosts when it begins to rain:

     “It had begun to rain and was cold…Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire…:” (Acts 28:3). 

Paul’s humility is evident here in his service to others despite his own physical weakness.

When Paul arrives in Rome and begins his season of house arrest, he remains humble here as well.  We read that Paul constantly places others before himself:

“From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus…” (Acts 28:23)

Paul could easily have chosen an attitude of bitterness regarding the loss of his personal freedom, but he did not.  Instead, he chose to spend his days – from morning to evening – telling others about Christ, so that they too might be saved.

It takes humility to serve others who are treating you as an honored guest, and it takes humility to serve others when you are imprisoned with a guard watching over your every move. From guest of honor to prisoner, Paul remained humble and served those around him.  In doing this, he taught people about Jesus.  Although few of us will experience either shipwreck or imprisonment in our lives, we can all try to set aside our current circumstances, whatever they are, and serve others in humility.  In doing this, our actions reveal Christ and his love for the world.  How can you, today,  humbly serve those around you?