The Conclusion of Romans

I've been studying Romans since 11/3/08, and I'm coming to the end today. And what a way to end a letter about God's saving grace than to speak to the greatness of God.

"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 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 - to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen."

Now on to another book of the Bible. Any suggestions?

When Jesus Was My Age

It's my birthday. I'm 34 today (I just had a typo and typed 24. Boy do I wish). 34 is one of those ages that don't really matter. I think the whole 30's are like that. Of course, after I type that I realize it's commonly thought that Jesus was around 33 when he....DIED FOR THE SINS OF MANKIND! So maybe these years aren't as meaningless as I think. Maybe the way I'm living them is the problem. Not "maybe", I am the problem. I get in the way of God.

The weird thing is, I'm frustrated with it to no end. I don't want to have a meaningless, sin filled life. I want to be pleasing to God. But for some reason I just keep sinning and getting discouraged and sinning and getting angry with myself and on and on and on. By this point in His life, Jesus Christ had led thousands to God, healed people, rebuked sinners, cleansed the temple, shocked the world, and DIED FOR THE SINS OF MANKIND!

In Romans 16:19 Paul says he wants the people of the Church at Rome "to be wise as to what is good, and innocent as to what is evil." We are not innocent to what is evil. In fact, in the world today, we have so much access to evil it's as easy as pushing the power button on the TV remote. Verse 20 goes on the say, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of out Lord Jesus Christ be with you" I think we have to have faith that God will save us...literally save us...from our sin. That is the hope that we need to realize so we are not discouraged by our sin. Sure sin sucks and it should make us angry with ourselves, but to get discouraged is to doubt that God will grant us the grace promised by His Son on the cross.

Praise God for His Son, who in His 30's died for the sins of all mankind.

Avoid Them

It was definitely hard to get up this morning; I was close to changing my alarm by 15 minutes. It did help that Ryan, my youngest, woke up and had to be fed. He is drinking a bottle right here next to me.

So, Romans 16:1-23 is mostly a list of people Paul wanted to say "hi" to in Rome. Literally verse 1-16 is listing people to greet. Verse 17 he does warn his brothers to "watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that (they) have been taught." He says to "avoid them." The "causing division" part makes me think right to the split of FBC (and actually there has been more than one split). These type of people "do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."

I can't help but think that I in some way acted as a naive person, flattered for my talents in music. I think I was blinded to the fact that changes were being made not in love but in arrogance. The fact is, there was not a teaching of the saints the purpose for the changes, but and ultimatum was given to the people. Love would tell me that we should spend time with the people of the church (at least the amount of time it took the "spiritually mature men" to write the changes) teaching and explaining to the church why the leaders believed this was an important and crucial change needing to be made.

I have to wrap this up so I can get ready for work. I will continue next time in verse 19.

God is Good. Praise God for His Love.

I Should Be Humble, Loving, and Full of Grace

Romans 15:22-33 is really Paul just telling his friends in Rome that he longs to see them and plans to come visit and stay with them for a while on his way to Spain. As he finishes his letter to them he turns from the teaching portion to the loving friend portion of this letter, letting the church of Rome know he longs to visits them.

The more I look at my life I realize I'm no longer developing friendships with people, which I believe is important because friends listen to and respect each other. This is a place of ministry and sharing of our faith. It's a place where you can be encouraged at the same time as you are encouraging.

I'm still saddened by the foolishness of the FBC split that happened, not because a doctrinal statement wasn't accepted, but because the sin of men and the lack of friendships entered into the process for change. Men against spread rumors about the affects of the changes. Men for it were to proud to take the time to explain the importance of acceptance. There was not a closeness between the leaders and the congregation like Paul had with the church at Rome.

I have too long prided myself on being the "A-hole" who doesn't take crap from anyone and who is always quick to put people in there place. I correct through mocking. I make laugh through ridicule. I am a jerk. These are not the traits of a Christian man, who should instead be humble, loving, and full of grace. Who better to understand grace then a person who has received the grace of God?

Lastly, it's obvious that I haven't been doing my blog, which means I haven't been having my own quiet times in God's word. I'm a mess. The new job is going to be my excuse, but this is so much more important than anything else I do in my life. It's time for me to get up early again and buckle down and read God's word every morning. I hope I will get up tomorrow.

Praise God for His Faithfulness.
Praise God for His Grace.

Live to Share God's Greatness with Others

In Romans 15:17-21 Paul talks about the work he has done in and for Christ Jesus. He talks about the fact that he doesn't want to go where people have already heard of Jesus, but he wants to go where, "Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand," which is a direct quote from Isaiah 52:15.

I started working on praying every morning on my way to work. There is so much to pray about, both requests and praises, and I need to be in consistent communication with God. When I am there is so much more peace in my life. When I'm not in prayer my life is a mess. Right now, with the start of my new position with the bank, I am praying that I become a light to the large group of people I will now have influence over and opportunity to be a light and example to. This dark world is so easy to get wrapped up in; and when our focus changes from God to ourselves and our own desires, we fail to recognize the misery we are creating. Simply trusting in God and living to glorify Him WILL bring joy and fulfillment to our lives. Although life will not be easy, it will be complete and satisfying.

Praise God with Our Lives.

Full of Goodness, Filled With All Knowledge

Romans 15:14 says, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct on another."

Paul really does spell out a lot of important truths and key elements for understanding salvation and grace and our responsibilities as Christians in his letter to the Romans. And, although he says this statement above, he goes on to explain in verses 15-16 that he wrote with boldness the rest of Romans as a reminder, "so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." We are the Gentiles, originally not part of the chosen people, but who are now saved by the same grace as the Jews. Their rejection of Christ ushered in an understanding for the rest of us that he is our only hope of eternal life and salvation from what our sin has earned us, which is hell.

We, the elect, are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Working in conjunction with our self conscience, the Holy Spirit makes us aware of right and wrong; and he prompts us and guides us in our decisions. If we listen and don't ignore Him, we will avoid the frustration of sin. We are only full of goodness if we are walking in the Spirit and striving to obey God's commands. We are sin apart from God.

Praise God for the Holy Spirit.

Hope In Christ, Listen to the Spirit

It happens so often that I should know by now that when I need ANYTHING I should just open my Bible. Today I have an interview for a different position with the bank. I'm very nervous about it because I really want the position. And, although my training and experience is right of the position, I want to do a good job in this interview of relaying that. I'm nervous and anxious about it. I've been praying about it a lot, but I think with a weak faith. So much is wrong with my spiritual life, that I can't just hope that God is listening to my prayers.

Well, Romans 15:8-13 reminds me of a greater hope. Christ. And from that hope comes joy and peace in believing. The power of the Holy Spirit is with us who are saved. Too often we ignore the Holy Spirit and drown out His comforts and the hope that comes from the Spirit with worries about life. Our purpose here is to bring glory to God, not to be successful in our worldly endeavors. Verses 11-12 are quotes from the old testament about praising God and rejoicing and hoping in Him (2 Sam. 22:50, Psa. 18:49, Deut. 32:43, Psa. 117:1, and Isa. 11:10). We must listen to to the Holy Spirit. We must recognize we are here for a short time and must strive to glorify God in what we do.

Praise God for His Holy Spirit.
Praise God for Hope.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Romans 15:1-7

My title is sort of silly; I think Rodney King was the one who said it. But in the Christian world there are so many disagreements that actually lead to Christians not getting along with each other. Even in my own short experiences I've had disagreements with other Christians that led to a parting of ways. This is not productive or appropriate for Christians. We have the example of Christ who was selfless and giving to those who wanted Him dead. He died for the sins of all people. And, as Romans 15 tells us in verse 3 (as a quote from Psalms 69:9), "the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me." Christ took on the rebukes and blames from others for us.

We have a duty as Christians to work together in love and patience, welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed us. There is a saying that says something like, "a house divided can not stand." The church struggles against itself here because too often we are not welcoming of others. Although we may have disagreements about different doctrine, we should be constantly loving one another more than fighting about our differing views. "(The) strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." If someone was to tell me that, I'd probably disagree. But that's verse one of Romans 15. It doesn't say rebuke them for their failings. It says bear with them. This is a way to show love. My current way would be rebuke, criticize, mock, and reject. I think that's a sign that I'm not one of the strong.

Bear with the weak. Love others.

Praise God for His Love.

Do All in Faith

I spoke to my friend Stuart yesterday morning about Romans 14:13-23 and we discussed the fact that in context this is about food, but that it's also about not finding fault with a fellow Christian who may not believe a particular type of food or drink is wrong. For example alcohol. There are many people who believe you should not drink any alcohol, and there are others who enjoy it responsibly and without sin.

It comes down to the reasons. If someone abstains from a particular food or beverage another may not have a problem with, not judgment on either person's part should be made. It comes down to faith, and not causing another to stumble. If a new Christian who may have participated in heavy drinking prior to salvation is now not comfortable with the consumption of alcoholic beverages, there should not be another who believes it is okay to drink alcohol pushing beverages on the one who has the problem. Why would we make someone feel like they are wrong or foolish or cause them to think they are sinning for something that does not build up that brother? Verse 23 ends with this: "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Do all things in faith. Know our great God. Understand His desires and the freedoms He gives in faith.

Praise God in Faith.

Serve God so No Evil is Spoken of You

"So, do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:16-17

Romans 14:13-23 is, again, a hard passage to understand. We live with a set of rules that set things as right vs. wrong and what pleasing and not pleasing to God. Often, we live attempting to do all the things on the right and pleasing list so we are deemed "good" people. Too often we think of ourselves as good enough for heaven. I know when I was helping with youth and music ministries in my church, I felt like I was much more "better" and i "knew" I was saved. Now that I've been uninvolved, out of practice with my studies, angry with my job, frustrated with my financial situation, etc., I feel as though my salvation is not as sure.

I think this passage points to the fact that nothing matters because we all deserve hell, non of us can earn salvation or heaven, and everything we do in wrong/evil/sinful unless we are doing it in the belief that we are doing it for God's glory. And that is something I struggle with. I don't do much for His glory. Even all the ministry I used to do, I did it for my own glory most of the time. But God knows this too. Verses 18-19 almost read as God's way to combat this weakness. In light of verses 16-17 our self glorification, we have verses 18-19. They say, "Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding."

Obviously, there is no excuse for sin. And if we are doing things for our own glorification, we are not living lives that are pleasing to God. But at some point we need to realize our sin nature is very present and until we get our new body in heaven, we will have to fight that sin nature. We need to be serving Christ and pursuing what makes peace.

I may have complicated these passages even more, but that's how I feel right now. I'm struggling with my Christian life, and my horrible witness at work, and role as the father and husband in my family. Even yesterday in church, I felt out of place. I feel like one of the people who says he's a Christian and then goes out and lives exactly like the rest of the world, going to church only to check it off on the list of things a "Christian" does. Of course, every week I hear amazing sermons from our pastor too. Yesterday I thought to myself, the pastor must be on something to be so happy and full of passion. How sad for me. I am so far gone right now that I can't be so full of the Spirit that I am on a high? God's grace is so huge, a proper understanding of what His love for us has done, should produce joy and passion. We have this gift from God that saves us from all the sin we live in. Despite our sin, God saved us for Himself. We are saved to glorify Him eternally in heaven. We are only here on earth for a brief moment. Eternity will be in heaven with our Lord and Savior.

Praise God for Jesus.
Praise God for His Faithfulness.

Nothing is Unclean Unless...(Walk in Love)

Well, the next section of Romans (14:13-23) is a little hard for me right now. It seems like it makes everything okay, as long as you think it is. I can't figure out if it's talk only about food or if it's talking about other things too. I'm going to have to break it down a little.

Paul says in verse 14 that he is "persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." This is where I get confused. In context I assume he is talking about food or drink, but it's been translated in my Bible as "nothing is unclean". The next verse goes back to causing a brother to stumble because of something you eat. If you do "grieve" a brother by something you eat, you are not walking in love. And I'm learning more and more that love is really, REALLY important for a Christian. It's the root of our salvation. It is the the example Christ's life on earth left us. It is what we were given in abundance from God, so undeserved, by the death of Jesus.

Okay, so there are the first few verses. More next time. I wish I could just stay home and write. Work is lame.

Every Knee Shall Bow to Me, says the Lord (God is the Judge, not Us)

Christians have many different opinions on different topics such as what you can eat or drink, whether certain days of the week are more important or "holy" than others, or what music styles are good and bad. But Romans 14:1-12 tells us not to judge one another regarding our levels of faith. If one doesn't eat or drink certain things because he doesn't think it is spiritually okay, another who has stronger faith should not pass judgment or argue with the one who has weaker faith. We will all be judged by our holy God. And if we are all living for God and not ourselves, our level of faith is not going to be a factor in our salvation. We will all glorify God.

This is again rushed because my son woke up and I didn't get to finish my thought before work. Christ died for all and is Lord over all things. We will all face judgment from the Holy God for what we do and don't do. For now, all who believe need to uplift each other and encourage each other to live lives that are glorifying to God. Whether at work, home, church or play, we must all live to by the faith God has given us, and strive to bring glory to Him.

Praise God for His Faithfulness to us.

The Time Is Now, Live in the Light

Well, Breakfast was canceled because of the weather. I guess Auburn is white and covered in ice. I'm a little disappointed, except I didn't have to wake up at 5:20am.

I had a day of extreme frustration yesterday. I feel like I'm going to give myself a heart attack. So many frustrating and annoying things go on at my work. There is extreme micromanaging from the upper management, so much so that I spend a great deal of my time wasting time with checklists, scheduling programs, and other things that don't earn us business. Beyond that, there are so many things the company could be doing to save time and money, but I don't have a way to suggest it or implement it. (Hold on, the cutest kid in the world just woke up and I have to say good morning).

Caleb is potty training so I had to take him to the bathroom. These are not fun times, but he's doing well. Dry diaper.

Romans 13:11-14 is the wake up passage of the day. "The hour has come for you to wake from sleep." We need to cast off works of darkness and put on the armor of light. This means we need to stay away from the things that lead us into sin. Verse 13 says, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." Although we don't all deal with everything on this list, here in the USA we know that sexual freedoms in society make it okay for people to allow there passions and desires rule. Sex is the center of a lot of our nations problems. There is now no reason to even get married, because people just have sex with any one at anytime.

We Christians need to be a light in this dark world. It is time now for us to be a shining spot in the darkness. Take pride in restraining from sexual immorality. Even things like jokes and inappropriate comments should be refrained from, as these things are only a sign of acceptance of this behavior.

Times up, dang it.

Praise God today. Praise God for Salvation.

The World is Vying For Our Attention, Pay Attention to God

Well, it's been some time since I last updated and that's not good. I've been using my kids as an excuse in my head; we've been experiencing sleeping problems. But yesterday at church, my pastor said something about filling our heads with the things of God instead of the things of the world. He said the world in vying for our attention and we need to force ourselves to focus on God. What better way to do that then to read God's word?

And the passage I read today is a perfect reminder of NOW being the time to focus on God. But I did get up too late to write. See you Wednesday (Tuesday is my breakfast with the guys day). Keep your fingers crossed.

All Commandments Can Be Summed Up By Love

"...for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." I thought I'd be able to review Romans 13:8-10 and have a lot to say, but the simple truth of that first quote sums it up so nicely. If we love others, we fulfill the law. You don't go lie, cheat, steal, hurt, or kill someone you love. If you love others, you fulfill the commandments. If you love others, you will stop sinning. Love, love, love.

And then there is the reality of my own life. There is barely love for the ones I claim to love. I am so unloving. I often have to question my own salvation because I am not a person who loves others. Sometimes I tell myself I am, because I'll feel bad for someone in need or pain, but that's not the love that counts here. This love is contrasted against the commandments against adultery, murder, stealing, and coveting. We need to love in the hard situations. We need to love the unlovable.

Praise God for His Love.

Submit To The Authorities

Romans 13:1-7 is a little confusing, especially after last nights Facebook discussion about whether or not Obama is "an idiot" or not. Although those weren't my words for him, I think we are headed toward socialism with Obama. But before I go any further, back to the passage at hand. "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God..."

God places whomever He wants into the positions of authority. This is a little confusing for me because of bad people like Saddam Hussein. But I think the United States took care of him. I think there are bad people who become rulers but God has placed those people in those roles for a reason. I think we can look at the USA as a leader in the world and we took care of one that was not doing "good." We, as citizens, are called to do good and we will "receive approval" from the authority.

But this is still a confusing passage, because of people like Saddam and others. Then I read verse 7. "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes...revenue...respect...honor..." When I saw the word respect in there, I instantly thought of the person at my last job who was the main instrument in my release. He was an arrogant, foolish man, in my opinion, but until this moment, I didn't realize my complete disrespect for him. He did get himself to the position of authority he was in, where God placed him in my life. I think all would have been right with me if I had respected his authority. I thought I'd be "butt kissing" but really it was my own arrogance that stopped me from listening to his opinion and learning from it.

We each have a place in this world and a role to fulfill. DON'T think yours is something grand and important. It may be the position of the butt kisser, the respectful obedient follower. Follow the law, respect and honor those who should be, be a good citizen.

Praise God the Ultimate Authority.

Bless Those Who Persecute You

This section of Romans 12 from verse 9-21 has been all about the "marks of the true Christian", as titled in my Bible. Today I'm going to continue with verse 14-21 to finish this section and chapter 12. For me, I have to completely do a 180.

First in verse 14 it says, "Bless those who persecute you...do NOT curse them." So hard. When someone wrongs me, I feel so angry. I have to get them back so I don't look like a fool. But this is the wrong direction according to God's Word. Verse 19 needs to ring out in this time. "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." If some sort of vengeance is deserved and God decides to exact His vengeance, how much greater will the vengeance of God be than that of me, a mere humans? But we are called to not only resist our desire for revenge, we are called to bless and care for our enemies. Verse 16 says, "Live in harmony with one another..." Verse 17 says, "Repay NO one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all." Verse 19 says, "...never avenge yourselves."

We are to do the opposite of what we think is just. Verse 20 tell us to feed our enemies if they are hungry, give them a drink if they are thirsty. We are not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. So hard. So hard. But it is possible, because God's Word tells us to do it. We must be in constant prayer over this. We must rely on the strength that comes from God alone. Remember your sins have been forgiven. Remember the wrongs we have done against the almighty God, who is perfect and good. We wronged a loving God who should not be our enemy. He is the enemy of sin and the Savior of souls.

Praise God for His Grace and Mercy.

COME ON YOU FAILURE!

Romans 12:10-13. First the easier stuff. Verse 13b seek to show hospitality. DONE!

Now the rest. We need to be serving the Lord with a fervent spirit and with zeal. We need to be rejoicing in the hope we have as the children of God. We need to be PATIENT in tribulation. And we need to be in constant prayer. FAIL!

All these things work together too. And all these fails are why I feel like I'm in a deeper pit of failure than before. If I rejoice in the grace that God has given me, and in the hope of heaven and eternity with Him, and if I am in constant prayer to my Creator and Savior, all the struggles of daily life will fade, patience will be provided in tribulation. I believe my struggles would not be so frustrating and difficult if I was leaning on God and trusting Him in the first place. I think He is faithful to me and is constantly trying to draw me back to Himself. Oh what a fool I am.

Praise God for His Faithfulness.
Praise God for the Hope we have in Him.

A Breakfast Break

On Tuesdays I've been meeting with Stuart and Jordan for breakfast and a time to encourage each other. And it is an encouraging time for me. We pray for each other and give each other advice from God's Word. We also have studied things together in the past, like the book "Crazy Love."

I'm a little late today, but I wanted to enter something. My advice today is to always have a group of people you can meet with on a regular basis as an accountability team. Find people that are spiritually mature and know the Bible. Oh, and they need to be the same gender.

Praise God in Patience today.

Let Your Love be Genuine

Romans is a hard book for a struggling Christian. It's a deep book of truths about God and salvation and how we are to live as Christians. Romans 12:9-21 are all about "Marks of the True Christian", as my Bible titles it. And it is stuff that is not easy to hear.

Verse 9 and 10 are all I'm going to cover today. "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." Why do I always fail? I don't love. In fact, people "joke" about my lack of love of others. I'm know as someone who hates things, is annoyed by people, and generally is negative most of the time. I'm not loving. This is so hard for me. I think I can read other people's genuine attitudes in a giving situation; and when others are not genuine or honest with me or a particular event, I get angry and frustrated with them. Or if someone is not paying enough attention to what's going on, when something serious happens and they are shocked, I'm annoyed they weren't prepared. I feel like people are usually not lovable.

BUT, God loves people. "For God so loved the world, He gave his only son..." John 3:16. Even the guy at the baseball game in the outfield, or the one in the end zone at the football game, is trying to tell people that the God of the universe loves people. And now we are called to love people too, right here in Romans.

Let me take this in a different direction. I love music. I love playing the piano and singing. I loved leading worship and First Baptist in Auburn. I loved everything about it. I would say, the job of a music pastor at a church would be my dream job. Except a huge part of being a pastor is loving people. And that love spreads to so many other aspects of the job. Just getting up on the stage and leading people in music worship is not the extent of the job. It takes genuine love.

Praise God Today by Loving Others.