Today’s Reading: Romans 6:19 – 8:13; Psalm 95

I heard my husband say in a sermon that we are hardwired to be subject to something bigger than ourselves. That has definitely been my experience and I think Paul would have agreed. In Romans 6:19, Paul spoke of this weakness of our human nature. We were created with this sinful nature that demands we be subject to something greater than ourselves. At the same time, the essence of this human nature comes with a desire to be the one in charge — to be sovereign and sitting on the throne.

And so this struggle exists within you and it exists within me. No matter how hard I try to be in control, I am destined to be subject to something. I may fool myself into thinking I can handle things on my own, that I am free and can make my own choices, but the truth remains — I am either subject to sin or subject to righteousness; I am either a slave to sin or a servant of God’s. When I test my idea of freedom and do my own thing, I become subject to the consequences of my actions and end up ashamed of where I landed or embarrassed by my behavior.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:20-23

When I am a slave to sin, my life produces a harvest of sinful deeds. When I am a slave to God, my life produces a harvest of good deeds for Him (Romans 7:4-5). Paul goes on to describe the inner struggle we have all experienced — the struggle to do the right thing when our sinful nature is pulling us to do the wrong thing.

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. – Romans 7:14-17

Can you relate to this? Sometimes I get so frustrated with myself. I want to do the right thing, but I cannot seem to do it. I want to do only that which is good, but I don’t. The last thing I want to do is the wrong thing, yet that’s exactly what I end up doing. Paul defines this pull as the result of the sin living within us.

I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. – Romans 7:21-25

The devil made you do it, right? You sin because you have a sinful nature, so it is not your fault. But wait! The good news is that chapter seven is not the last chapter (another Scott Sherwood quote). Paul’s letter goes on to describe the victory we can experience over this pull of our sinful nature. We don’t have to live like Paul described in chapter seven; we can claim victory in chapter eight!

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has FREED YOU from the power of sin that leads to death…He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be FULLY satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. – Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. – Romans 8:12-13

Now that’s freedom! By submitting my life to God, resisting my urge to be in charge (which in reality leads to becoming subject to sin), I find freedom! When I am a slave to God, he fills me with His Spirit and I am free! Praise God! I don’t have to do what is wrong because Christ has MADE ME RIGHT with God.

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been MADE RIGHT WITH GOD. – Romans 8:10

My prayer this morning is reflected in the lyrics of the song Christ in Me by Bright City (2020). When I consider what my life would have been without Jesus, I fall on my knees in gratitude to the One who loved me enough to die on the cross. I have been forgiven because Jesus overcame sin and death. I have been set free. The power of Christ lives in me! Thank you, Jesus!

Today’s Reading: Romans 5:6 – 6:18; Psalm 84

I love today’s passage of scripture! As I read through each verse, my joy and excitement increase! Paul’s continued explanation of the gospel gives us reason to celebrate. It is by faith in God and not by works that we are made right with God, but this is only possible because of the death of Christ Jesus.

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:6-8

How humbling to consider just how unworthy we are of the sacrifice made on the cross. Think back to the history of God’s people in the Old Testament. They were unfaithful over and over again. Jesus came down and lived among them, displaying his power through his miracles and his preaching. And yet they cried out for his death. He was rejected by those he had come to save. And we are no more worthy of this gift of salvation than they were. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (3:23), yet he calls us his friend.

And since we have been MADE RIGHT IN GOD’s SIGHT by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. – Romans 5:9-11

I love that last sentence because that is exactly what my heart does — rejoice in my relationship with God! I am blessed by His friendship, which makes it all the easier to bow down in reverence and submission to His Lordship. I can trust in the One who loves me; I can submit to the authority of the One who has restored me by giving His Son for my salvation.

THE POWER OF ONE MAN’S DECISION

For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:15b-17

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it brought condemnation to all of us. When Christ became the sacrifice for our sins, he brought new life to everyone! What a powerful contrast! HIs one act of righteousness made it possible for us to experience a right relationship with God.

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:19

Thank you, Jesus, for this new life I am experiencing because you were willing to die! I give you my life and accept the power of one man’s decision. Just as Adam’s decision to disobey greatly affects us all, I recognize that my decision to disobey could also greatly affect others around me. In the same way, just as Your decision to obey God has given me new life, I submit to God’s sovereignty so that You can use my obedience in the life of others. I am no longer a slave to my sinful nature; I have been set free from the power of sin by your blood shed on the cross. Thank you for this amazing gift of salvation! Amen.

SIN HAS LOST ITS POWER IN OUR LIVES

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 5:20-21

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not!…We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him…

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. – Romans 6:1,6-8,12-14

Sin is no longer my master, therefore I will NOT let sin control the way I live. God, who calls me “friend”, sent His Son to die for me while I was still a sinner. I was made right in God’s sight through the blood of Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness now make me right in God’s sight.

THE POWER OF MY DECISION

Therefore, because I am living in relationship with God and have been made right in God’s sight, I will NOT let sin control the way I live. I will not give in to sinful desires. Sin is no longer my master. Neither am I the one in charge. I live under the freedom of God’s grace and He is my master, my Lord, my Savior, my friend. Praise God!!! This is the power of one man’s decision. This is the power of MY decision!

Today’s Reading: Romans 3:27-5:5; Psalm 30

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are MADE RIGHT WITH GOD through faith and not by obeying the law. – Romans 3:27-28

It is by placing my faith in Jesus that I am made right with God – not by having faith in myself or in my own ability to obey all the rules. It is not about my righteousness, but about His. It is by believing in God that I am made right with God as He clothes me in His righteousness. Paul used Abraham as an example to the Roman believers of how faith is what makes us right with God.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” – Romans 4:1-3

OUR FAITH IN GOD IS WHAT MAKES US RIGHT WITH GOD. THIS IS GOD’S WAY.

It is so easy for us to have the mentality that we have to earn our salvation. We grow up working around the house to earn our allowance. Parents reward their children for good behavior and good grades. We obtain jobs and work hard to meet the expectation of our employers in order to earn our paycheck. We treat others as we would want to be treated and, in doing so, earn their respect. We play games or sports in order to earn points so that we can win or be awarded with a prize or title.

The problem begins when we take this mindset into our relationship with God and assume that our good behavior is going to be rewarded by Him — that eternal life is the reward we deserve rather than a gift from God. We begin to think, “Well, I’m a good person so I’ll make it to heaven.” Abraham was a good person, but it was his strong faith in God that led him to be the father of many nations, and it was by grace that God counted him as righteous.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping — believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead — and so was Sarah’s womb.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that GOD IS ABLE TO DO WHATEVER HE PROMISES. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to MAKE US RIGHT with God. – Romans 4:18-25

ABRAHAM BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD DO WHAT HE PROMISED HE WOULD DO.

What are you going through right now that leaves you needing the kind of faith Abraham had? What current circumstances are causing you to need God’s gift of faith more than ever? Even when there is no reason to hope, we can believe in God’s promise and allow Him to grow our faith. We can stand fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises!

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. – Romans 5:1-5

WE ARE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH WHICH LEADS TO PEACE, JOY, HOPE AND LOVE.

If I live a good-works-religion and rely on my own righteousness to earn my salvation, I will fall apart when bad times come. Because bad things can still happen to good people. I can do everything right and live a good life and tragedy can still strike.

But if I build my relationship with God on the foundation of faith, I can trust in Him through any situation. I can experience peace because I have a reason to hope, not wavering in my faith but experiencing joy and inner strength each day. The impossible is now possible because God has given us the Holy Spirit. Now our hearts can be filled with love instead of fear. By his power at work within us, we can stand strong — fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He has promised!

Lord, I stand this morning in the place of undeserved privilege. Forgive me for the moments when I have placed my confidence in anything other than you. I want to stand strong on your promises, confident that you will do what you said you would do. I want to joyfully long to share in your glory rather than seeking glory for myself today. When life gets complicated, thank you for giving me the strength to endure, which is developing in me a strength of character which in turn develops a confident hope in salvation. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit who fills my heart with love and turns my mourning into dancing. Amen.

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning…
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! – Psalm 30:5b,11-12

Today’s Reading: Romans 2:17 – 3:26; Psalm 39

Paul warned the church about unrighteousness but he also warned them of the dangers of self-righteousness — the danger of seeing all of the good things we are doing and making our salvation about what WE have done right in light of how wrong others are.

IT IS BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE ARE SAVED, NOT OUR OWN.

You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. – Romans 2:17-19

You are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. – Romans 2:28-29

We can do all the right things and obey all the laws set forth by God and still miss out on His purpose for our life. Why? Because it is not about us but about Him.

IT IS NOT BY OUR OWN GOOD WORKS THAT WE ARE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD.

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:20

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood…God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for he himself is fair and just and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. – Romans 3:22-26

What can I take from these words of Paul to the church in Rome? When I make a mess of my life, God can take all that I have done wrong and make something right out of it. He can take my life, which is totally surrendered to Him, and make me right in His sight.

But I cannot start looking at the unrighteousness of others and think too highly of the new me. I am not SO righteous that I am better than them or acceptable to God. It is about how righteous the Lord is and how He has made me right with Him. I am called not to judge the sins of others and not to continue in my own sin, but to submit to His sovereignty in my life. It is by placing my faith in Jesus that I am made right with God — not by having faith in my own abilities.

WE ARE MADE RIGHT BY FAITH — BY BELIEVING IN JESUS.

In 2014, we spent a week in Williamsburg, Virginia for a conference. During some free time, we chose to drive over to Virginia Beach for a few hours. On the way there, we passed Mount Trashmore Park. This 165-acre park is a trash landfill made into a park. There are two mountains of trash, covered in soil and grass, now complete with a playground, two lakes, a skate park and lots of walking paths. This park is just a few short miles from the beautiful sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.

Unrighteousness is like living in a big pile of stinky trash. Self-righteousness is like covering the trash pile with a beautiful park and considering myself renewed, even though the trash remains just under the surface. I know that God’s best for me is to move away from the landfill, where the trash is still hidden neatly under the surface. His plan is to do more than hide or cover the sin in my life; He wants to wash me in the ocean of His righteousness so I can fully experience what it means to be made right by Him.

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. – Titus 3:4-7

I HAVE BEEN DECLARED RIGHTEOUS BY THE RIGHTEOUS ONE — MADE HOLY BY THE HOLY ONE.

Lord, I am a sinner, unworthy of all that you have done for me. I am unrighteous, incapable of saving myself from this wretched sinful nature. But God you bestow on me this unearned favor called grace. Even though I do not deserve to be loved by you, you call me your child and give me a beautiful purpose in life. When I place my faith in you, believing that Jesus died for my sins, I am made right with you. Thank you, Lord, for this amazing grace! Amen.

I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”
But as I stood there in silence —
Not even speaking of good things —
The turmoil with me grew worse…
We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you. – Psalm 39:1-2,6-7

Today’s Reading: Romans 1:18 – 2:16; Psalm 38

Paul starts out his letter to the Romans saying — You belong to Jesus! You are loved by God and called to be his own holy people; you have been set apart and consecrated for His purposes. Your identity isn’t about who YOU are but about who HE is. Your purpose in life isn’t about YOU but about HIM. So, when He makes YOU right, it’s not about how right YOU are but about how right HE is. This, however, is not an excuse to intentionally sin in hopes that HIS righteousness will cover us.

Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible to study. If you consistently follow this blog, I hope that you remember this core truth that Paul weaves through all of his writings — that we are made right with God by faith, and this relationship with God frees us from the power of sin. It is important for us to distinguish the difference between unrighteousness, self-righteousness, and God’s righteousness. Understanding these concepts gives us a new lens through which we grasp the salvation of God. Let’s look first at unrighteousness.

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. – Romans 1:18-19

Paul described the unrighteous as those who know that what they are doing is wrong, yet they do it anyhow. He was not talking about those who have never heard the gospel, but about those who abandon God to do their own thing. God gives them the freedom to make that decision and allows them to walk away from Him and into the life they choose, even with its painful consequences (1:18-32).

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks…So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. – Romans 1:21,24

THEY TRADED THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD FOR A LIE.

When Paul speaks of the unrighteous in his letter to the Romans, he is speaking of those who have allowed themselves to wander away from the truth. They begin thinking up foolish ideas of what God is like, and their minds become dark and confused. They trade the truth about God for a lie. And from the arrogance of their foolish thinking comes a long list of unrighteous behaviors that begin creeping into their lives, including homosexuality (1:26-27).

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. – Romans 1:28-32

Paul goes on to warn the church not to judge the unrighteous too quickly, but to see the ways in which we also deny the sovereignty of God when we do what we want to do instead of what God calls us to do. We may not blatantly walk away from God, but we still choose to do and say what we want instead of submitting to God’s ways and His Spirit. We allow foolish thinking to make its way into the church and are slowly pulled away from the truths found in scripture, giving ourselves permission to start seeing sin as acceptable.

THEY STARTED SEEING SIN AS ACCEPTABLE.

When Christians give themselves permission to sin, they start looking like everyone else in town except that they have this additional social circle known as the church. Jesus did not die on a cross to save us from our sins so that we could keep on intentionally sinning. No, He called us to a much higher purpose! You belong to Jesus! You are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people — set apart and consecrated for His purposes.

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. – Romans 2:5-8

Like we talked about yesterday, when God makes me right in His sight, it’s not about how right I am but about how right HE is. In the same way, it’s not about how wrong I have been but about the perfect blood of Jesus shed on a cross for my sins. I can never be good enough to earn my salvation, and I can never wander so far from God that His forgiveness is no longer available to me if only I will repent and allow Him to sanctify me through and through.

Father God, please reveal to us any foolish thinking we have allowed to creep into our theology. May your truth be written on our hearts, and may your Spirit reveal any sin in our lives. Forgive us for our arrogance and pull our focus back on you. Help us to clearly see right from wrong, so that we can be a light for those living in darkness. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 97

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how GOD MAKES US RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Romans 1:16-17

GOD MAKES US RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT BY FAITH.

Just as God can make our circumstances right when everything around us is going wrong, He can also make us right in His sight. This truth goes beyond the guilt of our unrighteousness and the inadequacy of our self-righteousness. This is the theme of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome.

As we saw in Acts and see again in Romans 1:8-15, Paul had a strong desire to go to Rome. He knew the gospel had reached Rome (probably when the Jewish believers were scattered following Pentecost), and he longed to go there to bring them some spiritual gift that would help them to grow strong in the Lord (1:11), to encourage their faith (1:12), and to work among them for the sake of seeing spiritual fruit (1:13). Paul desired to preach the Good News in Rome, but this letter would explain the gospel to those who were new to the faith until Paul could be there in person.

One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours…I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit…I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. – Romans 1:10-15

God knew of Paul’s desire and promised Paul he would make it to Rome. Paul’s intention was to head for Rome but first he had to stop by Jerusalem to drop off the gifts he had received from the Gentiles. What Paul did not know when he wrote this letter is that he would be arrested in Jerusalem and personally escorted to Rome in chains. God’s promise would be fulfilled but not in the way Paul expected. Let’s spend the next two weeks diving into this letter Paul sent the Romans before he was arrested.

The believers in Rome had come to faith in Jesus Christ, which had set them free from the bondage of their sin. But now what? Paul’s goal with this letter was to explain the gospel to the Romans so that they would know how to live now that they belong to Christ Jesus. Paul started his letter by introducing himself, not for the sake of them knowing him but for the purpose of the Roman believers seeing who they are in Christ.

GOD GIVES EACH OF US IDENTITY & PURPOSE.

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News…Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. – Romans 1:1,5-7

Paul starts out saying — this is MY identity and this is MY purpose. He goes on to say — this is YOUR identity and YOUR purpose. You have been called! You belong to Jesus! You are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people, set apart and consecrated for His purposes. Your identity isn’t about who YOU are but about who HE is. Your purpose in life isn’t about YOU but about HIM.

IT’S NOT ABOUT OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT ABOUT GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The world around us wants to identify us by our messes and mistakes, by our storms and shipwrecks. But when we encounter Jesus, when we come to accept Him by faith, our identity changes. It is no longer about our unrighteousness, nor is it about our self-righteousness; it is now about HIS righteousness. When God makes us right in His sight, our identity changes and our purpose changes. And, praise God, our destiny changes as well!

WHAT ARE YOU LETTING DEFINE YOU?

In what ways have I allowed the world to identify me? Do I find my self-worth in all of the mistakes I have made, defining myself by the trail of debris left by the storms in my past? If so, God is calling me to find my identity and my purpose in Him. It is not about my unrighteousness or about my failed attempts to be righteous of my own strength, but about HIS righteousness being produced in me. God makes me right in His sight! Therefore, I choose to find my identity and my purpose in Him!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 10-13

Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with Christian love. – 2 Corinthians 13:11b-12

This is how Paul ends his second letter to the Church in Corinth. It is a pretty soft ending for what was a very strong letter. In humility, Paul highlighted what could be seen as weaknesses to his ministry. But in strength, Paul came down hard on the church for accepting the message of false teaching and for continuing to live a life of sin instead of holiness. He was tired of Christians using the excuse that they are too weak to overcome their sinful tendencies. He wanted them instead to rely on Christ’s strength to be all he was calling them to be.

STOP FOCUSING ON YOUR OWN WEAKNESSES AND RELY ON CHRIST’S STRENGTHS.

Paul compares weakness with strength over and over again in this letter. Christ may have seemed weak by submitting to the cross but His resurrection showed just how powerful He was! We, too, experience difficult situations that show our human weakness but, in that weakness, the strength of God can be evident and God can be glorified.

Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power…We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature…For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down. – 2 Corinthians 13:3b-4,9,10b

Even when Paul is showing the strength of his ministry in this letter, he is showing how that strength came from God and His weapons. His strength is in regards to spiritual warfare, not human abilities or man-made strategies.

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. – 2 Corinthians 11:30

If I want to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

GOD TAKES OUR WEAKNESSES AND DEMONSTRATES HIS STRENGTH.

Paul was faithfully serving God yet he experienced more hard times than any of us will ever know. But God did not abandon Paul, nor did his hardships lessen his ability to serve God or weaken his testimony. No, for it showed the strength of the God who rescued him over and over again. The power of God was demonstrated each time Paul got up again and continued to do what God had called him to do instead of giving up or avoiding the possibility of another persecution down the road.

Paul stated that everything he had gone through was to show the strength of God in order that the believers could be strengthened, so they could choose righteousness instead of sin. Paul showed them they serve a strong God who is able to help believers overcome temptations and the urgings of the sinful nature, yet he continued to hear of the church’s “quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior” (2 Corinthians 12:20). We serve an awesome God who is able to take our weaknesses and demonstrate strength! When we submit to God and let Him do a work in our hearts, His power is displayed rather than our weaknesses.

“MY GRACE IS ALL YOU NEED. MY POWER WORKS BEST IN WEAKNESS.”

Grace is not an excuse to keep on sinning but rather the only way we can overcome our sinful nature and demonstrate the power of God to help us not to sin. May others look at us and see God’s power at work in our lives. May they see maturity instead of sinful attitudes, harmony instead of quarreling, grace instead of gossip. May our lives display the evidence of the Trinity at work in our lives.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – 2 Corinthians 13:14

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 8 – 9; Psalm 37

GOD ENCOURAGES US THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF OTHER BELIEVERS.

When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. – 2 Corinthians 7:5-7a

I love how God uses our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us when we are going through difficult times! Our God is the God of encouragement. God is the one who knows when we are discouraged and who sends people into our lives to bring us joy, good news and encouragement. In his letter, Titus has gone to the Church to encourage them to be generous with others.

GOD ENCOURAGES US THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF OTHER BELIEVERS.

Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:7-9

In the last decade, the ministry I lead (Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center) has opened two more pregnancy centers, as well as three residential programs. We started a mobile clinic that is currently serving Logansport (Indiana), as well as a chapter of the Deeper Still ministry to men and women who are post-abortive. We added to our services STI testing as well as abortion pill reversal. We increased our care of those grieving a loss through our Willow Story program. So many people have given of their time and money to make a difference in the lives of others. What a blessing it has been to serve alongside these faithful supporters. But we are not done. There is still so much to do in order to make a difference in the lives of those facing a pregnancy decision. This Scripture both encourages me and challenges me this morning.

Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. – 2 Corinthians 8:11

GOD ENCOURAGES US TO BE PRESENT FOR AND GENEROUS TOWARDS OTHERS.

The third form of encouragement Paul gives is to remind the Church of God’s provision for our needs, as well as His generosity in giving us enough to share with others. God is the One who supplies what we need and He will supply what He is asking us to give. The result of God’s provision and my response is that God will be glorified! God’s gifts are indescribable!

Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,

“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving – the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! – 2 Corinthians 9:6-14

GOD PROVIDES US WITH WHAT WE NEED TO BE GENEROUS TOWARD OTHERS.

Lord, thank you for the reminder this morning that you are the One who supplies what I need and you will supply what you are asking me to give. May you be glorified through the evidence of your generous provision in my life, as well as through my response to your generosity. Thank you for the encouragement I receive from you and from those you have placed in my life. May I be an encouragement to someone else today. Lord, your gifts are indescribable and my heart is encouraged today! Thank you for pointing my heart back to all I have to be thankful for. You are a generous God! Amen!

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:17; Proverbs 12

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
And separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
And I will welcome you.
And I will be your Father,
And you will be my sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD.

These verses reflect the message Paul gave the Corinthians in his first letter to them. The Spirit of God lives within us and dwells among us. What a blessing to experience the holy presence of God!

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

When we first read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, it can be easy to interpret scripture to say that we should have nothing to do with those who live in sin. After all, how can righteousness team up with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony could Jesus Christ and the devil ever have? How could a believer team up with or partner with an unbeliever? But we have also been commissioned by God to take His message of salvation to the lost. Jesus taught us to love God by loving others. So what is Paul teaching the church and what wisdom can we gain from his letter today?

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Paul is calling the believers to a life of holiness. We are God’s temple; the Spirit of God is living within us. We cannot embrace the righteousness of God while also embracing the sins of this world. We are called by God for a purpose, and we must not let the temporary pleasures of this world distract us from the eternal calling God has placed on our lives.

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are the living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. – 1 Peter 2:4-5

WE ARE THE LIVING STONES OF GOD’S SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. WE ARE HIS HOLY PRIESTS.

We have been called to something much greater than what this world has to offer us. Jesus died to set us free from our sins; we no longer live in bondage to our sinful nature. So why would we seek joy in what the world defines as happiness? If God is dwelling within us, we have access to His righteousness. We do not have to produce Christian perfection of our own strength. God is building us into his spiritual temple, daily making us into who He is calling us to be. So let us cooperate with our builder and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Paul referred again to the harsh letter that he had sent the church between what we know as 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. It was a painful letter to receive, and Paul recognized the pain that it had caused. Yet he took time in this last letter to the church in Corinth to explain how the pain caused by confrontation can be productive because it restores us to the place God wants us to be.

I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. – 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

I am not the only living stone that God is using to build His spiritual temple. It matters what is happening in the lives of the “stones” around me. At times God calls me into a healing conversation for the sake of helping someone else, and sometimes I am the one who experiences the pain of someone else’s tough love or honest words. I recognize that this godly sorrow is often what begins the healing process in my life; the Holy Spirit either confirms what is true or helps me decipher what is false. Little by little, I am becoming what the Lord created me to be.

Lord, my heart is grateful for the experience of your Spirit living within me, every day guiding me and teaching me. I surrender to the work you are doing in my life. Produce in me a righteousness that reflects who YOU are, and help me to recognize the ways in which you want to use me in someone else’s life today. Give me the courage to step into difficult conversations, both giving and receiving what your Spirit has for me today. I am your temple and you are the One who is daily building me for your glory and for your purposes. What an honor to be a child of God. I love you with all that I am and all that I will be. Amen.

To learn, you must love discipline;
it is stupid to hate correction.
The Lord approves of those who are good,
but he condemns those who plan wickedness.
Wickedness never brings stability,
but the godly have deep roots. – Proverbs 12:1-3

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Proverbs 31

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

When we come to believe in Christ, when we repent of our sins, God does a work in our lives changing us from who we used to be into a new person. This work changes our understanding of God, as well as the way we see others. He does this not just for our sake but because He has a plan for our lives and He wants to make us into who He needs us to be for His purposes. And what is His purpose for our lives?

GOD MAKES US INTO A NEW CREATION FOR A REASON.

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:18b-21

In this letter, Paul begs those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation to be willing to extend this gift to others — to see them from a new point of view. We have been saved to serve! We have been given an incredible gift meant to be passed on to those both near us and around the world. Our lives become an example of God’s ability to take away the old life and make someone into a new person. Others can witness the change in our lives and be drawn to God because of the way we live out our faith.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST.

As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. – 2 Corinthians 6:1

Take a second to read that verse again. God has given us this amazing gift, but we must cooperate with the gift-giver. We are created to partner with Him in both the receiving and the sharing of this gift. If we do not open up this gift and then use it for its created purpose, we are missing the beauty of the gift and the result could have a negative impact on those around us. This is Paul’s testimony:

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.

We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us.

We are honest, but they call us imposters.
We are ignored, even though we are well known.
We live close to death, but we are still alive.
We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.
Our hearts ache, but we always have joy.
We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others.
We own nothing, and yet we have everything. – 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

This is my prayer. If it is yours, please pray along with me: Heavenly Father, my desire is to live in such a way that others will be drawn to you and that no one will stumble because of me. I want to live above reproach, a life of excellence that no one can find fault in. In everything I do, I want to be a TRUE minister of yours.

When troubles, hardship and calamities of every kind come my way, please give me the strength to patiently endure them. When I face accusations, when I am persecuted, when my heart is so burdened that I have difficulty sleeping at night, may others still find in me purity, understanding, patience, kindness and sincere love — not by my own human effort but as a result of the Holy Spirit living in me.

Lord, may my life be more than just an example for others to see but may I also be bold with my words, faithfully speaking the truth. I accept your task of reconciling others to you. I long to be your ambassador so that you can make your appeal to the lost through me. Fill me with Your Spirit and give me the boldness to speak for you – “Come back to God!”

Oh, awesome and mighty God, work your power in me. Place weapons of righteousness in my right hand to proactively go to battle for you and for your lost children. Place weapons of righteousness in my left hand so that I may defend the truth and stand up those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8). Whether people honor me or despise me, whether they slander me or praise me, even if they falsely accuse or ignore me, I want to live boldly for you today.

Lord, I own nothing; it’s all yours. I trade all that I have for all that you desire to give me. You are my everything and I love you. Amen.