What if?

What if? Romans 9:22-29.

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? Romans 9:22-24 (NKJV)

It is nice to know that "What if" questions never go out of style. Paul was laboring to explain that though a person is a descendant of Abraham, they are not necessarily a child of God. God accepts only certain people who have humbled themselves, admitting their sins, and seek a sacrifice to cover their sin. Everyone else will pay for their sin by their own blood.

People ask, "Why does God not punish those who do bad or wipe them out?" To which we answer that God is long suffering and waiting for people to repent. Inside of the heart of God is not only love, but grace for people who are willing to accept it.

Paul's "What if" statement was intended to place in the minds of the reader that God is holding out until the perfect time. He will then show His power and will be totally justified, pouring His wrath out in judgment of the way people lived. In addition, His mercy will be evident as those who are saved from their sins are ushered into heaven.

This leads to some "What if" questions of our own. What if God wiped out every person who did something evil? The answer is there would be no one left. If God yielded immediate justice, then all who have sinned would be destroyed and the human race would be annihilated.

You might remember that He did this when He destroyed the world by flood. There were none that did good except for Noah and his family. Warnings were preached as the ark was built, but they mocked and jeered Noah. Then the day came when God poured out His wrath, but in grace God saved Noah.

What if God killed only the really bad people, judging them immediately? Where this would calm our fear of bad people, this would be like posting a final score before the big game was played. Grace could not be true if a chance was not given and to every person a chance is given.

Because God has such an open call and the ability to hold back His anger, the gospel has been extended beyond Israel and to the rest of the world thus fulfilling the promise to Abraham that through his seed all the world would be blessed.

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,' You are not My people, 'There they shall be called sons of the living God." Romans 9:25-26 (NKJV)

People like to be exclusive. We have desires to be unique; achieving higher standards for every new generation. To do this a person must separate themselves to do good. However, recognizing this about ourselves, we must remember to remain open for others who have just begun or are about to begin their steps towards change. For we all start at the same place, recognizing that God is Lord.

What if God were to stop offering grace one person short of your own child being allowed to have it? Would that be fair? Of course not and no matter what sins people have committed or will commit, we must be patent and offer them grace.

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth." Romans 9:27-28 (NKJV)

Israel becomes the example to the world in regards to the feelings of exclusivity. Wanting themselves to be obedient to God, they took Him serious in being a particular people and with that they separated themselves from the world.

Gentiles were considered as dogs, because of the way they acted and believed. There was not much room for offering passage for others to know God and participate in the Jewish customs. Yet in their very scriptures, God's plan to reach the entire world was there. As quoted from Isaiah, "I will call them My people, who were not My people."

Yet Isaiah also warns by teaching that not all of Israel will be saved, but only a remnant. This remnant is those who took the time to understand God's grace and were faithful to live righteously. This also sets the example to the world that though people carry religiousness about themselves, not all will be granted grace, even among the Jews.

There is also coming a time where God will stop His work. Just as the Old Testament ended and a New Testament began, the era of grace will be over. At that time the earth will be full of people and no longer will they have opportunity to receive grace for their sin.

And as Isaiah said before: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah." Romans 9:29 (NKJV)

God began His work before the world was ever made as He established the plan that Christ would die. In His plan it includes a seed of hope; a seed of salvation which grows inside the heart of people. Some of the seeds do not make it into fertile soil or the soil they do land in grows with weeds, choking out the very life of the plant. Yet year after year, the message of grace given because of sincerity and repentance had been planted, grown, and reproduced; even as the plants wither and die, the see goes on.

Without the promise and the gift of grace sin would have ravaged man and God would be forced to deal brutal destruction, but God loves. God extends His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He has a plan, a way, a warning, and a promise, which is fairly distributed through the whole earth and to each generation. This plan waits for those who will seek Him and take hold of His mercy and grace. The only thing you must ask your self is, "What if you do not reach out for it?"

Can we criticize God?

Can we criticize God? Romans 9:18-21.

Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Romans 9:18-21 (NKJV)

Many people try to find fault with God because something about the way He acts seems wrong. Why would He make a person to destroy the person? Why does He allow sickness or disease to take the lives of good people? Though there are many hard questions we can ask, one thing we must not do is close off our minds to Him.

In our passage, Paul wants us to consider "Why God would find fault in people?" For there are too many people who God does not grant grace for their sins, holding them accountable. Each time Pharaoh refused to let the people go, God hardened His heart more. So why did He even bother to find fault in him and become upset with him? Why did God not just ignore him or wipe him out on the spot?

This consideration has to be given to all people. A person who has committed violent crimes continues to do wrong and leave in his path a string of hurt or dead individuals. The person who persecutes Christians destroys God's work and both of these seem to be likely targets for wrath. Yet judgment is not swift.

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? Romans 9:22-24 (NKJV)

There is a big difference between God's nature in the Old Testament from God's nature in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, God commanded respect or people would be punished. There was no grace for sin unless a sincere sacrifice was made; yet, you can read that God offered people opportunity to repent. Pharaoh was one of these and when he remained steadfast against God, God hardened his heart. Though his heart was being hardened, the display of God's greatness increased and eventually erased all doubt in Pharaoh's mind that the God of Israel was real.

It was only after he chased after the Children of Israel did God wipe out Pharaoh because he would not repent. In this and other stories, we can see that God had much grace towards the people in Old Testament times. Those who would not repent were dealt with; yet, God's enemies were given chances to repent.

Now in our time, what greater display of His love could He make than to give His own Son to die an excruciating death and suffer for the sins of all mankind? Now with that grace, could it be complete if He were to threaten people into repentance by pouring wrath out on people who do bad things? If that were true today, no longer would it be grace, it would be sure terror that would draw people to God.

Besides, it is known that God can destroy; it is also known that you cannot cross God without one day facing Him in judgment. Therefore, God holds back, waiting for people to repent.

The miracles He does now are seen in transformed lives, as He reached down to clean the hearts of people who have sinned. Great testimonies are all around us and His patience has produced people who love God; people who will never turn back to their old life.

The danger in criticizing God is that we are His creation and He has demonstrated to us His power, His love, and His grace; to criticize is to be ignorant.

Paul gives the example of the potter who sits at the wheel and molds the clay in to vessels. It is known that potters chose their clay and carefully inspect it looking for impurities. To ensure a good pot, the potter meticulously grooms it till it is ready to be fashioned. If you were watching this first hand, would you grow impatient telling him to hurry up?

Then the potter prepares the wheel and his tools by first scrapping away the remains from the last pot. Every groove of the table is inspected to ensure debris from the last vessel does not enter his new work. The reality is that by taking time to do this, it will pay off when you see the finished product.

Washing His hands, positioning His stool, the potter makes sure that he will be able to concentrate without any distractions. Then reaching for the clay, he readies it to spin and when the table starts to spin, a slow pace will become a ferocious motion.

In a violent fury the table spins faster and faster as the poster starts to move His hands over the clay. Sides appear, a bottom is formed and with great anticipation the potter carefully raises the height of the walls until it reaches the desired size.

Slowly the wheel decreases speed and the potter continues to look on for imperfections. At this point it is never too late to smash it back into a lump and start over and this is the grace that God has towards us. While we are formable, it is never too late to start over. However, once formed and the hardening process begins, there is no turning back.

The potter then takes the pot carefully to the kiln to allow fire to harden it and even at this point ruin could occur. The clay could discolor in drying, and steam or air bubbles could cause it to crack. The pot faces sure destruction as it braves the fire.

Once cooled, the pot is once again inspected. This is judgment day for the pot and now the potter looks at the work to see if it meets His standards. At this point can we criticize the potter should he throw it into the heap of broken pots? Could we be His critic?

There is no way for us to be critics of the potter. First, we are not potters and even if we were, the end product is not ours to say, it belongs to the potter who made it.

These same actions are those of God working in our lives to make us into His prized vessel. All of creation belongs to Him and should He choose to throw out an impure pot, we are no one to criticize, for we are not God.

Though this may seem harsh to us, consider that He did not hurry to our ruin. He takes much time, removing imperfections and giving us every opportunity to be that perfect pot. To us and to all no matter what their sin is, it is never too late to start over with God.

Grace does not run by blood.

Grace does not run by blood. Romans 9:6-18.

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son." Romans 9:6-13 (NKJV)

You have heard it said that we are to fear God. The word "fear" is used to expound to us that we must use much reverence towards God because He has the ultimate power over our life. It is God who can say, "Heart stop" and we fall to the ground. God can bless us or curse us. Though God loves, God will wield His power to prosper and to admonish depending on our reaction to Him. Either we are submitted to God or need to submit to God; for each of our actions towards God triggers a reaction from God.

Paul here lands a very tough statement that will be tough to explain; yet there must be much care in understanding this truth about God; for God holds the last word on who enters the Kingdom of Heaven. In this truth, futures are at stake.

In the Middle East today are many nations and people. In these cultures, many trace their lineage back to Abraham. Jewish and Islamic people both trace their lineage back to Abraham and they build their lives based on promises that God made to Abraham; therefore they consider themselves God's people.

Though there is a promise to Abraham being fulfilled in their lives, this does not safe guard them from being judged by God for their personal actions.

The Arabs took the promises to Abraham and developed a religion that worships God; however, in their religion there is no atonement for sin and neither is there a push to atone for ones sin; therefore they do not look for a savior from sin.

If they believe in Abraham as their father, they have to believe the same scriptures that speak about Adam, Eve, sin, and the punishment for sin. These scriptures teach that there is punishment for sin, regardless of what good people do and the penalty for sin is death.

The Jews have the same conditions applied to them also. They too have created worship of God and as of today, they do not offer blood sacrifices for their sin as instructed in the Law. They too know that sacrificing animals was not enough to save them and they stopped sacrificing; however, they made rituals to replace sacrifice and did not look for God's savior.

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Romans 8:10-12 (NKJV)

To disprove the thought that being a descendant grants you privilege with God, Paul gives the example of Jacob and Esau. Both were children of Abraham. Both were born under the promise to Abraham; yet because of sin, God accepted the one and rejected the other.

It does not matter who your father is, each of us has to be responsible to God for our own sin. People have a problem understanding their personal responsibility to God when they are born into a culture and are never taught to think for themselves.

Though born into a family line, which can be traced back to Abraham, you are a descendant of Abraham; yet there is nothing to distinguish you as a child of God. "God accepted Abraham, but who are you?" that is the question.

The sad thing is that people do not truly seek to understand what their sin will do to them until they have made an irreversible mistake. Then it becomes apparent that God holds people accountable, no matter who their father was.

To put it in simple terms, "Grace does not run in the blood." God will not overlook a sin because of what a person does well, or for a person's ancestry. The penalty for sin is death.

This is true in Christianity also. Many people expect God to accept them because they grew up in homes where the parents honored God; however, grace does not run by blood.

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. Romans 9:14-18 (NKJV)

Paul poses the question, "Is there unrighteousness with God?" We all know the answer, God is not unrighteous; everything He does is holy, just, and true. His promise to Abraham will be fulfilled, yet acceptance into eternity is on an individual basis. Who are you with God?

God knows the heart and He knows the difference between sincerity towards the forgiveness of sin. He will have mercy on who He wants to have mercy on; no one can demand it.

Pharaoh tried to command respect because of his position as the leader of Egypt. He held the Israelites hostage, demanding that they work or suffer punishment+. Though God proved Himself by miracles, plagues, and hardship, Pharaoh would not honor God as God; therefore God hardened Pharaohs heart.

Pharaoh was a tough enemy of Israel, yet there is no difference between the people who demand God to honor them because of their ancestry; both do not fear God's ability to judge and both do nothing about atonement for their sin. Basically there is no repentance.

We cannot push our way into God's graces; nor can we expect Him to respect us because of who we are. He will never respect us for what we do and we will never work deals with Him. God will honor who He wants based upon the criteria of repentance and respect (fear) for Him.

Praying to the east three times a day, does not change the fact that people have sin and need atonement; neither does abstaining from things that bring you comfort. Your suffering does not make atonement, even if done to commemorate The Day of Atonement. The same can be said of Lent, Ramadan, and the Sabbath; though one participates, if there is no repentance from sin and there is no sacrifice for sin then God has not been honored.

Paul is telling people that there is only one way to be accepted by God and that is through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and accepting His death on the cross as payment for our sin. By grace are we saved through faith and not of works or who our relative was.

 

 

True Evangelism.

True evangelism. Romans 9:1-5.

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. Romans 9:1-5 (NKJV)

The motives that a person shares Christ with are not always clearly understood and are often the reason why people do not respond favorably to the gospel shared with them. Paul thought it important to tell those he wrote to, why he was trying to pursued them away from Judaism and into Christianity. Paul had a deep passion and love for his countrymen and this is what is often missing when evangelizing.

In a store, looking at the menu on the wall, I was trying to decide what sandwich I would order when approached by a middle 20's woman who asked if I wanted to support their church by buying candy. So many thoughts ran through my head as I took inventory of those in the store who were watching with anticipation that they would be asked next.

The woman had a very careless approach and rushed her question so fast that I could not tell if she was truly sincere or running a con. I was caught in an unpredicted moment and shaking my head, I replied "No."

Immediately, I was no longer important and she went person to person asking for money. Later, at my car in the parking lot another young lady approached me and asked if I would like to help the church by buying candy. Again, I looked at her questioning her sincerity and answered honestly that I did not want to buy candy. Walking away she shouted can you give anything, change; a nickel, dime, quarter? To that I stared in wonderment of their motives and she walked away.

As I drove away, I almost felt cheap by not helping; there again, I did not have the information I needed to make a contribution. What would the money be used for? What church did they represent? Mostly, I wondered how a church could come so far as to begging on the street for money. Something was wrong and it was their approach that became a waning, directing my answer to them.

Have you watched the reactions of people who see a person carrying a sign saying "Jesus saves from Hell"? Most pass by with no real reaction. Many scorn the attempt because there is no sincerity. Yes, the fact is that Jesus saved from Hell, but why?

Adding another line to the statement is not going to answer their questions of why Jesus saves from Hell; nor will it answer the question of who is going to hell or why Jesus saves from Hell. I wish we could add up the ratio of people who trusted Jesus for their salvation because they saw a sign and compare it to people saved by a sincere Christian who approached with love in their heart.

What is a sincere approach? Paul is our example that God wanted us to see. In his approach, he fully explained why they should turn to Jesus and then explains to them that he earnestly has a love in his heart for them. Even to the extent of saying that he wished he could pay the penalty for their rejection of Christ, that they might not suffer the horrible results of dying in their sin.

Even these words written in the description does not suffice the feeling that Paul had deep within his heart and that leads us to why people are insincere.

Before a person successfully shares Christ, they must have the love of God working in their life; they must see His burden for the lost. Many Christians do not seek to know this. They read the scriptures, absorb what it is saying, know it in their head, and yet never become affected by their knowledge.

The inches between the head and the heart become a block that hurts an approach to reach people. This is why there are so many students who graduate seminary and take jobs in churches only to be frustrated trying to grow a ministry. They cannot keep people in the pews because the people can feel the difference between sincerity and insincerity.

Eight to ten hours a day, I studied the scriptures cramming my head with as much knowledge about God that I could. For years I kept up a frantic pace to know more and as I embarked on ministry opportunities, I found that they did not take off like I wanted them to.

I prayed, I worshiped, I tithed, I did everything I was supposed to do yet my heart was not affected by it. Yes, I loved God, I loved the church, and I loved God's people; but I did not see the unsaved through the eyes of Christ.

To me, outreaches were tasks planned for; they had a date, a time, and a method. Weather it was going door to door or one on one, I had a formulated approach to sharing the gospel and the results were frustrating. What did I do wrong? What should I do different? I analyzed everything I did and worked to perfect my approaches, yet it was always with the same results.

It was not until I had several ministries fail that a pastor took interest and told me the truth. "You are full of head knowledge and have no heart knowledge," he said. Then quoted from 1^st Corinthians, saying Knowledge puffeth up, but charity (love) edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

In the depths of my failure, these words haunted me and I vowed never to pursue another ministry attempt until God brought it to me. This attitude led to many years sitting in the pew listening and as I waited on God, I found that people began to approach me to talk about God. Slowly I would start to share with them about God's love for me and they began to feel God's love for them. I did not have to quote a scripture, hold up a sign, or push upon them the knowledge that I had. I only needed to pray for them and be their friend. After all is not God to be our friend?

Today, if each Christian around the world would select one person to become their friend, praying for them and loving them, within a short time the church could double in size. Even if it took a whole year for the conversion of the one soul, the church would increase dramatically. There would be no shortage of finances, and no bad witness on the street. People would stop viewing Christians as pushy people that have a goal to reach and they would begin to feel God's love for them.

Peace Hurts.

Romans 8:35-39. Peace hurts.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37 (NKJV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Often not considered is the fact that people, things, and circumstances, can drive separation in our relationship with God. Never does God grow cold in His love towards us; it is us who grow cold to Him. Therefore the answer to our question is nothing can stop God from loving us; no sin, no wrong, no person, nothing can ever stop Him from loving us. With that being said, today we look at things that can change our feelings towards God.

Jesus warned His disciples saying, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)

The soul is a target for the enemy who knows that as people we are subject to passion. Therefore, evil continually invades our privacy trying to seduce us into lifestyle choices that we should not make. The father who becomes involved in internet pornography faces ruin and possibilities of losing his family should they discover his perverted ways.

The free spirited wine drinker can have their attraction to spirits take a turn to for the worst and what started at a connoisseur level can cascade from attraction to addiction; leaving a path of ruin in the life that could have been wonderfully filled. In this case the slow change in lifestyle draws one away from godliness and towards harm. For some, the separation does not seem too large until many years have passed one by.

There are many things that have this effect in our life. They start small, innocent, and clean, yet turn a person away from God with intentions of fulfilling their life with something else. We give terms as "workaholic," "obsessed," and "eccentric" to describe people who have gone over the deep end chasing their passion and this quality to act this way is in us all.

In our passage, Paul speaks towards tribulation, distress, famine, nakedness, peril, and death, making an assault on their minds and ensures them that those these may happen, their fortitude in their relationship with God will not falter. For these Christians were a persecuted people and many were those who would threaten their lives, tempting them to deny Christ.

In our life, people deny Christ without threats and many have lost their commitment to Christianity. The simplest of pleasures become irresistible and their relationship with Christ is shelved as they indulge in pleasure to feed their flesh.

Case in point, the tithe. Churches suffer because a large number of families who spend their money on commitments to themselves and not God. The family vacation takes front seat and the ministry to hurting people sits behind. If you were to sum up the budget as a tabled dinner, God is given scraps like what you would feed the family dog.

This brings up a great problem that we face as people. There is evidence that in times of peace, people become distant in their relationship with God and yet in times of peril, that relationship is strong. We pray for peace, yet the very peace we gain hurts the way we live.

In my country, the food left on the table and thrown into the garbage could feed many nations; yet a collapse in the economy would stop the waste and those who lived carelessly, would gain respect quickly.

Paul was urging Christians to count their relationship with Christ worth losing their life for. In Rome Christians were jailed and then prepared for the coliseum, then dragged before audiences who cheered there death.

Meat was tied to them and wild animals would be released to chase them through mazes in the center arena. For the Christian it was fight of be killed and to the Roman it was a slaughter that brought entertainment. Knowing this Paul encourages them that though they may suffer death, it cannot separate them from the love of God.

Reflecting on our lives and the lifestyles we live, many of us are far removed from persecution of our faith. Yet many carelessly parade through riches, possessions, and feasting, as they watch others starving, hurting, and without.

They see the elderly shut in, the poor shut out, the homeless, the orphans, the widows, and the needs of people sick, in prison, and hurting; but instead of rising to help, they watch on as people live and die. To some they give thumbs up and give morsels of help, to others they give thumbs down and banish them from thought. It is on these things, they will be judged.

Christ spoke about the Day of Judgment giving this criteria for who will be saved. He said, "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:41-46 (NKJV)

Though we live in a Donald Trump society that lavishes in riches, we must continue to hold ourselves accountable. As Paul taught the Christians to endure persecution we must endure the temptations to become sucked up into the abyss of human ruin.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)

Our relationship with God must be held in high honor and our commitment to Him must guide our life, order the events of our day, and continually motivate us to look to do His work. Life can become overwhelming and we can get caught up in the machine of society becoming like they who do not think about God.

Who shall separate us from the love of God is a question that works both ways. God will always love us, but will we always love God?

The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction. Romans 8:28-30.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 (NKJV)

You are what you think you are. This is a cold hard fact about the human experience and many live lives of defeat and despair. Paul has some strong words describing his concern, for he too saw others making the mistake of guiding their reality into sorrow.

Did you know that you can guide your fate? Not only is it true from a scriptural point, it is true of life in general. As people we attract to ourselves success or failure. If a person has a good disposition, he will draw others who have the same. This person will have opportunities open up for them that others will never see.

Your disposition attracts people. You have heard people say, that birds of a feather flock together. If you look throughout life, you will find those who have like interests, together in the environments, doing things together.

So in your environment, you have attracted almost everything that you like and many things that you dislike. Your attitude towards life has shaped who you are and for some they have permanent wrinkles on their face from the frowns they wear.

Eastern philosophers have seen this also and created whole religions based upon having a good balance to life. They teach people to be patient, long suffering, and have evoked teachings that you can control your inner self to find happiness and long life.

Today, there is a repackaging of the eastern psychologies into movies that help modern people become involved in changing their paths in life. "The Law of Attraction" states that you attract good things and bad things into your life by thinking in the direction that causes them. Now as a Christian, I would not lead someone to religiously follow these philosophies; however, in them I find much truth.

This truth is found in the very passage that Paul was communicating. He says, "All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose." This verse is a building block in our faith and yet many still do not have it memorized. Where we are to live by it, people have passed it by.

When you build on this truth, you can approach the unknown with confidence. With that confidence you attract many things to your life. The same would be said if you approached with worry, you will also attract to yourself results, some of which were unnecessary.

If you have heard it said, "let go and let God" the person is communicating an attitude of release of worry, which releases frustration, which releases tension, which can impact a person spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Yet too many times Christians are suffering from hypertension that can even lead them to physical death.

God never meant Christians to carry the burdens of the world. Instead He reached His hand out and offered the power that raised Christ from the dead to resurrect our lives, protecting our future. That is why a Christian must grab hold of God's good intentions and look forward to their life becoming successful and victorious.

Even in prison, the Apostle Paul was able to see good coming from it. God had arranged Paul to be in the place where Paul could write, pray, think, and encourage Churches throughout Asia Minor. Paul never saw that this work that God was doing would lead to these encouragements being published from generation to generation and spreading throughout the world.

In his circumstance, Paul worked hard to stay focused on the important building block of our lives that all things work together for good to them that love God.

One of the greatest features of our Bible is the truths about the foreknowledge of God. God wrote history from the end back to the beginning. Before He made the world, it was decided that Christ would die for us and that means He knew each and every one of us before we were born. He knew the corruption sin would have and He wrote into His plan the experiences we would have as we built our faith in Him and released our lives to His keeping.

Now going back to the Law of Attraction, what do you attract into your Christian experience? Each of us will answer differently; however, it is well known that Christians struggle with finances attracting to themselves debts that they cannot pay. They live under the cloud of bad financing and because of past failure they never look to the possibilities that God can fix their spending habits.

These have attacked to themselves, frustration, subjection to their places of work, arguments with their spouse, and their children are being and have been raised to know only that type of a lifestyle. Where all things could be working for good, their attitudes towards finances, life, family, friends, and service to God has been placed under a dark cloud.

Now if these people continue on living the same cycle in life, they can expect more of the same and even worse results. These need to break this lifestyle and bring change into their lives.

They need to repent, and relentlessly seek to change their way of life, their habits in life, the way they approach their relationship with God. Everything needs to change now or the same choices will attract undesirable results.

The same can be said about those who are overweight; a lifestyle change needs to occur. They attract to themselves the same results that manifest in different way as high blood pressure, sore bodies, unusual sicknesses, organ failures, and expensive doctor bills.

In every negative avenue of life, you will find that people attract to themselves harm. Their dispositions are affected, their thoughts are skewed, and they attract improper desires.

The bottom line to this building block of life is the love of God. Good things happen to them that love God and hear His calling. He is calling us in the morning, during our day, and when we are going in the wrong direction. It is up to us to answer God back in faith and the best answer is the answer standing on the truth that every circumstance is going to work out for good, because we love God.

Up from the Miry Pit

Up from the Miry pit. Romans 8:18-30.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:18-19 (NKJV)

Resisting temptation, saying no to what our bodies seek as pleasure, and serving others before ourselves, can cause suffering. It is hard to be patient with people who do not understand the concepts of scripture. Loving people who are repulsive, abusive, obsessive, and mean is not a joyous job and a Christian worker will endure many more sufferings as He seeks to take good news to the people God values. No matter how low a person sinks, God wants us to reach down to pull them up; "Out from the miry clay" as the Psalmist puts it.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay , and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalms 40:2-4 (KJV)

Paul, and Christians like him, suffered persecutions and though imprisoned, he found refuge where it was safe to minister. He considered his suffering worth accepting, embracing, and endearing so that he might further the good news that Jesus Chris saves from sin.

How can a person find peace, joy, and love when being mistreated, abused, and confined? The answer comes from a person's understanding of how eternity with God will impact them.

Today, let us consider God's creation and draw a perspective of eternity from it. Each day, the dark of night turns into day. Where the dark leaves a person with feelings of isolation and limited perception, the day removes all of that and light opens up what was hidden. To us this lifetime is like the night; yet, the day is coming where we will see eternity as clearly as we do our day.

The seasons are another example of God's creation teaching us to trust God. Winter causes a stress on the earth that rips it apart, kills vegetation, causes animals to hibernate, and brings an appearance of death. Yet, when spring has sprung, new life emerges, the animal's flourish, and flowers emerge with beauty that can be breathtaking.

Much like the times of our lives, from the grip of winter come the glories of spring, summer, and fall. From the wintery womb, we spring to childhood, mature through summer, and then face our last days falling to the ground like a leave. Yet it is not over, we will rise again.

The very intricacies of earth show evidence of a masterful hand in creation. The same creator who said, over two thousand years ago, that He was going away to prepare a place for us that where He is, we may be also, made this earth in six days, how much more has He made over two thousand years?

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Romans 8:20-22 (NKJV)

Everything about this earth has a catastrophic tension that grabs it by its fabric and shakes it in a violent frenzy. The desire for beauty and peace is felt throughout; from the smallest of God's creation to the largest, each want something more, something better and that desire was instilled in us by God.

It is unmistakably noticeable that everything anticipates something more, something wonderful, while it braces for the next assault. This we know to be from the heart of God, who also waits in eager anticipation for His creation to join Him having the separation of sin annulled.

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Romans 8:23-25 (NKJV)

Animals, fish, flowers, trees, and grasses, have in them the suffering of separation from their creator; they run and grow to defeat death. Thought they are unable to perceive why, they too show signs of desire to live; yet non escape deaths grasp. We who have a soul and spirit understand that we are removed from God and knowing why, we too seek after life.

Yet only when a person reaches out from the miry clay can they begin to have faith which is the substance of things hoped for. In this hope comes the understanding of why, and who God is. How much He loves us is opened in our understanding and an eagerness to be delivered develops in our soul. What was once a void in our life becomes filled with a hope, and anticipation of greater things to come.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 (NKJV)

From the time we reach out to God, God reaches back to us. His hand stretched out, able to influence, but unable to touch. The sin that separates Him from us, ever causing a distance; yet there too He made a way for us to know Him in a greater capacity.

We cannot be touched by His hand, but we can be reached through His spirit. People call faith blind, but to those who know Jesus Christ, they experience faith with answers to their needs, help in times of trouble, love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness, able to suffer long.

Even when we have no words to express our feelings, God makes communication possible through His spirit. The very groans we emit are translated into prayer unto God.

Though He cannot touch us, His spirit searches our hearts and reaches into every part of our life, knowing us, comforting us, and teaching us the paths of righteousness.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Though we, through faith, hope, and love, reach out for salvation desiring to be free from this life; we turn our lives to Him in service as He has done to us, loving others, being His hands and His feet. Though turbulent, this life has much to teach us and will influence our perception of the success of eternity.

A Christian in Training.

A Christian in training. Romans 8:12-18

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12-14 (NKJV)

Have you ever purchased an expensive product on credit and later found that you did not get your intended use of it? You had to have it and it seems so important that you have it, you bought it on credit. Then the payments continued as the thing you so dearly wanted sits unused collecting dust. This is a deficit we all have in our characters; we want it, when we want it and we become willing to do whatever it takes to get it. However, there are those that control that urge and learning from their past mistakes, they no longer listen to those urges.

Sin means to miss the mark; therefore, when we react compulsively we can easily miss the perfection we desired. Therefore, we must grab hold of ourselves and put that type of reaction to death and never let it have a heart beat in our life. Paul calls it "our flesh" and explains that it tries to live, but we must keep it buried.

In the Greek language that these scriptures are written in, the word flesh means the meat or body and is different from the spirit or soul. Therefore the scripture teaches us that our bodies have a mind of their own.

Every teenage boy finds this fact out shortly after reaching puberty. They discover that their body is sending them signals they do not understand. Eventually they learn that their body is demanding attention. This is a God given instinct that is not taught, but created as a part of our makeup. The same applies to every person and sin; it is a part of our physical make up.

Great athletes are great athletes because of ability; however, they must choose to develop those abilities and resist the temptations that their bodies will demand.

Our bodies are selfish in nature; they want good food, pleasure, fantasy, excitement, and possessions. These cravings must be controlled or they will take over and often ruin a person's life, health, and spiritual life. The Apostle Paul teaches that if we live according to our flesh, it will produce death to our relationship with God.

What would the great Kobe Bryant turn into if he never practiced basketball? In the same thinking, what if he was to cut back on practicing so that he can relax more, would he be able to reach the heights of greatness?

Every day the great athletes of the world must put to death other opportunities and buckle down to their sport. Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Roger Federer, Kelly Slater, Reggie Busch, and Michelle Kwan, are all notable athletes and are all dedicated athletes. They know that they must train, become disciplined, resisting temptations that would take them away from their sport.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba, Father." Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV)

Now if we were to list the great Christians, whose pursuit of God reached the same discipline, you would not know their names; for these hold no significant worldly interest. One of the most noticeable to much of the world would be Billy Graham; however, Billy would state that his faith was little compared to many.

So what are we working for? Our bodies are working towards goals and achievements and we must ask if these are the ones that will make us truly satisfied or will they eventually grow old and useless with age?

The Bible prompts us to put to death the desires of the flesh so that we can be alive unto God; for by accomplishing this discipline, we can become children of God and as children inherit all of heaven. Our goal in life should be this one target to train towards; to be reinstated into a relationship with God that sin destroyed.

In our life we face three enemies that will show up every day to keep us from practicing our faith; they are forces of evil, the pull of the world, and the desires of our flesh. With these we must battle and should we lose our focus, we should refocus and then continue towards our goal.

Standing with a gentleman after work, we talked about this life. He said how much trouble his life was in and it led to an explanation about the importance of our present life in regards to our future life, which is important for us all to understand. The explanation went like this.

On the hood of a truck, a finger smudge made a noticeable dot in the dust. I continued to make dots across the hood. Slowly, making one by one, I let quietness draw his attention. Reaching the end, I went back to the first dot and circled it. "Let this dot represent our short life on earth; we will live seventy to eighty years." Then drawing a line under the other dots I told him, "Now extend these other dots all the way around the earth until you circle it and then continue to make laps around it. This is the length of eternity". Going back to the first dot, I told him, "Now what you do here, in this lifetime, influences the outcome of the rest of eternity."

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:17-18 (NKJV)

If you want to spend eternity alone, in darkness, away from God, you indicate this choice while here on earth. Without being pleasing to God, our lives are void and no matter how much we let our flesh try to replace the void with possessions, experiences, or thrills, we will only jump from thing to thing and never find satisfaction.

However, today the Apostle Paul ensures his readers that they can find inner peace with God and know where they will spend their eternity. Like the athlete, people must know the playbook, study the plays, and train to win and that is the life of a Christian.

If you would like to join the world of Christians in training, you start by asking God to forgive you your sins and for Christ to come into your life. Then start studying your play book, the Bible and learn to make the plays that avoid sinful failures and discover victory in Jesus.

Free at Last!

Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

Once you prayed are you always safe from the punishment for your sin? If you chose to say yes, then ignore the statements that Paul will make in this passage. However, you may want to consider your thinking.

Where it is true that there is no condemning a person who is "in Christ," many want to believe they are "in Christ" but live the way they want. Yet only God knows where the dividing line is drawn that measures a person's sincerity to their belief "in Christ."

Paul says that the division is whether a person lives to please their flesh or develop their new spiritual relationship that "in Christ."

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:2-4 (NKJV)

After surrendering your life to Christ, asking for the forgiveness of your sin, a person is free from being condemned for their sin. This means that even if you make a mistake and do something that is not godly, God will still forgive you of your sin. That sin is covered by the sacrifice of Christ. You may hear it said, "It's covered by the blood of Christ."

Again, Paul emphasizes that though this is true, there is a dividing line and if you are guilty of crossing that line, the sacrifice is not in your possession. The separating point was a provision demanded in the Law and we must remember that when God created the Law, it came from within Himself. He made it from the way He views humankind as a whole.

In the story of Cain and Able, Cain killed Able because he was jealous of his sacrifice not being accepted. Cain's sacrifice was not accepted because he was not sincere in making it; Cain only wanted to appease God and took a careless approach to pleasing God. This is the way God views sacrifices and judges the sincerity of men.

Now to walk after the spirit does not mean that you no longer sin. However, it does mean that if you sin, the sacrifice that you possess covers your sin because you live with the intentions of living as holy as possible in this body that has a sinful nature.

To "walk after" means to be occupied with and follow as a companion. The word sin refers to anything that would be offensive to God. So there becomes a huge, life consuming task for a Christian to pursue God's righteousness.

Jesus said, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14 (KJV)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8 (NKJV)

Here Paul lets us know that God's conditions must be met or salvation will not be rendered. Able did not take God serious and Paul urges us to be very serious. Simply to say once you pray you are saved is ignoring this passage.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 (NKJV)

How do you tell whether you are saved or not saved from sin? This very question comes from a teaching that must be broken in the mind of a Christian. Salvation is a process; while we are alive, we are being saved and no one is safe until they finish this life. Therefore, our life becomes an opportunity to escape the grasps of sin; to let the power of God raise us from the grave that sin has made for us.

People have many questions in regards to this subject and that causes many to let go, to grab hold of the popular belief that all you have to do is say a prayer and mean it. Yet they struggle with the truth that after praying, many people turn back to a live in sin.

Coldly I have heard them say, "Well they never believed Jesus in the first place." This could never be further from the truth. People commit their lives to Christ and the three enemies attack their heart and mind winning the war. The three enemies, the Devil, the world, and ourselves, are quick to desire ungodliness and to those who accept Christ as savior, we must help them walk with Christ.

To escape our enemies a person must turn to God for deliverance from their sin. That means we will mind the flesh; however, we must turn back to God in every circumstance and seek God's power to help resist the temptations to live ungodly.

Jesus said that we must be in the world and yet, not of it and God knows that we must stay real people, living amongst those who have yet to turn to Christ. That is why He gave us forgiveness when we do sin.

God would have us minister to others, so that they too might choose Him. As we are around them we will falter; however, as we have discussed today, this does not give us an opportunity to do anything without remorse for God will hold us accountable.

Being given multiple chances is a great opportunity and when we find ourselves in sin we are to turn to God, repent and forsake those ways. When we do, we will find His power to help us; yet those who are insincere will not find anything.

A preacher walked down the isle of his church yelling "I sin, I sin, I sin, I sin." Quickly he turned and walking back he yelled "I repent, I repent, I repent." His point being that true repentance is walking in a separate direction from the path you were on; that is sincerity.

Nobody knows the true me.

Nobody knows the true me. Romans 7:13-25.

Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. Romans 7:13 (NKJV)

The defeat of humanity is not the rules that govern it but the punishment for sin. To sin is to separate from wholeness. It divides a person into two separate people, one that wants to do good and one who seeks after something harmful to them. Paul is bringing to our attention that the Law is not bad; it is breaking the Law that is bad and that is harmful to us.

Christians are constantly challenged by good people who object to being called a sinner. The problem being, is that most people are truly good people and do not want to be considered as a bad person who sins. Yet inside of all of us are two separate influences that tug at us. These are the influences of good and evil.

The problem with the Law, a law, or a standard, is that if we break any part of them, we can consider ourselves unable to perform it and in reality we failed it. That is the mark that sin leaves on us. It is like taking a white wall and splattering a few small drips of black paint onto it. Sure you can look at it and say it is a white wall, but truth be known, it is a flawed fall, it is not pure white.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:14 (NKJV)

If we can be truthful with ourselves, we will admit that there are times where we were not the best person and rendered to others treatment much the same. The problem is we forget, but we all know that our life is about control; we must control our urges, abstain from being in the wrong place, and partaking in too much of a substances. The reason for this self restraint is that deep inside we know that our tendency is to miss the mark of a perfect life and that being subject to our sinful nature we fail.

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:15-17 (NKJV)

Transforming the blame of our actions to others or something other is an easy way to suppress the truth so that we can get by. Therefore, the statement exists that says, "The devil made me do it." Yet more commonly we will hear ourselves say, "You made me mad," or even, "It's your fault that I did that." The truth is that we did something we did not want to do and it hurts us to think of ourselves that way.

People spend big buck to understand why they act the way they do and yet they still want to think of themselves as good people. Where they may be good at times, the fact exists that they are bound by unholy desires. The things they do not want to do, they do and the things they want to do, they do not do. We cannot walk away from our sinful natures; we are bound to them.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:18-20 (NKJV)

Any self help group, doctor, psychologist, pastor, or Christian will tell you that the first step in recovery is to admit that you are what you are. The person struggling with alcoholism is an alcoholic; the drug abuser is a drug addict and according to our subject, if you have committed a sin, you are a sinner. The problem is getting people to admit their problem; yet if they do, it opens the door for help, change, and a new life.

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:21-23 (NKJV)

Christians are also accused of trying to be too holy and where that can be very obnoxious, their inner self is fighting against their fleshly desires. To shut off the sinful desires, they turn into isolationist and legalists which God never intended them to be.

Where God desires us to be holy as He is holy, He knows that we struggle and made to us the offer that if we do sin, He will be faithful to us and forgive us, if we confess our sin. Then if we are willing to admit our sin, God promises to cleanse us from the unrighteousness that we do. This is a great offer, yet in our minds we will war continually with it.

Some people are very conscious of what they think and do; they live in self condemnation and are ever persuaded that they are different than other people. They walk in a shame filled dark cloud and under that cloud they can see no deliverance. This is what God wants to liberate people from and if you just admit your sin and that you are a sinner, you the process of cleansing can begin. The truth is that though they feel unique, they are just like everyone else. Yet you have the power to change by God's help.

Throughout our societies people have picked up self help books, latching on to different organizations and practices, seeking to be enlightened, wanting to be better people. Yet the Bible is the best book for help and because people make mistakes, they walk past the best source of understanding themselves. Where we established that we all make mistakes, this mistake is the largest a person could make.

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24-25 (NKJV)

"Oh wretched man that I am!" The very cry of the person hitting rock bottom, yet that is where many will have to go before they will look up for a helping hand. This is the other part of the truth about us; until things get bad, people will stay in their rut and walk along the path that they have walked for years. Yet to change your direction takes change now and can happen before sin abuses your body.

Who will deliver you? What organization or self help book will you try? Whatever you answer, if you did not answer Jesus Christ then you too will have to travel your road until you face the truth that God loves you and sent His only Son to die the penalty of your sin. He has the power to forgive, cleanse, and change your life for good. That change can happen now if you will pray in your heart, admitting your sin and asking Him to cleanse you from your unrighteousness.

What then? What if you have done this, what are you supposed to do now? Now seek righteousness through the Bible, His church, and through knowing others who have recognized also that they could not defeat the sin in their own life. Reach out to Jesus and to those He is helping, for we are all sinners and we need Him too. Together He will direct our path forward.

God’s law killed me.

God's law killed me. Romans 7:7-12.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." Romans 7:7 (NKJV)

If speaking to a Jew, the mere mention of not giving the Law prominence would create a wall of difference that could be hard to cross. Jews are a very proud people and though the receiving of the law was a change in the way they lived they are not willing to consider that God wants change again.

When speaking about change, there are many things that can get in the way and here Paul brings up two of them. First people could ask, "Did the Law miss the mark that God had intended for it? Did God make a mistake by giving the law and are you saying that He now is making things right?" You can see that no Jew or Christian could admit God made a mistake; and He did not.

Paul quickly responds with the same emotional response that others would have. "Certainly not" is a startled type of reaction and it portraits respect to the Law.

Then Paul attributes the reason God gave the law and says God gave it that we might know what sin is. The Law is a tool used to tell us right from wrong and what it is to live righteously. Because we fail the Law the Law teaches us our need for salvation and we see our own inability to resist temptation. The Law humbles every person under it as it sets a standard for holiness.

Many Christians throw out the law and consider themselves under grace; and where it is true that we are under grace, God gave us the power to keep the law. So it still stands to be used by the church.

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Romans 7:8-12 (NKJV)

It is easy not to consider what good and proper actions are in at society that has no more inhibition towards sin. Paul had much the same in his day and in Rome, people did as the Romans did. Therefore, without a standard, God's people are just like anyone else. Yet God gave the law, and it was received by many as a tool to satisfy God and bring peace with God. Yet as Paul says, the law brought death.

You can keep the complete law to offend in one small part and be guilty of it all। Therefore, the Law is holy, yet people are not and the very salvation people seek from it condemns all. The good news is that God knew that and the Law was to teach us that we need a savior and that savior is Christ the Lord.

Living Free!

Living Free. Romans 7:1-6.

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? Romans 7:1 (NKJV)

When you are born into this world, the sinful nature of your parents is passed on to you. Each child may live different lifestyles than their parent lived; however, every person born is responsible for their own sin. The Law of Sin and death is bound to us; therefore without Christ there is no escape.

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Romans 7:2-3 (NKJV)

Paul speaks to the control of sin like that of a marriage contract. He wants to communicate that there is a possibility of being released from the contract. We can be free from the penalty of sin by death. Now this reference is effective if we are people who honor a marriage contract.

The two metaphors are pretty close when describing the relationship of people, the law, sin, death, and Jesus Christ. We are attached to law like we are married to it; we listen to it and we are to obey it. The law dictates to us on how we should live our life and even when we disagree with it, the Law stands strong correcting us. Yet though we may argue, the law is always right.

Wherever we go and whatever we do, how we act is judged by the law and we are faithful to it or we are unfaithful. Like a wife, the Law will be attached to us until the day we die.

The work of Christ on the cross gave a power to every person that if they believe in Him, repenting of their sin, they can be forgiven their sin and therefore the Law's hold on us dies. Like a long term companion the Law is no longer the say so in our lives. It is dead to us and its demands can no longer sentence us with the penalty of death.

Then being free from the Law, we meet our new love, Jesus Christ. He wants us to be His bride and join into a relationship with Him that will bring abundant life. Then through our relationship with Him, become happily married in God's righteousness.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Romans 7:4-6 (NKJV)

Many people think of their life as fun and church life as boring. Therefore, they avoid church like a plague. Who is to blame people for feeling like this when many churches are boring?

I have sat in services that bored me to tears; poor worship, humdrum sermons then after, meeting faces of people that feel the same way as I. Everyone comes and goes with little affect and very little fulfillment from their church experience.

Yet this is not what Christ died for. He came that we might not just live, but live with abundant life. He came to add a dynamic to our lives that can reach deep into the souls of people causing them to select Him over the pleasures of sin.

I recently attended a meeting of a church of people wanting to break out from the normal church atmosphere and create a new church experience that will reach the youth of today. Yet the overtones of their past experiences were still clinging to them like static. Though they wanted to present something new and innovative, they were bogged down with many of the same issues they were trying to flee from; they were only wrapped in a different approach.

In reaching people, dynamic leadership does just happen. You cannot produce it in a seminary, you cannot teach it in the classroom; but it is acquired by looking to and using the resources God brings your way. These people had begun to look for resources, yet getting out of the way could be a problem to them.

People – People are resources and the little kids that we watched grow up are the ones that God will expect to carry the cross until it is their time to pass it to the next generation. To these, must be given the freedom to be who God made them and do those things that God has places on their hearts.

Though we do not just hand them the keys and walk away, we must guide them without stopping God's work through their lives.

Getting out of the way – A road block only makes a detour. There are too many people in churches that are getting in the way and not stepping to the side. They make it difficult for change to happen and the youth flee. Some churches are so youth challenged that their youth ministries are almost nonexistent.

Reaching the lost – God will not compromise holiness to have people come to church. The spirit of God wants to fall on the leadership and direct the church; however, attitudes that suppress God's work will keep it from happening and a boring church it does make. Just as a person must die to sin and come to Christ; so must people not miss God's direction when they are involved leading a church. To miss God's direction is to sin.

Though there is freedom in Christ, we are stilled in Christ. Where we were married to the law, it became dead to us and we became alive to Jesus Christ. He is the groom and we are the bride. The dynamic we are to live in can happen if we listen to our spouse. When we do, life becomes wonderful.

How can we expect people to choose a new life in Christ that looks like a marriage of disappointment? The truth is that you cannot keep people in your church, in your life, or in your friendship if you are going to miss the mark and not live a life that is exciting and new.

So what then, what are we to do with our old boring selves? We are to submit to Christ, pray for change, and become an encouragement to those that He brings our way. Like a bride to her husband, we are to be "help meets", making away for Him to lead the family, bring in the increase, and live in harmony. If we are focused on Him, He will make life abundant and we will be happily married.

The point Paul wants to instill in us that our life with the law and sin is over, we are remarried to Jesus and that is to produce new life and new fruit, living abundantly free without being tied down to rules, traditions, and suppressing practices.

Gonna Serve Somebody

Gonna Serve Somebody. Romans 6:15-23

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:15-16 (NKJV)

The music artist, Bob Dylan, wrote, produced, and sang a song titled, "Gotta Serve Somebody." In that song, Bob touches on an important truth based upon the very scriptures we study today. The human condition is that we will always serve somebody.

"You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,"

This is a wonderful song, with a staggering truth that many need to wake up to. In our lives, we serve more than somebody, we serve this body and its cravings. It craves to be thought of as good, yet it can want things that separated us from God. It is how we direct ourselves that will make the difference on judgment day.

Innocently, people do things because they feel an urge; life's experiences influence our emotions. Deep inside we harbor hurts, pains, and anxieties, along with joys, pleasure, hopes, and dreams. Yet we rarely examine why we would turn to urges to do what is wrong.

The urge to please people can come from a past influence in your life; it may have been an abusive person that you could not please and now you search for ways to be liked. Though it may not be a problem for some, it can be motivation that hurts the emotional health and can lead to physical problems and addictions.

Some people were ignored by their parental units and therefore, at an early age had to fend for themselves. Now as an adult, their survival instincts causes them tension, stress, and anguish; they work too much, try too hard, and worry about failure for to fail is to admit defeat. For some this pressure leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, and possible heart failure.

Throughout life there are forces, pressures, commitments, and duties that make us to things that we would not choose to do. Basically, we are servants and like Bob writes, "Your gonna have to serve somebody."

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Romans 6:17-19 (NKJV)

Paul was speaking in the terms of slavery because they understood what being a slave was. It was common place for a person with influence to have people in their debt and working for them. Slave labor is what built many cities and made countries in to great nations. The slave was a common job.

Much like today's job markets the workplace becomes a place where people work like slaves. Their job can manipulate them to do things that they would not do on their own. Workers are the modern slaves; therefore, we can relate to what Paul is saying by the alarm clock going off every morning.

Employment is not the only slavery we know; that is what Paul was driving to in his message designed to set people free. The other form of slavery we have is to our human appetites.

Our appetites are internal motivating forces; some good and some bad. Each of us is filled with desires, passions, and the needs for experiences. These produce actions from our life that we hope will produce good results; however, the largest problem is that many times they create less than perfect results.

It is when our sinful nature influences our desires that we have difficulties, problems, and often go down a road that we were not meant to travel. This can cause the wonderful holiday vacation to turn into a dreadful experience or the family union into a heated argument that divides. The problem is that sinful nature can ruin life and turn our desires into regrets.

Though we hate sin, people are drawn to it. They know that their actions may cause complications, yet they still go forward and many into the same traps that enslaved them before.

Paul tells us that the problem is that sin is the master and people are the slaves. Yet he wants them to know that they can be delivered from the enslavement of sin and they can walk in newness of life. Problems with alcohol, drugs, abuse, and overindulgence can be eliminated if we turn to Jesus Christ.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:18-23 (NKJV)

Bob Dylan's song goes on to say "It may be the Devil, or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna serve somebody." With amazing simplicity, Bob is on target, agreeing with Paul, Bob paints a picture of life that is important for us to accept. We will serve our sinful lusts or serve God to defeat sinful lusts and there is no in between.

Quickly people turn away from this truth; yet ignorance becomes a motive to choose to walk away from God and will not fix the problem that the punishment for sin will be paid for.

To help people walk away, the devil has built conceptions of holiness to resemble the life of a monk in a monastery; yet that could not be further from the truth. The pursuit of righteousness brings abundant life and abundant life must spread to every aspect of life on the planet.

In every desire conceived there is a right way or a wrong way to do it. Everything we do can honor God or be turned into sinfulness. No matter what sport, what passion, what places that interest you, you can honor God in it. That is the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is for today's youth, yesterday's heroes, and for all who have fallen on their way. He can lift you up, restore what is wrong, and fix the problems that have enslaved you. Jesus Christ will turn no person away and nothing will cause Him to be surprised. No matter how bad, horrific, or terrible your sin was or is, Jesus Christ can erase the penalty and restore your joy. You can live a righteous life and it can start today. Find a Christian and tell them that you want to surrender yourself to serve God and you too can have abundant life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin, the Soul’s Poison

Romans 6:12-17. Sin, the Soul's Poison.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Romans 6:13.

Sin is like the cold of a winter morning; the cold will make you seek warmth, it will make you bundle up, and make you go to shelter. Where Paul writes "Do not let sin reign" He is correct because sin is a dictator.

Sin will cause a person to seek shelter with those who practice like sins. People of like vices congregate in like areas and act in like manors. The alcoholic will seek out a pub and feel as if he is home. This does not mean that all people who go to pubs are sinners; however feasting on the substance of choice, sin draws people like ants to a picnic.

Many times a sin practiced leads a person to cover themselves up. They find comfort when insulated from people who may not agree with their actions. If they can cover up, hide, divert attention, or lie about their indulgence, it makes them able to function when in public. The deception of sin runs deep into a person's life.

People, committing sin, are not always willing to do so and often longing for deliverance; however, their addiction holds them in such a grip that hope becomes crushed and instead of seeking deliverance, they seek more of the same, many times in a frenzied approach.

It is important to clarify what is sin. What are these vices that I speak of? In the un-churched society, the word sin is used to describe horrible actions as pornography, drug abuse, drunkenness, robbery, murder, and infidelity. Where it is true that these are bad acts, the word sin is all encompassing of many things that most would call "to little" to be mentioned as sin.

Bearing false witness, cheating, lying, being in a place you should not be, and desiring things you should not have, can be thrown into the definition of sin. A list can continually grow for sin is one thing, missing the standard that God has set for us.

God is holy, righteous, good, and just; He never misses the mark and never could we blame God for having a time of weakness. We are weak from the infection of a sinful nature and it passes to each generation.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13-14 (NKJV)

One of the first things, worthy of insisting on, is that a person turning their life away from sin must know they are loved by God, no matter what they have done. God loved them so much that while they were still sinners, God sent His own son to die for their sins. There is no need to change your ways before coming to Him, He accepts people the way they are.

Secondly, from the time of repentance, people can present themselves as instrument of righteousness. People need to be encouraged to flee their old ways, vices, and accomplices. They need to be in the right place so they can do the right thing. As Paul says, it is a "yielding" of one's self to good things.

The si