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Devotional

Choices Have Consequences

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Hello, continuing
my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for
the rest of the series.    Today Romans 1:1-11. 

 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do
you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet
do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

 After reading Romans 1, and seeing God’s wrath on those who choose not to follow him, this section has me stepping cautiously.

To not judge those who chose to not follow God, to not heed the truth that they know, who choose to follow a lie.  DO NOT JUDGE THEM.   That’s God’s job right?   The judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.   NOTE: GOD’s judgement.  Not mine or yours. Because you know what?   If we judge others, we need to be mindful of our own hard and impenitent hearts.   Think on that?

It’s a hard one I find.
I have found myself getting angry with the LGBTQ folks, for how they twist things, and push people around to achieve their own ends.   Some of the things some of the folks do.. it’s hurtful.  And that deliberate hurtfulness makes me angry.

But God warns against that here.  I need to be bigger than that hurt.  It reminds me of that passage in the parenting book… about how the more secure we are in God’s love, in his embrace, the less likely we are to be hurt by what others do. 

Also if I remember that God is the one who renders judgement, that it is HIS gig, not mine, then this truth gives rest.   He will render to each one according to his works.  God’s judgement based on our choices.   Those who follow after him, patient in well-doing, seeking God’s glory and honor, who seek for immortality…those God will gift with eternal life.  The self-seeking, followers after lies well.. God’s wrath and fury await them.    Evil-doers will find tribulation and distress, the righteous will find glory, honour and peace awaits.

Just as the gospel came first to the Jews and then to the Greeks, so too judgement comes first to the Jews then to the Greeks.   God will show no partiality.  Judgement comes to all.  One way or the other… choices have consequences.

 
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God’s Wrath, Choices Made, Natural Consequences

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.

Today Romans 1:18-31.

Today we’ll be closing off Chapter One, yesterday we saw how the righteous live by faith, today this section in the ESV is called God’s wrath on unrighteousness. 

18 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in
the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to
him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because
they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For
this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed
with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men
and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They
were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though
they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things
deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who
practice them.

Remember yesterday?   How Faith carries one from one generation to the next?  Did you know there are people who work to suppress God’s truth? 
 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 

These people KNOW about God.  They can see the truth plainly because God revealed it to them BUT They don’t honour God or thank him. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in
the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to
him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.   Do you see how they have no excuse?  God is evident in the things we can see, and God made it clear to them.  They have no excuses, they just think to their own wisdom. Their foolish hearts, thinking to their own wisdom, have become darkened.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because
they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.   Amen means So Be It. These people made a choice.  They knew God’s truth, but they put it aside in order to believe a lie.  A choice. They turned aside from the Creator God to follow their own path.  THEREFORE God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed
with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men
and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
God let them live with the choices they made and compounded those choices.  They chose to ignore God as revealed in nature. Ergo, God let them be turned from nature to unnatural pleasures with each other. I honestly never even really thought of this before. How because of their choice to ignore God as revealed to them, God let them live with unnatural pleasures.  It’s like a natural consequence.
 
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They
were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though
they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things
deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who
practice them.
And again, since they chose to turn away from God (who had revealed himself to them) God let them turn away from the things they knew to be right. So they have been filled with all manner of unrighteousness. 

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Faith Lives On, Be Not Ashamed.

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.    Today Romans 1:16-17. 

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

What then do these verses say today?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel.  Honestly, sometimes I have to wonder about that. I remember telling a lady about a good Christian Mystery I read once, one that weaved the bible into the mystery in a good manner. She asked me why I liked it so much and I found myself stumbling all over the place not wanting her to think I’m weird and yet wanting to say why I liked the book so much. Even now sometimes I find myself not wanting to say “I’m being kind because that’s what God would have me do.”   I shouldn’t be like that.  I should have that boldness to say what’s really important…and the end of it is.. GOD.  Seriously, if God weren’t God working in my life I’d be such a lost soul.

But why shouldn’t we be ashamed?
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes
God is our salvation, but not only ours. It’s for EVERYONE who believes.  Not just Joe Right or the jewish believers … but for EVERYONE.  

 to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Admittedly… God came first to the Jewish nation.  The whole Old Testament is about that. He chose them.  His son was born within the Jewish nation.   His first friends and followers were Jewish people, he first was in the temple as a lad astounding the Jewish Teachers.  But from there the gospel spread.  Friends, families, neighbours, Roman Guards and more.  Seeing the power of God’s salvation at work.  WHY?   Because his people were not ashamed to proclaim the gospel of God.

So if I truly want to see God’s good news spread I MUST stop being ashamed of the gospel. It must be there and ready on my tongue when people ask me why I live as I do.  Why I teach my son as I do.   Why I’m kind or helpful or whatever.  It’s all God and I mustn’t be afraid to admit it..

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
I read these words and I find myself compelled to think about those last words.  The righteous shall live by faith.  It’s true you know.   If it weren’t for God and his righteousness I wouldn’t be the person I am today.  The faith of my parents is revealed in me.  The faith of the righteous who have gone on before me is passed on through me.  My son’s faith will be influenced by the faith of those who have gone on before him. 

I wonder who else’s faith will be influenced by my generation, and who will be influenced by my son’s generation.  It moves on faith does… 

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Reliance, Encouragement, Faith Proclaimed

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.

Today Romans 1:8-15

 
 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul is thankful to his readers, the people in the Rome.  
Why?
Their faith is proclaimed in all the world.

Can you imagine it?
Having an apostle the stature of Paul praising you because your FAITH is proclaimed.  People talking about your faith. 

I hear that can I think…wow…that would be cool.  For people to see my faith and have THAT be what is talked about.  Imagine if that were the case for the church you were part of?   For the faith of your church to be a topic of discussion.. rather than the bickering or lack of service be the points mentioned.   YOUR FAITH!  Wow… that would just be very very cool. 

Paul tells his listeners, that God knows the truth, he prays for them all the time, and he asks God to allow him to get to visit with them.   He wants so badly to see them so he can strengthen them with some spiritual gift. 

The point being that they will mutually encourage each other through their faith.

Mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Do you feel encourage by the faith seen in others?   Does your faith encourage others?
 I have to admit, I have felt encouraged by others… but I don’t know if my faith is a point of encouragement for others.   I so often just see my weakness and faltering… but it’s something to strive for eh?   To build up my faith, to see God more clearly so I can then more clearly show him to others.

Paul wants his readers to know this.  He wants so badly to come to Rome, but so far has been prevented from doing so.   He has so many obligations … to the Greeks, the barbarians, the wise, the foolish…he wants to preach God’s word to them all.   He is so eager to preach God’s word to them as well. 

I can imagine the pressure Paul found himself under.  To have this strong compulsion to be out doing, and yet finding so many areas in which to be busy doing that he can’t do it all.  He wants to go to Rome, but since he relies on God to help him find his way….he recognizes that God has not yet created a way for him to get there.  

Ah … that reliance on God eh?
 
To have that reliance.    Oh… so much to learn from Paul eh?   To see that reliance, to have that strong desire to preach the gospel to everyone, to see the faith in others and be encouraged by it.  It’s a good thing that.  🙂

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Who Wrote Romans and Why

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Today I’m going to start going through the book of Romans. I hope you’ll join me. If all goes as I hope it will, I’ll be writing daily, but sometimes my priorities get skewed.  For that I offer my apologies.  I do strive for more.

Anyways, with that said, I do hope you’ll join me, offering your opinions and setting me straight if I misinterpret God’s word, or even broadening my thoughts.  It’s good to do so eh?

Today, the first seven verses of Romans 1.

 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans.
Written by Paul.
Just who was Paul

  • a servant of Christ Jesus
  • a called apostle
  • set apart for the gospel of God

Now just what is that gospel of God?

  • Promised by the prophets
  • Concerned his son Jesus Chrit
  • Who is the offspring of David according to the flesh
  • Declared to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead
  • This is Jesus Christ our Lord
  • the giver of grace and apostleship
  • To bring about obedience of faith for the sake of his name through all the nations
  • Including all those called to belong to Jesus Christ.

 Who is this book written to?

  •   To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

What greeting is extended?

  • Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I read these words and the depth that is in them eh?  God made promises to the world through his prophets long since passed.   Promises that a boy would come, one from the lineage of David.   This boy would be God’s own son even though physically he came from King David’s line.  God’s son.

We saw him declared so at Jesus’ baptism.

But here it is clearly stated that his resurrection from the dead made a difference.  The Holy Spirit declared him to be God’s own son when he arose.  But not only that….he was declared (see I almost missed this part).  God’s own son IN POWER.   Not saying that He didn’t have power before the resurrection (cause he did) but something changed….Now he’s the Son of God in power.   He bodily changed, he explained things to the disciples, showing them what they missed from history etc. 

This, this is Jesus Christ our Lord.

The one from whom we receive grace and mercy, the apostleship.
Hmm…I wonder if he’s talking globally or personally here?  I know that I am follower of Christ (albeit a poor one at times)… but I don’t tend to see myself as an apostle.  I tend to think of apostles as the powerhouses like Paul and Luke and John of the bible.  Not little me sitting here in my corner of the world.

Paul does make it clear though… my job as a believer is to help bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of the name of Christ in all the nations.   Even here, in my small corner of the world, my job is to help make faithful obedient believers.

Today I don’t feel particularly up to the task.  🙂

But I don’t think Paul is too concerned about that.  He’s just here to tell me what my job is.  🙂   and The Book of Romans will give me the skills to do that eh?

Also shared at  faith n friends.

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The Lord is There

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It’s the last day for our study in Ezekiel, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. 

Today’s Passage: Ezekiel 48:30-35.

 

 30 “These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, 31 three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. 32 On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. 33 On
the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates,
the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”

HUH!   I never knew that before.  Each tribe had a gate named after it.
Makes me wonder if people would enter the city through the gate named after their tribe or if they entered how ever they wanted to.   I know… it’s just speculation on my part and it probably doesn’t even matter.. just a random wondering in my head.  🙂

Each side is the same.  4,500 cubits with three gates. 

I like how God named the city.   The Lord Is There.  It just seems so appropriate.  God dwelling right there, with his priests, surrounded by the land owned by the Prince, surrounded by his people the Israelites.     The Lord is INDEED there.

Just as he is INDEED there among his people, the ones who call upon his name, who see their need for Christ and believe in him.

The LORD is there! 

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

The Land distributed, God dwelling in the midst

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I need to apologize, it’s been so long since I’ve visited with Ezekiel. Life’s been so busy lately I’ve been doing other things rather than work through the last chapter. I’ll finish up Ezekiel this week and then i think I’ll start with Corinthians, or perhaps Romans. What do you think??  

Anyways, today’s passage is from Ezekiel 48:1-29.

 “These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of Damascus over against Hamath), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one portion. 2 Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion. 3 Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, Naphtali, one portion. 4 Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion. 5 Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion. 6 Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion. 7 Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/speculation.php

8 “Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the midst of it. 9 The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length, and 20,000 in breadth. 10 These
shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an
allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in
breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and
25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it. 11 This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did. 12 And
it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of
the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites. 13 And
alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an
allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole
length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000. 14 They shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.
15 “The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, 16 and these shall be its measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500. 17 And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. 18 The
remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000
cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside
the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. 20 The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.
21 “What
remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the
city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the
holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to
the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to
the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. 22 It
shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of
the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince.
The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and
the territory of Benjamin.
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion. 24 Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion. 25 Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion. 26 Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion. 27 Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion. 28 And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God.

I have to admit, as I read through this list I’ve been wondering… what do I pull out of this passage that will point me to Christ and his amazing work in my life?   I see names and numbers and quite frankly kinda all runs together.

It’s great to see how God ensured that each family line within Israel got the land it should have.   It seems like the larger families got more land than the smaller ones which makes sense right?

Do you also see how God put himself physically into the midst of them.  He didn’t give himself and the priests a portion off to one side or the other, but a portion right in the middle. 

This makes me think of Christ, and how we are his people and he dwells within us.  He doesn’t pick a small corner and say HEY here’s where I will stay, but rather he dwells IN US.   Makes himself an integral part of who we are. Ergo affecting change within us.   God’s people having God’s Priests dwell right in their midst.  It’s a good thing that eh?

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/