Category: Romans

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Not Condemned!

These words jumped off the page when I read them this morning.

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!” John 3:17 CEV

God’s word brings us a message of hope, of joy and reconciliation. Christ didn’t come to condemn us. He came to save us!

Religion makes the rules and tells us that we are useless and deserving of judgment and condemnation. Jesus’ message lifts us from the dirt, stands us on our feet and sends us forward with encouragement and conviction to “go on your way and sin no more”.

“When they heard this, they began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him. 10 He looked up again and said to her, “Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?”

11 She answered, “No one, sir.”

Then Jesus said, “I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.” John 8:9-11 ERV

Society is all too quick to condemn someone because of their past. Jesus offers forgiveness.

He was condemned on our behalf.

“Once again Pilate went out. This time he said, ‘I will have Jesus brought out to you again. Then you can see for yourselves that I have not found him guilty.’ 5 Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, ‘Here is the man!’ 6 When the chief priests and the temple police saw him, they yelled, ‘Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!’ Pilate told them, ‘You take him and nail him to a cross! I don’t find him guilty of anything.’” John 19:4-6 CEV

Jesus knew what it was like to be unjustly condemned. He did this so we could experience the amazing grace of God. He took what He didn’t deserve so we could receive the mercy and grace that we were unworthy of.

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2 That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 ERV

For many years I judged myself unworthy. I condemned myself for not being a good Christian. I didn’t measure up but then again none of us do. I kept trying to be good enough for God to truly love me.

I don’t know if you can imagine the peace, the joy, the confidence, the gratitude, the freedom that I experienced when I saw the truth from God’s word that He wasn’t condemning me.

“Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:21 ERV

If you have struggled with condemnation let the word of God break those chains today. Receive your forgiveness, receive freedom, receive right standing with the Father and cast off the chains of condemnation!

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I Love My Job

Campers have started arriving and I truly enjoy hearing the voices of small children giggling throughout the campground.

Moms and Dads are bringing their kids to the same place they came as children with their parents. Fisherman are leaving the campground at “0-dark30” to find that special place on the shoreline or to be the first to launch their boats. Each one in pursuit of that record rainbow or cutthroat trout.

Folks are walking their dogs and exploring nature. There are so many sites to see!

Dave and I pray for each of them – we pray for safety and protection, for enjoyment and relaxation. This year we are facing another Summer where Winter snowpack and Spring rains were sparse, so we are praying against fires and for good rains to moisten the ground and add water to the lakes.

This morning I found these verses in my Bible reading. I know I’ve read them before but this morning they stood out and made an impact.

“ We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. 3  Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, “The people who insulted you also insulted me.” 4  And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. 5 God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. 6 Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:2-6 CEV

Patient, cheerful, doing good – that shall be my motto for the summer. In all I do, I want to follow Christ and give God praise.

The Lord has us all in different places, touching different lives. Let’s look for opportunities to be an example of His love in all we do!

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You Understand!

This morning I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer. My heart is aching because I have been praying for those who are going through such tremendous seasons of hurting or failure.

I found myself saying, “You understand what it’s like to see Your children go through such trying times. You understand what it is to weep over those You dearly love. You understand…”

Oh my, dear reader, He does understand.

“ We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

Not only does He understand, He is there to help us with every need and every weakness.

Some of you are experiencing the loss of a loved one while others are plagued by debilitating fear. Financial set back and even bankruptcy looms large on the horizon for some families and businesses. Physical health issues are threatening fatally while some face the darkness of dementia. Perhaps your family is fractured by separation or divorce.

The hurt, the grief, the hopelessness are real. He understands!

He cried over the loss of a loved one, He was misunderstood and publicly ridiculed and maligned. He felt lonely and used.

He understands!

Bring your weariness, your heart ache, your pain – bring them to Jesus. Let Him comfort and console. Let Him bathe you in peace and joy unspeakable. Receive hope, hope that was gone.

“ Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 NKJV

“ I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

Dear friend, never forget that He understands and He is always willing to help!

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Kindness & Peace

We just returned from a week’s vacation visiting our son and his girlfriend. We had a wonderful time; most of it was spent visiting and enjoying one another’s company. COVID had kept us apart for over two years.

Sunday we visited Alcatraz. When we were on the ferry, returning to the pier, I heard a young child say, “Today was a good day. Thank you, Mom, for the best day ever”. I had to turn around and see this kid’s face. He had a smile from ear to ear, so much kindness and gratitude from someone so young. He was only about 6 or 7. It warmed my heart.

We can always use more kindness and peace.

It would mean a great deal if people treated each other nicer, right? I think we can get a hearty amen to having less drama in our lives. What can we do to see that we are being used to bring these two elements into the lives of those around us?

“This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!” Romans 1:7 CEV

We can begin by praying for God to bless those we know with kindness and peace and then we can follow through with being kind. Kind to the other drivers on the roads, to the salesclerks and waiters. To receptionists and executives. To the person sitting at the next desk or our biggest competitor. To our kids and our spouses.

We are all naturally drawn to people who are kind, people who live drama-free lives. A genuine expression of kindness or compassion can be life changing.

The Apostle Paul also said this:

“God has been kind to you. He has been very patient, waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don’t understand that God is kind to you so that you will decide to change your lives.” Romans 2:4 ERV

God’s goodness is what brings people to Him. When we emulate God’s character, we are being used to bring others to Christ. We must never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit working through us.

I once read a statement similar to this: “If we preach less on sin and moral failure and more on the love of God and his goodness, we will see less sin and moral failure”.

“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” Galatians 5:22-23 CEV

Today I’m praying that God’s goodness and peace will overflow in our lives!

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A Gift for All

I imagine that quite a few of you are getting ready for a family gathering this Easter Sunday.

When I was a child our family gatherings were limited; we lived in Arizona and all our relatives lived in Iowa. So, our get togethers centered around our friends from church. Mom would make a big potato salad, cook a ham, make fresh rolls, deviled eggs and pies, lots of pies.

After church everyone would come to our house. We had a ping pong table set up in the carport that Mom would cover it with a sheet. The food would be brought out and organized. Plates and silverware at one end, pies and desserts at the other. The house was filled with love and laughter.

We were celebrating the resurrection – God’s gift to us all!

“In the past we were foolish too. We did not obey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to the many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed. We lived doing evil and being jealous. People hated us and we hated each other. 4 But then the kindness and love of God our Savior was made known. 5 He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things we did. He saved us through the washing that made us new people. He saved us by making us new through the Holy Spirit. 6 God poured out to us that Holy Spirit fully through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 We were made right with God by his grace. God saved us so that we could be his children and look forward to receiving life that never ends. 8 This is a true statement.” Titus 3:3-8 ERV

Saved by grace!

I knew that I wasn’t good enough to get to heaven on my own. I needed a Savior and God gave me One. He gave His Son to forgive my sins and make me right with Him. He demonstrated His unconditional love!

The wonderful news of the resurrection is that everyone is included. No one is left outside of God’s forgiveness.

“Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:2 ERV

There isn’t a heavenly selection committee that includes or excludes us from God’s love. Christ paid the price for all of us and then freely gave us the gift of life.

“All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24 ERV

A free gift. A gift for all.

My Mom gave pie, made with love. God gives us forgiveness and new life from His loving heart. There is no greater gift than God’s free gift of being made right with Him.

I sincerely pray that everyone reading this has, or will, accept God’s gift to us all.

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A Parent’s Love

Do you remember a time when you had to leave your child somewhere and it made your heart ache? Maybe it was the first day of kindergarten, maybe it was college or boot camp, it could have been at the door to the operating room in the hospital.

A sinking feeling for sure. Even now those times bring tears to your eyes and ache to your heart.

This morning I want to tell you about Hannah. She longed for a child. The Lord heard and answered her prayer and as a response of devotion to Him she gave her little boy to the Lord’s service.

“When the boy was old enough to eat solid food, Hannah took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh…Then Hannah gave the boy to Eli. 26 She said to him, ‘Pardon me, sir. I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord. I promise that I am telling the truth. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer. He gave me this child. 28 And now I give this child to the Lord. He will serve the Lord all his life.’ Then Hannah left the boy there and worshiped the Lord.” I Samuel 1:24-28 ERV

The story of Hannah and Samuel isn’t just a fable that makes a good read. It is the true story of a loving mother and godly woman. Imagine how she must have wrestled with her emotions as she made the decision to take Samuel to Eli, the priest, and leave him there.

Now imagine, if you will, another parent who was willing to give up their child. This time, however, the child was given as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

Hannah gave her son to a loving God but God gave His Son to an unloving world. Hannah knew her son would be well cared for, God knew His Son would be hated and abused.

It’s important that we realize the great sacrifice our heavenly Father made in giving His Son. We can’t take it lightly. He gave Him so we can have life eternal.

He gave because of His great love for us!

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:6-8 ERV

Maybe you’re going through a tough time right now. Maybe you feel that you have been abandon, left all alone – let me assure you that isn’t true.

“…for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Hebrews 13:5 AMP

Our loving Father will never abandon or desert us. We can rely on Him!

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Revealing Character

Talk about getting to practice what you preach, this morning brought a whole new object lesson and a reminder of why I need to experience more growth in the “fullness of God”.

Dave and I are heading out for an early appointment this morning. I got up intending to have my Bible reading, prayer time and writing the blog before I jump in the shower. I had an idea of what I thought the Lord wanted me to share this morning, so I turned the coffee on and sat down to pull my thoughts together, praying, and waiting for the coffee to finish.

Really no time to spare before we need to head out the door.

Coffee’s done – yes! Picked up my cup and was filling it when I realized the auto shut-off didn’t. There was coffee running down on the burner plate and I had a mess! This was not my idea of what the verse “my cup runneth over” should mean.

Darn it!! I discovered that the filter, for whatever reason, hadn’t drained the way it should. When I opened the filter basket, it was still filled with hot water and grounds were everywhere. That also meant that my coffee decanter would have grounds in it. This morning I get to chew my coffee – not my favorite thing.

I wish I could say that the first thoughts that came to mind were “oh good, another example to share on growing in Christ”; those were not my first thoughts. I was frustrated and still am. The coffee pot will have to wait until later to be cleaned but my heart and my mind needed an immediate tending too.

“And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.” Romans 5:3-5 ERV

Happy with troubles? I will be perfectly honest. I handle big situations quite well, it’s the small and unexpected things that catch me off guard. Patience proves our strength and gives us hope. A hope that doesn’t disappoint because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts. (There’s that fullness again that we were talking about yesterday.)

“If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.” James 1:4 ERV

Am I glad for the coffee failure this morning? Not at all. Am I thankful that the Lord can speak to my heart through the little things? Absolutely!

The Father isn’t chastising or condemning me because of my immediate frustration. Instead, He is teaching me through it and revealing His character for me to conform too. He wants me to grow up into Him!

What areas of character growth is He revealing to you today? Be happy – you’re growing!

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Why Doesn’t It Stick?

Most of you can tell from reading my blog that I love being in the kitchen and preparing meals for family and friends. However, there is one step in the process that causes me great frustration.

Plastic Wrap!

In all my years I have not found a wrap that will consistently do its job as advertised and cling. It may stick to one surface but not to another. Most of it only sticks to itself and that’s when I am trying to get it off the roll. Then there’s the struggle to get it unstuck, only to find that it won’t stick to the plate, bowl or product I am wanting to wrap it around…

I gave up and have replaced that roll of non-sticking plastic wrap with a cupboard of containers with snap lids and a drawer of zip lock bags, in all sizes, and my old standby, foil.

Can you imagine my surprise this morning when I found an admonition to “cling” in my Bible reading?

“But cling to Adonai your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For Adonai has driven out from before you great and mighty nations. As for you, no one remained standing before you to this day. 10 One of you can put a thousand to flight, for Adonai your God, He Himself is fighting for you, just as He said to you. 11 For your own sake, therefore, be most mindful to love Adonai your God.” Joshua 23:8-11 TLV (Adonai means the Lord)

The word “cling” in this verse is also translated cleave, hold to, continue to follow and be faithful to in other translations. I like the image that “cling to” creates; it’s a sticking too, that won’t let go.

It’s the same word that is used in the Bible’s teaching on marriage.

“This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife; and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 TLV

And also, in its teaching on godly living.

“Let love be without hypocrisy—detesting what is evil, holding fast to the good.” Romans 12:9 TLV

I find it interesting that the same word which describes our devotion and commitment to our spouse is used to describe our relationship with the Father and following His way of life. God knows that for a marriage to be successful there has to be a determination to stick with it, a clinging.

We learn that clinging from Him. He is constantly at our side.

“Be courageous! Do not be afraid or tremble before them. For Adonai your God—He is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 TLV

This word cling requires introspection.

What are the things I cling to? Do I spend more time stuck to those pursuits than I do to the Lord? Those questions are meant to condemn but they are meant to help in evaluating our priorities.

Next time you open that box of plastic wrap, and it gets all tangled together just stop and say, “Lord, I just want to be all tangled up in You!”

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What’s Wrong Here?

I enjoy doing brain teaser puzzles and games, Word Search, Hidden Objects, Picture Differences, What’s Wrong. I think they help keep my mind and observation skills sharper.

The “what’s missing”, Picture Differences, puzzles can be the most challenging to me.

The other afternoon I was watching a news program and I saw it as a real life what’s-wrong here challenge. People were rude, uncaring, selfish, threatening, angry, and mean spirited. The commentator was expressing their disbelief over the rampant decline in this particular geographic location.

Buildings were being vandalized, garbage filled the streets, and the crime rate was higher than it had ever been. What’s wrong here?

I couldn’t help but wonder…

  • Thou shalt not kill
  • Thou shalt not steal
  • Thou shalt not bear false witness
  • Thou shalt not covet
  • Honor thy father and mother

For years some of the more liberal thinkers of our land have expressed the sentiment that the Bible and godly living is antiquated and too restrictive, so they fought to remove its influence and now, I believer, we are dealing with the consequences.

“People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. 6 If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 CEV

A line from one of my favorite cowboy movies goes like this: “Huey, actions have con – see – quences”.

That is so true! If our actions are God-directed we will have life and peace.

“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful self. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25 We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.” Galatians 5:19-25 ERV

“There is no law against these kinds of things”. There are a lot of laws to control wrong behavior, but God makes changes in our hearts that don’t need to be legislated.

I have been challenged by God’s word, challenged to live more intentional. To allow my life to make good consequences. The world around us doesn’t need more laws; it needs lives that are intentionally focused on Christ and His love.

Lives like that bring life and peace!

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Seeing Clearly

I have a thing for clean windows. We do a lot of driving and I’m always wanting to get a good picture but if the windshield or the side windows are spotted it ruins the shot.

I realize that I come by this naturally. As a child, my dad was always cleaning windows. After we were married, Dave & I would go to visit my folks and as we were in the car ready to drive away, Daddy would stop us and clean the windshield. It didn’t matter that we were heading to the gas station and would do it there. We couldn’t leave with a dirty window.

Not only did my earthly father give me a desire for clear vision but my heavenly Father has as well.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me. 13 So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:11-13 ERV

One translation says, “we see as in a cloudy mirror”. The Apostle Paul draws a comparison between our thinking like children and the way we see God. We don’t have full understanding of things when we are children, nor do we have a full understanding of God’s love and His plan for us.

Our limited understanding is like looking through a dirty glass – we just can’t see clearly but we will someday.

Our hope, in God and His word, is what feeds our faith to believe that God can do all things and that He will! Why? Because of His great love for us. Gaining knowledge of God’s love is like cleaning the windows, we get a clearer picture of who God is.

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. 9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 5:8-10 CEV

Do you see it a little clearer now?

God’s love made provision for our forgiveness; but there’s more to God’s love than that. God’s love grants us peace and friendship with Him. The more we walk in relationship with Him, the clearer our vision becomes.

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