SCRIPTURE
Romans 7:21-25 So I find this law at work: When 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 the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
OBSERVATION
I love these verses! They describe so clearly the war within each of us. The war between flesh and spirit. I can relate to the part that says "when I want to do good, evil is right there with me". But interestingly, it goes on to describe the war of our minds, making us prisoners of sin within our body. The daily battle between good and evil; between our old self and the new self, redeemed by the blood of our Saviour.
The end of this section then appropriately, and in exasperation, screams out "what a wretched man I am (or woman, in my case)! Who will rescue me from this body of death? And, of course, it is our Superhero, Jesus. And I also love that the scripture ends with "thanks be to God".
This is the most human of all segments of the Bible to me; the one we can all relate to on a daily basis.
APPLICATION
So what do I do with this? What's the key here? Awareness. The spiritual battle going on for my very soul and spirit is a very real one. One one side, Satan and my fleshly, sinful self. On the other - the victorious side - JESUS. We know who wins in the end. But, daily I must fight on Jesus' side - the side of righteousness and holiness. I must strive to be more like Jesus each day, reaching for perfection even when I know I can never be.
PRAYER
Father in heaven, help me to be alert and ready each and every day to fight the good fight - not only for myself but for others as well. Thanks be to God - for Jesus! Amen.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
YOU CAN'T WORK ENOUGH OVERTIME!
SCRIPTURE
(Romans 4:4-5) "Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a fovor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness."
OBSERVATION
There is an ever present negative belief that has been passed down most likely due to our human nature. The only way God can be pleased with me is if I do lot's of good things to work off the penalty for my sins. Paul addresses the Roman church on this false belief. No amount of work will justify you before God, only belief in Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION
There is nothing wrong with doing good things and serving God in ministry outreaches. Romans 12 says this is spiritual worship. But if your motivation is to gain favor with God your actions are an exercise in futility. You can't work enough overtime to impress God.
PRAYER
Lord, I can only walk and serve in the cleansing, justifying work of Your Son Jesus Christ. Let my service to You be from a pure heart and a desire to worship.
(Romans 4:4-5) "Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a fovor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness."
OBSERVATION
There is an ever present negative belief that has been passed down most likely due to our human nature. The only way God can be pleased with me is if I do lot's of good things to work off the penalty for my sins. Paul addresses the Roman church on this false belief. No amount of work will justify you before God, only belief in Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION
There is nothing wrong with doing good things and serving God in ministry outreaches. Romans 12 says this is spiritual worship. But if your motivation is to gain favor with God your actions are an exercise in futility. You can't work enough overtime to impress God.
PRAYER
Lord, I can only walk and serve in the cleansing, justifying work of Your Son Jesus Christ. Let my service to You be from a pure heart and a desire to worship.
Friday, May 22, 2009
SO WHAT GOOD IS A GODLY HERITAGE?
SCRIPTURE
(Romans 3:1-2) "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God."
OBSERVATION
Paul spent most of his missionary journeys telling people that being a jew or living by the law is not what gains you entrance into heaven. It is the blood of Jesus. So what good is it to be one of the chosen people through the promises to Abraham? They were entrusted with the law which Jesus came to fulfill. Without their faithfulness and sacrifice, none of us would have the relationship with God that we do.
APPLICATION
Hebrews 12:1 says we have a cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. To be a bearer of the truth is to be a part of the collective family of God throughout the ages. Your part enables future generations of converts access to the kingdom of God. What an awesome opportunity you have because of your heritage.
PRAYER
Lord, give me eyes to see Your eternal perspective and not my immediate limited view.
(Romans 3:1-2) "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God."
OBSERVATION
Paul spent most of his missionary journeys telling people that being a jew or living by the law is not what gains you entrance into heaven. It is the blood of Jesus. So what good is it to be one of the chosen people through the promises to Abraham? They were entrusted with the law which Jesus came to fulfill. Without their faithfulness and sacrifice, none of us would have the relationship with God that we do.
APPLICATION
Hebrews 12:1 says we have a cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. To be a bearer of the truth is to be a part of the collective family of God throughout the ages. Your part enables future generations of converts access to the kingdom of God. What an awesome opportunity you have because of your heritage.
PRAYER
Lord, give me eyes to see Your eternal perspective and not my immediate limited view.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
ONE FINGTER FORWARD, THREE POINTING BACK!
SCRIPTURE
(Romans 2:3) "And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgement upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgement of God?"
OBSERVATION
In this discourse Paul is pointing out principles for righteous living. He warns how easy it is to become self-righteous and judge others for the wrong that they do without accounting for our own indiscretions. God says if we remain stubborn or unrepentant for our actions, He is storing up wrath for us in the day of judgement.
APPLICATION
Do not take lightly the instructions of Paul in this letter. Many will try to contextualize the meaning of these words and compromise their application as irrelevant for contemporary society. This is a dangerous practise that will have eternal consequences. There is nothing that is hidden from God. Be careful with pointing a judemental finger at someone else, there are three pointing back at you.
PRAYER
Lord, I don't want to be judgemental in my assessments of situations, but I do want discernment to give corrective instructions in regards to sinful behaviors. Give me Your thoughts and Your heart as I face each daily challenge.
(Romans 2:3) "And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgement upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgement of God?"
OBSERVATION
In this discourse Paul is pointing out principles for righteous living. He warns how easy it is to become self-righteous and judge others for the wrong that they do without accounting for our own indiscretions. God says if we remain stubborn or unrepentant for our actions, He is storing up wrath for us in the day of judgement.
APPLICATION
Do not take lightly the instructions of Paul in this letter. Many will try to contextualize the meaning of these words and compromise their application as irrelevant for contemporary society. This is a dangerous practise that will have eternal consequences. There is nothing that is hidden from God. Be careful with pointing a judemental finger at someone else, there are three pointing back at you.
PRAYER
Lord, I don't want to be judgemental in my assessments of situations, but I do want discernment to give corrective instructions in regards to sinful behaviors. Give me Your thoughts and Your heart as I face each daily challenge.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SAY AHHHHHH!
SCRIPTURE
(Romans 1:24&25) "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever."
OBSERVATION
The letter to the Romans is a manual on godly life principles. Paul is saying here that perceived wise men are fools because they have made the creation central over Him. God will give us over to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual deprevation if we place our hope in anything other than him.
APPLICATION
People often come to my counseling office wanting sympathy for their physical and relational state of being. They also often resent the attempt to correlate their state of being with self-gratification motivations. Many are looking for an empathetic ear to somehow sanctify their sins and make their discomfort go away. If we don't return to the centrality of serving Christ, our health prognosis doesn't look so good. So just as the physical doctor asks you to open your mouth so they can inspect for obvious problems, we may need to open our spiritual mouths and say ahhhhhhh to the great physician for His prognosis.
PRAYER
Lord, I want to maintain godly wisdom and spiritual health by seeking after Your will and worshipping You daily.
(Romans 1:24&25) "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever."
OBSERVATION
The letter to the Romans is a manual on godly life principles. Paul is saying here that perceived wise men are fools because they have made the creation central over Him. God will give us over to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual deprevation if we place our hope in anything other than him.
APPLICATION
People often come to my counseling office wanting sympathy for their physical and relational state of being. They also often resent the attempt to correlate their state of being with self-gratification motivations. Many are looking for an empathetic ear to somehow sanctify their sins and make their discomfort go away. If we don't return to the centrality of serving Christ, our health prognosis doesn't look so good. So just as the physical doctor asks you to open your mouth so they can inspect for obvious problems, we may need to open our spiritual mouths and say ahhhhhhh to the great physician for His prognosis.
PRAYER
Lord, I want to maintain godly wisdom and spiritual health by seeking after Your will and worshipping You daily.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?
SCRIPTURE
(II Thess. 3:6) "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."
OBSERVATION
Paul has been giving the church instructions on how to live a holy life. He commands them to stay away from people who profess to be believers but are leading undisciplined lives. David says in Psalms 101:7, "He who practices deceit shall not dwell within My house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before Me." Those whom you associate with will affect your thoughts, behavior and eventual eternity.
APPLICATION
There is a tendency in human nature to adapt to our surroundings to survive. When you closely associate with those who are compromising their faith through their actions, it is not long before you will be the compromiser. A question to ask yourself on your walk of faith is, "who's your friend?"
PRAYER
Lord, I want my ways and those I associate with to exalt Your name and advance Your kingdom.
(II Thess. 3:6) "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."
OBSERVATION
Paul has been giving the church instructions on how to live a holy life. He commands them to stay away from people who profess to be believers but are leading undisciplined lives. David says in Psalms 101:7, "He who practices deceit shall not dwell within My house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before Me." Those whom you associate with will affect your thoughts, behavior and eventual eternity.
APPLICATION
There is a tendency in human nature to adapt to our surroundings to survive. When you closely associate with those who are compromising their faith through their actions, it is not long before you will be the compromiser. A question to ask yourself on your walk of faith is, "who's your friend?"
PRAYER
Lord, I want my ways and those I associate with to exalt Your name and advance Your kingdom.
Monday, May 18, 2009
"YOU HAVE CHOSEN WISELY!"
SCRIPTURE
(I Kings 3:9&10) "So give Thy servant an Understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Thine? And it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing."
OBSERVATION
Solomon had what could be considered a blank check, so to speak, from the creator of the universe! He could have anything he asked for. It was pleasing to God that he asked for a discerning heart. The condition or motivation of your heart determines the direction of your actions. Where is your heart taking you today?
APPLICATION
Proverbs 4:23 says, "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Each of us must chose to govern our heart, but God gives wisdom and direction if we ask for it. Great blessings were added to Solomon because he chose wisely. Will every choice you make today give glory and honor to God? It's your choice!
PRAYER
God, I want to be a man of wisdom and integrity. Let the condition of my heart and the meditation of my thoughts always be pleasing in Your sight.
(I Kings 3:9&10) "So give Thy servant an Understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Thine? And it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing."
OBSERVATION
Solomon had what could be considered a blank check, so to speak, from the creator of the universe! He could have anything he asked for. It was pleasing to God that he asked for a discerning heart. The condition or motivation of your heart determines the direction of your actions. Where is your heart taking you today?
APPLICATION
Proverbs 4:23 says, "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Each of us must chose to govern our heart, but God gives wisdom and direction if we ask for it. Great blessings were added to Solomon because he chose wisely. Will every choice you make today give glory and honor to God? It's your choice!
PRAYER
God, I want to be a man of wisdom and integrity. Let the condition of my heart and the meditation of my thoughts always be pleasing in Your sight.
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