Salt & Light Blog

Who Are You and Who Are You Made to Be?

9/18/2017

For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. Colossians 2:9-10 Photo by David Campbell

Today, I am beginning a new study Paul’s letter to the Romans. Verses 1-7 of this amazing letter consists of Paul’s greeting. He begins with his identity. Verses 1-2 reads,
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures
Believer, you can identify yourself here too. Read verse 1 but fill in your name and your calling. If you do not know your calling fill in “the image of Christ.” For me, this sentence reads, “Donna, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be a teacher, set apart for the gospel of God.” What does it say about you? Write it out, read it aloud. Claim your identity in Christ.
Believer, you are a servant of Christ Jesus. You have obeyed his first commandment of you, that you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). As a servant, it is expected that you will continue to serve Him, obey Him, and seek to represent your Lord and Master in the world. To obey, you must know what it is He asks of you. You need a relationship to listen and communicate with Him and you need to know where to look for His commandments. The Word of God is filled with God’s will for you. Jesus told us, ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). It is in the obedience to this command that we best represent Him to the world. In John 13:34-35 Jesus said,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What is your calling? How is it that God wants you specifically to love people and share His Gospel? There are many gifts God has given and God has given you at least one (1 Corinthians 12:7). Using your gifts is how God builds His church and builds up His church. He works through each of us and adds to the church but also strengthens us as we become more and more like Him. 1 Peter 4:8-11 says it this way,
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen

What is your gift? If you do not know, there are several ways to find out. If you actively serve God, persistently follow Him, and spend much time in the presence of fellow believers, ask your brothers and sisters what your gift is. They will know because they will see God’s Holy Spirit at work within you and through you. You can see for yourself as well, what it is you’re good at doing. Are you the person who loves to clean up after service, plan a party, or give to the poor? Are you the person skilled at making the Gospel simple, speaking God’s truth to those around, or praying for others? That is likely your gift. There are a couple of places in the Word, which list some of the gifts. One such list is 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. It reads,
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

There are also tests you can take to help you identify your gifts. As you grow and mature in Christ, your gifts will grow and change. Whatever your gifts are, God set you apart to use them for His Gospel.
You were called before you were born, before the world was created, to be a servant of Christ! God made you very purposefully and with great deliberation so that you could be exactly who He designed you to be, His servant glorifying Him in the image of Christ. Read what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:3-10.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
As verse 2 reminds us, we were called apart beforehand, through His prophets in the holy Scriptures. That may sound confusing to you. What does it mean? It means that you find out who you are in Christ, by reading the Bible and believing what it is God says about you in those glorious living pages. As you find out who Jesus is, you will find out who you are in Him. Verses 3-4 tell us a little something about who Jesus is, and what the Gospel is.
concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Jesus is the Son of God born as a man as prophecy states from the lineage of King David and professed and recognized as the Son of God by the Holy Spirit and by His Resurrection. He is our Savior and Lord, Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God; He is the power of Almighty God manifested in perfect Love, Peace, and Salvation! If you mediate on what that means, you cannot help but be overjoyed and rest in the knowledge of who He is and who you are in Him. Believer, you are saved, you are given the righteousness of Christ because He took your sins on Himself and paid the price (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead within you (Romans8:11)! You can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)! You can do greater things than Jesus did (John 14:12)! Why? How? Because you are a servant of Christ, called and set aside to be who you are, because God adores you.

Do you know who you are in Christ? Do you know who God made you to be? He made you to be loved, He made you a saint (Romans 1:6). I want you to know who you are, so you can help others know who they are, so you can love them the way God loves them, and so you can love the full life your Creator means for you to live.

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Romans 16 The World Needs a United Body of Christ; We Need Unity.

5/21/2016

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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2

Romans 16
Being a part of the Body of Christ, His church is one of the most precious aspects of my life. I personally can tell you, the depth of love I have for the people, my brothers and sisters who go to the same local church with me is immense. I love these people as if they were born in the same blood family, I love them more. I would not hesitate to lay down my life for anyone of them. The joy of seeing God work in them is huge; the thrill of seeing God work through them is massive. I love them as if the same blood runs through our veins. I guess in one way, it does, Jesus’ blood has been poured over us, His blood covers us. We share the same Spirit. We were adopted by the same awesome Father. We are connected in so many ways. In verses 1-16 of Romans 16, Paul greets and sends his love to a long list of brothers and sisters, each serving God and the church with their gifts. His love for them is evident, his concern for them is apparent. He longed to come to visit the Roman believers but could not get there because his ministry kept him going to other places (Romans 15:22-33). That was one of the reasons he wrote them this letter. If he could not teach them in person, he would do it in a letter or via messages through trusted friends and fellow believers.
The love I have for the body of Christ goes beyond the Christians in my local church, it goes beyond the Christians I know personally. One friend and I were talking about meeting people and yet recognizing the Holy Spirit in them. It is as if on both sides, He rejoices to see another one of His children, like He reaches out and spiritually hugs this other person. We recognize Him in people and we are already connected. We delight in seeing a family member, we have not yet met, but know and love anyway.
Another friend and I were talking about the thrill of speaking to another believer, and how The Lord loves to use us to speak to, instruct, encourage, exhort, and love one another. Sometimes, He gives us prophetic words through our fellow believers, other times He teaches us through their actions, or service, or prayer.
The church really is the body of Christ. We are united by our Father’s call, Jesus’ Blood, and the Holy Spirit’s power. It is an awesome testimony for each other and for the world. Because of that great strength, the adversary wants to wreak havoc and do whatever he can to weaken us, steal from us, destroy our progress and God’s work, and if nothing else, kill us. He cannot have the world, his prisoners see the beauty and power of Jesus Christ in us. They’ll want freedom and he wants to keep them shackled and blind. Verses 17-18 reads,
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Our unity is an awesome and unique thing. It shows people we truly do share one Spirit. We are not lemmings with no individual will or mind. We are distinctive individuals with one Spirit and the mind of Christ, expressed through our diverse and matchless personalities. We are one, but unlike the Star Trek’s, Borg, we are each individuals within the one. Satan wants to destroy our unity. He sends people in who with their smooth talk and charming personalities can make what they say sound like the word of God. New Christian’s, trusting and immature believers can easily fall victim to these predators. How do we defend ourselves, the faith, and the church? Verse 19 reads,
For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
First, we must remain obedient to the Lord. In order to obey, we have to know the commands that we are following. So we must know God, seek Him, listen to Him, and read the Word He gave us. That requires time in prayer, time spent communicating with God expressively and receptively. It means spending time with the Body, because as I said earlier, He often chooses to speak and work through His children. As Paul points out, our obedience gives him and many others the opportunity to rejoice over us. People are watching us. Our lives are a witness to the truth, evidence of God, a testimony to salvation and eternal life. The author of Hebrews described it like this in Hebrews 12:1-2,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Additionally, Paul said, we should be wise as to what is good and innocent as what is evil. What does it mean to be wise to good and innocent to evil? We have to understand what it is to be good, what goodness looks like and how it is expressed. There are two “lists” I think of first which describe righteousness. Both are descriptions of Jesus and how we express His Spirit in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 also known as the fruit of the Spirit and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, the description of love. But there are numerous descriptions, virtues, and words which show us how to live. The best way to know them is to read the Bible, meditate on the Word, and be instructed in the Scripture regularly. Jesus’ described goodness this way in Matthew 5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What does it mean to be innocent as to what is evil? It means not to be guilty of evil. We are not to practice evil, which in essence is gratifying one’s basal desires or loving one’s self to the point that the person has only disregard left for others. But furthermore, it means that we must be declared not guilty by the Judge. Jesus Christ calls us righteous, because He died, rose, and lives! He took our sin (all the wrongs we ever committed or will commit) and declared himself guilty and paid the price. We are forgiven and declared innocent. Romans 5:1-2 in Young’s Literal Translation says,
Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have the access by the faith into this grace in which we have stood, and we boast on the hope of the glory of God

How else will we overcome the schemes of Satan who wants to obliterate our unity and try and end God’s glory and plan? We will trust God to be God and carry out His plan. Verse 20 reads,
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Read that verse again, did you catch whose feet Satan will be crushed under? The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. He will use you and me to defeat the accuser!
Believer, we have to remain united, we have to fight for one another, love one another, and defend the faith together.
As Paul wrapped up his letter to the Roman Christians he once again sent greetings this time from the people with him to the Romans. Verses 21-23 read,
Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you

Paul was not alone. No matter where he was, he stayed in fellowship with believers. Paul is considered one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. He was an apostle. He saw Heaven. He wrote 13 out of the 27 books of the New Testament. He spread the Gospel to gentiles across the ancient Eastern world. But he was not above the need to be with other believers, to be sharpened and supported by them. Don’t fall for the lie that you do not need to be an active member of a local church.
Our unity goes beyond the brothers and sisters we share our communities with. It extends to believers across our cities, states, provinces, countries, and the earth. But it also extends to the Kingdom of God both on the earth and in Heaven. We cannot leave God out of our community of faith. Verses 25-27[i] read,
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Dearly loved Brothers and Sisters, I encourage you today to cherish the unity we have with one another, to fight for it and defend it against the schemes of the enemy who will try and destroy it. Pay attention to one another. Do not neglect meeting together, reading and studying the scriptures, or serving God and serving each other. Be obedient witnesses. Cling to the hope of eternal life and the awesome promises of God.

[i] Verse 24 is not included in most manuscripts it reads, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

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Romans 15 Encourage One Another to Live as Examples of Jesus Christ

5/20/2016

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May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6

Romans 15:1-21
Can you imagine if Jesus had acted the way we do and expected His followers to be perfect? Some of us are further along in our transformation than others. We have different weaknesses, strongholds, gifts, and talents. We are responsible toward one another to edify, fortify, and encourage, not nitpick, criticize, or condemn. Verses 1-7 of this chapter read,
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, He came to save us (John 3:17). He lived the Word of God as the Word of God. It is His love acted out which saves. It is in our exalting Him by following His example that we lead others to Him, not in our condemnation of their weaknesses. He took on our sins. In verse 3 Paul quoted Psalm 69:9. Psalm 69:9-13 reads,
For zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
    I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make songs about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

David, the author of Psalm 69, concerned himself with his actions, his faith, and his relationship with the Lord. He let his life lead people to God. Instead of criticize people for not being where he was, he like Jesus took responsibility for showing people the better way. He also understood that it would not be his criticism that would convict but it would be The Lord who convicts. Each person has to be personally convicted by the Lord and deal with it himself. That is not up to us. We do not save, Jesus does. The life we lead, the faith we exhibit, and the love we express can show people the way. Verses 8-13 read,
For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
    and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
    and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Jewish Christians at the time had much more experience in God’s word. They had grown up learning the scriptures. Gentiles had come from a variety of pagan religions, and different practices. They were new to the God of Abraham. Today, we can equate that with people who have grown up in Christian households, or who have been believers for years and compare them to people who are new believers. The longer one walks with Jesus, the more he comes to know the Lord and the more he is conformed to His image.
God gave us to one another. We have a responsibility to one another, not to judge and condemn but to edify, teach, serve, and love. Romans 12:3-8 says it like this,
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

God’s will is our sanctification, which is another way of saying our transformation to be like Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and for the salvation of every person on the earth (2 Peter 3:9). Those goals are our goals too. That is our common mission. Verses 14-21 read,
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
    and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s ministry within God’s mission was very specific and it was not exactly the same as Peter’s ministry, John’s ministry, or yours or mine. But he knew that the Body of Christ would all work together toward The Lord’s purposes because the Body of Christ has His Spirit. We too can trust that The Holy Spirit to work through one another for His objectives. You are not the only Christian called by God for service. Every follower of Christ has been called, every one of us has been given gifts and we are given the task of using them for building the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 4:11-16 says it this way,
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Believer, Jesus didn’t condemn the world or criticize the weak. Do we have a right that the Lord of lords and King of kings didn’t take? We are not called to denounce, we are called to encourage. We are not called to demean, we are called to edify. We are called to BE salt and light not talk about being salt and light. I encourage you today to stop focusing on the weaknesses of people and begin living as an example, supporting, building, serving and loving one another as Jesus loves and lives in us.

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Romans 14 Christianity is not About What One Eats or Drinks

5/19/2016

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And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

Romans 14
As Christians we are each different. We are quite unique. We all have varying experiences, histories, maturity, personalities, gifts, and talents that make up who we are. But the most important aspect we need to remember about one another is that each of us was called by the LORD, chosen by Him, and is loved by Him.
In our local bodies we will find people who because of various reasons are susceptible to certain strongholds. One brother cannot watch movies with any sexual content, he considers it sinful and those films call to his flesh; he abstains from all movies rated PG-13 and above. Yet for another brother he has no problems seeing those movies and enjoys them. One sister feels that drinking alcohol at all is detrimental to walking in the Spirit, while another enjoys a glass of wine with dinner each night and has no problems with alcohol.
We’re all different. Walking in the Spirit with Jesus is not about things like drinking or refraining from drink, it is about a transformative relationship with Almighty God our Creator. But too often we take our eyes off Jesus and place them on one another, judging each other for our personal choices, abstentions, or leniencies. Boy, the adversary loves it when we argue over silly things like that, especially when one of the participants of the quarrelling is a new or less mature Christian. Verses 1-6 read,
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

I know a beautiful woman of God who fasts every Sabbath Day. She honors the Lord each Friday evening through Saturday evening by refraining from food and spending hours in prayer. I know another amazing woman of God who celebrates the Sabbath on Sundays by making those days a special holiday full of good meals, family time, and prayer and worship. A third friend, celebrates every day as the Sabbath and doesn’t believe in designating only one day each week to be holy. All three of these women do what they do to honor God. Each one is glorifying and exalting the Lord, celebrating Jesus Christ and living out the Holy Spirit in her unique way.
What a waste of time it would be for the friend who fasts on the Sabbath to convince the friend who celebrates every day as the Sabbath that she is wrong and vice versa. The only result of that contention would be disunity, ill-feelings, guilt, and possibly temptation to indulge the flesh in any number of ways. Who are we to pass judgement on one another’s service to the Lord? We are in this together! One body, one Spirit and one mission. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 reminds us that our diversity does not have to separate us from one another. In fact our diversity works to unite us further.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

We are not walking alone. The Lord gave us to one another. We need to respect God’s Lordship. We need to trust that God can and does save, that He will conform each of us to His image, and that He is not fooled by the deceivers among us. Verses 7-12 say,
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

We are not alone. We have a responsibility to one another and in love we want the best for each other. If I know that my brother finds rated R movies tempt him to gratify the flesh, I will not see those films with him, talk about them with him, or try to convince him that it isn’t sinful. What is sinful for him, is not the same as what is sinful for me. My strengths and weaknesses are different than his. For me to talk about the latest Robert Rodriguez movie around a brother who grew up around violence and is vulnerable to those images would be to hurt his walk with Jesus. Where is the love in that? Verses 13-15 reads,
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

I enjoy hard driving rock music. But some of my brothers and sisters in Christ consider the music I listen to as sinful. One brother finds when he listens to certain music it changes his mood and takes his focus off Jesus. That music doesn’t have that effect on me. Quite the opposite, that music allows me to express a passion for God, His ministry, and His love in various ways and connects me to Christians in a way that traditional Christian music does not. I have seen the good work this music has played in lives of young people who would never have listened to something more mainstream. My music choice is not better than my friend’s, it is different. My choice helps leads me to worship God, his choice leads him to worship God. Both choices are good. Fighting over it is futile. Verses 16-19 read,
So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Christianity has nothing to do with whether we worship with hymns or modern music or no music. It has nothing to do with whether we drink wine or juice, cola or water. Christianity is about our relationship with the Lord, one another, and the world. My walk with God, my faith is between me and God and it will affect the people around me. If I live in the Spirit, you will be able to see the results of that in the way I live. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us how a Spirit-filled person looks.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
There are no dos and don’ts in there. It doesn’t say the fruit of the Spirit is veganism, carnivorous diets, abstaining, indulging, shouting, or whispering. The dos and donts come in the description of love we read in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

The dos and don’ts there are not a list of rules but a description of an attitude, a description of Jesus and how our transformation will make us behave. It doesn’t say, love doesn’t listen to an upbeat, it reads “love does not insist on its own way.” If I trust God to be God for me, shouldn’t I also trust Him to be God for you? What will my insistence that my way is the right way do to my sister who feels that eating pork is sinful? God’s taking care of her transformation, and He is taking care of mine. What if instead of wasting time arguing over whether or not we can add bacon to a sandwich, I make us both a tomato and lettuce sandwich or we pray for one another, or I spend time getting to know her? If I try and coerce her to do something she considers a sin, I will hurt her. I will present her with a false image of God, cause her pain, guilt, and shame, and lead her away from the Lord rather than build her up and grow closer to Him. Verses 20-23 read,
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
God is doing a good work in you, and He is doing a good work in your brothers and sisters (Philippians 1:6). Who are we to doubt His ability to save them? We are all different, beautifully unique and woven together into a magnificent tapestry which paints a picture of The Lord to the world. Let’s show them His awesome love, amazing strength, and perfect grace instead of our own agendas, feelings, and liabilities.

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Romans 13 The Law and the Christian

5/18/2016

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Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:10

Romans 13
There is more than one kind of law. There is the law of nature, God’s Law, Mosaic Law, and governmental law to name a few. The Christian has a unique relationship with each of these laws because of her unique relationship with The LORD God who made them all. For instance a Christian may not agree with the political view of her government but she knows God is Sovereign and so she respects the government and follows the laws put in place by them. She obeys the laws of her country, state, and city because obeying those laws reflects her submission to God and shows her humility to the world and gives them a chance to see God’s love at work. Paul told the Roman Christians who lived under a government who did not always have their best interest in heart to remember who put those in control in power. Verses 1-2 read,
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

All authority comes from God. So obeying the laws put in place by the country is obedience to God. When a policeman stops us for speeding, it does us no favor to be belligerent or even defensive. If we had not been breaking the speed limit, would he have stopped us? And if we were not speeding, if we were not breaking any laws then we have no reason for hostility, no reason to be defensive or fearful because we didn’t do anything wrong. Sure the policeman could still give us a citation, even if we think he’s is in the wrong. But will our antagonism stop him? Will our opposition show him the love of Jesus? Verses 3-7 read,
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

The deference we show earthly authorities is a picture of our acquiescence to The Lord. It is an opportunity to love people in a way that most of the world cannot practice. The illustration of our relationship with God also extends to punishment and reward. If we are fulfilling governmental laws, we have nothing to fear from governmental authority. If we are fulfilling God’s law or know Jesus has fulfilled it for us) we have nothing to fear from God. When a policeman knocks at the door and we have done nothing illegal, we don’t have to worry. We are free to respect authority because we know that we have not earned the penalties of breaking the law.
I know that our governments are not perfect. There are people who are condemned even though they are innocent. There are people in prison for crimes they did not commit, even some who have been put to death. But we are still free to give authority the respect they are owed, because we trust God above them. We know that somehow even in a fallen and flawed world, God has us and He will use all of it for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
We are not subject to Mosaic Law because Jesus, the Lamb of God fulfilled the Law by sacrificing Himself on the cross and defeating death and sin in the Resurrection. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are free as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18). That may sound confusing but what it means is this: At one time we lived to please ourselves and everything we did was sin because we were living outside God’s will, outside of a relationship with Him. We lived for pleasure, pride, and profligacy. But when we were set free from sin, we offered ourselves to Jesus and became free to love Him, free to love people, and free to express His love in righteousness. We offer our lives to the Lord as living examples of who He is and that means offering ourselves to loving people as Jesus loves them.
Jesus fulfilled Mosaic Law and we are no longer under a list of dos and don’ts. We are now under the Law of Love. Paul describes it in verses 8-10.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Truly, love fulfills every aspect of the law. If we are expressing God’s love to someone would we commit adultery, murder, steal, or even be envious of them? No, there is not an iota of love in those acts. Love cannot sin. It’s time to stop concentrating on the Law of Moses and start focusing on loving people with the ferocity of God Almighty. Let’s love people, be just as concerned for their welfare, feelings, and future as our own. Let’s be slaves of righteousness who focus on what we can do to love as Jesus loves instead of slaves of sin who focus on how not to sin and what is sin and what is not.
Believer, you have been set free! Stop putting on those shackles of sin and instead live and walk in the freedom you’ve been given. You are free to live and walk in the Spirit of God who has indwelled you. Stop concentrating on laws and sins and put your eyes on Jesus. We are free from the Law, why continue to live under it? We cannot live in between law and Jesus. There is no middle road, no tension between law and antinomianism (that is complete disregard of any sort of authority including God). Both are ways that Satan keeps people enslaved and away from the true grace of Jesus Christ our Salvation. Both are slavery to law, sin, and death. 1 Corinthians 10:21-24 reads,
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

The only sin for the Christian is to know what good she ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 tells us,
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Instead of keeping our eyes on the list of what we should not do, lets follow Jesus, imitate Him, live out the expression of the Holy Spirit and do what we know is right. What do we know is right? It is to love one another as Jesus loved us. Time is short, people are dying without knowing Jesus. They need us to show them who He is, not tell them what they should not do. Lists of sin do not save, Jesus does. Verses 11-14 read,
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Wasting our time focusing on sin and sins only leads toward temptation and giving in to sin. Let’s walk in the light of Christ, wearing the full armor of Christ, exuding the fruit of the Spirit. Let us focus on the living the Law of Love rather than following the laws like the Pharisees did.

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Romans 12 Let’s be Marked as Jesus’ Disciples Because of our Love not our Protests

5/17/2016

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

Romans 12
What does a Christian life lived by faith under God’s grace look like? How does the Christian follow Jesus and not the Law? Walking in the Spirit with Jesus is characterized by love. It is a life that chooses to exude the character of God, who is Love (1 John 4:8). Love is a tangible choice which affects every action, interaction, and reaction. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
The world tells us to look out for ourselves, to stand up against those who do us wrong with anger, fists, and shouting. It tells us to be offended by everything that disagrees with us and to whine as loudly as possible about the offense. But that isn’t love. Love is more effective than bellyaching over affronts. Love leads people to The Lord, teaches them who He is, and shows them His grace and mercy. Love involves our entire being, heart, soul, strength and mind. Verse 1-3 read,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Whether among the church or not, believers are not supposed to consider themselves as better than other people. That’s how the world does it. Each person fights and claws their way up and exalts himself. We know we’re not better than anyone. We were all born the same, in need of Christ.
The church is made up of many diverse people. Each has her own personality, experience, set of gifts and talents, and level of maturity. There is no one among us who is better than any other. Can you look down on a brother or sister because their gift is generosity and yours is service? Is the brother who prophesies more needed than the sister who administers? The church needs each one! Verses 4-8 read,
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
We are marked by our love. Love is how we are recognized as belonging to Jesus. Jesus said it this way in John 13:34-35,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We are supposed to be so united, so bonded to one another that we are like one body with one purpose, one Spirit, and one Lord. We each have functions connected to our gifts. If God has given you the gift of intercessory prayer, He means for you to pray for people. The church needs you to be a prayer warrior. The world needs you to be a prayer warrior. If He gave you the gift of prophecy, what good will you do the church or the world if you keep your mouth closed? It takes faith to exercise your gifts. It requires love to use your gifts for the building up of the church. Let’s love one another so deeply that the world takes notice. Let’s stop crying about being offended by words, laws, and attitudes and love people like Jesus loves people. Verses 9-13 read,
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
What if we outdid each other in respect, love, and service instead of looking for glory for ourselves? What if we loved each other so deeply that we responded with empathy, mercy, and grace instead of hurt feelings? The world would see Jesus alive in us. They would want to know more about how we are who they see. Currently, I don’t think the world looks at Christians and sees love. They see believers as self-righteous, judgmental, hateful, moaners who would rather fight over public bathrooms and the definition of marriage than choose mercy.
We are not better than anyone else. We know we didn’t save ourselves it was God’s graciousness that saved us and brought us where we are. I know if I’m living my entire life as worship that it extends beyond the few hours each week I am in church. If I am loving God with my entire life then I am loving others as He loves me. Why should I let a person who doesn’t know the Lord offend me? How could his opinions, which are based on all he knows hurt me? He doesn’t need my tongue clicking, judgement, or droning on about how offended I am; he needs Jesus. That means he needs me to love him as Jesus loves him, as Jesus loves me. Verses 14-21 read,
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Is your life marked by love or by law? Do you check off every sin you see your brother or a stranger committing? The lost sin, they live in sin; we cannot judge them for that. Your brothers and sisters are not under the law and so they cannot sin (Romans 5:13, 1 Corinthians 6:12). If they are walking outside the will of God in the flesh, then gently restore them (Galatians 6:1-2) but remember you are not to think more highly of yourself than you ought. You were brought to life from death, just like them. You may be further along in your transformation than they are and you may not be. It is the Lord who saves you and who saves them.
Let your life be marked by love. Let the Holy Spirit be who you are. What if we stopped being offended and started loving instead? What if we met the needs of the people in the world instead of shaking our heads in disgust? It is my active and concrete love that should tell people I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, not my T-shirt, bumper sticker, or protest sign.

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Romans 11 God Loves the Lost as Much as He Loves the Saved

5/16/2016

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For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29

Romans 11
It is a privilege to be saved, but it is not a reason to be arrogant. We may boast, but we cannot boast in ourselves. We can only boast in Jesus Christ. He saved us, we didn’t. It was God’s great boundless grace which saved us, not our work but His.
Yet, I have seen and maybe I’ve felt it at sometimes, Christians who act as if the world is made up of fools and that as God’s children they are better than the world. I get weary of seeing the hateful messages from people who proclaim Christ yet elevate themselves and degrade the lost. It is not love to demean people and we are supposed to love (John 13:34-35). Some people who claim to be Christians use religion as an excuse for anti-Semitism and other bigotries. God is not an anti-Semite, He does not hate the Jewish people. He chose them. He calls them His treasured possession. Look what He says about Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

If we truly love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, then we will cherish what and who He cherishes. Some people claim God rejected Israel when they rejected Him. But that is a fallacy. It is a lie to keep our focus on honoring ourselves and dishonoring others instead of honoring The LORD. Paul says it like this in verses 1-6,
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

The Lord has always kept a remnant of Israel for Himself. From Elijah and the seven thousand to Paul, Peter, James, and John to people like me the Jewish believers who live today. God chooses and calls whom He will and He will show His grace and mercy on whom He chooses (Exodus 33:19). Salvation is His. The Lord has His reasons, His ways are not our ways; His thinking is much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has a plan. He is the beginning and the end and He knows the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13, Mark 13:32). Isaiah 46:9-11 reads,
  remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

It is wonderful to be saved, but we didn’t save ourselves. Our part in salvation was submitting to God. God did and does the rest. God called us and opened our eyes to the Jesus. Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead for us. The Father adopted us. The Holy Spirit indwells and transforms us. Do you know that even the people who rejected Christ, who couldn’t see the truth of who He is played a part in making the way for salvation open to you? Verses 7-16 read,
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
    and bend their backs forever.”
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
God adores us and He chose us, but He loves the lost too. We are not more worthy than they are. We are not better. God allowed us to come to know Him and He wants them to come to know Him too. He is calling them. They are lost in unawareness of who The Lord is. Their eyes are closed and their hearts are hard, just like ours used to be. Was it hate and humiliation that brought you to God? Did someone argue about how right they were and wrong and stupid you were to tell you about the love of Jesus? Did name calling bring you to the point where you called on Jesus’ name? Of course not. It was love in action that broke your stone heart. It was the Word of God lived out that made the scales fall from your eyes.
We were not always adopted into God’s family. God transplanted us from the princedom of the world into the Kingdom of Heaven. He made us a part of Him. In John 14:18-21 Jesus described the unity with God like this,
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
The Son is in the Father, believers in the Son, and the Son in believers. It is a concept that is beyond our human thinking, one that hurts my head when I try to envision it. Paul used one of Jesus’ favorite illustrations to describe it, that of the branches and the vine (Matthew 21:33-46, John 15:1-11). Verses 17-24 say,
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

God grafted you in. He didn’t have to. He broke of some of the natural branches and put you in their place. Do you realize that He could have made salvation come by birth if He had chosen that way? He could have said all of Jacob’s descendants and no one else would be saved. But He gave the whole world the opportunity for salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God who made the way for you to know Him. It was not and is not us. Verses 25-27 read,
Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”
If some of Israel had not rejected Jesus as Messiah, would the Gospel have ever made it to gentiles? If the Pharisees had not been so set on saving themselves through the law, would the apostles have spread the Word of God to the world? Verses 28-32 read,
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

God chose Israel and called them His treasured possession; He has not changed His mind. God cherishes them. We are not better than anyone else. Our salvation has nothing to do with our own efforts. The Lord cherishes you as well. He has chosen to heap grace and mercy on you. He has called you a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9). He has called you friend (John15:15). He has called you sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18). Do not forget that. God has not and will not change His mind! We may not understand why God does what He does, but we don’t have to understand it, we only need to trust Him. Verses 33-36 read,
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

You were made from God, through Him and for Him and so was Israel, every lost person, every single person on this earth. Give God the glory for who you are, not yourself.

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Romans 10 The Simple Profound Truth

5/15/2016

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and [Jesus] said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

Romans 10
I have seen people, Jewish and gentile, those who claim Christ and those who do not who have this enthusiasm and passion for God which is really inspiring. Yet, that zeal for God doesn’t extend to faith in Him as God. They do not believe God the Son, Jesus Christ is the Savior. They do not trust God, the Holy Spirit to be their righteousness. They do not believe that God, the Father chose to save them through faith. I have seen even people who proclaim Christ afraid to really trust Him for salvation and so they cling to making themselves good enough, following rules and rituals in order to become righteous on their own merits.
The law cannot make anyone good enough. We cannot save ourselves. We have no righteousness of our own, full stop (Philippians 3:9). Salvation is not something we earn. It is a gift. There are no strings attached. It is a gift we accept or reject. It is not about being good. It is not about making ourselves worthy. Verses 1-4 read,
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
We’ve learned we must earn the good things we want in life. If we want a nice place to live, food on the table, or regard, we have to work for those things. We arrogantly look down on people who receive these things as handouts or were born into them. Working, earning, and striving are respected in many of our cultures.
But salvation is free! We cannot earn it. God simply gives it to us for the asking. He didn’t ask Joseph if he apologized to his brothers before he saved him. And He didn’t ask is if we made amends to all the people we hurt when we asked for forgiveness. When we were kids and wanted something from our parents, let’s say to go see a movie, we asked and they answered, “Is your room clean.” We had to earn the reward of the movie ticket from them. But salvation cannot be earned. God gives it freely. It is simple, too simple for most people to accept. Our adult minds have learned things like ‘if it’s too good to be true then it is’ and ‘nothing comes for free.’ But ask any child who has not yet learned that cynicism and she will tell you gifts are free. She wakes up on her birthday ready to open presents because she is receiving presents to celebrate her life, gifts are part of the promise of that celebration. Her parents are not going to withhold the cake until her room is clean. They are not going to withhold the gift until she can prove she is worthy to be seven years old.
But we’ve complicated salvation with strings. We’ve sullied the Gospel with burdens in order to help it make sense to us. It is our pride which cannot let go of the effort to save ourselves and trust the LORD God, the Lord of Hosts, and Holy One, our husband and our maker to be God our Redeemer. Instead of establishing our relationship on The God of Heaven and Earth, we center our religion on being good people, following laws, systems, and imperatives. Verses 5-7 read,
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

To choose the laws and earn our own righteousness is to make the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ defunct. It insults Christ and it affronts the Gospel. It puts the person saying and doing these things in Jesus’ place as savior. Salvation cannot be earned, it is a gift of Jesus Christ, full stop. Ephesians 2:4-9 says,
Bu] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is from God and through Him. Only Jesus can save. Only the untarnished Word of God can bring the truth. Only faith and humility can allow a person to receive it. Verses 8-13 read,
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It doesn’t say for some who believe, confess, make amends, follow the law and prove their worth will be saved. It says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There are no addendums, small print, or strings.
So what about all those people out there trying to be good enough to get into Heaven? There are countless people hoping that when they meet God face to face He says, “Come on in your scored in the upper half, you earned yourself a place in Heaven and saved yourself from Hell.” There are innumerable people who don’t think there is a heaven, hell, or afterlife much less a god. They are lost in ignorance but we know the truth. We have a responsibility to that truth. God doesn’t want them to die and spend eternity in Hell. Verses 14-17 read,
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The world is waiting to hear the truth. Are you asking haven’t they already hear it? Sure, many of them have heard it and they haven’t been able to believe. Some have heard it wrong. Some have not let it penetrate the heart’s hard covering of pride and fear. Some have let the world’s concerns take it away. There are many reasons people hear the truth but don’t accept it (Matthew 13:1-23). That doesn’t mean we don’t care. God still cares. God still wants them to know Him and be saved. The truth is out there. God didn’t keep it secret even from the beginning. Verses 18-19 read,
But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
The simplicity of the Gospel is too much for some people to accept. It takes the faith of a child to grasp the profundity of the Truth. Many reject it, but the invitation is open for anyone. God waits, He waits for people to accept Him with that faith and receive the awesome boundless mercy and grace He is ready to pour out on us. He will not compel us against our will. He waits with arms open in a loving invitation to a life lived in a relationship with Him. Verses 20-21 read,
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Ask yourself some questions today. Are you trying to earn salvation by being good enough? Have you made yourself the savior in Jesus’ stead? Have you called on the Lord to save you or hoped your works will save you? Have you loved people enough to tell have the beautiful feet of the one who brings the truth to the lost?

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Romans 9 Sovereign God Chose You

5/14/2016

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Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you Matthew 7:7

Romans 9
Believer, you were chosen by God to be His very own. Not everyone will answer God’s call to faith, but you did. He chose you, He offered you the right to become His son or daughter, and you seized the opportunity. So many people don’t answer. So many choose to seek redemption through other roads, by erred philosophies, or don’t seek at all and choose ignorance. But you were selected and you answered the call. In Revelation 3:20-21 Jesus said,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

If you are a believer, then you answered and you sit with God on His throne as His son or daughter. You were elected, you are preferred, desired, and cherry-picked to be the cherished child of God. Though He knocks, not many answer. Some cannot muster the faith to believe such a simple truth as the Gospel. Some cannot submit their own will to His and insist on finding their own way to salvation. They won’t hear Jesus tell them, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). I have loved ones who have rejected Christ. I have loved ones who will not give in and believe that He died and resurrected to give them life. And it breaks my heart. I would do absolutely anything if it could save them. But their salvation is not up to me. I can only tell them the truth and live out the truth in my life. It is up to the Lord to call and them to answer.
Paul described this using his fellow Jews. They had been offered the truth from the beginning but most of them chose death in the law over life in Christ. His heart broke for them but he couldn’t force them to choose faith. He could only move on to those who might listen and believe. Verses 1-5 read,
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Look at how passionate Paul was that the Jewish people believe. If he could have given up his own salvation for their sake, he would have. Do you love people that much? Really? Many of us are not even willing to give up a bit of comfort or pride in order to share the Gospel with someone. If we are not willing to endure a minute of awkwardness for someone I seriously doubt we would be willing to endure an eternity of torment for them. God loves the lost as much as He loves you and that love is immense. In his letter to the Ephesians Paul described God’s love like this as he prayed for them to understand it,
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21).

He loves you with a love so wide, high, deep, and long that you can only even begin to fathom it through the Holy Spirit. He loves that person God is prompting you to speak to just as much. He suffered the cross for you and for her, can you suffer a little discomfort to let her hear Jesus’ knock?
If there are so many people lost, if the Jewish people had the whole thing and still didn’t believe, if the people you speak to still reject Him, then is God’s word a failure? No. Verses 6-13 read,
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Esau had the same parents, the same choices, even more so than Jacob. Esau was favored by Isaac. But it was Jacob who was chosen by God to become Israel. It was Jacob who answered God’s call. Does it seem unfair? Does it seem like God just threw Esau away before he was even born? It was Esau who sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). He chose to give his calling away for the satisfaction of his stomach. God gave him freewill and he exercised it. Did the Lord know he would? Yes. Did the Lord want him to do it? Of course not! God doesn’t want a single one of us to choose death (Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:4). If Esau had chosen not to sell his birthright, Jacob still would have become Israel. God always sees to it, that those who follow Him in faith become the people we were created to become.
God is God! He created you. He created the universe. He chose your lineage. He chose you! He is Sovereign Almighty. Verses 14-18 read,
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

It may be very difficult to understand why God didn’t simply save everyone or why He gave us freewill. But there would be no relationship in that kind of salvation. We would be mindless lemmings. We all have the freedom to choose Jesus Christ. So many don’t. God knew from before our birth, before our grandparents’ birth, and at the creation of the world who we would be and if we would choose Him. He knows if Jenny from the block will bow down and proclaim Jesus as Lord. We do not. If He chooses to harden her heart it is not because He is rejecting her, it is for a good purpose for those who have loved him and answered the call to follow Him. He knows who will choose Him. He can harden hearts, soften hearts, make breakthroughs, and build barriers. He can remove stumbling blocks and place them. He is God.
It seems unfair. It seems like He’s playing favorites. It is not He who is playing favorites, it is us! He pursues, opens, and gives. It is up to us to seek, knock, and ask. In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus said,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Maybe you still find it unfair. But remember this; you are human and God is The LORD. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. He is God, His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Verses 19-29 read,
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
    and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
    we would have been like Sodom
    and become like Gomorrah.”

The Jewish people who rejected Jesus as Messiah, made it so that the Gospel of Christ would be preached to rest of the world. God knew from the beginning that most of the world would not receive Him, He made the way from the beginning for us to be His people, His children, and His beloved bride. God did not condemn the ones who rejected Him to death, they condemned themselves by refusing to answer the call. He, being All-knowing Loving God, used their stubbornness for our good. We are not better than them. We are chosen by God. Our salvation is not from any effort of our own. It is God. God can and will save whomever He chooses. Romans 11:17-20 says it like this,
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.

There is one difference between the saved and the lost and that is in how we answered God’s call. We either answered with faith to submit to His work, or pride and choose our own work. Verses 30-33 say,
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Believer, you can be called Believer, Beloved, and Chosen because of God. It is His work, His call, and His love which has saved you. You didn’t do it. You only answered the door and let Him come in. Relish that blessing. Celebrate your election! Don’t be arrogant and think you’re better than anyone else because you are chosen. Look at them and realize that God loves them deeply and vastly and be the instrument He uses to call them into that relationship with Him. Give up a few moments of discomfort so they can enjoy an eternity of abundant joyful life.

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Romans 8 Walking in the Freedom of the Love of God, United with The Spirit of God, Reflecting the Son of God.

5/13/2016

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For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 on photo of Ponce de Leon Lighthouse in Ponce Inlet, Florida by Anna Bonet

Romans 8
We’ve been reading what the law is and what its purpose is. We’ve learned that the law cannot save us or transform us. It cannot make us righteous and it cannot give us life. The law reveals sin (Romans 7:7), it shows us the holiness of God and our inability to reach that holiness without God. The law brings death (Romans 7:10) but Jesus conquered death when He gave up His life on the cross and rose from the dead in the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). God loves us so much, He chose to give us a part of Himself, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Jesus said this about Himself in John 3:16-18,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

He took the consequences of sin, for anyone who chooses to believe that He is the Son of God and that He died and resurrected; He is the Christ, the Savior of mankind. Verses 1-4 read,
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Not only did the Lord God take the consequence of sin, which is death away from us, but He also gave us life. He disabled the law for us. It no longer has the power to make us sin and die. We are not focused on the law anymore. That attention and effort into keeping the law leads to temptation, sin, and failure. We are not subject to the law. We can’t break laws where laws do not exist (Romans 4:15). He gives us life, new life, new selves, and a new character through His Spirit. Verses 5-11 read,
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit isn’t set up in a tent within you, ready to leave at any moment. He is entrenched in you, deeply-rooted, and joined with you. He changes you in ways that the world cannot grasp. He loves us and frees us from the law, from our elemental desires for ourselves and from the constant moral war of the soul. He gives us peace with God, a relationship with Him which enables us to please Him. He gives us a new mind and heart and changes us from the lost sinner who cannot do good, even when she thinks she is, to the chosen child of God who delights the Lord and has become the image of her Father who is Righteous. Verses 12-17 say,
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Did you know it is not your good works that please God, but your relationship with Him that pleases Him? Hosea 6:6 reads,
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
As a parent, which delights you more, your child’s good grades or her hugs? Are you more pleased when she cleans her room or when she cuddles up next to you? Do you beam with pride when people recognize you in her? If she didn’t clean her room or came home with poor grades would you stop being her parent? Would you disown her because tripped up? I doubt you would. I think you might step in and teach her how and why to clean her room. You would sit by her side and figure out why she was unable to do well in school and help her do her best.
Those times of learning to become who we are meant to be are not always easy. It is a struggle to become who we are meant to be. Have you ever heard people warn you not to pray for patience? Why? Because the way to learn patience is by having to be patient. The way to grow faith is to exercise it. The way to learn kindness is to be kind when it is not natural. Strength doesn’t just happen. We become strong by struggling. We become conquerors by overcoming. Victory requires a battle. While eternity will not have tears, this present life is filled with suffering. Yet that suffering is infinitesimal when we compare it to the beauty of the person God is making us into, His glory, His very likeness, His sons. Verses 18-25 reads,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Read verse 19 again, it does not read the Son of God who is Jesus Christ; it reads sons of God, us! At the end of our struggle, we will be revealed as the sons of God, the image of Jesus Christ. Our suffering, the toil and labor of this life is all leading to the Day of the Lord. Jesus will come, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7), every heart will recognize Him. Some hearts will melt with fear and the realization that they were wrong. Others will leap with joy at our salvation. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD! (Philippians 2:10-11).Then believers both living and dead will be lifted up into the clouds with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:17), revealed as His and changed instantly, perfected and complete (1 Corinthians 15:52). Then the rest of the people, those who finally believed too late will face the wrath of God and experience the death they chose when they rejected Christ (Revelation 14:19-20).
They live that death now and we live that life now. We are learning and becoming more and more the image of Christ, taking His character of love and reflecting Jesus to the world by the fruit of The Spirit so that they can know Him too. But it is not always easy to become who we were made to be. It is sometimes very difficult. We survive it, because we know who we are becoming, where we are going, and who we are going to spend eternity with. We are not perfect yet. Sometimes the struggle can be overwhelmingly difficult but it never has to overwhelm us. We are not alone. The Holy Spirit, God Himself is living within us and in the beauty that is our One Triune God communes with Himself so we can commune with Him. He is on our side. He wants our righteousness so much that He prays for us when we can’t do it for ourselves. He does all that in order to bring out the best for us and make us into His image so we can be recognized as His precious children and bring more of those people He loves home to Him. Verses 26-30 read,
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This life can be hard but the love of God is greater! The struggle can be agonizing but God’s love is ecstatic. His love is joy, and that joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). God’s Spirit is not just on you, He is not merely visiting you. He is indwelled in you, united to you and nothing and no one can rip Him out of you. He loves you profoundly and totally. His roots are too deep to ever get Him out entirely. He loves you too much to let you be captured, oppressed, and defeated by the world. Verses 31-39 say,

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Who Are You and Who Are You Made to Be?

Romans 16 The World Needs a United Body of Christ; We Need Unity.

Romans 15 Encourage One Another to Live as Examples of Jesus Christ

Romans 14 Christianity is not About What One Eats or Drinks

Romans 13 The Law and the Christian

Romans 12 Let’s be Marked as Jesus’ Disciples Because of our Love not our Protests

Romans 11 God Loves the Lost as Much as He Loves the Saved

Romans 10 The Simple Profound Truth

Romans 9 Sovereign God Chose You

Romans 8 Walking in the Freedom of the Love of God, United with The Spirit of God, Reflecting the Son of God.

Donna Campbell

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