Romans 3:1-20

Romans 3:1-20 NIV
 1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? ² Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.

 ³ What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? ⁴ Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

   “So that you may be proved right when you speak
   and prevail when you judge.”

 ⁵ But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) ⁶ Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? ⁷ Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” ⁸Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!

⁹ What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As it is written:

   “There is no one righteous, not even one;
 ¹¹ there is no one who understands;
   there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
   they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
   not even one.”
¹³ “Their throats are open graves;
   their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
 ¹⁴ “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
 ¹⁶ ruin and misery mark their ways,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they do not know.”
 ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
 ¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.



I did not break this passage up because I wanted the entire thought brought out.  Paul has now spent Chapter 2 and the fist 20 verses of Chapter 3 explaining that nothing we do of ourselves can save us.  We are not good enough to earn salvation and no one can say "I did not know.".

Do not be disheartened.  There is hope and we will start talking about it tomorrow.

God Bless.

Romans 2:25-29

Romans 2:25-29 NIV

²⁵ Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. ²⁶ So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? ²⁷ The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

 ²⁸ A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

When a recruit gets off the bus at any military based they are stripped of all their civilian clothes and given the uniform of the branch they have volunteered for.  Putting on that uniform does not make them a Marine, Sailor, Airman, or Soldier.  It is only after the drill instructor breaks down each individual until they let go of their old life and accept military life.

A person can obey all the rule, put on their best clothes, go to church, youth group and Bible studies, give to the poor and just be a good citizen, but that will not make them a Christian.  It's not until the Holy Spirit convicts them of sin and they realize their need of a Savior.  Then they accept Christ's forgiveness of sin and allow the Holy Spirit to change them.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

God Bless.

Romans 2:17-24

Romans 2:17-24 NIV
¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Here Paul is speaking to the Jews about saying one thing and doing another.  In verse 24 he admonishes them that their hypocrisy is causing God to be blasphemed.

Let's apply this to the church today.  I ask these questions of myself as well.  How many of us professing to be Christians hurt the cause of Christ by our action or inaction?  How many nonbelievers refuse to even listen to the gospel because of an experience they had with a "Christian" in there past?  Has so much of the world crept into your life that the only difference is you have to get up on Sunday's to go to church?

We will never be perfect.  We will make mistakes.  I have found that admitting and confessing those mistakes to my unsaved friends when I screw up in front of the them helps.  They invariably say, "No big deal."  Then I get the opportunity to explain my relationship with Christ.  Without exception my friends listen because I don't come across as "holier than thou".

God Bless.

Romans 2:12-16

Romans 2:12-16 NIV
 ¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 

Paul, a Jew, was writing the a Gentile audience.  Paul had been raised under the law and without Christ would be judged by that law.  To break only one law made them guilty of it all.  The Romans did not have the law, but they too would not be excused.

¹³For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

Only one man ever obeyed the entire law and that is Jesus.

 ¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 

There are good people out there that are on their way to hell.  They do good things and they help people.  They obey the law and pay their taxes.  But these are works and not enough.

¹⁶ This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Even as I paste this verse in my blog I think about what's going on in my head and the secrets I keep.  God knows about them and a day is coming that those will be judged.  I'm glad that I have accepted Christ's forgiveness so that my secrets will not condemn me.  Paul will discuss this in Romans 8.  I won't link to it now, but you can look it up if you like.

God Bless.

Romans 2:5-11

Romans 2:5-11 NIV
⁵ But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 

Here are the people who willingly refuse to accept Jesus payment for their sin.  They are stubborn and unrepentant.  They may actually live this entire life without any punishment for their ways.  However there will be a day of reckoning.  That day will not come from man, it will come from God.

⁶ God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” ⁷ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 

At first glance one may say this is a "works" salvation.  It is not.  In light of vs5 Paul was speaking to those who have rejected Christ, these verses show the contrast evidenced in the life of one who has NOT rejected Christ.

⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰ but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

Again, not a works message.  This shows that God will not give special treatment to any people group.  The Jews received first recognition because they are God's chosen people.  They received the Word form God first and were to bring it to the world.

To sum up:  If we were reject Christ's salvation it will be evidenced in our lives.  If we accept Christ's salvation it will be evidenced in our lives.  It does not matter who you are "for God doe not show favoritism."

God Bless.

Romans 2:1-4

Romans 2:1-4 NIV
¹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ² Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³ So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴ Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Are you a hypocrite?  Do you do something and then cast judgement on someone else for the same offense?  Sometimes people feel offended that person continues to "get away" with (insert whatever sin here) for so long.  Verse 4 explains the purpose is to lead us to repentance.

Now what do we do if a brother is sinning?  Do we allow the sin to continue so as to not "pass judgement"?  NO! Vs 2 clearly states the God has already passed judgement on certain behaviors and those are clearly marked out in scripture.  Should you see a brother in sin you follow Matthew 7:4-5 NIV and then Matthew 18:15-17 NIV if there be a need to go that far.

No where is scripture does it tell us to judge the world or non Christians.  That is God's job.  We are to bring the gospel to the world and allow God's Word to change the world.

God Bless.

Romans 1:18-32

Romans 1:18-32 NIV
¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

I have heard the question asked, "How can God send people to hell if they have never heard the gospel?"  Here it is.  You can see God within nature itself.  This is also why evolution is so absurd. Intelligent design is EVERYWHERE yet man wants believe in evolution.  This way he does not have to submit to an all powerful God and creator.

 ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

We see this throughout human history.  Idols in the form of man and all sorts of beasts.  Today we worship pop stars, movie stars, political figures and our "stuff" this materialistic society has said we "need".

 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

 ²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

When man turns his heart from God he will turn to sexual sin.  Sexual sin gets ever more hungry.  It is never satisfied outside of God's design.  Verses 26 and 27 clearly states that homosexuality is not natural.  In fact it clearly calls it shameful.  It also states that it is the result of turning one back on God.  There is no such thing as a person "born" a homosexual.

This is one area I feel the church has failed homosexuals.  Sexual sin is sexual sin.  So many of our churches will help a teen boy or girl that disobey God and create a child out of wedlock.  The church will come along side love and assist in getting those kids on the right path.  Yet when a youth admits to homosexual desires they are treated like a leaper and cast out.  God hates ALL sexual sin, but he loves the sinner.  He loves them so much he sent Jesus to die for them.  People who have fallen into homosexuality need love, understanding and help.  If they don't get it from the church they will seek it elsewhere.

 ²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Read verses 28 to 31 and then watch the evening news or read the front page of just about any news paper.  God has given those who reject him over to a depraved mind.

When I read verse 32 I can't help but think of our society as a whole.  The more debase something is, the more is is revered in life.  This ought not to be so.

God Bless.

Romans 1:8-17

Romans 1:8-17 NIV
⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹ God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

We need to pray for those people to whom we minister.  My first conviction upon reading this is I do not pray enough for my children.  My second conviction was I did not pray enough for the boys in the Pioneer Club I helped to teach.  Also notice the recognition that Paul gives.  He tells them that he has heard good things about them.  I've been real good at the admonition part of leadership.  Now to work on the prayer and praise part.

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Getting together is good.  The question is, do we encourage one another?  I attended a diner party one evening and the other guest looked at our host and asked, "What is the Lord doing in you life this week?"  I was blown away.  At 40 years of age and having been a Christian for better that 3/4 of that time, I cannot remember Christ being the center of the conversation during a social visit.  The next time it happened I went to a friend's after he and I went out to the movies.  He and I spoke till 3:30 in the morning about God and both of us left encouraged and refreshed in the Lord.

There is nothing wrong with getting together to watch football or hockey, I just want to encourage you to invite the Lord along.  Use the breaks and commercials to encourage each other in Christ.

 ¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

Paul was the apostle sent to the gentiles.  He did much of his preaching to the Greeks.  Now he had and opportunity to go to Rome and was excited about it.

 ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Paul was not ashamed.  I admit that sometimes I have been and I have not shared my faith when I was prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Faith is very prominent in this book.  Christianity is by faith.  We are not saved by what we do.  What we do is the result of what we believe.  It is the outcome of the faith we have in God.

God Bless.

Romans 1:1-7

Romans 1:1-7 NIV
¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

Paul starts with showing his credentials.  An apostle is a rare breed.  For one to be an apostle you must have a specific message given to you by Jesus Christ himself.  Paul met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul was taken to the third heaven and taught personally by Jesus.

 ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,

Paul continues with validating his message.  Isaiah 7:14 foretells the virgin birth. Isaiah 53:4-6 foretells him taking our punishment. Psalm 22 foretells Christ torment of being separated from God. Psalm 69:21 foretells His experience on the cross.  In all 300 prophesies about Christ were fulfill by him.

⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Paul continues with the validation of the one who gave the message.  Christ rose from the dead. This makes what he said something we can believe in.

⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

This is a call to "all Gentiles" to obedience that comes from faith.  There were only two people groups at the writing of this letter.  Jews and non-Jews also known as Gentiles.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

   Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Roman church was the first to receive this letter.  Through God's plan the letter was passed to other churches and preserved through time and now we too get to read it.

So I ask you to pray for me as I study this book and share what God has for us.  Romans is a deep book the we could spend our lives on and never fully understand it and that is why I shied away from it for so long.  However the first time I study this book, I learned that it is also very practical and teaches the foundation every believer in Christ should know.

God Bless.

Taking a break

I will not be blogging the next few days.  I hope to be back on Monday the 2nd, perhaps Tuesday the 3rd.  I am seeking God's will on which direction to take.

God Bless.

In Christ and through him.

Ephesians 1:3-8 NIV
³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

Sometimes, especially here in materialistic America, one can feel left out, inadequate or missing out on the "good life".  That's exactly what the devil wants you to feel.  He wants you distracted by the pleasures here on earth and have you pursuing them instead of enjoying the blessings given by our Father in heaven.

⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Your walk with God is not a mistake.  You were chosen.  You were adopted through Christ because it was God's will.  You are with God because he loves you.

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

You have been redeemed.  That means bought back.  You have been forgiven because God lavished his grace on you.  It was not a mistake.  God in His wisdom chose to do it.

Personal Note:
I have begun to notice a cycle to the devotional offered by Charles Stanley as I have blogged on this passage before.  I feel lead to do entire books of the Bible and do them verse by verse.  I am thinking Romans as that is a real practical book, but it is also a HUGE undertaking.  I ask prayer for God's wisdom as this blog has become so much more than I thought it would.

God Bless

Peace

John 14:27 NIV
²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Peace was given freely.  Not just any peace, but God's peace.  This peace was not given, only to be taken away as this world does.

If your heart is troubled or you are afraid remember that you have access to this peace if you have accepted Christ's payment for your sin.  The only thing preventing you from having peace are disbelief or your actions are outside of God's will.

God Bless.

More Servant Leadership

Matthew 20:25-28 NIV
²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When this blog is done I will continue my search for a job.  I am looking for a position as supervisor.  Should I find a job in the roll it will be my duty to serve those under me and not Lord the position over them.

This lesson is not just limited to work.  Fathers as head of the house need to grasp that they are to be servants of their spouse and children.  Those who work in the church must realize that God put them in place to serve everyone in the church.  All of us who have accepted Christ and are part of the church need to serve those outside the church so that they will see the difference in us and ask us why.

God Bless.

Servant leadership

John 13:3-15 NIV
³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Read it again and again and again.  Jesus was from God and returning to God.  He was the Son of God and therefore God.  He had all things under his power, yet he stripped off his outer garments and washed the disciples feet.  This was the job of the lowest servant.  Not the job of the Rabbi.

While reading I am reminded that Jesus laid aside his Godly attributes to come to earth as a baby.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

 ⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 ⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

   Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

 ⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Peter once again argues with the Lord during a teaching moment.  I am so like him.  As I read the exchange I get the the conviction that Christ is speaking of cleansing from sin in verse 8.  In verse 10 I feel Christ is speaking that once you are saved you do not need to be saved again every time you sin.  You merely need a foot washing or cleansing from the present sins.  I get this because of vs 7 where Christ said he would understand later.  I read this passage in light of my knowledge of the entire gospel message and I can see the parallels.

 ¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Now we are back to servant leadership.  I do not believe that we are to go around washing one another's feet.  The teaching here is that there should be no task to low for anyone of us.  And I also believe there is the idea of forgiving your brother's offenses as well.

I hope all reading this had a Merry Christmas.

God Bless.

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 NIV
⁶ For to us a child is born, 
   to us a son is given, 
   and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called 
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Remember, He is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless.

Learning through Suffering

Hebrews 5:7-8 NIV
⁷ During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered

Jesus knew what was coming and prayed for his Father to deliver him.  Yet he obeyed God's will and went to the cross to die for you and me.

I think of all that I have been through in 2011.  I'm glad I did not have foreknowledge as Christ did, but I have had to struggle and suffer through trials that I have had no control over.  In submitting to God's will I have learned to trust him more.

I have told several people I just want to forget 2011.  Part of me still does.  But the lessons I have learned and the faith I have gained are treasures to me.  I don't want to give them up.

Remember, He is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless

Witnessing.

Luke 2:1-20 NIV

I will not cut and paste the entire passage here.  Take the time and read it.

¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

"They" were the shepherds.  Shepherds were not know to be learned men.  They saw something amazing and they told others.

What has God shown you?  How has he changed your life?  Witnessing is simply telling people what you know.  Telling people what God has done in your life.  You do not need to be a Bible scholar or have a special degree.  Share with people the very scripture you are working through yourself.  This is how we are to win others to Christ.

Yes some are called to be preachers and teachers and those positions do require some education.  But we are all called to be witnesses.  Share what God has done for you.

Remember. He is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless.

The hardest lesson for me.

I sit down and check my Facebook and e-mail accounts.  Gmail is the account I am using to look for a job.  In there I see e-mails from Monster, the Ladders and others all assisting me in finding another job.  I remind myself that right after devo's and blog I need to buckle down and continue the search for that elusive job.  It's only been 6 weeks, yet I'm getting frustrated.

So I tear myself away from my distractions and the verse Dr. Stanley chose for today devotional is Psalm 27:14.
Psalm 27:14 NIV
Wait for the LORD; 
   be strong and take heart 
   and wait for the LORD.

I will not quit looking for a job, but I will keep trusting in God to bring me the RIGHT job.  He will do it in His timing.  Some days I just wish he'd down load that information to Cozi or ipod, so I could make plans, but that would not be faith.  I'd be relying on my plans and not on His.

Remember, He is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless.

Contentment at Christmas

Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

In the verse preceding this passage Paul was thanking the church at Philippe for the gifts they had sent and their renewed concern for his well being.  Paul goes on to explain that he has learned the secret to contentment in all circumstances.  That secret is relying on God for strength.  God is in ultimate control of our circumstances.

Every Christmas there is a drive for more, more, more.  Christmas morning after the presents are all unwrapped and the toys are no longer new, many will once again experience that drive for more.

Christmas time is CHRIST's mass.  It is not the exact date Jesus was born, but it is the the date the Church has chosen to celebrate and recognize that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth.  And through his eventual death and resurrection, we might live with Him in heaven.

So when you open your gift(s) remember the one true gift that will not break for fade or go out of style.  The gift of Jesus.  And when you realize he is in control of everything that comes into your life, you too will learn to be content.

He is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless.

Pick a side and LIVE it.

1 John 1:3-6 NIV

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

 ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

For a few years, I've been convicted that God is separating those who are truly His from those who are playing church.  I have this conviction in my soul that the church in America is in for persecution on a scale we have never experienced before.  Here is yet one more passage that confirms this conviction.

Verses 3 and 4 were covered in Wednesday's blog.  I will not cover them again here.

Verses 5 says there is no darkness in God at all.  His character will not allow it.  He will not allow darkness into his presence.

When I come to verse 6 I have to ask myself the question.  "Do I walk in darkness/ sin?"  I'm not asking "Do I sin?", God knows that I will sin and has promised in 1 John 1:9 NIV to forgive.  I am asking about a lifestyle of sin. "Do I continually, willfully walk in a way that is contrary to the way I know I am supposed to walk?"

Do you?

It's time to pick a side and LIVE it.
Joshua 25:15 NIV
¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

God Bless.

Jesus prays for us.

It's a very rare Sunday blog folks.  Today in my Adult Bible Fellowship we were reading from the Book of John.  In chapter 17 starting at verse 20 we read these words in the NIV.

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prayed for ME!  If you have accepted his payment for your sin then he was praying for YOU!  He prayed the we would be ONE.  He prayed that we would have UNITY.  He prayed this so that the world would know He was from God.

Christ wants us to work together and our love for one another validates our message.  Think on this next time your Christian brother/ sister  upsets you.  Our love for each other is of great importance. So much the Jesus took the time to pray to His Father for us about.

Ephesians 4:2-4 NIV
² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

God Bless.

“If you love me, keep my commands."

I want to apologize for not blogging the past two days.  Let get back into it.

John 14:15-21 NIV
¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Verse 15 sums up what I learned today.  I obey out of the motivation of Love.  When I disobey it means I love myself or some thing more than God.  That is idolatry.  Scripture is clear that we are to have no other god's before him.

God Bless.

Do you share what God has shown you?

1 John 1:1-4 NIV
 ¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  

The Word of God always existed.  The Word of God came to Earth and the apostles saw Christ.  They touched Him.  1 John 1:14 NIV says "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

If the apostles had not shared their faith I would not be writing this blog today.  I would still be lost in my sin.  They testified so that I could have fellowship with them and with God.

vs 4 says they wrote it down to make their joy complete.  I know exactly how they felt.  I write this blog to share what Christ has shown me.  I only find fulfillment in my Christian walk when I am share what I have learned.

In this Christmas season, share you faith.  Don't waste the opportunity to ask someone "What does the birth of Jesus mean to you?"

God Bless

God gave them over.

Romans 1:24-25 NIV
 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

As a man who has been separated from his wife since March, this hits home.  Living a life of sexual purity by God's standard is hard.  These verses puts sexual immorality equal to idolatry.  Something for all of us to think about in our sex saturated culture.

God Bless.