Revelations 19-22: Come, Lord Jesus

     I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
     KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. - Rev. 19:11-16 NIV

     Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
     “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelations 22:10-13 NIV 

    The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. -Revelations 22:17 NIV

I am not always faithful, in fact I fail many times.  It is the end of the year and I have not finished my daily devotions for the past few days.  I've been caught up in other things less important.  The student who has lived with us off and on for the last eight years left us to move to her new job in California.  For the two weeks before she left, we entertained her parents on their first visit to the US from their country of Moldova.  I spent a day getting a new computer set up.  There have been days at work, days of celebrating the holiday and days of doing everything but.  Still, God is faithful.  He is the only one called Faithful and True.  He is faithful when we are not.  He is the first and last word, the beginning and the end of not just a year, but of all time.  The call still rings out. 'Come!.  The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!  Come all ye who are thirsty, come all ye who want, come all ye who are not faithful, come all ye who want to take the free gift of the water of life.  Come!'

So I come, not worthy, never worthy, not faithful, never faithful, I come to the one who is, and  n my heart is the cry of all the bride, 'Come, come Lord Jesus, come!'

Revelations19-22:  Faithful & True

1-2 Peter: Living Urgently

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives  as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.- 2 Peter 4:8-12 NIV

Peter repeats the same thing in both of his letters:  A day with the Lord is like a thousand years and the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises.  This Peter, the one who knew Jesus in the flesh, the one who heard God say, 'this is my beloved Son', the one who denied him three times, the one who told Jesus over and over again that he loved him, this Peter must have known what he was talking about.

God is not slow in bringing about what he promised, for the world to come or even in our lives, therefore, we have an obligation to be holy and godly as we look forward to that day and speed it's coming.  I'm not sure I'm doing everything I should be doing to hasten Christ's return.  In fact, if he is coming tomorrow, there are many things I have yet to do.  Why do I get so wrapped up in the non-essential when there is so much to be done, when God's patience is holding the time back until everyone has had a chance to accept the gospel?   The one who knew Jesus knew the urgency with which we should live.  Why don't we?

2010 Post -  1-2 Peter:  Chosen People in an Alien World

James 1-5: Be Patient, Stand Firm

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:1-9 NIV

As another year comes to an end, these words of James seem an apt description of our times.  If we fail to recognize ourselves in these descriptions, we are deceived.  We are wealthy beyond means but our wealth is rotting, our gold and silver are corrupting.  All that we have hoarded up is now consuming us. It may be just the holidays, but I am so tired of overindulgence.  I'm sick from all the excess.  It doesn't leave me feeling full, it leaves me feeling empty.

We should have separated ourselves from the world and all of it's trappings years ago, but it is not too late.  Although the Lord's coming is near, there is still time to do what we should have been doing all along.  Throw off all that binds us to this earth, be patient and stand firm.   

2010 Post - James 1-5:  Faith Without Works is Dead

Hebrews 11-13:

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. - Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV

Why are some taken from this earth at an early age, while others linger on and on, outliving their bodies and many times their minds?  I would say it is another mystery, but perhaps it is not so mysterious.  I think of Derek Loux, a talented Christian musician and man of God who was taken long before his time, yet when I listen to his music, I see that he already had his heart and mind set on that eternal city, that heavenly kingdom.  Perhaps it was not such a stretch for him to reach out and grab that kingdom with all his heart, mind, and soul when he had the opportunity, leaving his earthly body behind.  I'm afraid that others, myself included, are more bound to this earth than we care to admit and that may explain why some who have been declared dead come back to life.  This earthly country still draws them more than the heavenly one. 

I want my life to be caught up in the promise of what lies ahead.  That doesn't mean I want to be so fixed on heaven that I am no earthly good, but I want to be fully aware that heaven, being in the presence of God, is my ultimate destination and anything else pales in comparison.  I want to live my life daily fully aware that I am an alien and stranger on this earth, looking for a country of my own.

2010 Post - Hebrews 11-13:  Faith That Cannot Be Shaken

Hebrews 7-10: A Perfectly Acceptable High Priest

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. - Heb. 8:25 NIV

I don't know about anyone else, but I need a constant redeemer.  I need someone to stand on my behalf day and night.  My sins could not be atoned for by a one time sacrificial lamb being slaughtered in the temple by an earthly priest.  My sins require atonement on an ongoing basis.  Thank God, he provided constant intercession in the form of his Son. 

Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.  For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.  - Heb. 8:26-28 NIV

Jesus Christ was what none of the other earthly, priests before or since, could ever hope to be, a perfectly acceptable High Priest.

2010 Post - Hebrews 7-10:  A Better Priest

Hebrews 4-6: Only the Great High Priest

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Heb. 4: 15-16 NIV

Part of the continuing mystery of the gospel is this, Jesus was man just like we are, yet he was God's son.  As such, he can approach God's throne of grace on our behalf, not just as our intercessor, but as one who has been there as well.  He can approach his father and petition for forgiveness for our sins precisely because he knows the level of temptation that caused to us to succumb to the particular sin that grasped us. The angels could not do this for us, only the son of man, only the great High Priest could act on our behalf.

2010 Post - Hebrews 4-6:  A Sabbath Rest

Hebrews 1-3: Do We See Jesus?

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. - Heb. 2:8-9 NIV

Sometimes, especially during the holiday season, I think we see everything but what we're supposed to see.  If you look around, you will see stars, angels, bells, trees, tinsel, snowflakes, icicles, ornaments of all shapes and sizes, Santas, snowmen, packages, bows, and on and on and on.  Recently, I even saw a tree made entirely of bicycles.  What, I ask, does that have to do with the One this holiday is supposed to be celebrating?  I doubt that God even laughs at our feeble attempt to put Christ back in Christmas anymore and I share his disgust.  Instead of trying to put Christ back, I think perhaps we should take him out completely.  Let the holiday revert to the pagan festival that it once was and let's look for God and his Son where we're more likely to find them...in a humble manger, before a fire cooking fish, feeding the hungry, having a meal together, in solitary prayer, or nailed to a cross.  Where is that Christ in all of this hubris?  Do we really see Jesus anymore?

2010 Post - Hebrews 1-3:  We See Jesus

2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon: I Know Whom I have Believed.

Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us- 2 Timothy 1:12-14 NIV

There are days when I wonder if I will make it to the end.  I have come this far, but will all of the pressures of the world finally wear me down and cause me to abandon my faith.  Will I give up because it is easier?  Will I abandon what I have believed in thus far because of apathy?  Will I lose all when I have won so much?  All of these are questions not worth asking because it is not our deeds that keep us, it is God's grace.  It is God who has chosen us, we are his chosen, his elect.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and guard our hearts.  No matter my doubts, I know that he will keep me, he will keep that which I've committed safe until the day I see him face to face.

2010 Post - 2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon:  Not Ashamed

1 Timothy 1-5: Beyond All Question

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
   He appeared in a body,
   was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
   was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
   was taken up in glory. - 1 Timothy 3:16 NIV

The mystery of godliness is great.  It is beyond all question.  There is no way our human minds can fully comprehend it.  The Messiah that Israel looked and longed for, for so many years, came into the world., not as they imagined, but as a baby.  He was not born in the palace of kings as one would expect of one of the line of David, but born in a stable.  And, while his birth was of little note, it was his dying that gave us life.  We cannot question why God would choose to redeem the world in this manner, we can only accept that all these events happened, accept that this is the greatest mystery of all, and accept that it is a gift, a gift beyond all question.

2010 Post - 1 Timothy 1-5:  Here is a Trustworthy Saying

2 Thessalonians 1-3: Peace!

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. - 2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV

We're all searching for peace, especially at this time of year.  Even some children, albeit probably prompted by their parents, their teachers, or the media would tell Santa or the roving reporter that all they want for Christmas is Peace on Earth.  The question looms, are we really looking for Peace?  Are we looking for the Peace that the world doesn't know, that the world will never know, or are we looking for our own personal safety.  Are we looking for protection from those who would threaten or harm us?  If so, even if it is achieved, it is temporary at best.  Kim Jong-il is only one example.  The peace we thought would be achieved by his passing is disturbed by the prospect of his son.  There is no earthly peace, not the still, quiet, worry free peace that God promised.  That only comes by trust and faith in his Son:  trust that he knows us, loves us, has only good plans for us and by faith that he did and will carry out what he promised.  It is only the Lord of peace that can give us peace.  Peace we can have at all times and in every way.

2010 Post - 2 Thessalonians 1-3:   Stand Firm

1 Thessalonians 1-5: A Quiet Life

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.- 1 Thess. 4:  11-12 NIV

I find this so hard to do in this generation, in this society.  We are constantly being bombarded with the message that it is all about us, that we have to speak up for what we want, we have to grab for all the gusto, we have to take what we deserve, that we are the center of the universe, that only everything good should come our way .  This is so contrary to the gospel, yet we're all caught up in it, including those of us, who as God's children, should know better.  And we wonder why the world doesn't have respect for us or the gospel.  How could they?  I'm not sure I respect what I see either.  As a friend recently posted on Facebook, 'The institutional church has fallen, but not to it's knees."  That's where we are.  It's my hope, that somewhere, there is a group of committed believers who are not trying to impress anyone with their great church complex, ministry, or congregation...whose only ambition is to lead a quiet life for the glory of God. 

2010  Post - 1 Thessalonians 1-5:  Encourage Each Other

Colossians 1-4: Put On Love

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.- Colossians 3:12-15 NIV

These verses are another reminder from Paul on how we are to live, not only in this season, but as it is phrased 'in season and out of season'.  How many times can I say I am clothed with compassion?  Even worse, how many times do I give thought to putting it on?  I concentrate on my earthly clothing, fashion which will go out of style and disappear in rot and mildew, when I should be putting on the true apparel which Christ purchased for us:  compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  And love, the love that we have been given should be our crowning glory.  It should outshine any earthly adornment we can come up with.  As I ready myself for church this Sunday morning, I may be dressed appropriately, but I have a long way to go.

2010 Post - Colossians 1-4:  Not On Earthly Things

Philippians 1-4: Abound in Love

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. - Phil. 1:9-11 NIV

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Phil. 2:1-4 NIV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Phil. 3:8-9 NIV

There you have it.  What Christ called us to, and what Paul challenges us to is often a lot different than the faith we put in practice.  We're called to a higher calling:  to abound in love, to do nothing out of selfish motives, to not look to our own interests, to concentrate on what is right, pure and lovely.  A goal I fall far short of most of the time.  This time of year when the concentration is on what gifts we should give, perhaps we should hold ourselves to this standard.  Try giving love, giving of ourselves, abound in love.  The world might look at the church and it's celebrations differently if we demonstrated the love encompassed in the gift we have received.

2010 Post - Philippians 1-4:  In Chains for Christ

Ephesians 1-6: So Be It!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.- Eph. 3:16-20 NIV

What more can we ask for?  God has given us everything we could ever possibly need in the form of his son.  Perhaps the only thing we should ask for or desire is as Paul put it:  power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.  I'm not sure many of us grasp God's love, that wide and long and high and deep love that sent his son from their heavenly home down to this sodden, sordid earth to dwell as one of it's humble citizens. I know I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Christ would come and die for anyone, let alone me.  That's what he did and that's what we celebrate.  Glory to God.  Glory to God who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  Glory to God who is at work in us.  Glory to God in the Highest!  Glory to God for ever and ever.  Amen!  So be it!

2010 Post - Ephesians 1-6:  Peace, Love and Grace

Galatians 1-6: We Are Free

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. - Gal. 4:4-7 NIV

This is what we celebrate this season and as the years go by, it becomes more difficult to separate the truth from the trappings.  God sent his own Son that we might become sons, as Paul says, with the full rights of sons.  God didn't send his Son to turn us in to consuming and giving machines.  He sent his sons to set us free from all of that, to set us free from the law, to set us free from the need to compete, to set us free from the need to earn our salvation, to set us free from legalism of any sort, to set us free from the world, to set us free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) What better time, than this season of the year, to throw off all the things that would enslave us and weigh us down?   What better time to not fall prey to any of the practices of the world that would trap us and destroy our freedom as sons and heirs?

2010 Post - Galatians 1-6:  Freedom, vs. the Law

2 Corinthians 7-13: Pursuing Peace

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

Sometimes what we are called to do is so simple;  'Be of one mind, live in peace.'.  We can only wish it were so easy to carry out.  I look at how the church has fractured throughout the centuries.  It's hard to believe we have any kinship with the different branches and orthodoxies.  Yet most of God's body is still trying to do the same thing, pursue truth and righteousness.  We may have a long way to go if aiming for perfection involves being of one mind and living in peace.  If it was difficult for the early church, that difficulty is multiplied many times over now, but it should always be our goal.  If we all have the same eternal destination, then what better time to start living in peace than now?

2010 Post - 2 Corinthians 7-13:  Aim for Perfection

2 Corinthians 1-6: A True Testimony

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.- 2 Cor. 4:16-18 NIV

For all of us, when we go through those tunnels of despair when it seems there is no end in sight, when we are overwhelmed with the deterioration of our bodies or the events unfolding around us, these words offer hope.  We are temporary vessels, jars of clay not meant to last, but to be used and used until we are used up.  Most of us fight being used all the way, but it is to no avail.  It is part of God's plan, that's what we're put here for.  The treasure is not the jar, but what resides inside.  The world is full of crystal vases that have nothing inside.  It is the common, everyday nature of our faith that displays God's glory. The way we walk through our trials is a truer testimony than any words we could ever say. 

2010 Post - 2 Corinthians 1-6:  Faith not Sight

1 Corinthians 12-16: Of First Importance

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. - 1 Cor. 5: 3-8: 

This is the message of most importance.  Among the hustle and bustle of this season, the trappings and the trimmings, the giving and receiving, we overlook the gift of most importance.  God appeared.  He appeared in the flesh, he died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised and he appeared to the twelve, to hundreds of others and he appeared to Paul.

He has appeared to countless others down through the ages.  He has appeared in word and in deed.  He appears when we least expect it and certainly when we least deserve it, but he appears.  The vision of him and his truth becomes seared in our memory.  It is more than we can describe and  it keeps our faith alive. This is the true gift this time of year, he has appeared.  He appeared and we are forever changed.  Love is here.  We love him because he first loved us.  Everything Paul said about Christ is true. This is the message of first importance. 

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 12-16:  Seek the Giver Not the Gift

1 Corinthians 7-11: What More Do I Need to Know?

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. - 1 Cor. 8:1-3 NIV

Never before has so much knowledge been accessible.  We are bombarded with facts and fiction daily.  Knowledge may be power, but it is not always good for us.  What was the tree in the garden that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat?  It was the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil.  Since time began, we have all wanted to know it all and it will always be our downfall.  It is not possible for us to know it all, but yet the smallest bit of knowledge makes us all think we are experts when in fact, the more information we have the more confused many of us become. 

At this point in life, I'm not sure I care to stuff any more facts in my head.  I don't need to know anything more than the author of the universe and the amazing fact that he knows me.  That's pretty amazing if you think about it.  He knows me.  He has known me since time immortal.  He has known me and called me by name.  What more do I need to know?

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 711:  Run to Win

1 Corinthians 1-6: Body, Mind and Spirit

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.- 1 Cor. 6:19-20 NIV

It is difficult for us to separate the whole of our being into it's parts:  body, mind and spirit.  Even those that can do so, find themselves concentrating on one at the expense of the others.  In our time, we concentrate more on the body than on the mind or the spirit.  We pamper ourselves endlessly.  We push ourselves to the limit of endurance to make the body beautiful with diet and exercise or we stuff it with food and resist any exertion at all.  We spend a fortune on clothes and creature comforts.  An entire industry has developed around cosmetics and another around medicine to eliminate all but the most minor symptom.  All at the neglect of our mind and even more importantly the spirit. 

Perhaps if we could see ourselves as three  parts, just as God is three parts, we might behave differently.  Should we take care of our body?  Of course, just like we should take care of our mind and our spirit.  We should care for them all as if they were a gift from God, which of course they are.  We are not our own but we are very valuable.  We were bought, purchased by the Father at an enormous cost, the life of his Son.  It is him we should worship, not our bodies.  The actions of our life, our body and mind should all honor God and the price he paid for us.

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 1-6:  So None Can Boast

Romans 11-16: Live at Peace

   Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited.
   Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.- Rom. 12:9-18 NIV

I have to remind myself of this occasionally:  to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.  It is this mindset that keeps me at peace.  Peace is not external, it is internal, but it is brought about by external actions, my own external actions, not the actions of others towards me.  Peace comes from loving others, from putting others first, from being devoted to others well-being over my own.  Peace comes from not being proud or conceited.  It comes from loving all men regardless of their status or financial situation.  Peace comes from love.  There is no other source.  In a world where we see so little peace, it is incumbent upon us to be the provision.  Especially in this season, we cannot just proclaim peace, we must be a living demonstration of that peace., the peace that defies all understanding, the peace that comes from sincere love.  This business of peace depends on us, not on others. We are called to reflect the source of that peace.  There is no higher calling.  We are to live at peace.

2010 Post - Romans 11-16:  Doxology

Romans 6-10 Nothing Can Separate Us

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. - Romans 8:3 NIV

Law, rules, regulations do not change us, they cannot and will not change mankind.  The Pharisees kept revising the law to make sure it covered every little possibility of sin, but none of their efforts ever changed the heart of even one man.  In the same way, we can regulate and regulate, but all it does is point out the gap between us and God.  For many of us, it appears that this country and the whole world perhaps, has started down a slippery slope that can only end in disaster.  We can spend all of our time, pointing out the failures of others or of the law.  But it will not change the course, it will not change what lies before any of us.  It will get worse and it may get a lot worse for some of us.  We cannot stop the consequences of sin and we cannot stop the plans of God.  All we can cling to are the words of someone like Paul who could foresee a bleak future for his mortal body, but hope for a life in Christ.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39 NIV

Nothing, not any natural disaster, not any bank failure, not any governmental collapse, not even a descent into lawlessness and chaos can separate us from the love of God.  Nothing.

:2010 Post - Romans 6-10:  Zealous Pursuit of Righteousness

Romans 1-4: Perfection

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.- Romans 2:19-24 NIV

I tend to be a perfectionist, or at least I used to.  I was not perfect, I knew it, but I didn't want anyone else to know that I made mistakes. What a miserable position I found myself in..  Each mistake I made would lead me to the same dilemma:  Do I confess that I have made a mistake, or do I hide it as if it never existed.  Both prospects left me with a sinking feeling. 

I finally learned not to expect too much of myself, that I was incapable of perfection and that confession was good for the soul.  In fact, it was the lack of confession that always ended up festering inside of me. 

It's the same way with sin.  All have sinned.  All of mankind, and no matter what we may think about others, whether it seems like they are sinless or desensitized to their sin, they suffer the same internal consequence that we do when we sin.  It festers and eats them up; imperfection does that.  But as Paul says, there is a remedy.  We are set free by the grace of God and the redemption that came by Jesus.  We are set free from that horrible recognition that we do not measure up.  None of us can ever measure up, but we can all be set free.

2010 Post - Romans 1-4:  Sin and Righteousness