I'd Rather Be Right

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 14 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters… Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister… Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (Romans 14:1, 13, 19, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Most the chapter focuses on food and drink which seems, back in Paul’s time, to have been a volatile issue, a HUGE issue.  I don’t think we stumble so much on that in this day except maybe over the issue of alcohol.  If you dim out the focus on food and drink, a strong message comes through about treating others with respect, regardless of how they believe.  How many times we find ourselves focusing on, debating or even conflicting over “disputable matters.”

The message hit me right between the eyes on one of my big struggle points—judging.  My critical-judgmental attitude usually goes unvoiced, thank goodness, but it is quietly churning and poisoning underneath.  Twined with that attitude is the intense need to be right and for others to know I am right.  Right at all cost; even the cost of happiness, respect for others and peace.

When Stanley and I first took our Airstream out “camping,” we pulled into a big RV park.  Others watched us get set up—big entertainment in a RV park.  We got into a dispute on how to turn the propane on to heat the hot water.  I KNEW I was right and Stanley was wrong.  To prove my point I went next door to verify I am right.  The neighbors were experts, as seen by the flamingos, plants and wooden name sign hanging outside.  When they confirmed what I already knew—“I AM RIGHT!”—I did the victory dance—excessive celebration. I looked over at Stanley and saw his face and his dignity melt.  So… I was RIGHT and everyone knew it, but at what cost?  A cost too high. 

I want to do better and be better so I find myself resolving, and re-resolving when I mess up, to try harder.  Thankfully it’s not a matter of will power but it does require a hard step… surrender.  Asking God to help me change my judgmental, critical, got-to-be-right attitude.


POINT OF PONDER, ACTION AND PRAYER:
I altered The Message translation of the key verses into a prayer:

“Father, help me to forget about deciding what's right for others and instead focus on how to keep from getting in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is for them.  I want to use my energy in getting along with others and helping them with encouraging words; not dragging them down by finding fault.  Show me how to cultivate my own relationship with You, without imposing it on others.”


WHO AM I?
Hi! Cinda here… Stanley and I are on a trip of unknown length and time… How cool is that!  We are in Maine right now… It IS cool compared to Texas!  This picture is from Amish Country earlier in our trip.  Seemed to fit today’s devotion, I found myself fascinated with these people.  I look at this family and see the cute girl looking at me.  We both see differences. I began to realize I can learn some things about commitment to basics, family, beliefs and faith from them. I was inspired BIG time! 

Love and Politics

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 13 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1, NIV)


THE SKINNY:
Submitting to government authority is sometimes a tough pill to swallow.  Should we always submit to authority?  What if our ruler was Osama Bin Laden?  Here is what God’s Word says:

1. We should submit to our governing authority whenever possible and should only disobey if absolutely necessary in order to avoid violating God’s Word.  But, if we do disobey, we should accept punishment from the authorities.  Daniel is a great example of civil disobedience as a last resort. (also see Titus 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13)
2. We should recognize that all authorities are ordained by God.  Every king, mayor, president, council member, dictator, governor and senator is appointed by God and given authority by God. (Romans 13:1)
3. We should recognize that God uses the government for His good.  Our lack of understanding of what good may come does not override our responsibility to obey. (Romans 13:4)

Here’s the thing, we are called to make Disciples of Christ, not disciples of our particular political views.  We should never let our views and opinions overtake our responsibility as Christ-followers.  We should have an opinion, take a stand and vote but do so without being drawn into sin.  We should do so without it affecting our ability to reach the lost.

This is what I mean.  God has ordained Barak Obama to be President of the United States and he is accountable to God for his decisions and stewardship of that position.  I can disagree with his policies and I can campaign against him.  But I must do so without slander and with humility and love.  I may not agree with President Obama on all issues, but I must remember that God loves Barak just as much as he loves me and if I participate in gossip and slander against Barak, that is not pleasing to God.

Finally, we cannot allow our political views to impact our ability to reach the world for Christ.  We are followers of Christ first, Americans second.  And as followers of Christ, we are called to reach the world for Christ.  But when we approach political issues without love, without grace and without humility, we cause the lost to move further from Christ rather than nearer.


PRAYER:
Father, remind me daily that you are in control and help me to trust you.  Help me to further Your Kingdom relationally and politically with love and grace and humility.  And, above all, please never allow my own political opinions to cause another to drift further from life with You.


WHO AM I?
I am Guy Draper.  One of my first bouts with authority happened when I was sixteen.  I was taking Jennifer home one night when I was pulled over by a police officer.  I had recently updated the registration sticker on my license plate but had put it on the wrong side.  And so I knew why the officer had stopped me.  I jumped out with documents in hand and nervously talking a blue streak explaining that I had goofed up the license plate and that I was sorry and that I would somehow get it fixed.  The officer couldn’t get a word in edgewise and finally said he was only giving me a warning.  Days later as I recalled my interaction with the officer I remembered that he had said something about not using my turning signal when changing lanes.  Later when I mentioned to Jennifer that I thought I had actually been pulled over for changing lanes without signaling she said simply and with a sweet smile, “Yes.”

A Life Transforming

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 12 (click the link)


INTRODUCTION:
This chapter is so straightforward and rich that I can't leave anything out, so I have re-printed it in its entirety.  So, if you are like me, and sometimes you skim the scripture to get to the reflections, don't do it this time. Read the whole chapter. Again. Slowly. Savor it. Let it sink in. 

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: 

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

REFLECTIONS:

Lately my desire has increased to live full in the Kingdom life—present consistently to the Presence of Jesus, connected to Him and manifesting His power and love in greater measure.  As I have been crying out for this increase, and pressing into Him, this thing of offering myself as a living sacrifice and not conforming to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind has been coming up.  Not with a condemning tone, more like a sweet melody wooing me to live with pureness of mind and heart that are cleared out and available for more of the good stuff of Him. 

Some of the things I have for a lifetime allowed my mind to take in as entertainment or comfort are losing their appeal as my hunger increases for greater measures of His life in and through me.  I still choose these things too often, especially when I am tired—they are easy, familiar, and fit so well with the patterns of this world. 

"Everybody's doing it" so to speak and it's just easier than being the weirdo that's seeking hard after something unseen. I have never wanted to be legalistic and still do not, I just really want more of His Kingdom and my mind is not renewed in these things—they seem to make less space for His life.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Jesus for the way you woo us into fully embracing all that You have for us.  It's so much better than what the world offers.  Transform my heart and mind to hunger with increased intensity for You alone.  Help me to see with holy clarity those things that crowd out the more of You I long for.

WHO AM I?
I'm Lisa Kirby and I like to make things of beauty and purpose out of old, broken, discarded or neglected things.

Breathtaking Grace

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 11 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?”

For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

After contemplating the overwhelming vastness of God's grace, we should rightly expect to find ourselves suffering from theological vertigo… After thinking on the immensity of God's wisdom and righteousness, we should rightly find ourselves stricken with a sense of sheer terror… After pondering the plans and workings of God to rescue mankind, we should rightly find ourselves in a state of intellectual exhaustion.

God's grace is so amazing, so great, so breathtaking that the only thing we can do is take a long, deep breath and shake our heads in wonderment and give praise to the God whose thoughts, plans, and accomplishments are so much deeper and greater than anything we could have imagined ourselves.

The Apostle Paul draws together several scriptural passages to heap up a declaration of praise to our God. The Psalms are full of declarations of how extraordinary God is in his wisdom and love. Proverbs and Job celebrate that sense of wonder and mystery at the way in which God is always out in front of us, ready to surprise us by doing new things which, in retrospect, are exactly right and full of wisdom and insight far beyond anything we could have fathomed. Passages such as Job 5:9, 15:8, and 36:22-23 echo underneath Paul's declaration in verses 33-34. Verse 35 then quotes directly from Job 41:11. 

God is never in anyone's debt. It is a perpetual human failing to imagine that he is—to suppose that we can establish a claim on God by our birth, our beauty, our brains, or our behavior. But we can't. Nobody is ever in the position of giving God a gift that demands repayment. No one can ever sit smugly in God's presence, knowing they are in the right and waiting for God to get his act together.

In fact, as this chapter's final verse indicates, everything we are comes from God. Everything we have comes from him. Everything that exists is his handiwork and is sustained in its existence by his power and love. Everything we do traces itself back into his presence as the Sovereign One before whom all our work and activity is, at best, loving service.

This kind of all-embracing statement of God's universal sovereignty is always in danger of ignoring the obvious problems. There are plenty of signs that all is still not well in the world and in the heart of mankind. Many have said in our own day—as, I'm sure, they said in Paul's—that if God is somehow really in control of all, then it surely appears as if he has good days and bad days, as though some parts of his world are very good while others are a bit less than that or perhaps downright bad. But Paul has dealt throughout this letter with just these sorts of problems.

The letter of Romans is a beautiful letter about the saving, restorative righteousness/justice of God. In this letter Paul has previously written not only of universal human idolatry, disobedience, and sin (1:18-32; 3:9-20) but also about the corruption to which all creation has been subjected as a result (8:18-27). 

This letter—above all other writings—wrestles with exactly these problems in the light of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrates that God has been faithful both to creation and to covenant. This letter declares that God's faithfulness will work its way out—in fact, is already working its way out—to the point that we can see the end from the beginning.

The project of God's new creation is not yet complete. But the Architect has designed it, and he is faithful. The foundations of God's plan have been squarely laid and work is already well underway. The final completion of God's plan is not in doubt. It's time to stand back in sheer awe and breathtaking wonder at the scale and scope of it all.

Glory to God forever and ever! Amen and amen!

POINT OF ACTION:

Sit silently before the Lord for at least 5 minutes.

PRAYER:

Dear Father always near us,

may your name be treasured and loved,

may your rule be completed in us—

may your will be done here on earth in

just the way it is done in heaven.

Give us today the things we need today,

and forgive us our sins and impositions on you

as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.

Please don’t put us through trials,

but deliver us from everything bad.

Because you are the One is charge,

and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours—forever—

which is just the way we want it.

WHO AM I?

I'm Tres Sansom, and I still remember the day my parents and I went to the Grand Canyon. I had always imagined that it would be a cool place to visit. But when I stood on the edge of the cliff looking out over the enormous hole in the earth, I lost my breath at the enormity and vastness of it all. The reverence I felt that day is the closest semblance I can think of to describe the feelings that sweep over me when I ponder the breathtaking grace of God.

Beautiful Feet

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 10 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
In reading Romans chapter 10, I first was drawn to the idea that the end of "the Law" destroyed the necessity to focus on works. However, further down in the chapter, what jumped out at me was not only on the fact that "everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved." This is the good news! We need not worry about what race we are, or our financial status, our looks, our family tree, or how well we perform in order to have a relationship with God. 

Paul goes on to say, “And it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” That is a statement of fact. Not only can we rest assured that not by works but by faith are we saved, but also we will be further blessed if we announce the good news to others. And by our feet—implying movement and action—we will be seen as beautiful. 

So often I can focus on everything but those two simple facts. I can be blessed if I call upon the Lord, and blessed if I just share that good news that the Law is gone and Grace abounds. I don't have to "teach" scripture to bring good news. I just have to announce it. It is the Lord God who saves. I need to just put my feet in action and go (where HE leads).


APPLICATION:
Where I think this leads me is to accept the words of verse 11 which say if I do so trust then I will not be put to shame. I just need to proclaim the good news wherever I go and wherever I'm lead.


PRAYER:
Lord, lead me to be your feet, go where you want, say what you want, and announce the good news each day.


WHO AM I?
I'm Edd, just a wayfaring stranger in this land. I'm older than some, younger than others, and stranger than others in many ways. I live with two cats, two dogs, wife and a daughter. There is rarely a dull moment at home. I'm also a procrastinator… But, most importantly, I'm part of "a peculiar people" with a purpose and destiny.

Scandalous Faith

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 9 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
As most of you know I recently returned from Israel, so I read this passage (as well as chapters 10-11) with a little more attention. Israel is a land where national and familial identity is everything. To be Jewish is to be set apart, special, chosen by God. But chosen for what? To bless the world; to be a kingdom of priests through whom God would make himself known to all. 

Well, over the centuries before Christ, Israel struggled with their calling. They saw their “chosen” status as a place of superiority rather than a place of service. God repeatedly took them through hard times in order to re-mold the clay, seeking to shape them to come in line with his purposes, but to little avail. 

In the midst of Israel’s obstinacy, along comes Jesus who is not only the example of the perfect human, but more specifically, he is the fulfillment of the perfect Jew. He came to serve and bless and save… get this—everyone, gentiles included! This was extremely scandalous to the Jews. They thought, “How can these pagan gentiles be accepted by God based solely on faith, while we have been toiling for centuries to keep the law?! It’s just not fair!”

Remember, even today, the Jews (especially in Israel) are a hated people. They have enemies on all sides. And when you live with constant hatred toward you, you just learn to view all outsiders with suspicion, especially those of gentile descent. So, to have the messiah of the Jews (Jesus) be one who proclaimed blessing and salvation to all, including Israel’s enemies, was scandalous indeed, even blasphemous. No wonder they “stumbled” over him.


APPLICATION:
One of the most meaningful parts of our Israel trip was the privilege of worshiping with a messianic congregation (Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah) in Jerusalem. As Calev (the lead elder of the church) puts it, the goal of the congregation is to live out the kingdom of God… and in God’s kingdom people from every tribe and language and nation come to worship. As Paul would say, there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ. 

So, starting about 6 months ago, they began to incorporate Arabic songs into their worship service, even inviting an Arab Christian to join the worship team. Now you can’t begin to imagine how much hatred and suspicion and malice has been ingrained for centuries between the Jews and Arabs. The worship leader, Shelly, even had a bomb go off within a block of her house one time (fired from one of the neighboring Arab nations), so for them to make this move is amazing and way more challenging than we can understand. In fact, many people left the church over it.

But despite the opposition, they pressed ahead, and as I was standing there singing worship songs, the words on the screen were in Hebrew, English, and Arabic (and I think we have a diverse church!). I was so blessed to see them overcome their hatred and suspicion and seek to reconcile and truly experience the Kingdom of God. Just think how challenging it is to set aside your own preferences in all kinds of areas of life (including worship music!), much less to embrace a race you have long considered your enemy.

Even now as I reflect on that church service, I am impressed by the power of the gospel among them to overcome prejudice and their willingness to even incorporate Arab style into their music, but I am also convicted of my own pettiness. It is way too easy to let my personal preferences reign supreme rather than to truly seek the diversity of the kingdom of God.

Again, when you live with persistent hatred, part of your identity actually becomes being against that certain group or person. And I love how this church is letting their identity as Christ followers overcome long-held hatred and prejudice, to actually be known for embracing and welcoming “enemies.”

What about you, me? Have we embraced that scandalous love of the Lord Jesus that actually blesses those opposed to us, genuinely seeking to love and reconcile? Or have we let part of our identity be found in our opposition and hatred of another person or group? Grace is a funny thing. We are thankful for it ourselves, but leery of expressing too much of it to others.

May we be known for the same kind of scandalous, outrageous, enemy-embracing love that got Jesus killed. 


WHO AM I?
My name is Greg Bland, and pictured is my simple attempt at peace and trust—receiving a straight razor shave in the Muslim section of old Jerusalem.

Fears vs. Sonship

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 8 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:14-17, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
To be honest, this week has been one of a lot of struggling of the sort found in Romans 7. Why do I do what I do not want to do? I only do what I really don’t want to do and I end up reaping the consequences of shame and guilt. What can I learn from Romans 8? 

Paul contrasts the person who sets his mind on the flesh versus the person who sets his mind on the Spirit. That’s the key difference when approaching spiritual struggle. The man whose mind is set on the flesh is basically the person who does whatever his body feels like doing. He does what feels natural to him. I think for most people and often for myself, this feels like the right thing to do. In the moment of sin, it feels like the right thing to do, or at least I can justify it away as being okay. But as Jeremiah writes, “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). 

I can really attest to the fact that to simply allow my natural feelings guide my life leads to dire consequences. As much as I think that I am in control, the real driver is oftentimes my flesh… whether it be pride or lust or greed or anger or self-preservation. The result is a death of some sort—of my innocence, of relational strength with a friend, of relational closeness with God, of the joy and peace that comes from knowing that I am following the Lord. And ultimately, this sin leads to separation from God and eventual spiritual death. The scary thing is that from Romans 7, it sounds like this kind of living is almost inevitable—Paul talks about having a body of death. What then can I do? I would need to stop trusting in myself in trying to fulfill the law because it can’t be done. I know that I have such a propensity to achieve right-standing by doing what is good. But such a strategy repeatedly fails me because I end up failing and then I am overcome with guilt. 

What does it mean for me to set my mind on the things of the Spirit? Paul introduces a new law in chapter 8—the law of the Spirit. It is the law that says that I am justified before God not because of my performance in being a good person, but because Christ shed his blood on the cross so that I could have his righteousness. 

This new law removes the framework of works-based affirmation which I am so prone to fall back on. It tells me that in my struggles, I need to draw strength not from my own will power, but by meditating on what God has done for me despite my failures. He died for me. He loved me. He came to remove the whole system that left me in a mess of condemnation and guilt, and he replaced it with the assurance that by faith, I have become righteous before the Lord. In approaching my sins and the times when I fall, the Lord has provided a way to remove my guilt and to replace it with an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving. For me to be focused on the Spirit is to stand in wonder of what God has done for me. Then, there is strength against temptations. Then, my heart actually wants to pursue what is good and I can share in Christ’s victory over sin.

Paul talks about the spirit of slavery which is marked by fear of condemnation. This is the kind of fear that I am familiar with. Growing up, my life was all about performance in pursuit of the American Dream which threw me in restless comparison and competition. My plan was to invest my worth in the idols of women, money and success. What drove me was primarily the fear of being rejected or not “making the cut.” How could I make sure to save face before my friends and family? As a result, I worked hard and strove to be that self-made person. (I probably would’ve been one of the most ungrateful people who couldn’t attribute my success to anyone outside myself.) My life would’ve been enslaved by the fear of needing to maintain a respectable resume. I remember feeling depressed in college when I learned of so many ways in which I was far from perfect. In fact, I began to see that my life was primarily driven by selfishness, pride, and worldly lusts. What could I do? 

Probably one of my greatest fears even now is to have my character flaws exposed before people. (How strongly even now I often try to maintain a righteous image!) But what could I do in that moment of realization? That’s when passages like these speak to me. No, my standing has nothing to do with my performance—or else I would have answer to the great mess of my life. I have been rescued from such enslavement and given a new identity in Christ. He has granted me sonship and a place to call home—a place of full acceptance and love, where I have no lack, and where I can finally rest. 

Instead of being that proud, self-made man who labored for his lot in life, in Christ, I have been graciously called “child” and given a grand inheritance that I did not build nor deserve. That is the freedom that I have found in Christ. Who can condemn me if God himself has declared me righteous before the heavenly hosts? He has accepted me just as I am. In the times I feel right before God and in the times that I am still painfully aware of my soiled heart, it matters not. Christ in my solid foundation and my sure righteousness.


PRAYER:
Abba, Father, it is so sweet to rest confidently in my place as your child. Thank you so much for the work of your Son. Thank you for the life-giving Spirit. Strengthen me by your Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of my flesh. Empower me by your Spirit to rest in my place as a child of God. I want to rest in my God-given identity so that I might live as more than a conqueror today. 


WHO AM I?
This is my husband, Tres Sansom.  He thinks he's so very funny writing all about how I'm supposedly lazy.  If only I had time to paint my toenails and watch 24!!  (Wow… to think of how relaxing both of those things would be).  In reality, though, he is the most loving and supportive husband I can ever imagine.  He takes "the kid" on rides around the neighborhood (on his lap), to the park and puts him to bed without me from time to time to give me some down time.  He buys me gift certificates to spas to get massages, he writes my devotional for me when I've run out of time and he loves us all (me and these two children that we've started fostering) unconditionally.  He truly is the most amazing man I know, and sometimes I still can't believe I have the privilege of being his wife.  I am the most blessed woman in the world!

War Games

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 7 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:21-24, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that my “sin” isn’t merely a character flaw, an immaturity, or a bad habit, but it is in fact a malevolent force inside me. Sin is described as seizing the opportunity to produce in me every covetous desire to put me to death. In verse 14, Paul returns to the imagery he used at the end of chapter 6, saying how we are sold as slaves to sin. He uses this imagery to illustrate how we are weak in our natural selves.

When it comes to my own struggles against sin, I want to think that I can “fix myself” and that I have enough willpower to keep myself from sinning. I make resolves to fight my sin and “fix myself.” For instance, to fight my pride, I’ll resolve to not boast and not respond to my desire to always clear my name and make myself look better. To fight my emotional and mental laziness, I’ll resolve to get up early to do daily devotion and spend time each morning to think about and pray for my family and our church. To fight my insecurity, I’ll resolve to get to know and build stronger relationships with my loved ones, neighbors, or church family. I’ll make tons of resolves to fight against temptations, my self-centeredness, everything. And already I begin to treat my sins as if they’re simply bad habits that I can fix by replacing them with better habits.

However, this view of myself and of my sin is what Apostle Paul is writing against. My sin isn’t some passive choice that I can so easily chose against. Rather, it is a malevolent force that I must fight. And to think that I can so easily change myself on my own power is my pride—I want to think that I’m still ultimately in power and in control. But I am a slave to my sin—I am too weak in my natural self to “fix” myself. This is why, after all these years of being a Christ-follower, I still need to struggle: sin is in power and in control over my flesh. Sin is the law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind (verse 23).

…………

In our natural bodies it is clear who is in power and who has control. What Paul describes in verses 15-20 rings true to my own life as well: “What I do is not the good I want to do, and the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” This is my active, malevolent sinful nature warring against me. Even when I was ignorant about the law, sin was already at work in me. But even now, as I know right and wrong and what I should do and what I shouldn’t do, I find that I cannot keep myself from sinning. It’s not merely a matter of knowing enough, about grasping some intellectual insight, or about how strong my willpower is. I want to be more loving and less proud, but even this I cannot keep my resolve for even one day. I still keep returning to the sin that I know. This is how I know that I am a slave in my natural self to sin—the more I sin, the harder of a master and driver it becomes.

What Paul describes I know very well. I know intellectually that I should love God with all my heart and mind and strength, and that I should love others as myself. But in my body, I find myself living a very different life. Even when I know that what I am doing is wrong, I still find myself doing it. The desire to do good is in me, but evil is there beside me waging against that desire. For instance, I am called to love God with all my mind and thoughts, and I desire that my mind may be pleasing and honoring to him. But I find in my thought life all kinds of evil—envy, lust, pride, deceit. I am also called to love others, and so I know that I need to be careful about my sarcasm and what I say because in my pride I can often end up saying things that can be offensive or hurtful to those I care about. But even as I know that I am called to love those God has entrusted to me, I find myself leaving my tongue unguarded and saying something that I later regret.

……………

Every day I sin. Every day my sin is before me. Every day there are things that I say and do and even more things that are left unsaid and undone that I regret. The struggle is never ending, and so I can understand Paul’s desperate cry, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (verse 24). There have been several times when, after facing the same struggle and the same sin for several years, I want to give in to the temptation and say that I’ll never change and just give up.

The truth is that my sin is a malevolent force that I can’t fight on my own. I’m a slave in the sinful nature to sin. But also at work is God’s law. Even as I am still in sin, I can attest to the goodness of his law that is holy and righteous and good. Even as I am still in sin, I can affirm the words of God’s law that they are true. And this returns to the illustration from marriage that Apostle Paul begins the chapter with. “For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (verses 5-6).

This is the starting point of the gospel—I can’t fix myself and I can’t save myself, but I don’t need to either. The law of sin was at work in me, and now through the body of Christ I have died to that law so that it no longer has authority over me. But now I can have the freedom of being a slave to God’s law (7:25-8:1). Through sharing in his death on the cross I have been rescued from this endless cycle of being overpowered and controlled by my sinful nature. Although I will continue to struggle with my sinful nature and I will have to continue to wage active war against it in my body, I know that my righteousness does not come from obedience but through the work of the crucified Christ and his resurrection.


PRAYER:
Jesus, I am so weak in my flesh. You know the ways that I so naturally and easily given to my selfish desires. You also know the ways that I stubbornly trying to fix myself. Thanks for not laughing at my repeated failures. Thanks for your patience with me as I flail about with my weak efforts at overcoming sin. Help me to remember today that victory is found only in you. I want to cling to your finished work on the cross. I want to hold fast to your work of defeating the power of sin. I want to rejoice continuously throughout this day in your resurrection power that has freed me to live above and beyond my fleshly desires. You are my war hero. I praise you. I thank you. I rest in your heroic work on my behalf.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom and I am married to a huge slacker. This devotional was supposed to be written by my lazy bride, but she wanted to sit on her duff and watch reruns of 24, while sipping on wine and painting her toenails. Next time you see Kate, please tell her to quit being so lazy.

Fahgettaboudit

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 6 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
What shall we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life. For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God]. (Romans 6:1-5, AMP)


REFLECTIONS:
Wow. Romans 6. Good ol’ Paul. We have sin, death, resurrection, baptism, literal and figurative, with a metaphor of slavery to help us understand. Clear as mud.

The fact that this chapter exists is evidence that New Testament followers of Christ wrestled with questions of sin and righteousness,  just like we do today. Can’t we just make ourselves behave? Or should we just give in to sin when it comes knocking, knowing that Jesus forgives everyone who really repents?

I struggled to come up with a more modern analogy for our former life of sin. Is it like we have a tremendous credit card debt and we are headed toward bankruptcy but then Jesus pays off all our cards and now we get to go shopping at an awesome mall? Is it like we immigrated from another country, Sin, and now we don’t have to pay taxes to it anymore? Or is it like we are mafia dons who are displeased with our sons, Sin, and we say to them, “you’re dead to me?” Fahgettaboutit! 

To me, it’s like we were once shacking up with an abusive lover, Sin. We freely gave our whole bodies over to him, and worked hard at playing house with him, throwing parties at the place we shared. But through Jesus’ death on the cross, that abusive relationship was ended, buried in fact. So we no longer have to jump when Sin says “jump!” We no longer have to hold up under the beatings we used to get at Sin’s hands. 

Not only is that relationship over—it gets way better than that! Now we are married to God. We give our bodies over to him. We share everything together here and now. Just the little acts of obedience cause his heart to skip a beat, and he looks at us with crazy, passionate love in his eyes. Having been freed from a life with Sin, we are overwhelmed with happiness with Christ, and we are so excited to be able to be with him and bring him breakfast in bed and even do the dishes. And because of Jesus’ resurrection we have everything we need to help our marriage work. Because Jesus is alive with God right now, we can have an unbroken marriage with God right now—subscription to Good Housekeeping, marriage enrichment seminars, romantic and intimate conversations throughout the day, weekends away together, children—everything we ever dreamed of. Why would we want to talk to Sin on the phone when he calls? Just because Jesus would let us, and would look at us with love and acceptance after, should we go on a lunch date with Sin? Why would we? Sin has been put down. Where he belongs. He can’t have free access to hurt us anymore. We were once on a road trip with Sin, and he was speeding and drunk, and had we stayed with him it could have only ended in death and destruction. But thanks be to God! He rescued us and married us, sweeping us off our feet. And you think the married life with him is good now…wait until you see what’s coming in the married life eternal. It’s going to blow our minds. Fahgettaboutit!


WHO AM I?
I am Suzanne Zucca. And I like being a bride.

Amazing Grace

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 5 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5, NASB)


REFLECTIONS:
Those verses resounded in my head for months. Over and over I encountered these verses, from an interview in a magazine to a book of small devotionals in my parents’ bathroom to countless conversation where either I or the opposite party brought it up in detail.  These verses came to me as a personal encouragement, during a time that years of struggling with particular health issues had warn me down. 

In those times of wondering why and feeling surrounded by darkness and desperately crying out for security, I often looked to these verses KNOWING that I am more than my body and that I was being humbly prepared for the rest of my life. I look to these verses as a proof of God's character and that He is romancing me through struggles to lean even deeper into Him. In these verses, He is showing me that not only was His Son an amazing gift—a free, amazing gift—but that he is my only option to hope and my only option to life. And finally, a life that is not worth anything without Him.

It has taken a long time—too long of a time—for me to accept these things and, to be honest, I still struggle to think that God has my back at all times… that God sent Jesus to purchase me from sin, a sin that was committed long ago… that I was planned for and that I have been “reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (verses 10 and 11).

I remember when I first started reading the Bible and I wasn’t yet convinced. I thought: “Well, I better read the New Testament first. That way I'll know what I’m getting myself into.”  Little did I know what graces and beauty would be shown to me. Yes, the last six and a half years of my life have been hard and full of tribulations beyond my control. But during this time, God has repaired pieces of my heart. His mercy has gone deep into my brokenness and healed me in more ways than can be named. YES, we worship a Good God. As much as I would like to say I go through struggles in life with a smile on my face and a skip in my step, it is simply not so. I sometimes have a hard time seeing the point or the other side of things. Sometimes I don’t understand God, especially when it hurts.

I have to remind myself if He made the world and gave me lungs to breathe its air, then I’m guessing He has a better plan than mine. One thing that I have noticed about Him is He never disappoints—never, ever. Through the years of my life, I have been molded into who I am today and my heart is still being shaped into what I will become. God is NOT done with me, or you for that matter. I’m sure you can relate when I say life is hard, period. 

BUT Jesus is the air tank to a drowning man, antibiotics to a person with sepsis, the Heimlich to a choking woman. He is our relief.  It is vital that we lean into our God and receive the grace He has for us in times of struggles—believe me there are many that are offered. We must go through struggles in our lives, it proves our character. Even more so, it proves God’s character—that He will ALWAYS follow through. Jesus is God’s follow through. He is our Redeemer, our Lover who waits for us… and there is HOPE in that. Yes, we worship a Good, Good Beautiful God. 

“…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (verse 20).


POINT OF ACTION:
Sometimes I get caught up in what I am not doing right. Sometimes I beat myself up about ways that I should be better. So, I encourage you to think about the ways that you have persevered, proven character and had hope. Remember the ways God showed kindness to you, times of holding you through hard times. Be hopeful. The Lord our God—the great I AM—is keeping you.


PRAYER:
Lord, I am what I am because you created me. I do not know what I will become, because you are still creating me. There are parts of me that need repairing. Please transform me into the image of what I can become.


WHO AM I?
Please be forgiving, I know nothing about nothing and somethings about somethings. I’m Erin Norris and I approve this message. 

I Reckon!

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 4 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
…with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:20-22, NASB)


PONDERINGS:
I can still hear my Mamaw telling me, “I reckon so,” when we would talk about things of life and reach a place of agreement.  My grandmother and I were considering words and events and reasoning about their intent and purpose.  We reached a bottom line, logical conclusion and we agreed upon it. We reckoned. 

In my NASB version Paul writes a form of the word “reckon” 10 times in this chapter alone. [Note: the new NASB translation uses the word "credited," rather than "reckoned."] This word “reckon” is what Paul used to explain the righteousness God has for each one of us. No matter from whom or where we come.

Accountants reckon the books, politicians reckon rules and laws, contractors reckon building measurements, my grandmother and I reckoned our conversations, and God reckons our faith to righteousness.

The Greek word logizomai is the root for logic, to take into account, to reckon. Reckon means to count, compute, claim, reason, judge, decide, think, suppose, to take into account, to lay one’s charge, accept something as certain, place reliance, to reason to a logical conclusion. 

In Paul’s teachings he refers to God’s first covenant with Abram, soon to be named Abraham, and how the Lord God came to Abram and promised him many offspring, as many as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). It was then that Abram believed in the Lord and the reckoning happened between God and Abram. “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).  The first covenant between God and Abram is established, “One that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying ‘To your descendants I have given this land…’”(Genesis 15:18). 

This reckoning of righteousness happened before Abraham and God made the covenant of circumcision. This was a huge stumbling for many in the early church.  How could anyone come to faith and be reckoned in righteousness unless they had taken on the Law—the sign of the covenant which was to be circumcised? The thought of the day was that to “believe” you had to be following the Law… the Jewish Law and the way to do that was receiving the sign of the old covenant. 

God made a promise to Abraham, Abraham believed in the Lord, was reckoned in his faith
as righteousness, and made his first covenant with God all before he made another covenant to receive the sign of circumcision. 

Sometimes I wonder if Paul might have felt like he was banging his head against the wall trying to get across this teaching to the Romans. God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants was not through the Law, but it was through the righteousness of faith. Verse 16 explains: 

For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only those who are of the Law, but to also to those who are of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all.

We are all offered the same grace in Christ, even those who might be deemed by mankind as unworthy of anything that could even come close to looking like grace. We are given the same offering and upon our belief, we can all be justified in our faith in Christ through the New Covenant. Anyone can claim their inheritance in the kingdom of God and be reckoned in the promise of God. 

So, justification is through faith but it is God who reckons faith as righteousness. God does this only and entirely by His grace.

In the whole reckoning of chapter 5 the very last verse brought my thoughts to whether or not I can stand before God in earnest to receive the reckoning of faith as righteousness. According to verse 25 Christ was delivered up because of our/my transgressions and was raised from the dead because of our/my justification. 

PONDERINGS FOR ACTION:

So in all of the head banging and teary eyes, it hit for the umpteenth time, I am just one… of everyone… who gets the grace of God. Can I be anything like Abraham and cling to the promise of God, not waver in unbelief, grow strong in faith, give glory to God, and be fully assured that what God has promised, He is able to perform? I have walked into belief and my faith is reckoned into righteousness. There is so much more waiting for us/me in the promise of God. Like Jennifer Wassel said in her Matthew 23 devo, “Thank you for Your promise that You WILL complete the work You began in me. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

I reckon I am justified!

PRAYER:

Lord, my inability to rely on my faith in you saddens me to my core.  Please forgive me. Please recognize my human heart and bolster me up. I want to live under Your promise and cling to Your righteousness…everyday and in all things.

WHO AM I?

I’m Gayle Norris and I am excited! As I write this devotion, the suitcases are 90% packed, the “to do” list is almost reconciled J and the excitement within me is almost uncontained. We leave for Israel in the morning! You will be reading this devotion on the day of our return.  Our trip leader John told us we were going home, home to Israel. I am so intrigued by that and by what is in store for us at home. And to walk on the land of the reckoning. More to come…

The Real Thing, Baby!

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 3 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:31, NIV)


THE BIG IDEA:
By now, if you have been reading these little snippets of wisdom every day (which have been nothing short of AWESOME), the key verse will not come as a surprise.  After all, the argument that Paul puts forth (throughout Romans and elsewhere in the New Testament) is about Grace vs. Law, Faith vs. Works? Etc. Right? 

In studying scripture for a good bit of my life, I have come to realize that you can pull out any side of an argument about Scripture and win, especially Paul’s stuff.  I think we may slide over these verses like Peter probably wanted to.  In 2 Peter 3:14-16 he writes about Paul’s letters to the church, where he says: 

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,  and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,  as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

So… why all this discussion?  Why does Paul go into all that detail? 

REFLECTIONS:

I think that Paul knew a little about human nature—the fallen disposition of man. It left us totally unable to redeem ourselves apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Now, he had to convince Jews, who had relied on rituals and sacrifices and outward actions to remove their sin, that they now had to come  under grace, to receive a NEW GIFT. They had to receive FAITH in another entity (namely Jesus) that made them utterly dependent.  

They were the guardians of God’s heritage.  I think that they took this for granted AND it became a source of PRIDE for them and they reflected that to the world. Rather than being a blessing to the world, THEIR world had shifted under their feet.  It was no longer all they needed.  On the other side of the argument you had the GENTILES, some totally ignorant except for a few pagan gods on their mantle above the fireplace or totally given over to intellectualism, or rampant degradation to the point that “there is no fear of God before their eyes.” Their minds… opinions… feelings… urges… cravings… were their gods. (Sounds a little like the good ole’ USA today, doesn’t it?) Now they had to recalibrate their thinking to being DEPENDENT (there is that word again) on faith. 

So these two audiences probably had innumerable questions and arguments around this simple act of faith.  Believing that it is a GIFT!!!   A gift of LOVE!!  All you have to do is reach out and take it… by faith.  

I think that is what Paul was contending for.  It all comes down to changes of heart, stooping down to see the beauty of the cross of the sacrifice that Jesus did through His Great Love and receiving that—receiving HIS life for ours, HIS DNA for ours, letting Him pour the Law that was contained perfectly in His heart into ours.  The law is written on our hearts.  The physical scriptures only enhance the speaking of the Holy Spirit who is already resident in us.

I love Webster’s Dictionary.  I get almost as much revelation from it as the scriptures, because it breaks it down to your understanding.  I am supplying this definition for all our benefit: 

Dependent

a: determined or conditioned by another

b: relying on another for support, as affected with a drug

c: subject to another's jurisdiction

d: subordinate

It has always amazed me when Christians say, “We are not under the law anymore.”  Interesting. Jesus said… Not just adultery, but looking in lust… Not just murder, but hatred of a brother.  I think the “grace” has anted up, not down.

But Jesus, because of His Love will help us with the shortcomings and make us “perfect” in Love where we will “want” to do these things because His nature has become Ours!   That’s grace… Him working in you to make you look like Him, act like Him, sound like Him.  Praise the Lord; I need all the help I can get!!!!  Reminds me of a verse, pertinent to this:   

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

POINT OF ACTION:

Renew your faith.  Close your eyes, relax, and in your mind’s eye, reach out to Jesus and ask Him to give you a new “Gift” to help you with whatever place you are coming up short in “perfection.” Submit to his impressions, words and thoughts.  Be dependent on whatever he says… no matter how ridiculous it sounds.  More obedience… more “grace” comes from on high. 

PRAYER:

Lord, help me to see “me” as you see me.  Help me to understand the value of what you have put resident in me.   Make me dependent on your Holy Spirit.  Open my eyes to see what you see, open my ears to hear what you hear, make my heart DEPENDENT on You for everything.  I receive your new “gift of faith” I need for today.  Press me on into a new level of Faith.  Make me perfect in your eyes!  I thank you for the blood of your blood that does just that.  Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you have made a way for me to receive your help at Your throne today.  

WHO AM I?

I’m June Criner and I am sitting here trying to put my heart in the right place after writing this devotional.  I don’t want to give in to being envious of our friends that went to Israel this week.  I was there in 1983 and God changed my life for good.  I pray the same for them.  It is an awesome experience “going back to your roots.”  It really made me “feel” as if I were home.  Can’t wait for the Report from our sojourners!