A Net in Time

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Romans

Love Like You Love Yourself

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 Reading today from Romans 13:8-14.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 
You know, I just read this line and it made me stop and think.  You see I just read a blog post from a gal about how we need to teach our children about wise credit card debt.  And then I read this post “Owe no one anything EXCEPT to love each other”.    And it’s like wow!  How do you owe love to each other?  Or is it that if we are going to owe someone something..it’s BECAUSE of our love for each other??  Which is it?   I don’t know, but I have to say, it makes me think about what my attitude toward how I feel about others matters.   For instance, I don’t like being in debt. I would rather pay cash and wait for something than to pay with a cheque or credit card.   It’s part of who I am… so to be in debt because of my love for someone… That would be huge.   So is my love for others huge?

9 For the commandments, “You
shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal,
You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this
word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
These verses follow up the first eh?   Don’t do all these things.. why?  Cause if you do them you aren’t showing love for your neighbour.  You aren’t showing them that you love them as much as you love yourself.

Think about it.

If you love your annoying neighbour as much as you love yourself..would you act or think differently toward them?   If you loved the man holding up a sign on the street corner as much as you loved yourself… would you be checking to see if he has expense headphones or good footwear before giving anything to him?   If you loved your boss as much as you loved yourself, would it change how you worked for him/her?   If you loved your spouse as much as you love yourself… what would change in your relationship?

Now that’s a telling one eh?  At least for me it is…makes me think about how I act with my hubby… I don’t always treat him in that self-loving way.   🙁  So much room for improvement.
 
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
See something you already know.  It’s time to wake up!  Salvation is at hand, so act like it!     Stop acting like it isn’t, and act like you truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, live to gratify the Lord Jesus Christ, not the temporary desires of the flesh.  

What say you?

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God Gave the Authority

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Learning today from Romans 13:1-7.

romans 13:1-7


Instructions given to believers.   
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Remember… God puts things in place.  Remember how yesterday we were reminded to leave vengeance to the Lord?  How God is in control of what happens to those who are our enemies, leaving us to just manage our stuff and not worry about the end result of things?   Well here again, God reminds us that HE is the one who is control, and his control is such that all others with authority only get there because he consents to it. 

Think about what that means.   I mean really think about it.  It’s hitting me like a brick over my headachy head… God put those in authority into that position.  And ultimately he’s the one with all the authority.

So when people in authority are unkind or mean or thoughtless or …. fill in the blank…. the end responsibility is God’s and HE will take care of those who use their positions wrongly.

2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

So if we fight against the authorities placed over us…we are ultimately fighting against God. Now.. I stop and think about this, and how Martin Luther didn’t let the authorities change his spiritual convictions. How he fled from them.   So I don’t know all the answers about how this all plays out sometimes.  It ultimately comes back to this… are you obeying God?  Are you going against the convictions of your spirit if you were to obey an leader using his position incorrectly?  It’s more important to obey God than to heed a ruler acting against God. 

But lest I get too fair afield here… we need to realize Paul’s point here… we need to obey the laws of the land.  And we need to pay our taxes, and respect our leaders, and give honour to those for whom honour is owed.   Why?   Because God put them in the position he did.   So they are meant for our good (at least they should be) and that means they act for God (at least they should).  Ergo… respect them.  Pay your taxes.  Give your respect.

Do as God would have you do. 

What say you?

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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 . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

God’s Got it in Hand

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Romans 12:9-21 is our passage for today.   I still have thoughts in my head from yesterday right?   How God graces us all with differing amounts of faith and within that faith given, bestows upon us different gifts that we are to use well. 

That lives the question doesn’t it… what does it mean for a Christian to use those gifts well, upon what do we base the use of them.

Paul answers that in today’s lesson.


9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Pretty straightforward eh?   Love is the answer.   Base the use of your gifts in genuine love.   So that when I talk with my neighbour over the fence, let me do in love.  When I mow the lawn and do a tad bit more than “what’s my property line”, let me do so because of the sisterly affection I have for him.  When I make jam and have an extra jar… show a neighbour welcome by gracing them with it. 

Can you imagine a church where we strove to “outdo each other in showing honor?”   Can you even imagine a neighbourhood where that was the focus?   Wouldn’t that be …weird?  People don’t tend to do that.  I don’t tend to do that.. but that’s something we are called to do.   Something I am called to do.  GAH….I have so much room for improvement.

I am not always zealous, or fervent or even wanting to serve the Lord.   So often my own self gets in the way of what I am called to do, called to be.   How often am I not patient when I have to wait in line?  🙂  If I can’t be patient then…how do I learn patience for the bigger things?    Of this one.. to be constant in prayer?   Are you good at this?  Do you always have the mind for prayer?   I try to…but again… my own self gets in the way.   Not a good thing that!

How about you?  When you read these words and look at yourself with sober judgement, do you see room for improvement?    

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Paul goes on to say more.  Things that are hard.  I spent a lot of the lads early years reading him stories of missionary folk, and some of the persecution they suffered.   And it’s hard to bless those who are against you.   It’s so hard sometimes to look past the pain they cause to the person behind the pain.  And honestly, I’m not always sure how it’s managed…must be a God-thing eh?  Where God helps you to do something that is difficult to do?

What else does Paul say.

Rejoice with those who rejoice.  That’s often so easy eh?  As long as you don’t let jealousy or hard feelings from the past creep in.  People are happy… be happy with them. 
Weep with those who weep.  Sometimes life is hard, death happens, illness happens, injuries and hardship happen.   We need to be aware of these things and be there to sorrow alongside those who sorrow.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.  These lines all seem to run together for me.  Living in harmony means you aren’t lording it over someone else.  It’s a peaceful equality that allows for differences without showmanship.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  Oh.. can’t this one be hard?   Someone speaks harshly to you and it’s so easy to just snap back at them.  But you have to ask this: is that what God would have you do?   God wants us to not snap back but consider the better, the honorable, the noble thing you can do instead.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  I have to admit, sometimes I wonder how to do that today.  How one communicates today in a defensive society, how does one communicate and still live at peace.   I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.

19 Beloved,
never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is
written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God.   I suppose if you really see this and understand it.. it helps us to see the bigger picture  In the end GOD will take care of it.  All I have to do is manage what I do.   So if someone is getting in my face, or hurting me, or being damaging…all I have to do is do my best to live peaceably with all, not being vengeful, living my life a loving, active servant of God…. and simply rest knowing that God will be mind the rest.  God’s got it in hand.

That means I can be nice to my enemies because it’s not my job to “get even with them”.  It’s God’s.  Isn’t that just a load off your back?   

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Gifts Differ By Grace Given

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Romans 12:3-8 is our passage for today.

 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
This is often a repeated theme eh?   So often in Romans Paul reminds the reader to not be thinking better of themselves than they should.  He gives a reason for it, always tracing it back to God.  Here Paul tells us HOW we are to think.  We are to think with sober judgement (ESV) or use good sense and measure (CEV) or be modest in your thinking (GNB).   Different translations say it differently eh?  The point is to stop and think about your abilities with a clear head without inflating yourself.   We judge by the measure of faith God has given to us.  

Isn’t that an interesting statement “according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”.  So .. does that mean that God grants the faith that we have?  Which explains why some folk have seem to have more faith than others?   AND the question then comes to me… does it matter?   For it one has faith the size of a mustard seed one can move mulberry trees, just be saying MOVE.  (Luke 17)   So the size of one’s faith doesn’t matter does it?   What matters is that we have faith, and we realize that that faith, comes from God. 

We are to use that faith as we look at ourselves and judge ourselves fairly.
 
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Why do we judge ourselves?  Because we are part of one body, and just like a physical body on a person this body is made up of different parts with their own skill sets.   These gifts differ according to the grace given to us.   All different… for instance one might be a servant, other a teacher, another giver, another a leader and another who shows mercy to others.  Different skills, different needs, different graces shown.  

And with those gifts given we are to use them.  HOW?  By being generous, zealous, cheerful, serving, teaching, giving, leading members in this body of Christ, a body made up people believing in him, a body chosen by God himself.

Pretty awesome eh?

What say you?

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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 . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Our Bodies, a Living Sacrifices

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I still have the thoughts of Romans 11 floating in my head. How we can’t understand how his mind works, but we can give him glory.  

So when I read these first couple of verses of Romans 12, I can’t help but wonder, are our bodies a way to give glory to God?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our bodies… our spiritual worship.
Our bodies… transformed by the renewing of our minds.

How do we get there?
First off… we can’t go anywhere without the mercies of God.   We just can’t.  Without his mercy given to us, we can’t even come to him, to seek him, to seek after the salvation that he offers to us freely. 
Then we are to present OUR bodies.  Not someone’s, but our very own bodies.  That needs to be our focus at this time.   We are then to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice.  

I need to think about what the means.  My body, a living sacrifice.  A sacrifice isn’t your own, you know?  A sacrifice is something given for a higher purpose. Like people will sacrifice food in order to lose weight… that being a higher purpose then staying at a weight that’s not healthy.   So if our bodies are meant to be a living sacrifice to God, then what are we giving up?  What am I giving up?

Giving up the world… do you see it.. it says in verse two.. DO NOT BE CONFORMED to this world. 

Our sacrifice is to chose to be transformed by the renewal of your minds.

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
Renew your mind by.. testing!  Go figure that one eh?  Testing to understand, to discern, to know what the will of God is.  To understand what is good, acceptable and perfect. 

That’s the kicker eh?  To figure out what God considers to be good, acceptable and perfect. 

If we do that then… we can proceed to offer our bodies as a holy and acceptable sacrifice to God.  It all ties together.   That’s our aim here… to be acceptable to God, holy, acceptable, pleasing to God.   Because “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”    So letting ourselves be transformed by the renewing of our minds, letting our bodies become that living sacrifice to him… it’s the best we can do 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 . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

For who has known the mind of the Lord

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Today we are reading from Romans 11:25-35.


Did you know that sometimes it is helpful to read a passage in another translation to help you understand it.

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (esv)
25 I
want you to understand this secret truth, brothers and sisters. This
truth will help you understand that you don’t know everything. The truth
is this: Part of Israel has been made stubborn, but that will change
when enough non-Jewish people have come to God.  (erv)
 25 For
I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest
ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (kjv)
 I might just be slow tonight in my thinking, but when I first read this passage my mind went totally blank.  Flipping through different passages made me think more clearly…not that I’m sure I have it all eh?   There is a mystery that’s not so easily understood. 

Israel has become partially hardened to the Lord.  Now remember, GOD is the one who allows that hardening of hearts.  But the fact is this, Israel is partially hardened, blinded to the truth of who God is.  This partial hardening will lost “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”.   What this fulness of the Gentiles is I’m not sure, Haldane’s commentary says it is when Gentiles really come to understand who Christ is. (or words to that effect…I think).

Why do we need to know this?
So we don’t become proud or conceited thinking too much of ourselves or thinking we know it all cause we most certainly don’t.  God has allowed this to be, for a season, not forever.
 
 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”
And here’s the reason it’s allowed “and in this way all Israel will be saved”.  God seeks the salvation of his first chosen people.  That’s his end goal. 

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 
We need to understand this dichotomy.   God loves the people of Israel because of their parents.  He does.  Yet at the same time… they are his enemies.  Not understanding the good news that has been shown to them. 

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Oh…what odd verses these eh?   How God allows our disobedience SO THAT HE CAN SHOW US MERCY!   Imagine it!   God wants to show us mercy, oh but he does. Our disobedience allows him to show us mercy.  MIND…we know from other scripture that we don’t want to joyfully or heedlessly be disobedient to God.  WE DON”T.  BUT this is, I think, talking about before we received God’s mercy…before we were aware of the depth of God’s mercy toward us..that mercy that called us to salvation.
 

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
All in all, this passage minds of this fact.  We can’t understand the ways of God.  We can’t.  How could it make sense to hardened the hearts of folks, and then extend grace to others, so that those folks with hardened hearts can come to know God truly.  How does that make sense????  Seriously.  It doesn’t.

Yet… He does.

So Paul asks this question ” “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”The answer is pretty obvious….NO ONE.   God can’t really be understood by us, he’s God.  THROUGH him all are things, FROM him are all things, TO him are all things. 

All we can do is : Give him glory.  Praise him for the things he has done and is doing and will do.  That’s all we can do.  We can’t claim to understand him, but we can give him glory. 

What say you?

——-
Photo used byPhoto by Todd Diemer on Unsplash
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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 . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Stand fast, not proud but fearing

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Today we are reading from Romans 11:11-24.


I have to admit, I am not sure what to say in regards to these next verses: 
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now
if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure
means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
It sounds like if I read it well, that God allowed people to stumble so he could show his grace to them, and through their salvation make the peoples of Israel jealous.  And if Israel is jealous then… SOME of them might be saved!   

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Think about that…stumbling…to grace..to salvation…to jealousy…to salvation.
God using weak vessels to change the hearts of other weak vessels.
Paul, working among the Gentiles, to the end that some Israelites might be saved.  Wanting the Gentiles to be saved, but also wanting to use their salvation to make the Israelites jealous so that they too might be saved.   He wants his people to have life! 

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 
A picture is painted here.   Do you see it?   Don’t be proud of your salvation, don’t lord it over others.  Just don’t go there!   God made the choice don’t you see?  HE is the one that made you part of his family.   And think on this…he rejected part of his original line. Don’t you think he can’t root out those who don’t truly belong to him?   Pride has no place here.  Just thankfulness to the one who supports and grows the tree that comes from HIS roots.

 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For
if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted,
contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will
these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
God’s severity – cutting off those that have fallen away from him.
God’s kindness – to those who remain with him.
AND keeping in mind that God can always graft back into his family those who turn to him.  Don’t you think God will always make that choice, to take back in those with whom he started?   
God wants all his people.
And all his people should be grateful for the choice he made to call them, to create a seeking people that will turn to him and want to know him.  

 I don’t know about you but these words are convicting.   There are times when my Dutch background comes out of me.. proud of my heritage as a dutch person as well as being a dutch based believer..and then here, here I am caught up and reminded of something very very important.  IT’S NOT ME!  It’s not my heritage.  It’s all God.  His choice to graft me into his family.   My family didn’t do that for me.  My heritage didn’t do that for me.  It was all God.  NOTHING else.  No room for pride or one-up-manship.  I’m not better than any other believer OR non-believer out there.   I have just as much need for God’s continued grace and kindness in my life as do my neighbours.  I really truly do.

What say you?   Do these verses convict you?

Follow along in my Romans Series.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©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 . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites