Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (NKJV)
This is our first out of five stops along our journey down "Romans Road."
No one usually goes to a doctor until they admit they are sick, right?
(Okay, check ups don't count for this illustration)
Well, the first step of salvation is admitting they you are a sinner. This verse in Romans tells us that we have all sinned: you, me, your sweet little grandmother, Mother Teresa, the Pope, etc. ALL have sinned and fall short of God's glorious standard.
Since man's fall in the garden we are all S-I-N positive with no cure expect the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. We can all run around telling our self that we are all good people and that God wouldn't send a good person to hell, blah, blah, blah...
The hard truth is that it doesn't matter what we think or what we believe in, we do not measure up to God's standard. Before Jesus' death on the cross, God instituted the sacrificial system as a covering for the sins of the people. All of this was designed to foreshadow the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ for not just the sins of Israel, but for the whole world.
We may look real good when we compare ourselves to other people or criminals on TV, but how good would you look standing next to Jesus?
I will tell you. Every little thing you ever did that was wrong would stand out like a gigantic oil stain compared to the pureness and sanctity of Christ.
And you thought the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 looked bad...
So on this stop along Romans Road, we need to realize that no matter how hard we try, we will never measure up to God's standard.
Next time we will talk about what we get for our sinful ways versus the gift that Christ gave us...
In Christ,
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?
John 1:12-13
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
I know this is a repeat verse from last year but it is something that is really on my heart to share...
I hear people say all the time that "We are all God's children" and "God loves all his kids." I usually hear this as a defense for some behavior or a lifestyle that is considered sin by the Bible.
The thing that we have to realize is that "Yes" we are all God's created beings and "Yes" He does love each and every one of us, BUT (here it comes) He does not and will not condone sin. Just because it seems right to someone or "feels right" does not make it right. If it did, we would never prosecute child molesters, rapists, thieves, muggers, etc. All these people either feel right doing what they do or they are just doing something they like.
This verse is very clear as to who is actually "God's Children." We have to believe in His name (Jesus Christ) and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Now you can't say that you have done that and still continue living in sin. It does not work that way.
Jesus spoke repeatedly about "bearing fruit" as being evidence of salvation and a relationship with Him and as written in 1 John 1:5-7 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. "
We cannot love Jesus and love sin. We cannot walk with Christ and walk in sin.
Are we perfect? No. But there is a difference in "sinning" and "living in sin" deliberately. It is a matter of the heart. If you have Christ in you, you will not want to sin or to live outside of His will or against his Word.
The reason I am writing this is because there are people out there and people I care about that think they are going to heaven just because they said a prayer or they simply believe in God. Even Satan and his demons believe in God! (James 2:19)
So many people think that as long as they "have faith in faith" they are okay. By that I mean as long as we believe in something, we will be alright. If you actually think about that, you will realize it is absurd. If three people believe in three different gods and they all die, will they all go to each of their gods? Of course not! That is ridiculous.
If I make up a god and carve an image out of wood and pray to it and make offerings to it, will it provide my salvation? Will it cleanse me of my sin? Will it grant me eternity? I think you understand the answer.
God gives us this example in Habakkuk 2:16
"What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all. "
Remember this:
Psalm 96:5 "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens."
Isaiah also tells us of the day when mankind will cast down there made up "feel good" gods and will face the living and true God.
Isaiah 2:20-21
"In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily. "
Isaiah also repeats this in chapter 31 verse 7. Trust me, if God repeated himself to Isaiah, IT IS IMPORTANT!!!
My point is this...no matter what may feel right, no matter if we think we are born a certain way or we blame it on our parents or bad genes or whatever, remember Jesus said that no one will see Heaven unless they are BORN AGAIN. Not born of the flesh, but born of the Spirit of God that comes through salvation. (John 3)
There are so many of you that I know are not following the Lord and I care about each and every one of and that is my sole purpose for posting this. I am not here to bash anyone, judge anyone personally, ridicule or be hateful to anyone. If you are offended by anything I have said, understand that it is not my words that offend, it is the Lord's. I am just sharing them.
I will be posting a post each week that explains how everyone is a sinner and needs Jesus and how to come to salvation. It is called the "Romans Road" because each verse comes out of the Book of Romans written by Paul the Apostle.
It is my hope and desire that the Holy Spirit will touch those that read this and lead them to repentance so you can enter into a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe and secure your eternal destination in Heaven.
Amen.
God Bless,
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
I know this is a repeat verse from last year but it is something that is really on my heart to share...
I hear people say all the time that "We are all God's children" and "God loves all his kids." I usually hear this as a defense for some behavior or a lifestyle that is considered sin by the Bible.
The thing that we have to realize is that "Yes" we are all God's created beings and "Yes" He does love each and every one of us, BUT (here it comes) He does not and will not condone sin. Just because it seems right to someone or "feels right" does not make it right. If it did, we would never prosecute child molesters, rapists, thieves, muggers, etc. All these people either feel right doing what they do or they are just doing something they like.
This verse is very clear as to who is actually "God's Children." We have to believe in His name (Jesus Christ) and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Now you can't say that you have done that and still continue living in sin. It does not work that way.
Jesus spoke repeatedly about "bearing fruit" as being evidence of salvation and a relationship with Him and as written in 1 John 1:5-7 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. "
We cannot love Jesus and love sin. We cannot walk with Christ and walk in sin.
Are we perfect? No. But there is a difference in "sinning" and "living in sin" deliberately. It is a matter of the heart. If you have Christ in you, you will not want to sin or to live outside of His will or against his Word.
The reason I am writing this is because there are people out there and people I care about that think they are going to heaven just because they said a prayer or they simply believe in God. Even Satan and his demons believe in God! (James 2:19)
So many people think that as long as they "have faith in faith" they are okay. By that I mean as long as we believe in something, we will be alright. If you actually think about that, you will realize it is absurd. If three people believe in three different gods and they all die, will they all go to each of their gods? Of course not! That is ridiculous.
If I make up a god and carve an image out of wood and pray to it and make offerings to it, will it provide my salvation? Will it cleanse me of my sin? Will it grant me eternity? I think you understand the answer.
God gives us this example in Habakkuk 2:16
"What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all. "
Remember this:
Psalm 96:5 "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens."
Isaiah also tells us of the day when mankind will cast down there made up "feel good" gods and will face the living and true God.
Isaiah 2:20-21
"In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily. "
Isaiah also repeats this in chapter 31 verse 7. Trust me, if God repeated himself to Isaiah, IT IS IMPORTANT!!!
My point is this...no matter what may feel right, no matter if we think we are born a certain way or we blame it on our parents or bad genes or whatever, remember Jesus said that no one will see Heaven unless they are BORN AGAIN. Not born of the flesh, but born of the Spirit of God that comes through salvation. (John 3)
There are so many of you that I know are not following the Lord and I care about each and every one of and that is my sole purpose for posting this. I am not here to bash anyone, judge anyone personally, ridicule or be hateful to anyone. If you are offended by anything I have said, understand that it is not my words that offend, it is the Lord's. I am just sharing them.
I will be posting a post each week that explains how everyone is a sinner and needs Jesus and how to come to salvation. It is called the "Romans Road" because each verse comes out of the Book of Romans written by Paul the Apostle.
It is my hope and desire that the Holy Spirit will touch those that read this and lead them to repentance so you can enter into a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe and secure your eternal destination in Heaven.
Amen.
God Bless,
Friday, December 4, 2009
BE A BLESSED PARENT
Proverbs 23:24
"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him." (NKJV)
The majority of Proverbs 23 pertains to the importance of child discipline and the benefits of raising a godly child. The other night at dinner I was reading from Proverbs to the family and by God's divine hand, we ended up in Proverbs 23 and, needless to say, we spent some time reading these words of wisdom and explaining them to the kids.
We talked about how much of a blessing it is as a parent to witness your child do something that makes you proud. I am not talking about scoring a touchdown or winning a spelling bee. Those are definitely things to be proud of but as parents we should be striving to teach our kids to show compassion for others and to look for ways to help people.
That is what makes me proud as a dad. Sure, if my son scores the winning touchdown, I am going to be excited and will be the first on yelling, "That's MY son!" but I would rather see my son or daughter go out of their to help someone in need and then say to the Lord quietly, "That's YOUR child."
This what we need to be teaching our kids.
Be blessed.
"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him." (NKJV)
The majority of Proverbs 23 pertains to the importance of child discipline and the benefits of raising a godly child. The other night at dinner I was reading from Proverbs to the family and by God's divine hand, we ended up in Proverbs 23 and, needless to say, we spent some time reading these words of wisdom and explaining them to the kids.
We talked about how much of a blessing it is as a parent to witness your child do something that makes you proud. I am not talking about scoring a touchdown or winning a spelling bee. Those are definitely things to be proud of but as parents we should be striving to teach our kids to show compassion for others and to look for ways to help people.
That is what makes me proud as a dad. Sure, if my son scores the winning touchdown, I am going to be excited and will be the first on yelling, "That's MY son!" but I would rather see my son or daughter go out of their to help someone in need and then say to the Lord quietly, "That's YOUR child."
This what we need to be teaching our kids.
Be blessed.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
COMFORT
2 Corinthians 1:4
"[GOD] who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (NIV)
No matter what we are going through we need to remember that God is our great comforter. He comforts us with His Word and His promises.
Psalm 71:21
"You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side."
Psalm 119:50
"This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life."
Everyone says to "take comfort in the Lord" or "rest in Him" when we are in enduring hardship or are in pain. I think we sometimes accept those statements without really understanding the meaning behind them.
If we truly hold onto Christ and look to Him for strength, we will get through whatever it is we are going through because when we TRULY acknowledge what Jesus did on the cross for us, anything that we can EVER go through is nothing compared to that. Our comfort during these times is not just the comfort of knowing He is there but knowing that if He did that for us so we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven, we can endure anything this world throws at us.
That is why Paul says in Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
And not only are we to take comfort in the Lord during our own troubles but we are to take this same comfort to others that are suffering. This applies to believer's and non-believers. The follower of Christ may need to be reminded of the comfort we have in Christ (as I did this week) and the non-believer needs to know of the comfort in Christ that they can have.
We do not need to have experienced the same trouble that someone has gone through in order to bring them comfort because even though we haven't experienced the trial, we HAVE experienced His grace, mercy, love and comfort. That is what we can share.
Be Comforted and Comfort Others Today!!
"[GOD] who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (NIV)
No matter what we are going through we need to remember that God is our great comforter. He comforts us with His Word and His promises.
Psalm 71:21
"You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side."
Psalm 119:50
"This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life."
Everyone says to "take comfort in the Lord" or "rest in Him" when we are in enduring hardship or are in pain. I think we sometimes accept those statements without really understanding the meaning behind them.
If we truly hold onto Christ and look to Him for strength, we will get through whatever it is we are going through because when we TRULY acknowledge what Jesus did on the cross for us, anything that we can EVER go through is nothing compared to that. Our comfort during these times is not just the comfort of knowing He is there but knowing that if He did that for us so we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven, we can endure anything this world throws at us.
That is why Paul says in Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
And not only are we to take comfort in the Lord during our own troubles but we are to take this same comfort to others that are suffering. This applies to believer's and non-believers. The follower of Christ may need to be reminded of the comfort we have in Christ (as I did this week) and the non-believer needs to know of the comfort in Christ that they can have.
We do not need to have experienced the same trouble that someone has gone through in order to bring them comfort because even though we haven't experienced the trial, we HAVE experienced His grace, mercy, love and comfort. That is what we can share.
Be Comforted and Comfort Others Today!!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
NO FEAR
2 Tim 1:7
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
The word "fear" in this verse means "timidity" or "cowardice" and it is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to serve God and do ministry. If we think our talents and personal ability will be enough to serve the Lord, we will be defeated every time when the fiery darts of the enemy start coming our way.
The Holy Spirit also gives us love. We have to have love for the lost and for the people of God. When we keep on focus on God and other people, we will be able to endure suffering, set backs and hardships.
The words "sound mind" are better translated as "self control" or "self discipline" and indicates that a person that is filled with and led by Spirit will have the power to overcome cowardice, have genuine compassion for others and will have a well balanced and controlled mind and has their life under control.
We have to remember that it is not us that do anything for the Lord, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that works in and through us.
Phil 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Be blessed today!
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
The word "fear" in this verse means "timidity" or "cowardice" and it is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to serve God and do ministry. If we think our talents and personal ability will be enough to serve the Lord, we will be defeated every time when the fiery darts of the enemy start coming our way.
The Holy Spirit also gives us love. We have to have love for the lost and for the people of God. When we keep on focus on God and other people, we will be able to endure suffering, set backs and hardships.
The words "sound mind" are better translated as "self control" or "self discipline" and indicates that a person that is filled with and led by Spirit will have the power to overcome cowardice, have genuine compassion for others and will have a well balanced and controlled mind and has their life under control.
We have to remember that it is not us that do anything for the Lord, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that works in and through us.
Phil 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Be blessed today!
Friday, November 6, 2009
WHERE ARE YOU GOD?
1 Peter 1:3-9
"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (NKJV)
I know it can be hard sometimes to see God when either we or someone we care about is going through a terrible trial or has experienced a horrific tragedy. Today's message really weighs on my heart because of a friend of mine who, along with friends of theirs, is experiencing this very thing.
I couldn't put just one of these verses because they all are related and it is important to look at scripture in context so today's is a bit long.
The first thing that we need to understand is that we have the living hope of eternity with Christ through His resurrection. This is the hinge that holds our faith together. A hinge so strong that every apostle (except for John) died a horrific martyrs death believing in. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, they would have known that and would not have been willing to die for a lie.
Peter says that our inheritance (eternal life) cannot be destroyed. No matter what this life or this world throws at us or takes away from us, our salvation will not fade away like treasures here on earth. When we die, we can't take our money, house, car, 401K, IRA, etc with us. The only thing we can take with us is our salvation. Everything else gets divided up to those we leave behind but our salvation remains with us.
The next important point is that Peter tells us that as believers we will face hard times. He recognized this in verse 6 and he is speaking to believers in Jesus. Their lives were not all perfect and without hardship. He encouraged them to look past the trials and rejoice in the love they have for Christ even though they have not physically seen Him, they know in their hearts that they love Him and through their current trial, they can draw to Him and lean on His strength. He also says that their faith will be tested by fire. We know that if something can withstand fire it is (for the most part) indestructible. Our faith in Christ will be tested and put to the fire when we or people we love go through hard times, but it is that same faith and love for Jesus that will get us through it.
(From the Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe)
["Our love for Christ is not based on physical sight, because we have not seen Him. It is based on our spiritual relationship with Him and what the Word has taught us about Him. The Holy Spirit has poured out God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5), and we return that love to Him. When you find yourself in some trial, and you hurt, immediately lift your heart to Christ in true love and worship. Why? Because this will take the poison out of the experience and replace it with healing medicine."]
I want to close with some verses that help show us that we WILL ALL go through hard times here on earth but that we should, during these times, look ahead of the trouble and look to the prize. And that prize being our salvation and the hope of eternity with Christ. And that hope is not hope of what MAY come but is the hope and expectancy of what WILL COME.
Matthew 5:12
"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
James 1:2-3
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
1 Peter 4:12
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you"
Romans 1:3-5
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Understand that the trials these men faced during the day these letters were written were death and punishment for their faith. Severe persecution and torture is what they faced. If they can look past what they were going through, how much more can we look past our own trials and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Be encouraged today!
Mike
"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (NKJV)
I know it can be hard sometimes to see God when either we or someone we care about is going through a terrible trial or has experienced a horrific tragedy. Today's message really weighs on my heart because of a friend of mine who, along with friends of theirs, is experiencing this very thing.
I couldn't put just one of these verses because they all are related and it is important to look at scripture in context so today's is a bit long.
The first thing that we need to understand is that we have the living hope of eternity with Christ through His resurrection. This is the hinge that holds our faith together. A hinge so strong that every apostle (except for John) died a horrific martyrs death believing in. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, they would have known that and would not have been willing to die for a lie.
Peter says that our inheritance (eternal life) cannot be destroyed. No matter what this life or this world throws at us or takes away from us, our salvation will not fade away like treasures here on earth. When we die, we can't take our money, house, car, 401K, IRA, etc with us. The only thing we can take with us is our salvation. Everything else gets divided up to those we leave behind but our salvation remains with us.
The next important point is that Peter tells us that as believers we will face hard times. He recognized this in verse 6 and he is speaking to believers in Jesus. Their lives were not all perfect and without hardship. He encouraged them to look past the trials and rejoice in the love they have for Christ even though they have not physically seen Him, they know in their hearts that they love Him and through their current trial, they can draw to Him and lean on His strength. He also says that their faith will be tested by fire. We know that if something can withstand fire it is (for the most part) indestructible. Our faith in Christ will be tested and put to the fire when we or people we love go through hard times, but it is that same faith and love for Jesus that will get us through it.
(From the Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe)
["Our love for Christ is not based on physical sight, because we have not seen Him. It is based on our spiritual relationship with Him and what the Word has taught us about Him. The Holy Spirit has poured out God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5), and we return that love to Him. When you find yourself in some trial, and you hurt, immediately lift your heart to Christ in true love and worship. Why? Because this will take the poison out of the experience and replace it with healing medicine."]
I want to close with some verses that help show us that we WILL ALL go through hard times here on earth but that we should, during these times, look ahead of the trouble and look to the prize. And that prize being our salvation and the hope of eternity with Christ. And that hope is not hope of what MAY come but is the hope and expectancy of what WILL COME.
Matthew 5:12
"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
James 1:2-3
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
1 Peter 4:12
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you"
Romans 1:3-5
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Understand that the trials these men faced during the day these letters were written were death and punishment for their faith. Severe persecution and torture is what they faced. If they can look past what they were going through, how much more can we look past our own trials and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Be encouraged today!
Mike
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
THE GOODNESS OF GOD
Romans 2:4
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"
This verse was taught this past Sunday at church and it is an interesting one and easy to read over and not realize how important it is. A lot of people repent and turn to God when they are at the lowest point of their life. When it seems their life is a series of wrong turns and bad decisions and they are left with nowhere to turn is when they turn to God.
Does this sound like "the goodness of God?"
Sometimes God allows things to happen in our life in order to get our attention. Maybe it takes a tragedy for us to lean on Him. In our weakness, we are made strong by His strength. But does this sound like the "goodness of God" that leads us to repentance?
The "goodness of God" is the fact that He is longsuffering and "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
When we realize that God will forgive us no matter what we have done or how much of a sinner we are, that is when we repent, turn from our sin and turn to Him. When we realize how much God loves us and what He did for us on the cross we can't help but turn from sin and run to Him.
That is why Paul later says in Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God loves us so much that He died on the cross for us. He bore the sin, the shame and the pain so we wouldn't have to.
That is the "goodness of God" that leads to repentance. His longsuffering and patience and desire "that all should come to repentance."
REPENT and TURN TO HIM!
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"
This verse was taught this past Sunday at church and it is an interesting one and easy to read over and not realize how important it is. A lot of people repent and turn to God when they are at the lowest point of their life. When it seems their life is a series of wrong turns and bad decisions and they are left with nowhere to turn is when they turn to God.
Does this sound like "the goodness of God?"
Sometimes God allows things to happen in our life in order to get our attention. Maybe it takes a tragedy for us to lean on Him. In our weakness, we are made strong by His strength. But does this sound like the "goodness of God" that leads us to repentance?
The "goodness of God" is the fact that He is longsuffering and "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
When we realize that God will forgive us no matter what we have done or how much of a sinner we are, that is when we repent, turn from our sin and turn to Him. When we realize how much God loves us and what He did for us on the cross we can't help but turn from sin and run to Him.
That is why Paul later says in Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God loves us so much that He died on the cross for us. He bore the sin, the shame and the pain so we wouldn't have to.
That is the "goodness of God" that leads to repentance. His longsuffering and patience and desire "that all should come to repentance."
REPENT and TURN TO HIM!
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