Every One

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

Romans 6:18

We’d like to think that we were never on the auction block being sold as a slave but we were.

Every one of us was a slave to sin when we did not know God.

Every one of us!

Such was the shame, humiliation and demeaning of sin in our lives.

Sin excludes no one.

Even those who may not share the same theology!

Even those deemed the ‘best and the brightest’ of society.

Even those whose lives we might say is that of a ‘saint’.

Apart from God and the salvation paid for through His Son – each of us stood on the auction block.

Our lives being surrendered to the highest bidder.

White, black, rich or poor, sin is the great equalizer.

Praise God that the highest price possible was paid for you and me!

Jesus bought us back (and brought us back) to the Father through the redeeming work  of the cross.

As the song says:

“I’m no longer a slave to sin, I am a child of God!”

Let the message of this song sink deep into your spirit - 

https://youtu.be/f8TkUMJtK5k

Melted Candles

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 14, 16)

Sitting on my dining room table is a decorative candle holder containing 5 large candles.  As I was looking at it, I realized how pristine the candles were.  The wicks were perfectly white.  There was no black soot on the candle.  They looked the same as when my wife first took them out of the box.

The only problem, they have never been lit, which means they have never fulfilled the purpose they were created for – to display light to a dark room.

Then I thought of the many Christians whose flame is not lit.  Sure, they may look beautiful on the outside, especially when on display in a church pew, but inside, there is no light.  The flame has been extinguished.

We are called to be a light in a dark world, but if our candle is not lit, we are not of much use.

When a candled is being used, it may not look the prettiest.  It may have black soot marks and become misshaped because of the heat and melting wax, but at least it fulfilling its purpose.

Are you being a light at home, work, and play?  Are you displaying the Light of the world (Jesus) to those around you?

If not, ask the Lord to reignite your desire for Him.  Ask Him to help you fall back in love with the Light of the world, so that you can become the light of the world.

By putting yourself out there, you may get a little messy and your flaws may be on display for others to see, but more importantly, you’re fulfilling the purpose for which God created you.

Fruitful Suffering

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”

Romans 5:3

“...but we also rejoice in our sufferings...”

If the words from that verse (Romans 5:3) ended there we might be tempted to say: “Oh, really Paul? I certainly don’t rejoice in my sufferings!”

But it doesn’t end there.

Paul speaks of what should be the end result of that suffering.

It can bear fruit in our lives.

Suffering produces perseverance.

Perseverance produces character.

Character produces hope and hope does not disappoint.

So suffering has a purpose.

Not necessarily the suffering we endure because of our own ignorance or disobedient behavior but that suffering that comes into all people’s lives at one time or another.

Someone has said that you “...shouldn’t waste your trials.”

But our scripture today is reminding us not to waste our suffering.

We do not waste it when, through that suffering we persevere allowing character built in us to give us hope.

A hope that does not disappoint.

That is fruitful suffering!

How Far is Too Far?

“at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.”

Isaiah 20:2

How far will you go to be obedient to Gods command?

How far before you say: “Too far!”

Apparently Isaiah walked around naked and barefoot for three years at the command of God and never said “Too far!”

Imagine the stares from others he endured during that time.

How many quick glances and whispered insults did he endure?

Imagine all of the “Oh, don’t pay attention to my crazy uncle, he thinks he’s obeying God” types of comments were leveled about him in those roughly 1000 days.

All for the obedience to the command of God!

Surely God wouldn’t subject someone to that kind of ridicule!

What courage and what confidence the prophet had to have that he was truly hearing from God in order to fulfill such a command!

Could I do it?

Would I do it?

Would you?

Would God require such a thing of me? Of you?

Are you prepared to answer the question:

How far is too far?

Through Christ

“because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:2

The Law of God has wonderful value but it will never be able to redeem us.

Paul wrote in Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in this sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we became conscious of sin,”

The law will not change a heart.

But God can change hearts, He can create new ones!

Not a heart that follows the law per se but a heart that follows Him.

The law is well able to reveal our shortcomings.

The law is also well able to reveal our need for a savior.

The law has benefit but it will not save.

Boasting in keeping the law and/or our religious tradition is a hollow boast.

All praise and honor belong to God who, through Jesus, redeemed us from the curse of the law.

We, in our eagerness, try to reconstruct the framework of the law through religion.

But all of our constructs are destined to fail because unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain.

Gods’ ‘construct’ is through relationship to His Son.

In that, by receiving the free gift of God, and not in our own works do we find redemption.

Hold Fast to What is Good

“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

Romans 2:14-15

Cornelius was not a Jew but he was an honorable man.

His story is told in the Book of Acts.

But the book of Romans Chapter two paints a portrait of men like Cornelius.

There were many who, though not Jews, kept the ‘spirit’ of the law.

God honored that.

At the same time there were many Jews who, though circumcised and boasting in their lineage violated the law over and over again.

For them there was no safety in their ancestry.

In fact they dishonored their ancestry by their disobedience.

Many of the Gentiles actually honored the “Fathers of the Faith” by their adherence to the spirit of the law God gave.

We still honor God with our obedience and by not holding fast to dead traditions

Let go of those things that hold you but do not draw you nearer to the Lord.

Hold fast to those things that bring you into intimate fellowship with Him!

Branded by God

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

God was talking about a future covenant that was coming.  A covenant much better than the covenant at that time.  A covenant that was internal, instead of external.  A covenant where God would miraculously take residence within us and write His laws on our hearts.

I remember the old western movies where the cattle owners would “brand” their livestock by burning a unique mark on the hide of their cattle to let everyone know who the cattle belonged to.

God desires not just to have his words written on the pages of a book, but also to burn those words on our hearts.

In order for a steer to be branded, the cattle owner would have to rope the steer and restrain it until the process was complete.

Are you willing to stop and be hog tied so the Lord can burn His word onto your heart so they become the fabric of who you are?  Then it will become clearly evident who you belong to – God and His kingdom.

On the other hand, if we are frantically rushing through life and never stop to make time for God, other things will brand our lives, things that won’t identify us as belonging to God.

What branding marks do others see in you?  Does your lifestyle clearly identify you as belonging to God?

If you sense God is trying to slow you down, don’t resist.  Surrender your will, sit at His feet, mediate on His word, and let Him brand your heart.