THE BIG IDEA: 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!

Meditation // Romans 10:9-10

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.

You cannot be saved by your good works. Period! No matter how hard you try, your “good” is not good enough for the perfectly holy and completely righteous God. Nor can you be saved through an alternative, less stringent means, for only through God is eternal salvation possible.

Moreover, you cannot be saved by your moral perfection—no matter how moral you are or how close to moral you get. As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah pointed 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 words 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 is repulsed by our efforts to get him to save us.

So what hope is there for our salvation? Well, no hope resides within us. None whatsoever. Ephesians 2:1 says “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” 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. You see, God sent his Son to die on the cross—hanging 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 to God’s grace and Christ’s atonement when we therefore try to save ourselves by our acts of righteousness and our efforts at moral perfection. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we will discover salvation by grace along through faith, as Paul spoke about in in Philippians 3:8-9,

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.

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

UNSHAKEABLE: What does God care most about? I would contend that in the most powerful and profound sense, God desires that everyone on Planet Earth would have the chance to hear the Good News of his plan of eternal salvation that he offers through placing saving faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Whether people accept the message or not, God still wants everyone to have the chance to hear and either reject or accept his gospel. And I would further contend that when you dedicate your life—your time, talent, energy, and resources—to reaching those who have never heard this Good News, God will devote himself to caring for what you most care about. What a deal! That, my friend, is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:20-21

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Are you a missions-minded Christian? Put another way, are you intensely missionary — especially about reaching those who have never heard the Good News of God’s saving plan through placing faith in his Son, Jesus Christ?

I thought I was intensely missionary. I grew up in the church where the occasional missionary would come and, if we were lucky, show slides of his work in Africa or some other far-off place that I had only heard about in geography lessons at school. Then I grew up and became a pastor, and again, the occasional missionary would come and tell the church what God was doing somewhere far away, and I would feel good that we were a missions church. I would even give regularly to support the church’s missions effort around the world. I was content that I was a missions-minded Christian.

But that began to change. Periodically, I was sent overseas for short-term missions projects by the various churches I served, and my heart begin to get reshaped by what I saw God doing among people who had never heard the name of Jesus before. The signs, wonders, and miracles in the context of the mission (Paul talks about that very same mission-laden context: “by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.” Rom 15:19) blew my mind. I had never seen such things in the U.S., and experiencing it abroad, I longed to see the supernatural back home in my church, too. God was disturbing my contentedness and reshaping my heart for missions.

Then God completely dislocated my heart and gave me a real passion for missions, for reaching people who had never heard the Gospel of Christ. I have a notion now that I have become a missions-minded Christian, and I grow more intensely missionary as the days go by.

It all happened when I reluctantly got involved in a church-planting project in a remote, unreached African region in 2004. I was reluctant because I knew that my involvement would require a lot of my own personal resources, and to be successful, it would require significant resources from my church. Figuring our resource pie was already stretched and limited, I secretly feared that the finances we dedicated to this project would flow away from other worthy projects and that we would simply be “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Then, as I was stressing over this likely outcome, something wonderful happened. God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice or through writing on the wall or some other sensational sort of way (that would have been really cool). He simply and clearly spoke to me through an undeniable and unmistakable inner impression in my spirit. Addressing my stress, he simply said, “Ray, if you will take care of the things I care about, then I will take care of the things you care about. I care about a lost world. I care about people who have never heard my name. And I want you to care about them too!” Let me say that again, for it was not only for Ray Noah, it is God’s message to you, too:

If you will take care of the things I care about, then I will take care of the things you care about. I care about a lost world. I care about people who have never heard my name. And I want you to care about them too!

That was good enough for me. I jumped into this project up to my eyeballs, and true to his word, God turned on a miraculous flow of resources for this church planting project and those other projects I had been so concerned about. Best of all, my obedience and those who joined me keyed a revival in this region of Africa that was beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Now, twenty years later, the gospel has spread to unreached villages in several nations, and over 1.5 million lost souls have come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! And this modern-day revival is showing no signs of slowing.

What God has done in Africa through this act of obedience changed my heart forever and has given me an ever-growing, all-consuming passion for missions. I still have a passion for the local church and reaching the lost in my community (that’s missions, too), but I have an added ambition now: To keep God’s people focused on reaching people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. You see, just because a person happens to be born in an unreached part of the world shouldn’t limit their access to Jesus and the blessings of his kingdom.

Reaching the unreached — that was Paul’s ambition, according to Romans 15:20, way before it was mine. That is God’s ambition, according to Romans 15:21, that “those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

I pray that you will open your heart and let God make it your ambition as well. I hope that you will travel with me down the path to becoming an intensely missionary Christian. If you will, I will make you the same promise God made me:

If you will take care of the things God cares about—a lost world, God will take care of the things you care about—your world.

What a deal! That is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.

“ The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become. — HENRY MARTYN

UNSHAKEABLE: The Apostle Paul said that his ambition was to preach the gospel where Christ was not known (Rom 15:20). And in the most stunning way, God honored that ambition, both in Paul’s lifetime but mostly throughout time going forward, to send the gospel around the world. God did through Paul more than the apostle ever imagined. So, what has God done through you lately? Do you know that God wants to give you a holy ambition for great things, too — yes, even supernatural things? The divine power that will accomplish your ambition is there, wrapped and waiting in heaven to be released to you. But God won’t waste one ounce of holy ambition on those who would use it for their own gain. However, for those who will open their hearts to the possibility of God using them, then doggedly dedicate themselves to being used for God’s glory alone will find a release of supernatural supply that will enable them to do what only God can do. That is the best kind of ambition; far better and more rewarding than any human ambition — even the most altruistic ambition. It is holy ambition.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:20

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

It’s time to get your ambition on!

Ambition is something that in our day has an equally positive and negative connotation. In the negative sense, ambitious people are seen as willing to compromise, step on people, win at all costs, and be ruthlessly opportunistic to get what they want — which is usually “to the top.”

When we think of ambition in the positive sense, we prefer to speak of it in terms of passion. This sort of ambitious person is passionate; perhaps we might even call them driven. The Apostle Paul was all of those: driven, passionate, and ambitious in the best sense of the word.

Paul’s passionate drivenness was a holy ambition. It was holy because Paul clearly understood that his calling did not originate within himself, but it was from God: “…because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God…” (Rom 15:15-16) Paul had been given a divine purpose, it was that very purpose that inexorably drove Paul toward its accomplishment.

Furthermore, Paul was ambitious for all the glory to go directly to God: “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done…” (Rom 15:17-18) Paul did not want achieve fame for himself, he wanted only to make God’s name famous among the Gentiles. That’s why Paul was dogged in his determination to take the gospel to Gentiles who had never heard, refusing to co-opt another preacher’s labor, but choosing rather to prophetically plant where no preacher had been. (Rom 15:20-22)

Finally, what elevated Paul’s ambition from merely human to altogether holy was the fact that is was authenticated by the power of the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders: “by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.” (Rom 15:19) God had called Paul to do what he was doing, Paul passionately did what he did for the glory of God alone, and that was the perfect recipe for the release of the divine power that enabled Paul to do what only God could do.

What has God done through you lately? You know, God wants to give you a holy ambition for great things, too — supernatural things! That ambition is there, wrapped and waiting in heaven to be released to you. But God won’t waste one ounce of holy ambition on those who would use it for their own gain. However, for those who will open their hearts to being used by God and then doggedly dedicate themselves to be used for God’s glory alone, God will release supernatural supply to do through them what only God can do. And that, my friend, is the best kind of ambition; far better, more rewarding, and soul-satisfying than any human ambition — even the most altruistic ambition. It is holy ambition.

Do you have it? If not, it’s time to get your ambition on! So sanctify your motives, open up your heart, and get ready for God to use you to achieve some glory for him!

UNSHAKEABLE: What is worse that the measles? How about the me-sels. The me-sels get particularly nasty when it infects churches. You know there is an outbreak when you start hearing, “you’re sitting in my seat…the sermons don’t feed me…that music isn’t for me…that doesn’t make me comfortable…they’re asking too much of me.” Unfortunately, a lot of churches these days really cater to that “me” mindset. If I were you and found myself in a church that doesn’t want to acknowledge or address this spreading outbreak of me-sels, and in fact, actually contributes to it, I would find a new church in a heartbeat. Get into a fellowship and under anointed leadership that doesn’t shy away from dethroning you and enthroning the One who rightly deserves your worship and service. Get into a church that demands God first, others second, and you a distant third.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:1-2

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

It’s the worst disease of all. I call it the me-sels, and it has been going around since the beginning of time. It is pandemic, it is virulent, and it is resistant to all but one drug — dethroning.

You know what I am talking about … me-sels? “It’s all about me…my needs, my desires, my comfort, my happiness… me…me…me!” The me-sels puts me at the center (a horrible place to be, by the way), God at the periphery (the most subtle but devastating sin of all), and everybody else on the outside (no truer violation of the spirit of Christ).

Me-sels gets particularly nasty when it infects churches. You know there is an outbreak when you start hearing, “you’re sitting in my seat…the sermons don’t feed me…that music isn’t for me…that doesn’t make me comfortable…they’re asking too much of me.” Unfortunately, a lot of churches these days really cater to that “me” mindset. If I were you and found myself in a church that doesn’t want to acknowledge or address this spreading outbreak of me-sels, and in fact, actually contributes to it, I would find a new church in a heartbeat. Get into a fellowship and under anointed leadership that doesn’t shy away from dethroning you and enthroning the One who rightly deserves your worship and service. Get into a church that demands God first, others second, and you a distant third.

Dethroning can be painful, but there’s nothing like getting your me-sels cleared up!

You see, when believers get cured from this nasty infection, the heath that comes to the body of Christ is nothing less than spectacular — and even that’s an understatement. When you get rid of the me-sels, corporate encouragement will flourish and biblical hope will grow.

And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. (Rom 15:4)

Moreover, the church will experiences unity and God will receive the glory that he is due.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 15:5-6)

Suddenly, people will find your church a place where they can experience transforming love and find heart-healing acceptance.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. (Rom 15:7)

Not only that, but the unbelievers in your community will be irresistibly drawn to Christ by the love you and your fellow Christians have for one another.

As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. (Rom 15:9 Msg, cf. John 13:35, 15:13)

And what about you? Well, you can expect to be filled with nothing less than joy, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13).

The conditions of spiritual health and vitality are quite preferable to the me-sels, wouldn’t you say?

So here’s the deal: You can settle for a persistent case of the me-sels, or you can take a daily dose of dethroning until it clears up. What’s it going to be?

UNSHAKEABLE: Trigger warning! So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever. Here’s the deal: You can do what you want as long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord. Romans 14:7-8 reminds us, “For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

Unshakeable Living // Romans 14:17

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or what we drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever.

That is what Paul is really teaching here in Romans 14. Certain of the Roman Christians in Paul’s day were getting uptight with other believers because they weren’t living out their faith the way these Roman church members were. In that day, the issue had to do with certain foods that some believers felt was inappropriate to eat. The big deal about meat was that before it had been purchased, it had likely been sacrificed to an idol prior to its arrival at the market. That was a concern to the non-meat-eating believers because they believed to now eat that meat was to give tacit worship to idols.

Another issue had to do with what day they believed was the correct day to gather for worship. Some thought that Saturday, the Sabbath, was the correct day, while others preferred Sunday worship service. And as people chose sides over these issues, hard feelings and disharmony were the results in the church.

So Paul says, “look gang, what foods you eat or don’t eat and what day you choose to worship just doesn’t matter in the bigger picture of what the Kingdom of God is all about. You are free to do what you want so long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord.” Notice these words,

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Rom 14:7-8)

That is a great rule of life to live by. If — and that is a critical ‘if’ — your consuming motive is to bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, then nothing else really matters. Do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, worship when you want and in the way you want — as long as your sole purpose is to glorify the Lord. That’s why Paul went on to remind these believers, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat or drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Now Paul gives a couple of caveats to this principle. One, if you cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble by deliberately doing certain things that offend their conscience, then you’ve missed the point. You are not glorifying God. You are unnecessarily creating disharmony, and harmony in the family of God is a big deal, a very big deal, to the Lord. And two, if you take advantage of this liberty in Christ to do something your conscience tells you not to do, you have crossed over into sin. So be careful in the exercise of your Christian freedom.

Here is what really matters in our Christian faith: Do everything to honor God, and you will be okay.

As St. Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.”

“ To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. — AUGUSTINE

UNSHAKEABLE: If we choose to pass judgments about other believers based only on our opinions and preferences (“disputable matters” Rom 14:1), we will very likely cause the subject of our judgments and the onlookers to our judgmental expressions to fall into sin. Even though our opinions and preferences in and of themselves may not be sin, when they are offered in such a way to block another believer’s growth and sap their spiritual vitality, we become a stumbling block, and in so doing, commit one of the worst sins possible: causing someone else to falter.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 14:13

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

There is an intentional and intriguing choice of Greek words here in Romans 14:13. It is the word, krino, which means “to judge.” The Apostle Paul used it twice: the first time is as a negative, “stop passing judgment” and the second time is as a positive, “make up your mind.”

What Paul has done in this chapter is to bring each of us to one of the most critical decisions we will ever make as Christ-followers: To either use our lives as a stumbling block or as a building block in the body of Christ. That outcome is determined by the mindset we choose.

If we choose to pass judgments about other believers based only on our opinions and preferences (“disputable matters” Rom 14:1), we will very likely cause the subject of our judgments and the onlookers to our judgmental expressions to fall into sin. Even though our opinions and preferences in and of themselves may not be sin, when they are offered in such a way to block another believer’s growth and sap their spiritual vitality, we become a stumbling block, and in so doing, commit one of the worst sins possible: causing someone else to falter.

That is why, at all times, our best judgment must be deliberately employed to choose and use the kinds of words, attitudes, and actions that build others up in their faith. When we do, we become that which is highly prized by heaven: a building block in the body of Christ. Paul says, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Rom 14:19) “Edification” comes from the Greek word, oikodomay, which literally refers to the thing that is built, and metaphorically to the act of one who promotes another believer’s growth in wisdom, joy, piety, and purity.

What, then, are you to do with your opinions and preferences — the things you feel strongly about? It’s simple: for the most part, keep them to yourself. Think I’m being too hard? Think again: “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.”(Rom 14:22) And if you do feel the need to offer them, which you have every right to do, express them respectfully and carefully. As Paul says, “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of” what you prefer. (Rom 14:20)

Simply remember this critical piece of theology and you will always be a building block, not a stumbling block: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [your opinions and preferences], but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17)

Righteousness, peace, and joy! When you value and promote those three kingdom jewels at all times, you will have figured out the best and highest use of your life. And best of all, your life will be forever prized by heaven!

“ Men stumble over pebbles, never over mountains. — MARILYN FRENCH

UNSHAKEABLE: We would like to think that our modern Christianity is more mature than the believers whom Paul admonishes in Romans for being judgmental, but I suspect we do a fair amount of that very thing, too. We don’t tend to quibble over vegetarian diets and high holy days, but we do tend to judge music styles (contemporary or traditional), proper church attire (casual or formal), preaching methods (verse-by-verse or thematic), approaches to evangelism (seeker friendly or confrontational), or a whole menu of what Paul calls “disputable matters.” And just like the Romans, when we assign greater spirituality to one of those disputable matters by judging another, we take on a role meant for God alone.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 14:1, 4 (NIV & Message)

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters … If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Guess what? You are not God! God is, so leave being Judge of the Universe up to him.

And yet we don’t. We twist that wonderful truth, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,” to a version more congruent with our god-complex: “God loves you and I have a wonderful plan for your life.” That would be pretty funny if it weren’t so true.

Our problem is that we love to take people whom God has redeemed and re-create them into our image — that is, our image of what we think a Christian ought to look like. That was going on clear back in Paul’s day, too. That is why he takes an entire chapter here in Romans to deal with this problem.

Apparently, for the Roman Christians, the issue they were getting hung up on was “diets and days.” Some of the Christians were saying that “real” believers ought to eat only a vegetarian diet, while others thought it just fine to take full advantage of the buffet table — especially the protein.

For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. (Rom 14:2-3, NLT))

Then there were some who felt that a “true” believer was obligated to observe certain high holy days, while others thought there was no such thing as a holy day—one day was no more holy than the next.

In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. (Rom 14:5-6)

So when some didn’t align certain behaviors to those practices particular of those with a “purer” brand of Christianity, judgment was passed and fissures formed in the body of Christ—both of which were wrong and brought the sobering reminder from Paul that God will be the final arbiter of pure religion:

So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. (Rom 14:10)

Fast forward to today, where we would like to think we are different. But I suspect we do a fair amount of that very thing, too. We don’t tend to quibble over vegetarian diets and high holy days, but we do tend to judge music styles (contemporary or traditional), proper church attire (casual or formal), preaching methods (verse-by-verse or thematic), approaches to evangelism (seeker-friendly or confrontational), or a whole menu of what Paul calls “disputable matters.” And just like the Romans, when we assign greater spirituality to one of those disputable matters by judging another, we take on a role meant for God alone.

So here is Paul’s recommendation—and mine, too: Relax! Just take a chill pill, because most of the things that drive you to be judgmental are just not worth the time and energy you spend getting worked up about. Let God worry about the way someone dresses, or the kind of music they like, or the way they preach, or how they approach reaching the lost in their community, or whatever else bugs you about them. As Paul says, “If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.” (Rom 14:4, MSG)

You see, only Jesus has the right to judge his followers. They are his, after all, not yours. He earned the role of the one and only Master and Commander by living a sinless life, dying as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and rising as the conqueror of death, hell, and the grave. Moreover, when he died, he rendered salvation by obedience to a set of religious laws null and void. So, since he is our Lord and Savior, and we will stand before him someday, let’s leave the judging up to him.

It will work out a lot better that way — and we’ll enjoy life a lot more when we take the weight of being judge, jury, and executioner off our shoulders.

“ Never fight evil as if it were something that arose totally outside of yourself. — AUGUSTINE

UNSHAKEABLE: We are even closer to the day when the Father says, “enough is enough — it is finished!” and sends the Son to restore order to the chaotic mess mankind, in partnership with Satan, has made of what was once God’s garden. That day is closer than ever, my friend, and even though there has been no sign of Christ, the signs of his return are everywhere. So as Paul would say, wake up, and jettison the activities of the night!

Unshakeable Living // Romans 13:11

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

It has been nearly 2,000 years since Christians first began to look for the second coming of Christ, and still, he has not returned. Sadly, his delay has caused the alertness of far too many believers to dim; perhaps that is the case for you. But as you consider the promise of his return, please don’t confuse his slowness with lateness. You see, God’s timing is still perfect, his plan for the end times is still in effect, and his delay has done absolutely nothing to impugn the truth that we are indeed living in the last days.

In fact, Paul would argue that Christ’s delay can only mean one thing: We are even closer to the day when the Father says, “enough is enough — it is finished!” and sends the Son to restore order to the chaotic mess mankind, in partnership with Satan, has made of what was once God’s garden. That day is closer than ever, my friend, and even though there has been no sign of Christ, the signs of his return are everywhere. So as Paul would say, wake up, and jettison the activities of the night!

What is it, exactly, that people do at night? For one thing, they sleep, Now that is not a bad activity in itself, but in the spiritual dimension, sleeping in the end times is akin to both inactivity in the work of the kingdom as well as inattentiveness to the King’s coming—both serious spiritual faux pas according to Matthew 25.

If you are spiritually inactive or unaware, this is your wake-up call — and it’s the most important one you’ll ever receive!

People also dream at night. Though not all dreaming is bad, dreams can either be fear-producing nightmares that paralyze our spiritual vitality or time-wasting fantasizing that cause us to avoid our spiritual responsibilities. Dreaming in this sense is symbolic of being diverted from the serious-minded, fruit-bearing living to which Christians have been called. Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:15-17 to “be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

If you are spiritually paralyzed by fear or living in a spiritual la-la land, this is your wake-up call — and it’s the most important one you’ll ever receive!

Partying is the other activity some people do at night. Though not all parties are bad, this kind of partying is symbolic of believers who sacrifice their purity for momentary pleasure-fixes. Paul hits this one pretty hard (Rom 13:14) — drunkenness, sexual immorality, debauchery (a reference to wickedness in general), plus dissension and jealousy (a couple of other expected outcomes when we are under the influence of the night).

If you are sacrificing purity for partying, this is your wake-up call — and it’s the most important one you’ll ever receive!

So what is it, then, that Christians are called to do? First, we must understand the times — “And do this, understanding the present time.” (Rom 13:11) We are to wake up to the evil that is all around us and open our eyes to the nearness of Christ’s return.

Second, we must reject the call of the wild and answer the call to arms — “let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom 13:12) We are to ruthlessly eliminate anything and everything that compromises our moral purity and saps our spiritual power.

And third, we must get ready and stay ready for Jesus’ second coming — “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 13:14) We are to wake up and get dressed for the greatest party of all — the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Our salvation is at hand, and if we’re ready, when it finally happens, we will wake up to a dream come true: The fulfillment of the deepest longings of our heart and the glorious rest that no fleshly sleep can produce.

This is your wake-up call—and it’s the most important one you’ll ever receive!

“ How little know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible. — C. S. LEWIS

UNSHAKEABLE: God’s requirements for us are pretty simple really — just love everybody like we would want to be loved. That means we would love them when they deserved it, and even when they didn’t. We would love them when we felt like it, and even when we didn’t. We would love them not just in word, but we would love them in action. We would love them like they needed to be loved, like God loves them, like the creatures of a Creator who created them inherently worthy of love. If we would just do what God created us to do — love — I have a feeling that 99% of the issues we wrestle with, the relationships we struggle over, and the trouble we find ourselves in would be taken care of. Love — that’s the cure for what ails you!

Unshakeable Living // Romans 13:9-10

These — and other such commands—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself. So love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

God’s requirements for us are pretty simple really — just love everybody like we would want to be loved. That means we would love them when they deserved it, and even when they didn’t. We would love them when we felt like it, and even when we didn’t. We would love them not just in word, but we would love them in action. We would love them like they needed to be loved, like God loves them, like the creatures of a Creator who created them inherently worthy of love.

If we would just do what God created us to do — love — I have a feeling that 99% of the issues we wrestle with, the relationships we struggle over, and the trouble we find ourselves in would be taken care of. Love — that’s the cure for what ails you!

So where and how are we supposed to live out this life of love? Paul gives us three relational arenas in Romans 13. The first area has to do with our relationship to the government—what you might call the civil arena (Rom 13:1-7).

Here Paul says God expects us to respect our government and its leaders—admittedly, something that we often find hard to do. We are to observe the laws they establish; view them as God-ordained instruments for order; submit to them not only as an act of civic duty, but as that which is necessary for a clear conscience; pay our taxes; and give them honor and respect. In fact, in 2 Timothy 2:2-3, Paul takes it a step further and says that we are even pray for our governmental leaders,

Pray for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our savior.

When I think of some of the government administrations and leaders that I’ve endured during my lifetime, what Paul is asking seems like a tall order. But keep in mind that Paul wrote to the Roman believers about respecting and obeying government under some pretty awful leaders like Emperor Nero and his evil, profane, murderous ilk. If Paul could see these Roman Emperors as God’s instruments in his life, then I will have no excuse when I stand before God some day for my attitude toward my leaders.

The second area has to do with our relationship with our neighbors — what you might call the social arena (Rom 13:8-10). Here Paul simply calls for loving actions toward those with whom we are in some kind of daily interaction — the people we live by, work with, and sit next to in the pews at church. We should do nothing that would provoke anything other than a loving response from them back toward us.

The third has to do with our relationship to God — what you might call the salvation arena (Rom 13:11-14). Here Paul reminds us that one of the leading motives, if not the only motive, for living a life of love in all the arenas of our life is for the simple reason that Jesus is coming back soon, and we will then have to give an account for how we have behaved in relation to our government and its leaders, our neighbors, and our God. Because of the soon return of Jesus and the revealing of our full and final salvation, we must be continually alert to living in purity and holiness. In short, we are to “clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 13:14), which is Paul’s way of saying that we ought to live each moment as if it might be the last one before we find ourselves standing before Christ. Love would demand no less in light of what Jesus has done to secure our salvation!

Just love! Do that and you’ll be just fine — in this life and in the one to come. Love God with all your heart, and when you do, you cannot help but love everybody else. Do that and you will fulfill all of God’s requirements.

One month before his death at age sixty-five, C. S. Lewis wrote in a letter addressed to a child, “If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.”

That is…in fact, the best advice you will ever get!

So here’s a thought for you: If you knew Jesus would come back twenty-four hours from now, and knowing that love is the ultimate requirement of God’s law, who and how would you love?

Why not love like that anyway — you never know, this might be you last opportunity!

“ Love, and do what you want. — AUGUSTINE

UNSHAKEABLE: By and large, debt is a crippler, and we ought not to get enslaved to it. In fact, we ought to do everything we can to get out from under it. My advice: Get yourself educated about money management, get ruthlessly disciplined with your finances, develop a strategic plan for debt reduction, and then go after it with reckless abandon. You will never regret debt elimination, but you will always bemoan indebtedness.

Unshakeable Living // Romans 13:8

Owe nothing to anyone — except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

American history is littered with scores of humorous tombstones, and one of my favorite epitaphs simply reads, “Owen Moore Passed Away — Owin’ More Than He Could Pay.” From the beginning of time right up to the present, the reality of debt aptly describes far too many people in our world, and it is certainly weighing heavily on our collective minds currently as we think of what the burgeoning national debt might to this great country of ours. Debt is a real and present danger!

In the 1950s, Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded a song describing the dark and difficult challenges of the lives of coal miners. “Sixteen Tons” became a number-one hit and its most memorable line was one that people can still relate to:

You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter, don’t you call me, ’cause I can’t go;
I owe my soul to the company store.

Maybe that is how you feel — you owe your soul, and everything else, to the “company store”, or whoever it is that holds your debt. Perhaps Owen Moore’s epitaph aptly describes your life right now.

By and large, debt is a crippler, and we ought not to get enslaved to it. In fact, we ought to do everything we can to get out from under it. My advice: Get yourself educated about money management, get ruthlessly disciplined with your finances, develop a strategic plan for debt reduction, and then go after it with reckless abandon. You will never regret debt elimination, but you will always bemoan indebtedness.

Now let’s be very clear about what Paul is saying here, because his words are often used to wrongly hammer anyone who borrows money. So to add balance to the above paragraph, Paul is not prohibiting borrowing, especially since the Bible makes provision for it. Deuteronomy 23:19—20 and 24:10-13, as well as a host of other Scripture, assumes lending and borrowing and provides very clear guidelines for both. What Paul is simply saying is that believers are to pay their financial obligations when they are due — including their taxes (Romans 13:7) as well as payment on their debt. Obviously, other scriptural teachings on finances come into play as to the wisdom and limits of healthy indebtedness.

But Paul has a bigger point to make here: The biggest debt we owe, and it is definitely an unrepayable one, is the debt of love. And his advice is challenging yet compelling: “Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other.” (MSG)

Now understand, this debt derives from our indebtedness to God for his unmerited love for us, most graciously and tenderly demonstrated in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Romans 5:8 powerfully reminds us of this love, and by extension, the debt of love we owe to God:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The conditions of our debt repayment are clearly spelled out both in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18), and by Jesus, himself, in Matthew 22:39,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Here’s the thing about this love debt: You cannot love God with all your being without loving your fellow human beings with all your energies, and you cannot love your fellow human beings properly without loving God as he deserves. But if you get love for God and love for people right, you have nailed the laws of God governing human relationships (Rom 13:9) and are well on your way to paying your un-payable debt of love.

But just remember, you will never pay that one off — and that’s a good thing. So in the love-your-fellow-man department, you might as well go for broke.

“ Our only business is to love and delight ourselves in God. — BROTHER LAWRENCE