THE LIST / Romans 2:1-24

Yesterday’s list is awful, isn’t it? Greedy, envious gossips. Insolent, boastful God-haters. Stubborn, quarreling promise-breakers. Malicious. Merciless.

Ouch. I think yes, they were… and know immediately that I am too. “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse!” (verse 1)

Ouch again.

Words like these could send me into a pit of guilt and self-condemnation. Or these words could inspire a new resolve to try harder to please God by cleaning up my act.

But neither guilt nor grit will help me. Only Jesus can. And He did.

This morning’s words remind me of how much I need a Savior. These words fill me with gratitude that Jesus died for every bit of that awful list of mine, a list I could never “clean up” on my own.

“Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient God is with you?” (verse 4) Yes! Yes! Yes!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that there is no condemnation for those who belong to You!

Without Excuse

Romans 1:18-32

The Book of Romans opens with power. Yesterday we read that the gospel is the very power of God to change lives. Today, Paul reminds us of the harsh reality of sin.

There is no excuse that can justify sin. God designed the world as a reflection of His power and as a reflection of who He is. The fact that He created us, and the world around us, is enough to require us to acknowledge and serve Him.

This is the account of our brokenness. Paul’s description of humanity’s rejection of God to pursue its own path is our story and the story of each person we know. Let’s look at verses 28 and following:

Since we thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned us to our foolish thinking and let us do things that should never be done. Our lives have been characterized by greed, hate, envy, quarreling, deception, and gossip. We have been backstabbers, rude, arrogant, disrespectful, proud, boastful, and disobedient to our parents. There are, of course, more sins in the list, but too often I read the “big ones” and skip over these, as if these are okay. In verse 32, Paul explains that people know that God’s justice requires that people who do these things deserve to die, but they do them anyway – and even encourage others to join them in their sin. The truth is it’s not the sum of these that demand God’s punishment; any one of these is enough to require God’s judgment against us. James 2:10 tells us that anyone who stumbles over just one point of fulfilling God’s law is guilty of breaking all of it.

This is the bond and bondage of humanity. None of us can look honestly at our lives without admitting that at least one of these words names something we’ve done. Yet these things should never be done. God created a world that reflected His glory, and He made people in His image. Our sinful actions and attitudes misrepresent our Creator, and they hurt the people He created. As an offense against His perfection and the people He loves, our actions and attitudes deserve God’s punishment. There are no take-backs, no excuses.

Our only hope is a righteous Savior who can rescue us.

Thank you, God, for being as gracious and loving as you are righteous! Thank you, Jesus, for paying the penalty our sins require by dying on the cross! Change us through your word, and use us to bring your message of restoration and hope to others.

Romans 1 - Beginning Paul's Letters

My study bible introduces the book of Romans in this way:

"If you've ever struggled to express what it means to follow Christ, Romans can give you the right words to say. It offers one of the clearest expressions of Christian belief , covering the major issues - faith and works, law and grace -- in lively, practical terms. But, be prepared! Reading this book has been a turning point for many."

That sounds great to me - how 'bout you? Might this be a good time to give your friends and family a gentle nudge to pick back up with their Daily Life readings?

Today, just as it has been every time I have read Romans 1, my heart and mind settled on the portion starting in verse 16: "For I am not ashamed of this Good News of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God at work in everyone who believes - the Jew first and then the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ' It is through faith that a righteous person has life.' "

The Good News that Paul is so anxious to share is not only about the righteousness of God -- that fact alone does not make his message Good News. In fact, in light of our sinful nature, God's righteousness might be just as likely to prompt us to fear Him as it would be to lead us to love Him. However, this News is Good because through faith in Jesus, God can and will make people right in His sight. How? By faith. Indeed, that is the best kind of news.

Paul's news sounds just as good today as it did in the first century A.D. Though I realize how often scripture speaks negatively of envy, I still find myself envious of Paul's zeal for the Lord when I read his letters. There is such a clear purpose about his mission - with a obvious sense of passion and urgency, he is unashamed to proclaim the gospel to any and all who will listen. In this particular letter, he appears ready to challenge the religions and philosophies of the Romans because he could personally testify about the transforming power of God.

Have we become ashamed of the gospel? Do we only discuss it with the safe people -- our church family, other believers, in this blog, etc. -- but not with the hurting, lost, hopeless people who need it the most? Are we ready to take on the false teachings of our day because we, like Paul, can testify to Christ's transforming work in us? What are we afraid of? And what are we waiting for?

Father God, we pray that you will give us a deeper understanding of just how great the news of salvation in Jesus really is. May our love for You overflow from our hearts, spilling over on to those we come in contact with. If we are afraid or ashamed of our relationship with You, please forgive us. If we are fearful of rejection by those who don't know You, give us courage and conviction. And help us to learn anew in the book of Romans what it means to be saved and transformed by the mighty power of God. Amen.

Paul's Journey

Once again, it may help in your reading to look at the map in the back of your regular Bible so you can follow the journey to Rome.  V. 1-6 Time and again, the Lord protected the Apostle Paul.  Name at least 2 times in your life when the Lord really protected you.

Pause to thank the Lord…right now!  Okay?  V. 15  When Paul arrived in Rome, there were Christian believers waiting for him with open arms!  How that must have encouraged Paul!  Consider – I, too, have experienced encouragement of fellow believers!  Once again notice Paul’s witness to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.  Paul’s faithful ministry of the message of the Lord Jesus in Rome – in spite of imprisonment, and distortion of his message, and opposition, and persecution.  V. 30 & 31 summarize rather well Paul’s ministry in Rome.  Also notice the book of Acts ends rather abruptly.  Wasn’t there more to report about Paul’s ministry?  We must assume that the writer (Luke, the physician) ends it as he does because he has told the story up-to-date.

 

Donald E. Pardun

 

 

 

 

Confidence Man

Acts 27:1-20

Luke writes this sailing log with the color of detail, and flair of the extraordinary. The journey is not what it appears: simply the transport of an accused and helpless prisoner from one trial to the next. Rather, it is God's man on God's mission, and God is completely orchestrating the events of this man's life, and the greater kingdom he serves.

My very favorite part of this narrrative, however, is the PREPOSTEROUS SPECTACLE conveyed in the interaction of verses 9 & 10! Though (vv 11,12) the ship's captain, owner and crew end up not heeding Paul's advice (later they wish they had!), yet here we see this currently unemployed tentmaker and itinerant evangelist, accused of major national & religious 'disturbance of the peace', captive and shackled...; and HE is stepping forward with undaunted confidence to advise the maritime experts in sea-faring decisions!

I just love the spectacle of this, picturing Paul chained to some overmatched guard, and pressing unsinkably for a meeting with the ship's officers, captain, & owner!

"The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship's officers about it. 'Men,' he said, 'I believe there is trouble ahead..."

Wouldn't you have loved to be a mouse in the corner on that ship's deck?! Who was Paul to speak so boldly in such company? in such dilemma? What gave him the right or even inclination? As far as we know, he had positively NO credentials for guiding a ship, or interpreting the weather and wind on the sea! But even as a captive and chained prisoner, Paul knew who he was in Christ. He knew he had heard God's words, and he knew the mission God had called him to, and he knew at least some of the path of it. And this gave him great confidence to speak up, and involve himself in matters surprising to us.

This is not just some brash know-it-all guy who speaks arrogantly and errantly of things he doesn't know. This is a man on a mission, guided by God, and he is sure of it. He fears no man nor situation. He does not cower at the thought of rejection or criticism. He speaks what he knows. He speaks what God's Word has revealed to him, no matter the setting or audience. Such confidence and freedom of soul overshadows any bondage of circumstance. When God has spoken, and you know it, speak with confidence!

PPaul

"I'm Not Who I Was"

Acts 26:1-32

Since Paul's arrest, he's been able to tell his story over and over again. This seemingly bad event in the life of Paul has resulted in the gospel message being revealed to many Roman leaders. God's promise that he would send Paul to the Gentiles is being fulfilled in a very big way, although perhaps not in the way Paul expected. Nevertheless, important and influential people are hearing the gospel.

Paul gives his testimony once again in today's section of reading, this time before King Agrippa, who responds "Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?" (Other versions translate this as: "“You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (New King James) or "In a short time you will persuade me to become a (A)Christian." (New American Standard) The sense here is that it wouldn't take much more effort on Paul's part.)

Paul's testimony here regards the way he's changed since his encounter on the road to Damascus. Once the foremost persecutor of Christians, Paul is now among the foremost advocates of Christ.

There's a song in current rotation on the radio that I've had going through my head the last few days. It's by Brandon Heath (no relation to my wife's family) and it's called "I'm Not Who I Was." I thought of that lyric while reading today's passage. The song itself is more specifically about forgiveness, but it speaks generally of the personal change that comes from a relationship with Jesus.

When we tell our stories, it's my hope that we can share about how we've changed -- how we're not the same anymore since we've met Jesus.





- Drew Clausen

Seven-Seven-Seven

You have probably already heard about how today is supposed to be the luckiest day of the year because it is 7-7-07.  The media has talked about how people have booked weddings, are launching businesses, and gamblers are sure that today will be the best day to lay down their cash at the multitude of casinos across the country. LUCK. How many times do you hear people exclaim that they were just "lucky" when something either good happened to them or some tragedy was averted? We wish people "good luck." We flippantly say to friends that some people "have all the luck." So, I guess today would be the day to buy those lottery tickets, make a bet at the race track or take some monumental personal step, because it is all about luck –right?

As a new Christian, it was certainly an eye opener to realize that "luck" was not a preferred thought in the Christian faith. As my mind and heart were changed by God I came to realize that all the things that at one time in my life I might have attributed to coincidence or even being "really lucky" had nothing to do with the imaginary thing called luck but had more to do with the very real thing called God. This was a  transformation, more so, then I would have thought. It was not that I did not believe in God or Jesus before, it was that coming to Christ changes how you see everything. It was also about a church I used to attend that would have had no problem with people talking about luck. Their objections to this would have been more in line with how silly it would be to count on such stuff. But the element that Jesus is our only hope and God is our divine Father who is really there and that prayer and faith is what we need, would not be necessarily pointed out as the alternative to wishing for good luck. Believing in luck would have seemed harmless. It always strikes me how illogical all this was. So many of us claim to be a Christian and then wear our lucky socks to the game hoping this will make all the difference for our team.

Today is one of those days when we need to really proclaim Jesus Christ to all our friends and remind them that there is nothing sillier then betting on a date to guarantee a good marriage, and nothing more important then to recognize the truth in Gods love, and Christ's sacrifice for us.  How many casino attendees and lottery users today will throw out an extra bundle of cash with the hope and faith in a date of 7-7-07? How many of them will come home empty devastated by more problems then they had before. Luck will let them down. Satan will have gathered another stronghold in their lives. For many of them Jesus has nothing to do with their lives, or their future. They believe in the universe, fate, lady luck or a chain letter they received on an email.

What has any of this to do with Acts 25: 1-27, you might be wondering? As we read about all that Paul struggles through, we see him devoutly adhering to faith in God and in Christ Jesus. The passages for today show a litany of circumstances that one could attribute to "luck" if you were a non-believer. But they are so miraculous and so much bigger then stupid "luck" that I would hope that the  reader would give pause and think, "how could all of this happen in this way? It must have been more then luck!" Paul at every twist and turn in Acts appears to be doomed. Here again, after remaining in prison for two years, he gets a new leader after Felix, named Festus who appears to be as confused as to what to do with this 'Paul person' as Felix was. Then King Agrippa arrives and once again, not fate, but God's hand makes the impossible become possible so that Paul will go to Rome. His mission marches on when it could have been ended several times in the book of Acts. This is such an astonishingly and overwhelmingly powerful testimony about how God is working so clearly in the world as a whole and in our personal lives. There is no luck or fate here. There is not a special date on the calendar that will make all things happen. Here we see our incomprehensible and wonderful Lord of all the heavens, creator of all things, our Almighty Father, working his word into the world, moving mountains and men against all the odds,  so that the world and our lives will be changed forever.

I wonder what Jesus would say to those who are betting their future on 7-7-07 today? He might say, "Come, follow me, bet on me. I am the real prize. There is nothing like me in all the treasures in this universe."

Laurie Erdman

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