Meditations

Read Romans 13:1-7

Giving the Prez His Props

Everyone must submit himself 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

Digging Deeper: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.”  Deal with it, Democrats!  Republicans, respect your president!  And just hold on a minute, Independents, you’re not exempt from this either!

Whether it is the president or the policeman, city councilmen or congressman, democrat or republican, charismatic governor or senile senator, through the process that gave them their role, God has granted these officials the authority to lead you. In light of that, God expects you to “give them what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:7)

So come on people, give the president his props—the proper respect God expects from you for, if nothing else, the office he holds.  I understand that you may not like him—Paul never said you had to—but he is God’s servant (Romans 4:4).  And if you choose to rebel against his authority, well, you might as well shake your fist in the face of God, because that is, in effect what you are doing:

“He who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:2)

By now, depending on what party you roll with, you may be quite irritated with what I am saying.  You might even be thinking that these seven verses in Romans 13 may just be the one and only place in Scripture that is not divinely inspired; that Paul took leave of his senses at this point and wandered off the reservation when he wrote about respecting and obeying governmental leaders.

Sorry, that doesn’t cut it.  These seven verses are Bible, which means that they are inspired, and that you are accountable for them.  Like it or not, you and I will one day stand before God and give account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36) that we speak against the politicians that somehow—Lord only knows—got put into leadership over us.  So be careful!  Be respectful.  And remember that ultimately, their authority derives from God’s authority, and they, too, are not just accountable to the voting public, but to God himself.

Having said all that, there are ways to redress grievances with governmental authorities. There is a democratic process for electing and removing leaders, and Christians ought to be actively, aggressively and unashamedly engaged in that process. And, furthermore, believers are never, ever expected to obey a leader or a law that violates God’s higher law. (Exodus 1:17, Acts 4:19)  Should that happen, you and I are given permission by God to speak truth to power, resist—non-violently, of course—and be ready to go to jail, if not the gallows, for our faith.

But by and large, the most common and persistent response our Christian faith calls for in terms of our relationship to governmental authorities is prayer.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-4)

Pray for the president—you gotta be kidding?  Submit to his authority—are you nuts?  Give props to a guy I don’t respect a whole lot—get real!  Well, think about this: Paul’s words here in Romans 13 were written around AD 57 when a guy named Nero was emperor of Rome.  To say the least, Nero was not a nice guy—especially to Christians. (Check out Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)

So here’s the deal: If Paul could do it, so can you!

“Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.”
~Francis Bacon

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 13:1-14

Memorize: Romans 13:8

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”

For Your Consideration: When Paul wrote Romans 13, he didn‘t insert a chapter break at the end of chapter 12.  Chapters and verses were later added by editors, so what Paul wrote in this chapter was a simply continuation of his call in Romans 12:1-2 to offer our everyday lives as pleasing worship to God.  In light of that, consider how your attitude toward governmental leaders (Romans 13:1-7), your treatment of the people in your life (Romans 13:8-10), and your personal purity in immoral times (Romans 13:11-14) might need to change to in order to be offered as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

Read Romans 12:1-21

The Noble Peace Prize!

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
~Romans 12:18

Digging Deeper: No—you heard it right: Noble, not Nobel…the Noble Peace Prize.  Nothing is as prized by God as the noble efforts his children exert to achieve peace.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers!”  That proclamation of blessing came from Jesus’ very first sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—found in Matthew 5-7. He was just launching his messianic ministry, and in the opening lines (Matthew 5:1-12) of his first public address, he spelled out his kingdom agenda in bullet form. These “kingdom talking points” have come to be known as the beatitudes. This particular bullet point for blessing, peacemaking, along with seven others, reveal what God values most, what God blesses most, and what God expects most from his people as they expand his kingdom throughout planet earth.

God not only promises peace to his people (“and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds” — Philippians 4:7) and expects his people to allow peace to govern their relationships with one another (“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace” — Colossians 3:15), he also calls his people to be emissaries of his peace to a human race at war with itself, and with him.

Yes, that is our call—emissaries of peace, representing the agenda of the one who was known as the Prince of Peace. Peacemaking is high on the kingdom platform of him who is known as the God of peace. (Romans 15:33, Romans 16:20, Philippians 4:9, I Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 13:20) How else will the world surrender their worship to the God of peace, and accept the Prince of Peace as their savior, and come under the rule of the kingdom of peace unless the subjects of that kingdom flesh out that peace in their everyday, ordinary, sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life”?

So that is your assignment today.  Mine, too.  There is no more noble pursuit. Will you be successful at achieving peace in your home, at work, while you are at school, or in your little corner of the world?  I don’t know.  But I do know that if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, your life can be a powerful catalyst for peace.

And if you will give that your very best shot, “the God of peace will be with you!”  (Philippians 4:9).  And not only will he be with you, he will bless you, for he has promised blessings to those who are “the peacemakers”. (Matthew 5:9)

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate
instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover
who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
~Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:9 (Msg.)

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 12:1-21

Memorize: Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.”

For Your Consideration: Stop at the very first word of chapter 12: “Therefore”.  Whenever you come to a “therefore” in your Bible reading, you ought to ask yourself, “what is it there for?”  What Paul goes on to say in these first two verses comprises what is arguably the most important duty of all true Christ-followers: The offering of our everyday lives to God as our only and reasonable act of worship.  “Therefore” …what is the basis of this call to Christian duty? (Hint: Go back to Romans 11:36.)

Read Romans 12:9-21

The 12×12 Rule!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
~Romans 12:12

Digging Deeper: Romans 12:9-21 is kind of a checklist for Christ-like behavior.  Depending on how you count them, you’ll find no less than nineteen commands that the Christian is to carry out; practical ways, if you will, that we can truly live as “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” (Romans 1:1)

The Message version’s rendering of verse 1 calls us to take our “everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” With God’s help, by rejecting the world’s way of thinking and acting, by the complete transformation of our entire way of viewing, doing and approaching life, and with our 24/7 dedication to the aforementioned, this checklist pretty well covers what the verse describes: The outward produce of an inner renovation experienced in Christ.

There is one item on this checklist that is a particular favorite of mine: Romans 12:12.  A few years ago, an elder in the church where I served as lead pastor brought that particular verse to my attention.  It became the motto of our elder board—and I affectionately named it the 12×12 rule: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  In our elder’s meetings, when we’d come to a sticky challenge, were overcome by a sense of helplessness, left scratching our head in bewilderment, or found ourselves up against an insurmountable wall, we’d just invoke the 12×12 rule.

The 12×12 rule became such a standard response and call to action of that leadership team that one year during the Christmas season the elders gave me a gift that would be a constant reminder to invoke this rule in my life and leadership.  It was a Mont Blanc pen—with the words, “Romans 12:12” inscribed on it. I have never received a more unforgettable and beneficial gift!

The 12×12 rule pretty well sums up what it means to be Christian, doesn’t it?  I would like to challenge you to adopt the 12×12 rule as your own.  Memorize it—it’s pretty easy; it’s just ten words.  Meditate on it until you absorb it into your core.  Pray it back to God until the Holy Spirit brings it to life in your way of thinking. And then just do it.  Invoke it early and often as you do life.

The 12×12 rule.  I like that: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

“Hope is a waking dream.”
~Augustine

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 12:1-21

Memorize: Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.”

For Your Consideration: Stop at the very first word of chapter 12: “Therefore”.  Whenever you come to a “therefore” in your Bible reading, you ought to ask yourself, “what is it there for?”  What Paul goes on to say in these first two verses comprises what is arguably the most important duty of all true Christ-followers: The offering of our everyday lives to God as our only and reasonable act of worship.  “Therefore” …what is the basis of this call to Christian duty? (Hint: Go back to Romans 11:36.)

Read Romans 12:3-8

Sober Up!

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather
think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with
the measure of faith God has given you.
~Romans 12:3

Digging Deeper: If at all possible, it’s best not to think of yourself at all.  I think that is what the Biblical writers had in mind when they spoke of the virtue of humility, which is not so much thinking less of yourself (both quantitatively as well as qualitatively), but the freedom from thinking about yourself altogether.

However, if you must think of yourself, Paul says to do so with “sober judgment”.  And if you do that with the measure of faith you’ve been given, then rather than having a high estimation of yourself, you’ll have an accurate picture of what you are: A living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)

Think about that—a living sacrifice. An Old Testament sacrifice had to die in order to offer pleasing worship to God, but when Jesus came along, he became the final sacrifice called upon to die. Old Testament sacrifices are no longer required by God; New Covenant sacrifices are now what bring pleasing worship to God, and those offerings are called upon to live.

Of course, as a living sacrifice, we must first die to ourselves—our flesh, our own selfish desires and our false estimation of who we are and what we should be.  But our real call is to live—to live in view of God’s mercy (Romans 12:1), to live for him and through him and to him his glory (Romans 11:36), and to live to fulfill the purpose for which he has gifted you (Romans 12:4-8).  And that great purpose for which you have been gifted is specifically spelled out in this section of verses: It is to live and serve and function and contribute to the family of God in which you have now been placed.

Yes, you have been called to die to yourself—and that is a daily (and difficult) exercise in self-mortification.  But your highest calling is now to live unto God—to live as a living sacrifice.  Do you see yourself as a living sacrifice?  That is truly what “sober judgment” will produce.  If that is not fundamentally how you see your role in life, then you need to sober up!

Let me give you a challenge this week: Forget about yourself! Practice being absent minded when it comes to you. Get you out of your thoughts and replace them with plans for offering yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Sober up and crawl back up on the alter of sacrifice—and for Christ’s sake, stay there!

“The only problem with a living sacrifice is that it wants to crawl off the altar.”

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 12:1-21

Memorize: Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.”

 

For Your Consideration: Stop at the very first word of chapter 12: “Therefore”.  Whenever you come to a “therefore” in your Bible reading, you ought to ask yourself, “what is it there for?”  What Paul goes on to say in these first two verses comprises what is arguably the most important duty of all true Christ-followers: The offering of our everyday lives to God as our only and reasonable act of worship.  “Therefore” …what is the basis of this call to Christian duty? (Hint: Go back to Romans 11:36.)

Read Romans 12:1-2

The Key To Everything

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God change
you into a new person by changing the way you think.
~Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Digging Deeper: We have a calling as Christians to right thinking. Right thinking is the key to everything—to godly living, to significance and satisfaction, to relational wholeness, to the abundant life, to spiritual growth, to joy—everything!

Paul writes that we are to let God change us by changing the way we think.  In Philippians 4:8, he describes the kind of thinking that will lead to the changed life:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.

When Paul says to “think about such things”, he intentionally chose the Greek term logizomai, which means to compute, to calculate—to think deliberately, proactively and strategically.  It speaks of an exercise in mental reflection that affects one’s conduct. It is the word from which we get our word for logic.  In other words, as those who have been redeemed, through the mercy of God by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, thinking this way is only logical.  When Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 to present our bodies as living sacrifices—sacrifices that remain in the holiness imputed to us by Christ’s own sacrificial death—he says this is primarily possible through the transformation of our thinking, i.e., “right thinking.”  Interestingly, when Paul says this is our “reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship” (Amplified Bible), he uses that same Greek root word for logical, logikos, i.e., “right thinking.”

Now herein lies an important truth about the human mind:  What we do—our behavior—and what is done to us—our circumstances—do not produce what we think.  Rather, what we think produces our behavior in any given set of circumstances.  That is, “right thinking” enables and encourages “right living”—godliness, a Christ-like response to life, an eternal perspective, an attitude of abundance, a Biblical worldview, etc.

Psychiatrist William Glasser, the father of reality therapy, discovered in his study of how the brain works that man isn’t controlled by external factors, but by internal desires. Furthermore, our desires are predetermined by our thinking.  So he concludes that the mind is the command center determining conduct. Therefore the critical issue for man is how he thinks.

Glasser had only discovered what the Bible had already said long ago—that we are the product of our thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.” That’s why Proverbs 4:23 also says, “Above all else, guard your heart (the heart in Hebrew thought was the center of thinking) for it is the wellspring of life.”

If you want to improve your experience of life, deliberately and strategically change your thinking.  So when Paul says, “think about,” he doesn’t mean to leave it up to whatever pops into your brain.  He’s saying to intentionally and rigidly allow only certain things into your mind.  He is referring to the practice or spiritual discipline of setting godly virtues and Biblical values as the gatekeeper of your mind.

He’s not suggesting silly mind-games or positive thinking, mere optimism, or some type of self-hypnosis, he’s calling us to think deeply, rationally and habitually about the things of God.  He is calling us to think first, think early, think often, think deeply, think always.  Think first, act second, feel third! Then your feelings will be managed by your thinking and your actions will be sound.

God created us with a mind, and he commands us to think.  Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together.” And the primary path for our reasoning is God’s Word. When God gave us his revelation, he didn’t give us a movie…or a series of music videos…not even a book on tape with background organ music.  He gave us the written Word…which by nature calls us and causes us to think.

In his book, “Your Mind Matters, John Stott wrote, “Sin has more dangerous effects on our feeling than our thinking, because our opinions are more easily checked and regulated by revealed truth than are experiences.”  Right thinking is the key to Godly character.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out that our worry and anxiety is “a failure to think” that God is close and in control, and that he cares about you.  Most people assume worry comes from thinking too much.  But in reality we get anxious for not thinking enough in the right direction.  Right thinking is thinking rightly about God’s purposes, promises, and plans. Right thinking is thinking reasonably about God’s revealed truth. Right thinking is the key to Spirit-controlled emotions.

A.W. Tozer wrote in his book, Knowledge of the Holy, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Right thinking is the key to your experience of God.

Thinking rightly is the catalyst for a great life.  So watch your input; it becomes thought. Watch your thoughts; they become attitudes. Watch your attitudes; they become actions.  Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny

Now go think rightly.  It’s the key to everything!

“Let the mind of the Master become the master of your mind.”

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 12:1-21

Memorize: Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.”

For Your Consideration: Stop at the very first word of chapter 12: “Therefore”.  Whenever you come to a “therefore” in your Bible reading, you ought to ask yourself, “what is it there for?”  What Paul goes on to say in these first two verses comprises what is arguably the most important duty of all true Christ-followers: The offering of our everyday lives to God as our only and reasonable act of worship.  “Therefore” …what is the basis of this call to Christian duty? (Hint: Go back to Romans 11:36.)

Read Romans 11:25-36

Trusting The God We Don’t Fully Know

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
~Romans 11:33

Digging Deeper: There’s a lot in Romans 11 that, quite frankly, is impossible to get your brain around!  Like how God hardened Israel’s heart (Romans 11:7-10), or this whole business of election and the full number of the Gentiles (Romans 11:7,25,28), or how God’s uses the misfortunes of some to create blessings for others (Romans 11:12,30-31), or how God is using his kindness to the Gentiles to create jealousy in the Jews (Romans 11:11) or how God has bound all men over to disobedience so he can show mercy to them all. (Romans11:32)

Huh?  Give you a headache?  Yeah—me, too!  I can understand why, after all those mind-teasing theologies, Paul exclaims,

“No one can explain the things God decides or understand his ways.”
(Romans 11:33, NCV)

Yes, there is a whole lot more to God that we don’t understand than what we do understand! So if you ever run into someone who thinks and talks like they’ve got God all figured out, know this: They are an egghead!  The truth is, when you delve into some of these deep and mysterious truths, it can get a little intimidating, if not downright scary and unsettling. But here is a rule of thumb when you get to stuff like this and you are a little overwhelmed:

You can always trust God!

God is good, all the time—you can take that to the bank!  And although he is too deep to always explain himself to us, we can be assured that he is too kind to ever be cruel and too wise to ever make a mistake.  I like how the Message translates these verses on the mysterious ways of God—I think they not only shed some needed light on this matter, but they gift us with a whole lot of comfort as well:

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God,
this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.
Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough
to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge
favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes
from him; Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Having trouble figuring God out? I get you!  But here’s what I’m committed to; what I’m staking my whole eternity on: Everything ends up in him…always glory…always praise!

I’d encourage you to go with that, too!

“It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that
bother me, it is the parts that I do understand. ”
~Mark Twain

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 11:1-36

Memorize: Romans 11:33,

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

For Your Consideration: There are several things in this chapter (as well as throughout Romans) that might leave you scratching your head.  For hundreds of years, theologians and laymen alike have debated “election” versus “free will” with no clear resolution to the debate.  Likewise, certain statements are made by the Bible’s human authors that seem to run against the grain of what we know to be true about God, such as the one in Romans 11:32, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”  Do you think there are some things in Scripture that we should just chalk up to Romans 11:33?

Read Romans 11:11-24

A God Created In Our Image

“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God”
~Romans 11:22

Digger Deeper: American culture isn’t too thrilled with this verse!  We don’t want a God who is stern; we want a God who is only kind—all the time.  We want a God who is more like an easygoing grandfather than a strong father. We want nurture, not discipline. We prefer love without truth if the truth is going to hurt.  We want a God who makes us feel good and who will guarantee our comfort and success.

This kinder, gentler theology has even invaded the church. A lot of people now go to church not to be engaged by truth, but to get a certain feeling—the warm fuzzies.  That’s why a lot of people evaluate their church experience or even choose their church based on if it will make them feel good.

I suppose what we really want is a God created in our image!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to follow a God like that.  I want a God who will give me a dose of tough love when I need it.  I want a God who knows what is right for me, because I certainly don’t always know what is right for me.  I want a God who is my loving Father, which means that he will sometimes discipline me out of love.  I want a God who is more committed to my holiness than my happiness, because I will never truly be happy, not in this life or the life to come, until I get the holiness thing right.

The writer of Hebrews talked about this when he wrote,

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and life! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:7-11)

That’s the God I want, and I need.  I want a God who is kind when I need kindness, and stern when I need sternness.

A God who will give me both is a God who really loves me!

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for
comfort you will not get either comfort or truth…”
~C.S. Lewis

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 11:1-36

Memorize: Romans 11:33,

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

For Your Consideration: There are several things in this chapter (as well as throughout Romans) that might leave you scratching your head.  For hundreds of years, theologians and laymen alike have debated “election” versus “free will” with no clear resolution to the debate.  Likewise, certain statements are made by the Bible’s human authors that seem to run against the grain of what we know to be true about God, such as the one in Romans 11:32, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”  Do you think there are some things in Scripture that we should just chalk up to Romans? Romans 11:33

Read Romans 11:1-10

You’re Not The Only One

“I have reserved for myself seven thousand who
have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
~Romans 11:4

Digger Deeper: Isolation is one of the chief tools of the Enemy to discourage God’s people. And if he can cause discouragement by tricking them into thinking they are all alone, he can more easily defeat them. Too many of God’s people live defeated lives precisely because “the roaring lion” has isolated them from the herd where they are more easily devoured by discouragement, doubt and depression. (I Peter 5:8; cf., Elijah’s bout with depression in I Kings 19)

I know, only in hindsight, unfortunately, that Satan has occasionally used that age-old method on me—and with some success. You’d think after a few times of the old lion isolating me from the herd, I’d wise up to his ways.  But time after time, he comes at me with the same strategy, and before I know it, I’m feeling like the Old Testament prophet, Elijah (Romans 11:3, cf. I Kings 19:10,14),

“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars;
I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.”

He’s probably used the “solitary confinement” method on you, too—and all the while, you were totally unaware. You thought you were the only one who was standing for truth in that hostile environment.  You were convinced you were the only believer at your work. You were sure you were the only one in the group who didn’t drink, do drugs, of treat sex as casually as a handshake. You thought that no one else struggled with that shameful sin like you did. You believed no one else could relate to your devastating failure—a broken marriage, a child who walked away from God, getting fired from your job, making what turned out to be a foolish investment, giving in yet again to that addictive behavior.

Well guess what?  You’re not alone.  Whether you are standing for your faith or struggling with sin or dealing with a devastation, you are in good company.  We are all fellow strugglers. But here’s the deal: We are also overcomers.  And there are a lot of us; God has made sure to keep plenty of us in reserve: “I have reserved for myself…” (Romans 11:4)

Think of that: Thousands of us, all flawed and in many cases feeble, but “more than conquerors.” In fact, that is our primary identity—more than strugglers, we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)  And at the end of the day, we will overcome the Enemy by the word of our testimony and by the blood of the Lamb! (Revelation 12:11)

So be encouraged and refuse to let the devil lead you into a box canyon of isolation. Share your struggles with a trusted friend. Stay connected with a small group.  Don’t lose the vital link between your faith and Christian fellowship. And just remember, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (II Kings 6:16)

You don’t have to stand alone any longer. Jesus did that for you when he hung on the cross all by himself.  Because of his isolation, you are now an inseparable part of God’s family and you are inseparable from God’s love. (Romans 8:35, 38-39) So hang in there—you’re more than a conqueror! So am I!

“We must hang together, gentlemen…else, we
shall most assuredly hang separately.”
~Benjamin Franklin

This Week’s Assignment:

Read: Romans 11:1-36

Memorize: Romans 11:33,

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

For Your Consideration: There are several things in this chapter (as well as throughout Romans) that might leave you scratching your head.  For hundreds of years, theologians and laymen alike have debated “election” versus “free will” with no clear resolution to the debate.  Likewise, certain statements are made by the Bible’s human authors that seem to run against the grain of what we know to be true about God, such as the one in Romans 11:32, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”  Do you think there are some things in Scripture that we should just chalk up to Romans 11:33?

Read Romans 10:1-21

A Longhorn Sermon Or A Word From God?

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
they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How
beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
~Romans 10:14-15

Digging Deeper: Okay, this may sound a little self-serving since I am one, but I just want to echo what Paul is saying: Up with preachers! The Christian message requires them! The building of faith requires them! The evangelization of the world requires them!

You go, preacher!

Did you notice that the Gospel formula, if you will, goes something like this: Salvation requires belief; belief requires the communicated Word; the communicated Word requires a preacher; and the preacher requires a divine call. Therefore, in the Christian equation, preaching must be kept preeminent! It is the God-ordained tool for building faith:

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
(Romans 10:17)

We live in a culture where far too many churches have downplayed the preaching of the Word. People don’t like to be preached at, so preaching is reduced to “sharing”, messages are more like motivational pep talks and the preacher becomes a self-improvement guru. In truth, what passes as a message in many churches amounts to nothing more than a “longhorn” sermon—a point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between.

Not only is the sermon reduced to a lesser role, but in the place of preaching, music and drama have taken the preeminence. Now don’t get me wrong—I love good music, and I believe that churches ought to have the best fine arts approach to worship and evangelism possible. Too many churches turn off spiritual seekers because the song selection is out-of-date, the style belongs in the dark ages, and the skill of the musicians would be better served as an implement of torture in the hands of CIA agents at Gitmo.  As it relates to the drama ministry, the old adage that “no drama is better than bad drama” has definitely been ignored. There needs to be a commitment to excellence befitting the King of Kings in regards to the worship arts of a church. And I thank God that I belong to a fellowship with that kind of commitment.

But the preaching of the Word must never lose its primacy in the ministry of the local church. Churches must be committed to it, and must demand the same kind of skill that I’ve just suggested of the church’s fine arts. Why? Because preaching is the primary vehicle for the development of disciples and for the formation of faith necessary for spiritual seekers to find Christ. The Word of God must be taught clearly, thoroughly, accurately, interestingly, relevantly, passionately and consistently, or the church has failed in its mission.

Richard Baxter, the Puritan preacher once remarked, “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” Your preacher must be fully aware that when he or she preaches, eternity literally hangs in the balance. I would recommend that you copy that down on a 5 x 7 card and tape it to the pulpit in full view so that when your pastor steps behind “the sacred desk”, he or she is reminded of their role and senses your supportive expectation that they are carrying out the central activity of the gathered community of faith: the preaching of the Word of God!

Oh, one more thing. Your preacher may be the one assigned to declare God’s truth to your congregation from the pulpit, but you, too, have been called to preach the Good News. You are a preacher, and the world God has placed you in is your parish.

So preach away—both with your life and your words.

“All originality and no plagiarism makes for dull preaching!”
~Charles Spurgeon

This Week’s Assignment:

• Re-read Romans 10:1-21
• Memorize Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”
• For Your Consideration: Read these verses, as well as the immediate context (Romans 10:5:13) from several different translations (I would recommend the NIV, The Message, and the New Living Translation). Why are these verses such a centerpiece to the Christian message?  How does your own view of salvation line up with what Paul has written?  Do you think your Christian friends have a good grasp on what it takes to be saved, and if not, how can you engage them in a spiritual conversation about this matter?

Read Romans 10:5-18

Of Filthy Rags and Transformed Hearts

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it
is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
~Romans 10:9-10

Digging Deeper: You cannot be saved by your good works, because no matter how hard you try, your “good” is not good enough for the perfectly holy and completely righteous God who alone grants salvation. Nor can you be saved by your moral perfection—no matter how moral or how perfect you are.  As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah points out, your righteousness is about as good as a “snot rag”. (Isaiah 64:6). I have actually cleaned that up a bit, because the Hebrew phrase for filthy rags, ukabeged ehdim, literally means, “like as rags of menstruation.”

Sorry if that disgusts you, but it’s Scripture—so blame Isaiah.  The point is, both our acts of righteousness, and the quality of righteousness that we hope they produce, are disgusting to God.  So if you are disgusted by Isaiah’s language, think of how God, who inspired Isaiah to choose those coarse words, is repulsed by our efforts to get him to save us.

So what hope, then, is there for our salvation?  Well, frankly, no hope resides within us. None whatsoever.  Ephesians 2:1 says “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” That’s how hopeless we are apart from God’s work to save us. You see, all a dead person can do is lay there and be dead, let alone try to be righteous before God.

No, our righteousness—and let’s be clear, we do have to be righteous to be acceptable to God—comes from Christ alone.  And here’s how that is possible: God sent his Son to die on the cross, to hang there as our sin, in order to pay the just punishment for sin that we deserved.  That is our only hope, that Jesus became sin—our sin—and in so doing, he likewise became our righteousness.    II Corinthians 5:21 says it well,

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God.”

How dishonoring, then, it is to God’s grace and to Christ’s atonement when we try to save ourselves by our acts of righteousness and our efforts at moral perfection.  The sooner we realize that, the sooner, we’ll join Paul in saying,

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
[our best efforts] rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness
that comes from God and is by faith.”
(Philippians 3:8-9)

It is only through the power of Christ’s resurrection and our death to self (Philippians 3:10-11) that our heart—the core of who we are, that which represents every fiber of our existence—will get transformed.  And it is out of a transformed heart, and only that, that our tongue can confess Jesus is Lord.

Then, and only then, are we saved.

So relax about trying to be righteous and morally perfect!  Jesus did it for you.  God accepts Christ’s efforts on your behalf as good enough, so you don’t have to be good enough.  All you have to do is accept it, believe it, and conform your life to it!

“When the will of God crosses the will of man, somebody has to die.”
~Addison Leitch

This Week’s Assignment:

• Re-read Romans 10:1-21
• Memorize Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”
• For Your Consideration: Read these verses, as well as the immediate context (Romans 10:5:13) from several different translations (I would recommend the NIV, The Message, and the New Living Translation). Why are these verses such a centerpiece to the Christian message?  How does your own view of salvation line up with what Paul has written?  Do you think your Christian friends have a good grasp on what it takes to be saved, and if not, how can you engage them in a spiritual conversation about this matter?