Category Archives: Image of God

The Romans Challenge — Reign in Life

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“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Today we read Romans 5.)

The Garden of Eden was a happy place! Imagine being able to walk face to face with God — who is complete peace, complete joy, complete love, complete goodness, etc. There wasn’t any pain, sadness, or sorrow. Happiness, all the agreeable sensations from enjoying all of God’s goodness was all Adam and Eve experienced 24/7. But then they CHOSE to sin.

Death entered the picture. They were separated from that beautifully happy i.e. blessed relationship with God. From that moment on “death reigned.” The divine life they had experienced was just a memory. It remained that way until Jesus came.

Jesus is God’s “provision of grace.” (Or divine favor) His righteousness becomes ours when we place our trust in Him and receive Him as our Savior. Jesus came to restore what was lost in the Garden of Eden, and He has come to us to restore what was lost in our lives!

Sin only brings death to us! It separates us from what we were created for, living in relationship with God — being fully alive. We can possess the Happiness of Heaven through the new life that Jesus gives to us. This is what it is to “reign in life” through Jesus.

The more we experience God in close and intimate relationship, the more we will experience Him in our lives. His complete peace, His complete joy, His complete love, His complete goodness, etc. will be what we experience over and over again. Because God is who He says He is, and He wants us to KNOW Him. This knowing is to experience Him day in and day out.

Jesus told us when He walked on earth that we would experience troubles as we live on earth. The effects of sin are still with us… But we could take courage, because He has overcome the world! (John 16:33)

To reign is to “live victoriously” (Webster 1828 Dictionary). We can “reign in life (live victoriously), through the one man, Jesus Christ. He has given us all we need to live victoriously. His Holy Spirit living in us, empowers us and produces in us the fruit of a victorious life — peace, love, joy, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. (Galatians 5:22)

The secret to this life of victory is close relationship to God. Just like Adam and Eve experienced before they sinned, we are to walk and talk with God. Jesus provided the way for our relationship to be restored. Once again we can experience the “happiness of the garden”, but now that happiness goes with us wherever we go because the Holy Spirit is living inside of us!

The Romans Challenge: It’s All About Him!

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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.” 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: It’s All About Him!

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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

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“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

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“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: The Darkened Heart

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“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- Called to Belong

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“And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬

(Today we read Romans 1)

You and I were created for connection. We were meant to be a part of and in relationship with someone greater than us. We were created to belong. Paul puts it this way, we are “called to belong to Jesus…”

When God first created man, He stated something very profound:

“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is not good for any of us to be alone and disconnected. We can see it easily in the life of the most fragile amongst us, a baby. Without connection to their mother and father, lack of physical contact, (skin on skin time— close and intimate) a baby will present as “failure to thrive.” They simply will not develop correctly without experiencing “belonging.”

Spiritually, we will not as well. God knows this. His great love draws us in for connection to Himself. He knows that without us experiencing, “belonging” to Him, we will be “failure to thrive” spiritually. This will affect every area of our lives. We will lack peace, love, and joy if we live disconnected from Him. We NEED to belong to Him.

Paul states not only that we are “called to belong”, but we are “called to be God’s “holy people” i.e. “saints”. (Verse 7) To be holy is to be set apart for God. It is to be conformed to His image and have our life regulated by His divine precepts (i.e. God’s Word) -Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.

Our connection to our loving Heavenly Father, will cause us to grow as we were meant to grow. We will become more and more like Him in every way — His image bearer.

Do you feel the longing “to belong?” This is what you were created for — relationship with God.

He longs for you “to belong” to Him as well. In fact our verse says, He called us to belong to Jesus Christ. He called us to be His Holy people — set apart for Himself.

All we have to do is come to Him responding “Yes God, I want to be connected to you! I no longer want to live my life alone. I give myself to You. I belong to You!”

Show Us The Father — Our Maker

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Today is Mark 12. 

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” - verse 17

The religious leaders of Jesus’s time rejected Him. They perceived Jesus as a threat because He only cared about what His Heavenly Father thought and commanded, not all their man made laws and traditions. So they looked for ways to trip Him up in what He did and said over and over.

They came to Jesus with a question on taxes. Jesus’s reply strikes a chord in my heart this morning. He told them to pay what was Caesar’s to Caesar- the coin bearing Caesar’s image. BUT He turned it around to point to something in the very heart of the Religious leaders and each of us . “Give to God what is God’s.”

The coin beared the image and inscription of Caesar on it. We are like that coin. We bear an image and inscription upon us — the image and inscription of our Maker, God. Therefore, we belong to Him. We are to give “to God what is God’s”— our entire self!