Category: Romans

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Like a Dove

This morning we’re going to spend a few minutes looking at the third person of the Godhead – the Holy Spirit.

When we talk about the Holy Spirit, many times He is referred to as it but He is every bit as much “God” as the Father and the Son. He is the ever present, empowering, victory giving, life changing, comforting, teaching, presence of God.

In the beginning he was there. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Holy Spirit was there to confirm that Jesus truly was the Son of God. “And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:” Mark 1:10

As Jesus began to do signs, wonders and miracles, it was “THE” Spirit who filled Him with power. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” Luke 4:17

He is the same Spirit that Jesus told His disciples would come and empowered them, and us, as well. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27

and

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13-14

The Spirit of God isn’t pushy but is patient and He purpose is to glorify Jesus and not draw attention to Himself, but he is our power source.

Paul put it this way in Romans. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

The word quicken means to empower or make alive – and that’s what the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit does for us as believers. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit’s empowering and then they were to go and make disciples.

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The Holy Spirit is here to empower us so that we can make an impact on our world the way the early Christians did in theirs.

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Everlasting Love

This morning when I woke I picked up my journal and wrote:

“Father, thank you for my life, my family and Your amazing blessings. You have given me so much more than I could ever ask or imagine! Thank You for your everlasting love!!”

There was a time that I was not confident in God’s love for me. I thought I had failed too many times and surely, I was past being forgiven and was no longer lovable. But then I heard a testimony of a woman who insisted that God’s love for us was everlasting. That He would not desert us or abandon us. She said nothing could separate us from the love of God and that when we are in Christ we are complete having all we need.

When we have Jesus, He and I are more than enough. That changed my life.

“Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children. 6 God treated us with undeserved grace because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.” Ephesians 1:4-6 CEV

“God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.” II Thessalonians 2:16-17 CEV

“ I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things…38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-32, 38-39 ERV

These are the verses that have been the foundation of my life for the last 55 years. Today is my 73rd birthday and I can tell you that nothing has ever separated me from the Father’s love.

“ The Lord appeared to me in a faraway place and said, ‘I love you with an everlasting love.
So I will continue to show you my kindness.'” Jeremiah 31:3 GW

He has been gracious and kind to forgive my sins, my failings and shortcomings and He will do the same for you. His love is everlasting!

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Sin is Sin

Doesn’t that sound profound? Of course it is, what God has shown me in my many years is that He doesn’t classify sin. It’s not a white lie or a major sin like murder; sin is sin.

Let’s look at the story of the prodigal son and his brother.

Sin is sin! The younger son in the story was guilty of some pretty “big” things while the older son looked respectable, he was obviously holding bitterness in his heart toward his younger brother. So, which was worse?

Neither! Sin is sin.

Kind of like a broken window; you can throw a rock through it and it shatters, or shoot it with a bb and leave a little hole, it’s still broken.

“One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ If you obey this law, you are doing right. 9 But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. 10 You might follow all of God’s law. But if you fail to obey only one command, you are guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.” James 2:8-10 ERV

The Old Testament teaches us that gossip and murder are both hated by God yet we find one is more socially acceptable than the other.

Sin is sin and we are all guilty. The penalty for sin is not on a sliding scale.

“ All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” Romans 3:23-24 CEV

Jesus words were so powerful when he spoke to the Pharisees about the adulterous woman that they wanted him to stone.

“They were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, ‘Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.‘ 8 Then Jesus stooped down again and wrote on the ground.” John 8:6-8 ERV

The wonderful news is since God sees all sin the same, it makes the payment for that sin the same as well.

“So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life.” Romans 5:18 ERV

We have forgiveness, payment for our sin, with the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That sacrifice is available to all – we simply need to receive it!

“12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12 KJV

I’m so glad that God doesn’t grade on a curve, but He accepts us all based not on what we’ve done but on what Jesus did!

Yes, sin is sin but God’s grace is greater!!!

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From Earth to Heaven

There will be many Father’s Day greetings posted in the next few days. This one will be a little different. Join me in sending a Father’s Day greeting to our heavenly Father.

Our heavenly Father is beyond description! His works are marvelous and His love is never ending!!

When I was younger I loved to sing and spent countless hours practicing and memorizing song lyrics. Looking at the morning sky my heart and my head are filled with melody.

” My Father is omnipotent, and that you can´t deny;

A God of might and miracles, ´tis written in the sky.

CHORUS:

It took a miracle to put the stars in place;

It took a miracle to hang the world in space.

But when he saved my soul,

Cleansed and made me whole,

It took a miracle of love and grace.” John W. Peterson

I see my Father’s presence all around me. It’s in the song of the birds, in the beauty of a sunset or a sunrise; it’s in the refreshing of the rain and the colors of the blooms. His love is wrapped in every smile and hug, and His mercy is shown through every act of forgiveness.

I marvel that He cut the canyons and prepared the landscapes for my enjoyment. He knew I would love the panoramic vistas He set before me. He gave me the desert, the mountains and the oceans for my playground.

How I love that He chose me, He adopted me and gave me the privilege to call him Papa Father.

I love that there is nothing in my life that keeps Him from loving me. He knows my past, my present and my future. He knows my successes and my darkest moments. His love is unconditional, each day brings new mercy and His forgiveness is complete. Once for all.

“14 The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba,Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-17 ERV

“ So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 CEV

 “We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. 10 When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. 11 In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.” Romans 6:9-11 CEV

From earth to heaven, I lift up my hands in praise of You. Thank you, Papa, for your amazing love. Thank you for adopting me. Thank you. Happy Father’s Day.

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Restore My Soul

For the last hour I have been reading verses of hurt, hope and healing.

Yesterday, I shared “Good Thoughts”. We especially need those good thoughts of God’s word to get us through the hard days.

“Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I tell myself, ‘Wait for God’s help! You will again have a chance to praise him, your God, the one who will save you.’” Psalm 43:5 ERV

Thoughts come rushing in and many times they bring fear and anxiety with them. That’s when we have to take them captive – lock them away like some hardened criminal. Cast them out like rotten and decaying food that is thrown into the dumpster.

“ We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 4 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, 5 and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 ERV

Our heavenly Father’s plan is for our healing and our restoration.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. 2 He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’” Isaiah 61:1-3 ERV

This is the very message that Jesus said He came to deliver to all who were on the earth. God’s message of comfort and hope.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. 4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV

In the dark times – as dark as death, we are not alone. He is always with us! He will always be our comfort and our guide. He is our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd.

These verses are not just words on a page. They are the living Word of God. They are filled with all the power of God Himself. Let me leave you with this:

“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.” Romans 15:13 NLT

To those who are weary, listen to the Lord’s leading. Lay down in green pastures and let Him restore your soul!

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Through the Father’s Eyes

Have you ever fallen into the trap of defending yourself? You’ve been misjudged or maligned and you step up quickly in your own defense? Me too! Not a good place to be. But there is something in all of us that desires to be well thought of.

The only opinion we should care about is the Lord’s. In His eyes we are loved unconditionally and He holds us in a place of high regard, He holds us in His heart.

We should not care about man’s opinion, it will distract us from doing what God has called us to do.

“Think of us as servants of Christ who have been given the work of explaining God’s mysterious ways. 2 And since our first duty is to be faithful to the one we work for, 3 it doesn’t matter to me if I am judged by you or even by a court of law. In fact, I don’t judge myself. 4 I don’t know of anything against me, but that doesn’t prove that I am right. The Lord is my judge. 5 So don’t judge anyone until the Lord returns. He will show what is hidden in the dark and what is in everyone’s heart. Then God will be the one who praises each of us.” I Corinthians 4:1-5 CEV

We simply need to be faithful and let the Lord be the judge. Paul was a living example of being judged falsely and still being faithful to his calling. He was beaten, imprisoned, stoned many times and he just kept on preaching.

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 34 Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us.” Romans 8:31-34 ERV

Don’t be derailed by the opinions of others. Keep looking at the Father and you’ll stay on track!

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Rock Solid Truth

Growing up I would hear preachers say, “God said, I believe it, that settles it”. They were saying this to confirm their faith in the Word of God, however, that saying isn’t quite true.

This is the truth that we see – God said it, that settles it! Whether I believe it or not, God’s word will always be true and perfect.

“ Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:2 CEV

The world outlook is becoming increasingly dark. Calling good evil and evil good – it’s amazing! So we who are believers in Christ need to stand tall on God’s word!

“The Lord’s teachings are perfect. They give strength to his people. The Lord’s rules can be trusted. They help even the foolish become wise. 8 The Lord’s laws are right. They make people happy. The Lord’s commands are good. They show people the right way to live. 9 Learning respect for the Lord is good. It will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right. They are completely fair. 10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. 11 His teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who obey them. 12 People cannot see their own mistakes, so don’t let me commit secret sins. 13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin. 14 May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:7-14 CEV

Father, Your word is my daily bread. It gives me strength when I am weak. It gives me wisdom when I need answers. It gives me rest when I am weary. It is life giving water to my soul; You are the giver of life. Your word gives me hope for each day and joy to replace my sorrow.

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

Thank you Father that your Word is perfect and trustworthy. It is rock solid truth!

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Living A Balanced Life

Have you ever been asked to make a list of your personal assets and liabilities? Maybe you’ve applied for a bank loan or were starting a business and so you had to sit down and diligently list everything you owned and everyone you owed. It can be a bit overwhelming to see those two columns staring back at you in black and white.

Reading Romans this morning I came across the Apostle Paul’s list and he got it from Jesus.

He said we should be indebted to LOVE!

Jesus said the same thing when He said that we should love the Lord, our God, first and foremost and then love others as much as we love ourselves.

Working on removing debt from our lives is an admiral and honorable thing but there should always be one debt that stays, the debt to love.

“You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” Romans 13:8-10 CEV

Love balances on both sides of the spread sheet. It is an asset of the highest order, but it is also a debt, although not a liability.

Who in your life needs your love today? Your spouse, your children, grandchildren, your parents, co-workers, friends, casual acquaintances or a stranger on the street?

Look for opportunities to go into debt today, it will make your life richer!

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Nothing – Absolutely Nothing

Do you have “one special someone” in your life?

The one who knows your deepest secrets, your biggest fears, your worst failures and loves you still? That one who has been behind you for every success, cheering you on, encouraging you, applauding you, being there at the trophy ceremony to celebrate your victories?

That someone who will never leave and who will always support through thick or thin, good times or bad, that One is none other than our loving heavenly Father.

He loved you before you were born. He loved you when no one else knew your name. He loved you when you failed and disappointed Him and He loved you when you reached the pinnacle of success!

He can do no other. He IS love! He had His Son die for us. That’s who He is and what He does. It’s absolutely amazing to be in relationship with Him!!!!

“But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:8 CEV

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.” Romans 8:31 CEV

God isn’t waiting for us to fail so He can humiliate us or punish us for what we do wrong. He’s always with us – loving us, encouraging us to try, helping us to grow.

If you’ve ever battled with being “good enough” like I have and then come to a realization that there’s nothing that I can do to make God love me less and there is nothing I can do to make God love me more than you know what a wonderful joy (doesn’t even describe) it is to wake up each morning and say, “Father I love you. Jesus, I love you. Holy Spirit, I love you. And then to hear them say back, “We love you too!”

“Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say, ‘For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.’

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:34-39 CEV

Now that’s a good way to start an ABSOLUTELY wonderful day!!!

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Hope is the Anchor

Determination — Perserverance — Strength

All three are needed to get through the tough times and come out victorious.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19  This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place.” Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV

I want us to look at a few guys from the Bible who stepped up and came through in victory.

Noah preached the whole time he was building the ark and didn’t have one convert but he kept building.

Abraham was promised a natural born son and he had to wait 25 years to see the promise fulfilled.

Joseph was sold as a slave, spent time in prison, was forgotten and then made it to pharoah’s palace.

Moses led a nation of grumbling and complaining people for 40 years in the wilderness and never made it to the promised land. That should have been about a 3-4 week trip.

Jesus preached, died, rose again to show us that He is the Messiah and still many did not believe.

Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, nearly drown and held in prison but never tried and still he kept preaching.

God, the Father, isn’t willing that any should perish and has offered salvation to all. He hasn’t given up!

Each of the men above had been given a promise by God and that gave them courage to continue. They encouraged themselves with God’s word and used it to fight discouragement.

“There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, “You will have many descendants.” 19 Abraham was almost a hundred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have children. Abraham was well aware of this, but his faith in God never became weak. 20 He never doubted that God would do what he promised. He never stopped believing. In fact, he grew stronger in his faith and just praised God.” Romans 4:18-20 ERV

” But the Lord said, ‘My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.‘ So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. 10 Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-10 ERV

I pray that we become like these men and we continue to hope and find that when we are weak we truly are strong because we go forward in a strength that only God can give!

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