straight out of the can. and loving it.
but that's not what i'm most excited about tonight. far from it, actually. i am most excited about the hope and promise i have in jesus christ! i'm studying (for about the seventieth time) the book of romans. i can barely read any of the text, because it's all highlighted about four different colors, circled, underlined and starred, and has sticky notes all over it. i am obsessed with paul and everything he wrote, and it's unfortunate that he lived thousands of years ago and was also not too interested in dating or marriage (because i would love to be married to a man like paul. but i digress.). i especially love romans, though. i feel like i kind of get paul. he was SO passionate. i feel like he probably had a pretty quick wit and a sharp tongue. he struggled with his pride. he so desired jesus, but he wrote "the thing i don't want to do, that is the thing i do." i relate completely. it's the message of grace in romans that i am so drawn to, and the absolute assurance that my faith in the life and death and resurrection of christ is accounted to me for righteousness - not my ability to live under the law.
i was reading through chapter four, verses 13-25. there is so much to glean from this text, that i think i'll be meditating on it for a couple of days. here are some things that the lord spoke to my heart about tonight:
verse 14: "for if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect." if the law were able to grant us freedom and forgiveness, faith is useless, and god's promises are void and empty. if it were by the law that we were saved, we would all go to hell, and the promise of god for salvation would be a lie. are you thankful for grace yet?
verse 15: "because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression." romans 3:20 tells us that the law reveals sin. but if there is no law, there can be no sin - nothing to determine right from wrong. the beauty of this truth is that i am under no law in christ jesus - there is no sin accounted to me, because my life is hidden in christ's righteousness (colossians 3:3). therefore, i am spared the wrath of god. thank you, lord. this reminds me of colossians 2:13 that says, "and you, being dead in your sin, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven you your sins, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, that was contrary to us."
verses 17-18: "[abraham] in the presence of him whom he believed - god, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken." abraham defied the norm and his own expectations and understanding, and he CHOSE to place his faith and hope in god. he chose to trust. how did he have this faith when the promise seemed distant and the odds seemed against its fulfillment? abraham KNEW the god he was placing his trust in. he knew that god gave life to the dead and called things which do not exist as though they did. he knew god had been faithful before.
verse 19: "and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of sarah's womb." abraham didn't let his mind wander to the things he perceived as problems: age, sarah's barrenness. he didn't entertain thoughts of doubt. when the lord makes us a promise, how often does satan attack our hearts and mind with firey darts - lies and fears and doubts and "what if's"? our minds must be set on things above, not on things of this earth (colossians 3:2).
verse 20: "he did not waver at the promise of god through unbeliefe, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to god." abraham was strengthened in faith by jesus, and for that he gave glory to god. god strengthened abraham in faith for his own glory. abraham didn't trust his own understanding.
verse 21: "and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to perform..." abraham was CONVINCED. he was persuaded - talked in to - saw evidence for. bottom line: abraham had seen god be faithful before. he knew he didn't have to question whether or not god would be faithful to keep this promise.
verse 23-24: "now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. it shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up jesus our lord from the dead." abraham's story was written to remind him and to encourage me that our god is a god of HUGE promises and HUGE faithfulness. and i think i read it tonight to be convicted of some unbelief in certain areas of my heart and life. there is no reason for unbelief: i have seen god be faithful to me in some of the darkest moments of my life. he will ALWAYS remain faithful. that's a promise.
side note - do we realize WHO we believe in? the same GOD who created the universe and holds it together, parted the red sea, spoke in a burning bush, was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead his people, raised lazarus from the dead, performed countless miracles through jesus, and ultimately and most phenomenally raised jesus christ from the dead to defeat sin and death for eternity and give us VICTORY! how much would change in our lives if we truely realized who we were trusting??
moving on.
verse 25 (my favorite verse in the passage): "[he] was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised up because of our justification." i get chills each time i read this. jesus was given up to the cross to pay for my sins, and he was raised up from the cross to justify me and give me victory over sin.
if your heart is not full of joy after reading the promises and truths in this passage of scripture, please stop and check your pulse. and then stop and take your spiritual pulse. because if you are not moved to a new place of worship and thankfulness for god's amazing mercy, then either your heart is hard, or you don't know christ.
be encouraged, friends! "having been justified by faith, we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ" (romans 5:1).
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