Monday, July 30, 2012,
7:01 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song “I’m Not Ashamed” playing in my mind.
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Romans 5:1-11 (NIV 1984):
Therefore, since we
have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice
in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God
has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given
us.
You see, at just the
right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might
possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been
justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath
through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we
be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
reconciliation.
Peace with God
“Since we have been
justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”
You may have heard a definition for justification that says “just
as if I had never sinned.” That pretty much sums it up, and is a good way of
remembering what the word means. When God justifies us, he pardons (forgives)
us of our sins so that we will not have to face the ultimate judgment of sin
(eternity w/o God in hell), and it credits the believer with the righteousness
of God. God’s justification and pardoning of sin and crediting the believer
with God’s righteousness were made possible through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial
death on the cross for our sins. With his blood he purchased men back for God,
i.e. he redeemed us for God. Not only did he take the punishment for our sin,
and conquer our sin in death and in his resurrection, but he freed us from the
power and control of sin over our daily lives. Amen! Now, that is good news! We
no longer have to be captive to sin and its desires. We can be free, through
faith in Jesus Christ, to live in obedience to Christ and his commands. Amen!
Access by Faith
“…through whom we have
gained access by faith into this grace…”
When we were outside of faith in Jesus Christ, we were
enemies of God. Now we are no longer his enemies, but we are his friends. We
have eternal peace with God. We are no longer warring against him in our minds,
hearts, attitudes and behavior, but we are now on his side, desiring to do his
will with our lives. By God’s grace (getting what we don’t deserve), and
through faith (repentance and obedience), we now have access to the Father.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, the curtain that stood
between man and God (between man and the Holy of Holies) was torn in two from
top to bottom. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection the curtain was removed,
and the way (access) to God opened to those who put their faith and trust in
Jesus Christ. So, we can now boldly approach the throne of grace with
confidence and find mercy to help us in our time of need.
We now Stand
“…in which we now
stand.”
To stand means to remain steadfast in faith, endure
patiently, persist in following and obeying Christ and his commands, and continue
in his love and fellowship; to not vacillate or waver back and forth in our
commitment to Christ and to the gospel; to persevere; to not give in to the
fear of man, but to fight resolutely, using the armor of God supplied to us
against our enemy, Satan, and his lies. In all practicality, this means
spending quantitative and quality time each day with the Lord in prayer,
studying and meditating on the word, and journaling, if possible; in
confession, adoration, thanksgiving and supplication; and in obeying what he
teaches us each day, putting the word into practice in our daily lives. This
also involves using our ministerial gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit for
the edification of Christ’s Body, the church, and fulfilling our commission to
be Christ’s witnesses and to make disciples (of Christ) of all nations…
teaching them to obey all of Christ’s commands to us.
I’m Not Ashamed /
An Original Work / February 15, 2012
Based off Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16-17
Go into all the world,
And tell them the Good
News,
Making disciples of
all the nations,
Baptizing them in the
name of the Father
And of the Holy Spirit,
And of the Son,
Teaching them to obey
Ev’rything I have
commanded you,
And surely I am with
you,
E’en to the end of the
age.
You will receive power
When the Holy Spirit
Comes on you;
My witnesses you will
be
In Samaria, Judea, and
Jerusalem,
And to the ends of the
earth, amen!
You will receive power
When the Holy Spirit
comes on you,
My witnesses you will
be
Unto the ends of the
earth.
I’m not ashamed of the
Gospel of my Jesus.
For salvation, it’s
the power of God.
For in the gospel a righteousness
From God is made
known,
A righteousness that
is by faith.
I’m not ashamed of the
Gospel of my Jesus.
For salvation, it’s
the power of God.
The righteous will
live by faith.
Hope of the Glory of
God
“And we rejoice in the
hope of the glory of God.”
When we enter into genuine relationship with Jesus Christ
through faith, i.e. through repentance (turning away from our sinful
lifestyles) and obedience (turning toward God/Jesus Christ to follow him and
his ways), we are given the hope and promise of God’s pardon (forgiveness) of
our sins, eternity with God in heaven, access to the Father, the filling of the
Holy Spirit, his peace and joy, God’s protection, guidance, strength, and wisdom,
the way out from underneath temptation, the power of God to resist Satan and
flee temptation, the indwelling presence of God with us forever, his
friendship, companionship, and authority, et al. This hope will never fade away
and will never disappoint, because it is based in God’s love, mercy and grace.
So, we can rejoice in this! Yet, this hope must be accompanied by genuine faith
in Jesus Christ, which requires turning from our lives of sin and turning to
walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ and to his commands. No hope is
promised where there is no genuine faith (repentance and obedience).
Rejoice in Sufferings
“Not only so, but we
also rejoice in our sufferings…”
This is an area where I am continuously growing and learning
and being reminded to be joyful. The key, I believe, to truly rejoicing in our
sufferings is in accepting the circumstances of our lives as God’s sovereign
plan and design for our lives. Now, it is not his will that we or others sin,
so it is not in his plan for our lives that we give way to sin. Yet, he will
use our times of sinful rebellion to train us to be godly, but it may not be
pleasant. And, he will use the sins of others in our lives to strengthen and
empower us to live godly lives despite our troubling circumstances. And, he
will use life’s difficulties to mature us and to make us holy vessels that he
can use for his purposes and for his glory.
When we go through troubling times it can break us or make
us. The choice is up to us. We can allow these trying times to strengthen us in
our resolve to live more committed lives to Christ, or we can choose to escape
into lives of sin again. God intends to build godly character in us. How will
we respond to suffering? - With his grace? With joy?, And with perseverance? I
pray we will all learn to respond with the Psalmist, believing that God is the
stronghold of our lives and that we can be confident in him, even if all hell
breaks loose against us; singing with joyfulness, being of courage, and
trusting the Lord in all things.
Hear my Voice /
An Original Work / July 9, 2012
Based off Psalm 27
The Lord is my great
salvation.
He’s the stronghold of
my life.
When my enemies attack
me,
My heart will not fear
at all.
Though a war break out
against me,
Confident in Christ
I’ll be.
Of the Lord, I ask
that I may
Live with Him
eternally.
Hear my voice, Lord,
when I call you.
Merciful to me You’ll
be.
Though my relatives
forsake me,
My Lord God will
receive me.
Teach me Your way, O
my Jesus.
Lead me in Your
righteousness.
I will sacrifice to my
Lord.
I will sing with
joyfulness.
I am confident that I
will
See the goodness of
the Lord.
All the richness of
His blessings,
My Lord has for me in
store.
He asks me to be of
courage;
To be strong and to
take heart,
Patiently as I wait
for Him,
And from Him to ne’er
depart.
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