Tag: God

Thou

Re: Verse reading–Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25 (day six)

Then God said, “I now give you…” Genesis 1:29

It is no small thing, but it can be easily overlooked. God only addresses humankind with the second person pronoun, “you.” Not with any other creature, but Adam and then Eve, does God speak directly; later He will even issue His first command. This is so profound. We are distinct from all creation because we were made for the divine relationship; we were made to know and be known.

Consider this for a moment, there is no other created thing that hears God’s voice but humankind. When God said, “you” for the first time, Adam and Eve perceived it and understood it. They related to God; they knew Him. We were created to listen to God’s voice, to walk with Him in the garden, to truly know Him. Jesus declared to us that knowing God is the essence of eternal life. (John 17:3)

Are YOU listening?

Touched by God

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. Jeremiah 1:9

That’s the verse that stands out to me. God touched his mouth. He didn’t have to do that, it wasn’t necessary, no more than the mud Jesus used in healing the blind man (John 9:6). It begs the question, why? I think God did exactly what was needed in accordance to Jeremiah’s faith. Maybe he knew that intimate gesture was what Jeremiah needed to overcome his insecurities. Maybe it was the red hot memory of that touch that sustained him through great opposition and persecution. I don’t know for sure. All I do know is that God drew close to Jeremiah, he was not a distant disembodied voice; he was personal and intimate, just what Jeremiah needed.

That’s the kind of invitation we have in the Gospel, if you are willing to receive it.

He’s Got the Whole World…

Re:Verse reading–Judges 11:1-6, 28-40 (day six)

He’s got the whole world in his hands; all of human history. Sometimes we can read a passage in the Bible and wonder what God is doing, or how he could allow somethings to happen. Isn’t God good? Isn’t he loving? When I read stories like Jeptha’s in Judges 11, I’m reminded it’s God’s providential hand that is guiding us towards grace. That although we feel the weight of our own brokenness and sin,(we see it in Judges 11) He does not long to leave us there.

Can you imagine for a moment if God left human history to our own sinful devices? What would history be like if God left us to manage it? The Good News is that he has not left us to ourselves. God is not haphazard, or whimsical; He does not delight in the suffering of the wicked. No, He intends to press us towards restoration. And by His grace, he alone can do it. He has the whole world in his hands.

Eternal Security

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:18-39 (day four)

It is one of the greatest passages of hope in the Bible…Romans 8:38-39.  “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.  All things have been created by Him, therefore, there is nothing that is stronger or more powerful than Him.  By faith, Christ has come to dwell in our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit.  Nothing can take us away from His indwelling.  He will always be with us throughout eternity.  Paul was a man of unshakable confidence in our eternal position in God.  How about us?  Do we live our lives with unshakable confidence that we will always be with God in eternity?

Liberate

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:18-39 (day three)

“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.” God has placed creation at the mercy of man (“subjected it to futility” is how Paul puts it). We are to steward this creation. We have the power to do so, and that power is indeed great. We begin to see how great when we read that all of creation–all of it–is in the throes of decay. That’s our doing. In our sinfulness, we corrupt everything we touch. The sheer scale of the ruin we have visited on this universe–ruin of spirit, body, society, nature–is staggering. But God has given a hope-filled promise concerning all of creation–that he will liberate it as he makes all things new. Do you treat spirit, body, society, and nature as if you are now part of God’s liberation?

Much obliged

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day seven) 

“Therefore, brothers, we are under obligation. . .for all who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.”  v 12, 14.

It is not what we expect.  The Scripture, in other places, communicates Spiritual life as an INVITATION.  An offer.  A king gives a party for his son and sends servants out to invite people to come. (Matthew 22)

Paul looks at it from a different perspective.  As an OBLIGATION.  Same word that he used of himself in Romans 1:14.  “I am under obligation.”  As a recipient of grace, how could he refuse to give it to others?

He says the same of us.  Christ died and rose and sent the promised Holy Spirit!  Those who are joined to Him by faith are, thereby, OBLIGATED to live and walk in that gift.

“How dare you benefit from Christ and owe him nothing in return!”, says Paul.  Not an offer.  Not an option.  It is our OBLIGATION.

Deliverance

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day four) 

Everyone…rich or poor, male or female, regardless of race or creed…everyone is born into the law of sin and death.  The law states that all have sinned.  Then the law states that the wages or due penalty of sin is death.  Left to ourselves, we cannot avoid eternal death.  Our passage in Romans 8 though gives hope.  Verse 2 says “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”  Our passage identifies a whole list of outcomes that result from the law of flesh vs. the law of the Spirit…antonyms that result from the source of our allegiance.  If we are living according to the flesh, we reap sin and death, condemnation, curses, and we are hostile to God.  If we are living according to the Spirit, we reap blessing, we are Spirit-led, we are sons of God, we are free from the law, and we have life and peace.  Why would we ever choose to follow the flesh rather than the Spirit?

Fitness

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day three)

“If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Left to its own power supply, the human body will eventually become completely drained of all energy and die. This is the damning detail of the fall of man: We ceased to draw our source of energy–of life–from the spiritual realm, in particular from God himself. There is no reason these bodies God created should not last forever, provided they remain joined to the source of their power. Did you know your body was that well-made? Any program of physical conditioning must include a submission of your body to the leadership of Jesus Christ, or the care of your body is ultimately in vain. Are you willing to let Jesus teach you how to live in your body?

Bold I Approach

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day two) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…vs. 1

When I was a high school choir director I taught hundreds of students. I was a teacher many of their lives that saw them every day from their first day on campus as a freshmen to their graduation. It was very rewarding. Watching these young people grow was often challenging and always awkward. Students would routinely come into my office with much fear and trembling. I would often make them leave and come back in with a renewed sense of purpose. If they were to talk to me, I expected eye contact, manners, and a sense of self-worth. That wasn’t always easy. We weren’t equals, but I also wanted them to understand how to appropriately communicate with an adult.

Our faith journey isn’t too dissimilar. When we come before the lord, we are no longer defeated, empty, and without hope. We are filled with the power of Jesus, and he has covered us with his blood. The fourth verse of the hymn And Can It Be expresses this hope beautifully.

No condemnation now I dread;                                                                                                    Jesus, and all in Him is mine!                                                                                                          Alive in Him, my living head,                                                                                                            And clothed in righteousness divine,                                                                                            Bold I approach the eternal throne,                                                                                              And claim the crown, thro’ Christ my own.                                                                            Amazing love! How can it be                                                                                                           That Thou, my God, should die for me!

Boldly approach, have no fear. The Lord has paid our ransom.

No condemnation! Not now. Not ever.

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day one) 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”–v 1.

Condemnation normally referred to a future event.  “We must all stand before the judgement seat of Christ”–2 Corinthians 5:10.  It (condemnation) literally meant “guilty verdict” or “negative judgement”.  (A compound word formed from “down” and “decision”).  It WILL NOT HAPPEN to those who have joined life to Christ by faith.  NO thumbs down sign from God.  NO condemnation for us.  We will be WELCOMED as forgiven children of the Most High!

God’s decision on this matter is already made.  “There is therefore (pointing to previous truths of Romans 1-7 ) NOW no condemnation.”  Not something that will be decided later.  It is decided now.  Like the prodigal, If I am in His Son,  I will be welcomed home no matter what my years in the far country have done to my soul.

For those in Christ, no condemnation.  Not now.  Not ever.