Category Archives: to know him and make him known

The Romans Challenge: Bear With The Failings of the Weak

Posted on by
Reply 
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself…”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We need to be patient with the people that God has placed around us. This is not easy. Especially when we know we are right in an area, and that they are wrong. I know I want people to get into line and see it my way. The truth is, my way might not be as correct as I think it is… BUT even if it truly is, I need to “bear with the failings of the weak.”

Our sinful nature always wants what it wants, when and how it wants it. It is very selfish. It is always thinking about itself… It wants to please itself. But we are to “please our neighbors for their good…” To please in the Greek means “willingly serve.” Jesus displayed this to us. “For even Christ did not please himself…” Jesus is patient with us. He bears with our failings. He is always working in all things for our good. He builds us up. We are to love like He does. To love like Jesus is to benefit and prosper those around us not asking anything in return.

Simply put… We are to be like Jesus!

This is not something that we do easily on our own. The Holy Spirit will help us if we ask Him to.

Holy Spirit, we ask You to fill us with Your Love. So we can willing serve those around us and patiently bear with their failings and weakness. We know as we serve the least of these, we are serving You! In Jesus Name!

The Romans Challenge: Peace and Mutual Edification

Posted on by
Reply 
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God places a high value on unity. His desire is for us to be connected to each other and Him. Selfishness and sin is what separates us. Unfortunately, this what we are all the most familiar with. Humanity has been experiencing disunity, separation, and discord since the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.

Jesus came to restore us to God’s original design. Jesus prayed this prayer for us:

““My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be united and live as one, we must lay down our own ways. We need to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” This will require us to put to death our “me-centered” life. It will require us to think of others before ourselves. It will require us to be like Jesus — laying down our lives for each other:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Mutual edification” is a reciprocal relationship. Where we all give of ourselves for each other. Making “every effort to do what leads to peace” is being determined in our actions to live united and in harmony. This is not easy. But it is God’s will for us. Whatever God desires for us to do He will empower us to do through the Holy Spirit. We must depend on Him! He will help us!

The Romans Challenge: Each One Will Give An Account

Posted on by
Reply 
“You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When my youngest grandson was potty training, he liked to pass the blame off on someone else when he had a stinky diaper. Here’s how it worked, “Levi, do you have a poopy?” “No, It’s Ben (older brother)!” Or “No, It’s Ollie (golden/doodle dog).” Instead of admitting his own mess, he wanted to point the finger at someone else.

We can do that spiritually. Judging someone else’s possible stinky attitude and or actions is easy. All the while we sit in a mess within our own hearts. We are not to judge our brother or sister in Jesus! Or treat them with contempt…

“Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” We cannot blame others for our spiritual problems. “I can’t go to church because the church is full of hypocrites” won’t fly as an excuse. Our relationship with God, how we live, our thoughts, feelings, and actions are between us and Him.

When God points to an area of our lives that is stinky, we cannot point our finger and say, “It’s Ben…” We cannot justify our sins by judging someone else. Each of us will individually stand before God on our own.

God is personal. He wants us to relate to Him as such. He desires for us to drop the judgmental fingers we point and simply come to Him!

The Romans Challenge: We Are The Lord’s

Posted on by
Reply 
“For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is the most natural thing for us to think about what we want, when and how we want it. This is because we have inherited a selfish nature from way back when Adam and Eve decided to do what THEY wanted to do and not obey God. But when we Jesus becomes LORD of our lives, this changes.

We no longer live to ourselves or die to ourselves. We are the Lord’s. We are to live our lives in total submission to Him, total dependence on Him, and total obedience to Him. Where He wants us to go, we go. What He wants us to do, we do. We are His!

There is joy and excitement in living this way! What God does in our lives and through our lives is always good. His power will be displayed in us and through us. He has placed us where we are to represent Him and to carry out His great and awesome plan. In order for us to experience this we must recognize this truth, “none of us live for ourselves alone…we belong to the Lord.”

The Romans Challenge: Don’t Quarrel Over Disputable Things

Posted on by
Reply 
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are some areas that you and I will disagree. This does not mean that I have to prove myself right, or that you need to prove yourself either. It is easy to get hung up on “disputable matters.” In our culture these matters can range from the Covid Vaccine, to “does God have a preference in our Bible Version KJV or NIV…?” And it is so easy to desire to prove our opinions to be right. When we see someone who doesn’t agree with our stand, it is easy to judge them and look at them as less wise, less informed, less spiritual, etc. We can let these matters divide us!

In Paul’s time this kind of division was present. Some people said, “eat only vegetables.” Some said “I can eat meat too.” Others had special religious days that had to be observed. Arguments abounded. Judgements were made. He told the Christians, don’t quarrel, don’t judge. Ultimately, we aren’t the ones who make the call.

“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We answer individually to God in the things that seem to be “disputable matters.” We need to stack them up against the Word of God. If it isn’t clearly defined as right or wrong, pray and listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

In the meantime, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, your brothers and sisters in Christ.

For Such A Time As This

Posted on by
Reply 
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

You and I have a small part to play in God’s Orchestral Piece called “History.” Our time here is short… But God makes no mistakes. He has placed us right here, right now for His purpose! Will we step up and play our part?

We can look at the events of our world and become VERY afraid, or we can accept our call.

Let us not cower in the corner with fear or live our lives with indifference. We have our part to play. We are not our own. We are God’s. He wants us to shine His light into ever dark corner of our communities and our world!
He is not done! He has not abandoned His plan.

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Romans Challenge: Clothe Yourselves With the Lord

Posted on by
Reply 
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I was in High School, back in the 80’s, it was every girls dream to get to wear the Letter Jacket of some cute boy. It was a signal of all that you had entered into an exclusive relationship. At that point, you identified as their girlfriend and your status was “taken.”

In a similar way, God’s desire is for us to “wear His letter jacket.” This Jacket is “the Lord Jesus Christ” Himself. We are to clothe ourselves with HIM! When we put on Jesus, we “embody his teachings, love, and righteousness.” (Berean Study Notes Bible Hub) We receive our new identity in Christ living a life reflecting His nature. It is a signal that we have entered into an exclusive relationship with Him. At that point, we our spiritual status becomes “taken.” We are HIS!

How we lived before — chasing after what we wanted, when and how we wanted — is not our consideration. We are pursuing Jesus with total surrender, total obedience, and total dependence upon Him. We are not to “think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

What a privilege it is to be His! May we take into consideration every moment of every day who it is that we have been clothed with!

The Romans Challenge: Wake Up!

Posted on by
Reply 
“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Spiritual drift happens… It’s easy to get lulled away into spiritual “slumber.” Our enemy will work little by little in our circumstances over a period of years and years to get us to slowly wander from the truth.

I know this from first hand experience. One “little” lie that I believed 20 years ago took root and slowly grew inside of me until I had drifted and found myself in a spiritual “slumber” or negligence. This negligence of my relationship with God, drift away from Him, caused me to be miserable. I was anxious, angry, bitter, and more. Thankfully God used some godly older women in my life to encourage me to “wake up!!” In fact, the exact wording one spoke to me as I sat in her home telling her all of my troubles, “Janet, the problem you are having is you have left your first love.” Instead of putting “aside the deeds of darkness,” I was dabbling with whatever I felt like I could get away with. I was not living my life in a wholehearted pursuit of God.

“The hour has already come for {us} to awake from {our} slumber.” God wants us to be alert and pursuing Him! Spiritual complacency will only lead to death, darkness, and destruction in our lives. We are either moving forward towards God or drifting away. If we are drifting off to sleep, we will find ourselves far from the peace, joy, love, and life that God desires for us to experience in a close and intimate relationship with Him.

Wake up!! You and I have been called to live “Awake and Alive.”

The Romans Challenge: Governing Authorities

Posted on by
Reply 
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Years ago I was consumed with Talk Radio. I listened to it every day for hours. I talked about what I heard to my family. I was very concerned about the “Governing authorities.” I was so concerned that I would worry about the world I was raising my kids in. I lived in an uneasy state. I felt like it was up to me to do something to change things and I knew the problems were bigger than me…After a huge election loss of the party that I supported, I was in great dismay. It was then that I came to the conclusion that I needed to look to Someone bigger than the situations that I was seeing around me — God.

God is sovereign. This means He is supreme in power. He is King over all! Daniel 2:21 says:

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can be confident knowing that “There is no authority except that which God has established.” God is in control! Whether the authorities over us follow God wholeheartedly or refuse to acknowledge Him, God is working in our Nation and the nations of the world. We can take courage that God has a plan. This plan is not one of a political bent. It is the advancement of His Kingdom! He is King of Kings! Ultimately, it does not matter what the earthly rulers choose, God’s purposes for our world will prevail!

God instructs us to pray for those who are in authority over us. But ours is not to worry about who is sitting in the Oval Office, the Kremlin, or any other governing office. God is in control of that. As citizens of Heaven FIRST, our allegiance is King Jesus!

We can rest in the assurance that “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” God is always at work, and He is in control!

The Romans Challenge: Overcome Evil With Good

Posted on by
Reply 
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Life is not fair…” My mom told me these words when I was a teenager. Things hadn’t gone as she hoped with some family situations. Everything seemed to be so bleak.

When our eyes are on our circumstances, we will not see things clearly. If our eyes are on ourselves, we will want justice our way. We cannot live the life of faith and live a self-focused life at the same time. Living our lives seeking to do what we want, when and how we want to do it, with no consideration of God, will lead to one thing. We will “be overcome by evil…” BUT God has given us His victory. We do not have to live our lives “overcome by evil.” We can “overcome evil with good.”

God is good! All His ways are good! Everything He does is good! He is working all things out for our good! He wants us to experience His goodness!

It is true that we live in a broken world that is marred by sin. There will be situations and circumstances that will try to overwhelm us. Evil wants us to be overcome by them. But when we truly look to God, we will KNOW His goodness! God’s goodness will overcome every evil that tries to overwhelm us. We must look to Him! We must keep our focus on our Good God! We must obey His Good Word! When we do, we will “overcome evil with good.”