Archive for June, 2009

Read Romans 5:12-21

I’ve got good news and bad news.

Let’s go with the bad news first.

You were born a sinner. Sin is “in” you from birth. And not just you, but me too. In fact, all of us are guilty because one of us was.

Ever since Adam’s sin in the Garden, sin has literally been passed down from generation to generation.

But, thank God, there is good news as well!

Jesus Christ has canceled the power of sin and made it possible for us to “receive God’s abundant provision of grace” and “gift of righteousness”, now and forever! (v. 17)

I think the good news outweighs the bad. What do you think?

Read Romans 5:1-11

I can’t get over some biblical truths.

I can’t begin to understand, for instance, why God would send His one and only Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for my sins. I can’t fathom how Jesus would take my place on a cross when I’ve done nothing to deserve such love.

More than that, I can’t begin to wrap my mind around the fact that Christ didn’t just die for me, but he died for everyone!

I don’t think we celebrate this enough. I don’t think we tell God thank you enough. I think we’ve gotten used to the sacrifice Jesus paid for us. I think it’s become less than a big deal what Jesus went through for me and you.

So, take some time to celebrate your salvation today. It might even be good to throw a party and buy some balloons and celebrate in a tangible way what God has done for you.

But whatever you do, please don’t ever get over what Jesus has done for you!

Read Romans 4:1-25

How’s your faith?

I don’t know about your faith, but I know that Abraham had some serious faith. He believed in what he couldn’t see because he was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (v. 21)

And now let’s come back to you…how much faith do you have?

How are you doing at trusting your Heavenly Father?

Have you trusted Him with your eternity?

Are you trusting Him to meet your daily needs?

Would you say that you’re trusting Him more than you trust yourself?

Let’s have a little faith in the One who is worthy of a lot of faith!

Read Romans 3:21-31

One of the first verses I remember memorizing as a child was Romans 3:23.

I think I was encouraged to memorize it as child for several reasons:

1) It wasn’t very long. It’s a short verse, which makes it fairly easy to memorize. So, it’s a natural verse for even children to memorize

2) It declares a truth every man, woman, and child absolutely needs to know, namely, that we are sinners and fall miserably short of God’s perfection.

And although it’s a discouraging and deflating truth I, just like many of you, memorized this verse as a young child.

Now, since that time, I’ve discovered that few people disagree with the truth contained in this short verse. After all, everyone knows they’re sinners, or at the very least, would admit that they’re not perfect.

But I’ve also discovered that as hopeless as verse 23 sounds, when you read the rest of the passage, there is hope, and that hope is found in putting our faith in Jesus Christ!!

So, although you have sinned and aren’t perfect, don’t forget there is a Savior who offers forgiveness of sins, and He actually is perfect!

Read Romans 3:1-20

Good works don’t work.

Not one gets forgiven of their sins, no one gets to Heaven, based on keeping the 10 Commandments.

I’m not saying we should disregard the law. I’m just saying that obeying it has never been enough to please God, nor will it ever be.

Paul says that “…no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law” (v. 20)

In other words, doing the “right” things don’t make us “righteous”.

I’m not saying we should avoid doing good works. I think you know better than that. I’m just saying that good works aren’t good enough.

Read Romans 2:17-29

No one can attain forgiveness of their sins through any other means, but through Jesus Christ.

Paul makes the argument that even Jewish people need to respond to the Good News about Jesus with repentance and faith. They need to trust in Jesus alone as their Lord and Savior.

As unpopular a statement as this was to make, Paul wanted to make sure everyone knew that everyone comes to God on an equal playing field.

He wants to be clear that it is not through keeping the law, or being circumcised, or practicing the tenets of a certain religion, that one finds eternal life, that one attains peace with God.

And of course, what was true in the first century, is true today as well. It doesn’t matter how often you pray, where you go to church, or when you were baptized.

None of those things matter if you don’t have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ!

Read Romans 2:1-16

“God does not show favoritism” (v. 11)

In speaking specifically about salvation, Paul makes the point that God judges every single human being in the same way.

He does not value one race over another, one skin color over another, one personality over another.

God is amazingly consistent in His evaluation of people, and no one person has an advantage over any other.

In other words, we are all in the same boat. God judges us all the same way.

And here’s how His judgment plays out:  there will be “wrath and anger” for those who do not fully surrender their life to Him, while there will be “glory, honor, and peace” for the those who choose to fully place their faith in Jesus Christ.

I know where I stand. Do you?

Read Romans 1:21-32

It’s a dangerous thing to ignore God.

When anything and everything in this world point to His existence and we deny this and suppress this, we are making a terrible mistake.

In fact, Paul says that ultimately, we are taking the first step down a deadly road to emptiness, pain, and deep sin, not to mention, eternal separation from God for all eternity.

I don’t completely understand why anyone would choose to ignore a Heavenly Father who is so loving and compassionate, and yet that is exactly what so many people in this world do day after day after day.

Father, help us to impact the lives of people who are far from You. May they be convinced by our love for them for Your love for them.

Read Romans 1:17-20

lt’s obvious that God exists.

I’m not saying it doesn’t take any faith whatsoever to believe in God, but there are qualities of God that “have been clearly seen…so that men are without excuse.” (v. 20)

So, not only has God made His mark on this world, but it obviously has His unique thumbprint all over it.

And yet, people in Paul’s generation and people in ours continue to deny that God exists, continue to “suppress the truth”, continue to ignore the obvious.

And the end result is that they are without excuse on the day of God’s judgment.

So, don’t be surprised when people reject our God. It’s nothing new. But don’t write them off either. Let them know that there is a God who is passionately pursuing them and they need to turn to Him while they still can.

Read Romans 1:8-16

Being known for something can be a really good thing and a really bad thing.

The Christians in Rome were becoming known throughout the world for their faith in God.

What a great reputation to have!

And yet, it’s when we become known for something that we’re most in danger of slipping.

It becomes easier to coast, easier to disconnect the daily faithfulness in small things with the results that others see. It becomes easier to take credit for all the things we have done.

Sure, God still fits in somewhere, but often success comes at the expense of humility.

God sees our motives, even when others can’t.

So, in your success, be sure to put the spotlight where it belongs.