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Day 242: Psalm 75:1-77:20; Romans 14:1-23 — Are you weak or strong?

Monday, August 30th, 2010

David shows God as mighty, ruling the cosmos. Waves of the sea fear Him. Yet sometimes He seems far away, we feel alone. He protects the weak, yet when will He act? David knows that God will act to uphold those who know Him, who alone cannot stand up to the powers of this world, who serve the Creator and have no other but Him to defend them. He has prepared strength to carry forward, rest for the weary, but in His way, not ours. David briefly bemoans his weakness and why God does not act, then refreshes his soul, knowing that it is in God’s way and His time the decisive strokes are dealt to deliver the weak and those in trouble, who trust the God of all the earth.

I cannot win this day alone nor on my terms. God is mighty, not I. Therein comes the essence of biblical faith and trust, holy confidence in the One Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Meanwhile, back in the church, do we smirk at the weak–those who disagree with me about God’s grace? Do they smirk at me when I find grace must be tempered by obedience to the will of God? Have you ever been called the “weaker brother?” I have, not fun, very confusing to be deemed to be the “weaker brother.” I have, also, been seen as the “liberal”–boy, that was weird, too! What can Paul mean by all this strong/weak talk? I believe he deals with confident actions which express our faith in God, not that I or you are less spiritual or mature before God–which is usually the hammer with which well meaning “mature brethren” wield Romans 14. Say a Christian Roman praetor invites a Christian Hebrew to Sunday dinner–pork roast. So what happens? They have to work it out, Paul says. Not that pork is wrong or right either way. Rather in Christ the way we deal with each other makes the difference. Ah, but there is the rub, my matter of faith is your matter of conscience–and vice versa. That we have to work out together as we are both in Christ. For, as David says, God will defend His people, so we had better decide we are both His people and work out the differences. Who is right and wrong? God is right. When we do not work together to figure things out, we are wrong. What is right or wrong in every case? That matrix is not given here, except that it is the process we must emphasize, the meeting of Christians, both faithful, both for whom Christ died, so we need to figure it out, together.

Prayer: Holy, Righteous Father, grant us the wisdom and humility to work together for unity so that the world may know Christ.

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Day 241: Romans 13:1-14 — People Get Ready…

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

I am a terrible procrastinator — there,  I said it. I’m pretty sure I get it from my Mom. All through my childhood and into today, I let projects sit until I’m good and ready to take them on. The truth is that I sometimes would be proud of how I could “turn it on” and get something done. It was the way I justified waiting till the last minute. See? I can still turn out quality work and it didn’t take me two weeks of agonizing over something. A twenty-five page research paper in high school? Knocked it out in one very long night. My senior project to graduate from college? Did it over the course of a weekend. That script I needed to write for my boss? I did it over lunch. No one ever knew the difference.

But I know there is a danger. Someday there won’t be enough time. Someday something will prevent me from taking care of a task at the last minute and it will be too late. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that we have to take care of our spiritual selves now as opposed to later because our salvation is near.

Turn with me to Romans 13. I would like to focus on the tail-end of the daily Bible reading. Romans 13:8-14 is cautioning us against thinking that we have time to do all of the things our sinful nature suggests. To sum this passage up, Paul is saying ***PARAPHRASE ALERT*** “Brother, you don’t have time for this foolishness. Put it away and be ready because Jesus will be here before you know it.” Again, very loosely paraphrased. Don’t do things under the cover of darkness that you wouldn’t do in the daylight. Love your neighbor as yourself because you wouldn’t harm yourself. I love it because it is very direct and not something that could be construed any other way than what it is.

As I have said before, it is perilous for any man to think that he has plenty of time to get his heart right with God. James 4:13-14 ties in very well here. We are a mist that is here and then gone. Brothers and sisters, graveyards are filled with people who “never saw it coming.” Be ready. Don’t procrastinate. Prepare yourself for Jesus’ return. It is nearer now than when we first believed!

May God bless you and keep you this week,
Matt

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Day 240: Romans 12:3-21 — Sober judgment and one body

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:3-6

This chapter very much reminds me of 2 other passages in the Bible, and I see definite parallels between the three. Consider Colossians 3:1-2:

1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Just as these verses and the remainder of Colossians 3 give us some guides on proper Christian behavior and setting ourselves apart from the world, Romans 12 teaches us how to act within the body of Christ. The idea in both chapters is to think of others above ourselves, just as Jesus would.

Which brings us to the second parallel I see to Romans 12:

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11

I think I’ll just let these 3 snippets from the Holy Spirit speak for themselves.

Do you have the mind of Christ?

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Day 239: Romans 11:1-32 — Now, everyone has hope

Friday, August 27th, 2010

It is sometimes easy to forget that, despite being a New Testament church, there is a distinct and undeniable link between Judaism and our Christian faith. It is our heritage. Jesus’ earthly family was Jewish; Paul was Jewish, as were likely most of the apostles and first Christians. Even though as Christians, Praise God, we are not bound by Old Testament laws, the New Covenant was born out of, and influenced by, the Old. The Old Testament–its laws, stories and characters–are referenced countless times in the New.

Rather than think God “got fed up with the way the first law turned out,” and “tore up the blueprint, to start over with a totally blank page,” I think it might be more accurate to conceive of the Old Law more as a beginning point, that would eventually be fulfilled and replaced with a better, more perfect plan– perfection sealed with the blood of His unflawed Son, and once for all extending the inheritance of salvation to all people.

I think Paul addresses that here. Clearly, he says the Israelites mishandled God’s plan. In fact, the end of Ch. 10 quotes Isaiah’s passage about Israel: “All day long I have held out my hands, to a disobedient and obstinate people.” But it was because of this wholesale inability and unwillingness to accept God’s direction that the rest of us were given a seat at the table.

There was no “joy” at Israel’s failure, but out of their rejection, came hope for everyone else. As part of that “everyone else” crowd, today’s Gentile Christians must also be aware that we will share the same fate as anyone who rejects Christ’s lordship; we, too, will be cut off if we make unwise, unfaithful choices.

Bottom line: we all have an opportunity, and we all will be held accountable for how we respond to it.

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Day 238: Romans 10:15 — Your Feet Stink!

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

I don’t like feet! They smell, they get little funguses, and they hurt. Why in the world would our Lord and Creator of all things want to wash His creation’s feet? I mean, I have a lot of respect for those people in the malls washing, massaging, and painting feet. But, I can’t understand the Almighty and why He does it. Paul tells us in Romans 10:15 that feet are beautiful. Of course this is a metaphor for those who preach the Gospel! Yet, I don’t see that much anymore. Where are the preachers that love to just preach God’s Word and want to be sent into the world? Where are the men and women who share the good news of Jesus Christ to save souls? The corporate business model has infiltrated the church. The Biblical model for leaders that take care of souls (not bodies that contribute) have been replaced by business concerns, buildings, the bottom line, and power. Thank you Paul for reminding us to look at the feet of those who preach the gospel. Maybe you can tell a true gospel preacher from his feet. They are calloused, worn-out, there is a limp, they carry the body that is tired and exhausted. Why? Because they don’t stay in the comfortable surroundings but go out into the world and preach the good news! Maybe that is why Paul thinks the feet of one who brings good news is beautiful. I think he might have recognized that His Lord left the ease of heaven to come and walk this earth to preach to us. I took a look at my feet this morning and they are not beautiful…How about yours?

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Day 235: Psalm 48:1-50:23; Romans 8:1-25 — What does it all mean?

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

These Psalms flow to glorify God Who is unspeakably majestic, Who rescues His covenant people. Then a stark contrast arises when we consider those who trust in life just for the living: those who seek only riches, the foolish, the self-indulgent, the one who seeks only what the flesh has to offer. The Psalmist sees the glory of man fade–you can name a country but you cannot name your fate. What we treasure in things cannot compare with the value of life with God now, while we breathe His air and walk His earth. This no one can buy back. Live for God today, He will ransom your soul, preserve, value, take possession again of who you really are, the “you” that endures. God buys us back from time lost, shallow living, and gives meaning to our lives. Psalm 49:15, for us, may even glimpse life with God beyond the grave. None of us can do that alone.

What does God need? Not me; He does not need me. He does not need my money. He owns everything. What does He want from me? Have you ever asked yourself that? What does God want from me? My life of thanksgiving, gratitude, acknowledging Him, living in harmony with Him, that I can offer, everything flows from there.

Paul arrives at such a beautiful place, flowing the from the dark helplessness of Romans 7. Romans 8 always comes to me like a breath of fresh air–I believe the Spirit intended it that way. Life has its meaning only in God. He did what I could not do. I cannot forgive myself. I cannot redeem myself. I cannot raise myself from the dead–death, that dark bondage of futility to which my body is bound. That is His job, which He has done so excellently in Jesus. Now, in Christ, with His covenant people, my life is given meaning. I call on God as my Father. His Spirit is the dynamic relating Agent Who allows me to say, “Abba, Father.” As I called my earthly father “Daddy” when I was a child, so now is God to me until He brings the maturing and completion, the perfection of His re-creation of me in Christ, when I shall see Him face to face, the One Who loved me.

Prayer: O Holy, Righteous, True God, You Who gives meaning to our existence, I have pledged myself to live for You today. Glorify Your name in my offering, and by Your Spirit help me do just that. Thank You for grace in Jesus. Thank You, in Jesus name. Amen.

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Day 234: Romans 7:1-25 — Wait a Second…I’m Confused (Again).

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

Have you ever sat in a classroom and listened to an instructor go over a topic that is a little beyond your thinking? I know this will come as a shock to all of you, but I have been in that exact predicament before. I remember sitting in an atmospheric science course at Texas Tech and wondering just how in the world anyone could follow what the teacher was saying. Cloud density was determined by this equation UNLESS this happened, then it was determined by this equation.

I’m trying to imagine Paul addressing his audience and explaining to them that that are not bound by the old law. We have the benefit of believing in Jesus Christ and the added benefit of a written history. It is much easier for us to understand that Jesus established a new authority. The old law was dead. Paul uses an example of the death of a husband to explain the position of a Jew to the law after the death of Christ — Romans 7:1-6. He points out that just as a woman is not bound to a dead husband any longer, so are Jewish Believers not bound to keeping the law after the requirements of the law were fulfilled by Christ on the cross because of his death. In other words, the Old Testament law is like an dead husband — no hold, no authority any longer. This example would definitely resonate with the Jews of that time, but you can imagine how difficult that would be to grasp.

Unfortunately, some modern-day Christians point to these verses to justify their belief that the Old Testament is unnecessary. I believe that way of thinking is wrong and very dangerous. I look at these verses and am thankful that I am no longer a slave to the old law. I am thankful for my marriage to Christ Jesus and now “serve in the new way of the Spirit.” Romans 7:6

May God bless you and keep you this week!

Matt

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Day 233: Romans 6 — Saved by grace

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

5:20Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 6:1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 5:20-6:4

Now how to go about a full treatise on grace in 500 words or less? Actually I’m not even going to try, but here are a few disjointed thoughts that reflect what’s on my mind; hopefully it’ll make some sense…

I can sum up verse 20 in 5 words: You can’t outsin God’s grace. Yet we hang our heads low, going through life feeling as if we aren’t “good enough”. Whatever that means. Paul would agree, and sums up his response to that thought in 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Free gift. Did you realize the word Paul used for “free gift” comes from the same Greek word as “grace”? There’s a powerful message in that simple realization — grace is free. Actually that’s redundant. That’s like saying oxygen is a gas.

People talk about “cheap grace”, but I don’t think there is any such thing. Grace isn’t free; it cost Jesus his life (v. 21), and it will cost you yours in service to Him (Galatians 2:20). What people really mean when they talk about cheap grace is, “Oh, let’s not talk about grace, because that will give people the idea they can just sin all they want, and it won’t matter since they’re covered by grace.” That’s exactly what Paul is speaking against in 6:1-2. So yes, let’s talk about grace. Let’s thank God that through His grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), and let’s praise Him that because of His grace, we are free to do the very good works we were created to do (Ephesians 2:10).

A final thought — where did this idea come from that if we’re saved by grace, that means there’s nothing we have to do to accept God’s grace? Books have been written on the subject, so let’s leave that thought without explanation. You think about it. If I hand you a gift of $100, at what point is it yours? At the point where you reach out and accept the gift, but the fact that you had to do something to reap the benefits of my gift neither means you earned the gift nor does it diminish the value of what I have given you. Such is the case with God’s grace.

Holy Father, thank you for something we do not fully understand — our eternal salvation through Your abundant grace. May we live closer each day to You and more like the One through Whom this gift was effected.

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Day 232: Psalm 36:1-38:22; Romans 5:6-21 — Viruses and Allergies

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Well I’m traveling again and of course writing my blog entry at the last minute while on an airplane. Something in the New Jersey air really hammered my sinuses. Either that or I had a head cold going into the trip. Hopefully the return to the hot dry air of Austin will restore my nose and eyes to their former cheery selves.

When pollutants enter the body (such as pollen or cold viruses or the various toxins we put in our bodies by choice or not every day), the body tries to fight them off by creating antibodies and other immune responses. Snot is a great immune response. It wraps up the bad stuff in a gooey mucous coating which it then tries to expel. This is kind of gross and not very pleasant when you start having a sneezing fit at 30,000 feet.

God put great healing abilities in our bodies. The more pollutants, the more antibodies we create…up to a point. Eventually one will win and drive the other out. But the pollutants will eventually return. And our body is stronger to deal with them next time (if we treat it kindly). So should we get sick in order to make our bodies even healthier? Well I don’t want to spoil Romans 6:1 but 5:20-21 is a hint of what’s to come.

20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger so they say. But it sure does hurt when you’re going through it.

Today’s reading in Psalms 36-38 is also filled with joys and sorrows, triumphs and losses. But through it all we can trust in the Lord that grace will reign in us through Christ .

Oh, and if you thought my comments about snot and mucous were too gross, take a look at Psalm 38:5:

5My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.

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Day 230: Romans 3:19-4:8 — By Grace

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

I’m a good person; I work hard, pay my taxes, don’t cheat on my wife, provide for my kids…You have heard it many times and may have even caught yourself voicing something along the same lines. It is a trap that Satan has set since the beginning and will use with way too much success until the end of time.

This balance between law and grace — odd that we refer to it as a balance, because there is no balance. They are exact opposites. In Romans 3:20 this is stated with the utmost clarity, yet we cling to Law. Law lets me be in control; grace puts me at His mercy.

In reality, Law should never be a source of pride, only shame. We like to talk about what we have gotten right, but Law points out the thousands of things we do wrong. That is the entire purpose of Law. It was never meant as a source of salvation but a resource to show us how much we need God’s grace. Only when I realize that I cannot do it myself, am I ready for God to really come into my life.

Even after obeying the gospel I continue to need grace. Because I am no better at keeping Law after than before. I continue to need God’s grace every bit as much as I ever did. The world wants a salvation they can pay for, own and go about their merry daily life having their paid receipt in their pocket. Grace was paid for but not by us; we could never cover the cost regardless of our wealth.

I realize at this moment how badly I need God’s grace. It is what I hope in because God can, will, and does keep his promises and try as I might, I sometimes fail. So here I sit having faith that as long as I’m doing my best, flawed as it is, God will through His grace make up the difference. Heaven depends on that promise (Romans 4:4-5) and I cherish it.

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