Category Archives: experiencing God

The Romans Challenge: It’s All About Him!

Posted on by
Reply

Today is Romans 3. 

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I once heard it said that “history” is “His story.” We tend to think that everything before us, everything now, and everything that is to come is about US. But the first four words in the Bible indicate what everything is truly about, “In the Beginning, God…”

The Jews of Paul’s time thought they had the corner on God. They had the Law and the covenant of circumcision. They worked hard at doing all the right things, but their hearts were hard and far from God. They thought all the history and their heritage was about them and what they did. They thought their actions in their present proved how special they were. They thought their good works insured that their future was secure. Everything was about them…

What they forgot was that God chose them for a reason. They were “entrusted with the very Words of God.” . Not to show off how good they were at following a list of rules. God wanted them to display to the nations God, Himself. God desired them to receive His Word so they would humbly obey it. This obedience would bring blessing. That blessing would display to all the nations around them a God that was very different than the gods they worshipped.

We aren’t any different. We tend to think that “our” lives are about us. But through Jesus we have been chosen. We are meant to display God, Himself, to everyone we come in contact with. God has given us His Word. He desires for us to humbly receive it and obey it! This obedience will bring blessing into our lives. When people around us see the difference God has made in our lives, they will realize that they need Him.

We have “been entrusted with the very Words of God” as well. May we live our lives centered on Jesus who is the living Word. When He comes to live within our hearts, our lives are to be all about Him!

Live to Know Him and to Make Him Known!

The Romans Challenge: Circumcision of the Heart

Posted on by
Reply 
“No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

God’s desire since creation has been to have people who are His. (Jeremiah 31:33). We were created with a purpose. This purpose is for our spiritual hearts (the center of our being —our mind, will, and emotions) to be a reflection of Him.

When sin entered our world in the Garden of Eden, the sinful nature filled our hearts. Since that time, our minds have been filled with selfish thoughts. Our will- desires- have been for our own ways and not God’s. Our emotions have reflected this. We feel hatred, bitterness, anger, anxiousness, discontentedness. This is all because we need our spiritual hearts to be transformed!

At salvation, when we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, we receive a new heart — one that desires to obey Him. BUT our old desires, our old thoughts, our old emotions need to be removed. This is a spiritual circumcision — cutting away — of our spiritual hearts. The Holy Spirit is the one working all this within our hearts as we submit to Him. Simply put, God wants to change us from our old way of living to His new way of living.

Where we had turmoil, He desires to give us peace. Where we had hatred, He longs to give us love. Where we have been angry, He offers to help us to forgive others. The list goes on and on.

When we allow God to transform our lives, we will experience Him in a close relationship like none other. We will know Him. This knowing of Him, or intimacy with Him, will change us. We will reflect Him more and more each day.

May we submit to the Holy Spirit as He circumcises our hearts!

The Romans Challenge: Living a Double Life

Posted on by
Reply 
“As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

People are watching to see how we live. Paul warned the Jewish people of that. He told them that they were “relying on the law and boasting in God”, but then they would turn around and not practice what they were preaching. They were committing sins that were effecting the people around them. Non believes (the Gentiles) were watching and they blasphemed, were irreverent and spoke of God reproachfully.

When people hear us speaking of how we are so much better because of God, but cannot see any evidence of God in our lives because of our behavior, they have no reason to believe what they hear.

If we are living a double life (one that says all the right stuff, but does the opposite), It will eventually come out that we are a hypocrite, and unbelievers will take it as opportunity to speak against God.

May we live as ones desiring to follow Jesus with all our hearts and to reflect Him in all we say and do!

Life goal: To know God and make Him known!

The Romans Challenge: Written on Our Hearts

Posted on by
Reply 
“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts…” 
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

The Jews of Paul’s time thought that they had it together. They believed they had the inside connection to God because they obeyed a long list of rules and regulations — outward obedience. But even with all their efforts they still would end up breaking the smallest of laws (such as “thou shalt not lie”… ). Keeping a long list of rules in our own effort is exhausting and it is fruitless. Jesus came to give us the better way. Through Him we can be born again!

When we are born again, we are given a new spiritual heart. We desire to do the things that are pleasing to God. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah describes it this way: 

““This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God has given us everything we need to live close to Him. His desire is for us not to be living our lives “checking off the boxes” of our spiritual life — i.e. “working” for His approval. He loves us!

He desires us to have internal obedience — I desire to obey God because I know He loves me and His way is always best! His Law (His Word) is in my heart and my mind so I don’t sin against God. He will help me to obey because His Holy Spirit is living inside of me working to make me more like Jesus in each and every way — transforming my heart and mind.

May the way we live “show that the requirements of God’s law are written on {our} hearts.”

The Romans Challenge: What Am I Seeking?

Posted on by
Reply

Today is Romans 2. 

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our actions are a reflection of what is in our hearts. If our hearts are polluted by preoccupation with ourselves, we will be “self-seeking.” If our hearts are polluted by embracing the lies of the enemy, our hearts are polluted by rejection of the truth and following evil. But if our hearts are seeking God’s approval, our hearts are full of the desire to glorify Him. If our hearts desire to reflect His character to those around us, our hearts are full of desiring to honor Him.

What I am seeking reflects what is truly in my heart. Seeking God and His ways brings great reward to our lives — “eternal life!” Seeking after “self” will lead us in paths of death, darkness, and destruction — “wrath and fury.”

We need to ask ourselves: What am I experiencing in my life? Does it reflect what I am seeking?

If I am seeking God first, He assures me that I will find Him and experience Him — life!

The Romans Challenge: What Am I Seeking?

Posted on by
Reply

Today is Romans 2. 

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our actions are a reflection of what is in our hearts. If our hearts are polluted by preoccupation with ourselves, we will be “self-seeking.” If our hearts are polluted by embracing the lies of the enemy, our hearts are polluted by rejection of the truth and following evil. But if our hearts are seeking God’s approval, our hearts are full of the desire to glorify Him. If our hearts desire to reflect His character to those around us, our hearts are full of desiring to honor Him.

What I am seeking reflects what is truly in my heart. Seeking God and His ways brings great reward to our lives — “eternal life!” Seeking after “self” will lead us in paths of death, darkness, and destruction — “wrath and fury.”

We need to ask ourselves: What am I experiencing in my life? Does it reflect what I am seeking?

If I am seeking God first, He assures me that I will find Him and experience Him — life!

The Romans Challenge: What Am I Seeking?

Posted on by
Reply

Today is Romans 2. 

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our actions are a reflection of what is in our hearts. If our hearts are polluted by preoccupation with ourselves, we will be “self-seeking.” If our hearts are polluted by embracing the lies of the enemy, our hearts are polluted by rejection of the truth and following evil. But if our hearts are seeking God’s approval, our hearts are full of the desire to glorify Him. If our hearts desire to reflect His character to those around us, our hearts are full of desiring to honor Him.

What I am seeking reflects what is truly in my heart. Seeking God and His ways brings great reward to our lives — “eternal life!” Seeking after “self” will lead us in paths of death, darkness, and destruction — “wrath and fury.”

We need to ask ourselves: What am I experiencing in my life? Does it reflect what I am seeking?

If I am seeking God first, He assures me that I will find Him and experience Him — life!

The Romans Challenge: The Riches of His Kindness

Posted on by
Reply

Today we start chapter 2

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“’Cause He is good, and He is God
What I earned, it’s not what I got
And He is just yet also kind
What I deserve, it’s not what I find
What more could I say about Him?
My God is love” – Chris Renzema “God is Love”

You and I are all lawbreakers/ sinners. It’s what is in us, our nature. We all need to recognize that sin has been our practice. What we deserve is punishment. BUT God!

Through Jesus we see the “riches of His (God’s) Kindness.” Kindness is defined as “Act of good will; beneficence; any act of benevolence which promotes the happiness or welfare of others.” Webster’s 1828.

God’s plans for us are good! He works in our circumstances to prosper and benefit us – which is love. He promotes our happiness – enjoyment of good – when our happiness is found in Him.

I love the song I quoted above. The phrase I quoted always sticks out to me. In Jesus, I don’t get what I deserve. God’s kindness is rich towards me. It is abundant and overflowing!

May we truly see what God has done for us! Then we will love Him all the more!

The Romans Challenge: The Darkened Heart

Posted on by
Reply 
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today we read Romans 1.

You and I were born with a heart defect! Before you object and try to tell me that your “ticker” is working just fine, let me clarify. This defect is within our spiritual hearts. This defect is serious, and many of us do not even know we have it, much less that our spiritual hearts exist.

However, we need to understand that not only do we have a spiritual heart, it is the MOST important thing about us. This heart is where we are able to experience the very thing we were created for, relationship with God or oneness with Him. It is comprised of our mind (the thinker), will (the doer), and emotions (the feeler).

The defect of this heart is that we are born with it being darkened. To be darkened is to be made black, obscure, or destitute of light. We come into this world with a spiritual heart that is inclined towards sin. Our thoughts are “futile” — sinful; acting without regard to the divine law and glory, or to one’s own eternal happiness. (Webster’s 1828) Our actions are motivated by “dishonorable passions.” (Verse 26 ESV) We believe our self centered actions are wise, but in truth it is foolishness. (Verse 22). This is because we worship ourselves (a me centered life) and the things we have created (our jobs, our homes, our hobbies, our phones, etc.) instead of worshiping God. We don’t accept His truth that we hear in His Word. Instead we would rather believe a more convenient lie (Verse 25) about the things we want when and how we want it.

God will not force Himself on us to correct this defect. BUT, He does offer us the cure! A NEW Heart! 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must choose…

Is what you are doing in your life not working? Has sin (knowing what is good to do, but not doing it) been a struggle? God offers us transformation from what we are to what He intended us to be all along – a reflection of Him full of His peace, joy, love, etc. We can walk in truth, live with purpose, be full of His wisdom, and experience His life. It all starts with asking God to give you a new spiritual heart. Ask Him to transform the way you think, and to align your feelings with His truth in His Word. Ask Him to help your actions to flow from a new pure heart inside of you.

We do not have to live with a darkened heart any more. We can have a new spiritual heart and experience relationship with God!

The Romans Challenge: The Wrath of Our Loving God

Posted on by
Reply 
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today we read Romans 1.

God hates sin! But why? How could a God whose very nature is to love hate anything? The answer is pretty simple: Sin destroys the ones God loves. At the beginning with Adam and Eve, sin destroyed God’s connection to all of us and introduced death into our world.

God is perfect. He is perfect in love, goodness, doing what is right (righteousness), etc… His perfection has no sin within it. This means the consequences of our sin has to be separation from Him. Sin cannot live in Him. We experience death in our sin, because He is life. When God is not present within our lives, we are walking in “godlessness.” Our actions are “wicked” which is our departure from following His ways. His perfection means we cannot be united to Him in our imperfection or sin. His “wrath” is His “justifiable abhorrence” (Webster’s 1828) to sin. He cannot, in His great love and goodness, embrace the things that brings destruction— our sins…

Sin is a choice. It is not an uncontrollable impulse… I know because I have experienced it. For years, I wanted to do things my way. I chose to… I heard the Word of God at church and read it on occasion. But I chose not to obey. This lead to much anxiety, depression, anger, bitterness, etc.

But thankfully God wants us to live free! This is why He has given us the opportunity to know Him. 

“since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is making Himself plain to us! He has given us all we need to know Him! He doesn’t want the truth of His Word to be suppressed in our lives by our ignoring it or cherry picking it.

May we embrace the truth of God’s Word and obey it fully so we can live as we are meant to live — in a deep relationship with God.