Category: Romans

Sent with a purpose

Romans 10:13-15a

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Paul lists a backward progression to the salvation of all. The meaning of the word “call on him” means to place their trust in; to identify themselves with.

Someone must be “sent,” which implies for a particular purpose, in order to “preach.” “Preach,” is the same word as “proclaim” found in verse 8, “...the word of faith that we proclaim.”

Someone preaches in order that others might hear and believe.

When someone hears and believes, then and only then can they call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

So what? That’s great! I’m not the one who is to be “sent” with a purpose! It’s easy for me to say “that’s not my job or calling.” I’m not an evangelist. My spiritual gifts don’t include evangelism or mission work.

Ah… but wait. I Tim 4:2 says “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Notice there is no qualifying statement around it – check the references.

I am to be prepared in season and out of season. Convincing, rebuking, exhorting… that sounds a lot like being “sent” – to be sent with a purpose. In season and out of season, i.e. all the time, I am to be prepared with a purpose for proclaiming the Truth. What is the Truth? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

In the wit and wisdom on Golden Child… “What does that look like?”

For me it is being in His presence daily. What about you?

Abundance of good treasure

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV)

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Lots of words with much deeper meanings that we describe in their English translations here.

heart – the word kardia – means “inner self, never the literal body part called the “heart,” this is a reference to the areas of the inner self, including: the volition, the mind, the desires, etc., though the facility of the intellect make be slightly more emphasized.”  The volition (will), the mind (mind), the desires (emotions) all make up the soul… that battleground between the spirit and the flesh.  This is where we store up good treasure OR we store up bad treasure according to Jesus in Luke 6:45.

Luke 6:45 (ESV) 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

It is the same word used in Luke as is used in this Romans passage.  The interesting part to me in these passages is that heart (kardia) and mouth (stoma) are both used together in the same sentences.  Stoma (the mouth) literally means the fleshly mouth that utters sounds.  So, in a way, it could very well represent the flesh.  That would mean to me that the condition of my soul is reflected in what comes out of my mouth and my flesh.

Back to the Romans passage…

near – can mean “be close to a place“, but can also mean “be close to a time.”  Which changes everything in the context of this verse.

proclaim – means “to proclaim with the goal to persuade, urge, warn to comply”, “to announce publicly”.

word of faith – doctrine, trustworthiness, Christian faith, what can be believed

confesses – According to Strongs (homologeo) – “1 to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent. 2 to concede. 2a not to refuse, to promise. 2b not to deny. 2b1 to confess. 2b2 declare. 2b3 to confess, i.e. to admit or declare one’s self guilty of what one is accused of. 3 to profess. 3a to declare openly, speak out freely. 3b to profess one’s self the worshiper of one. 4 to praise, celebrate.“

OK.  THAT is a drastically different meaning than to “utter” something.  I think we’re too quick to assume someone is a follower of Jesus based on our Western definition of “confess.”  I’ve always struggled with this verse because only God can know if a person truly believes in his heart.  The heart and someone’s belief is hidden.  All we look for is someone to say “Jesus is Lord,” and that’s good enough.

What we need to be looking for now is the NEW definition of “confess.”  When someone truly believes and understands the grace Christ afforded them, they cannot help but “confess” Jesus is Lord with praise and celebration and declaring themselves both by word and action to be a worshiper of Christ.  This worship comes from adoration and thankfulness, not out of duty or because someone said so.  Everything about salvation is about relationship, not religion.

I’ll try to tie it all together.  First – His Word is near me- near in location and near in timing.  He wants to use me at any place, at any time to proclaim publicly that which is trustworthy, with the goal of persuading and urging others to the Truth.  However, there is something that can influence my vocal utterances – my heart (my soul, if you remember our definition).  In my heart I can store up good treasure or bad treasure.  That is my choice.  What I store up, is what will come out.

How can I persuade others of the truth, if I’ve stored up bad treasure?

I can’t just put “enough” good treasure in either.  Jesus was very specific in the word “abundance” and it means exactly what it says, “in excess”, “scraps left over”, “overflow”, “plenty.”

So today’s exercise for me is “How do I store up an abundance of good treasure in my soul (mind, will, and emotions)?”


Misdirected Zeal

Romans 9:30-10:4

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 10 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

I don’t know what exactly to say with this post. There are two obvious questions from Romans 10:2.

First, is my own zeal in any way misdirected when it comes to my relationship with the Lord? Am I in any way trying to maintain my relationship with Papa myself? Am I legalistic? Of course not… I hope. However, a deeper question arose as I wrote this. I have to ask myself this question: Am I in any way trying to maintain my relationship with Papa under my own strength at all? Ahhh! That’s not such an easy question to tackle.

IF I am attempting to keep my relationship with Him under my own strength, my own tactics, my own plan, my own (fill in the blank), then as Romans 10:3 says, I “...don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself…” and I am attempting to live under my own set of rules, a.k.a. Law. That’s a good first question from that passage.

The second obvious question to me is this: Who has God put in my life that are enthusiastically running with misdirected zeal? I could list a few. This may be my first workout with my new spiritual weapon (see “Off to the prayer gym…” that I posted several days ago). I believe Father wants me to intercede for them and come away with His perspective on the situation and how I should or shouldn’t respond.

How does all this relate to the divisions of the church we call “denominations”?  Are there denominations, and even faiths, that were spawned out of misdirected zeal?

I am reminded of a story a friend of mine told me.  When he was at the Naval Academy, while training in the Marine Corp, they were shooting cannons.  He told me how just being a half an inch off in the aim of the cannon could result in the projectile being hundreds of yards and even miles off course.  This could be deadly to your own in the midst of a war.

How different is misdirected zeal?  One slightly askew thought – not too far different than mainstream initially – leads to another slightly off step.  Before you know it you are somewhere miles off of the original trajectory. It too could be deadly to those around you.  Look at Jim Jones.  He was – at one time – a ferverent preacher and passionate follower of the Lord.  Somewhere his zeal misled him and his followers.  What about David Koresh?  From the reports I remember, his zeal, let him and his followers die a brutal death.

Dad, may my zeal always be guided by your word.  Never let my passion for you get ahead of you.

His Choice…

Romans 9:1-21 NLT

First thing that hit me:

2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.

OK. Could I say that? Would I give up my relationship with Christ, would I go to Hell, in order for “my people” – whomever that might be – to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven? I don’t know that I could. I so love my relationship with the Lord. That’s a really hard question. I realize that I certainly don’t deserve the grace He affords me. God has been growing my love for people over the last few years. Honestly, there was a time not too long ago, that I really didn’t care about the eternity of others, particularly people I didn’t know. But He’s working on me. Seeing what Papa does when He really gets a hold of a man’s heart continues to soften my heart for the salvation of others and burdens me for the health of men as husbands and fathers.

Second thing that hit me:

15 For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” 16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. 17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. 19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” 20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

WHO AM I? “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose,” says the Lord God. He chose to show me both. He chose to show me what he showed me why? “… to spread my fame throughout the earth.” How’s that working in my life? Am I spreading His fame? Am I spreading His renown? Am I spreading His glory?

Sometimes.

Daddy, I’m glad you chose me to be a recipient of your mercy and compassion. I surrender control of it all. Use me in whatever way brings your fame on the earth. Whatever that looks like, I’m all in. I love you. Amen.

Love… forever

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT) 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh how many times I’ve listened to this verse in various translations over the years.  I bet I’ve heard or read it a hundred times…  But, for some reason, today I really heard this verse with new ears. I began to read it really slow and let each phrase sink in.

“…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” Nothing? What about my own sinful pride? What about my deceitful and desperately sick heart (Jer 17:9)? Nothing? Thank you Lord that you have more grace and mercy in your heart than I have sin in my nature. Thank you Lord.

“Neither death nor life…” I am forever tied to His heart. Whatever happens to my physical body, to my flesh-suit is irrelevant to the eternal security of my spirit. Thank you Lord.

“…neither angels nor demons…” Even the spiritual beings have no bearing on how may Daddy loves me. Thank you Lord.

“… neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow…” Even my mind has no effect on God’s love for me. As I’ve studied over the past week, my mind can affect my ability to relate to Him, but it doesn’t keep me from God’s love for me. Thank you Lord.

“… not even the powers of hell can separate us [me] from God’s love…” That is powerful. Just because I am under attack and even when its sifted through Father’s hands, His love for me is still the same. I just have to endure and rest in knowing that He still loves me the same. Thank you Lord.

“No power in the sky above or the earth below – indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us [me] from the love of God…” Nothing! Not even my own self – because I am part of “all creation” – can separate me from God’s love. Thank you Lord.

“... that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is the key. Jesus Christ HAS to be Lord. He has to have COMPLETE control. I have to be in TOTAL SURRENDER to Him in order to have the confidence and peace of NEVER being out of God’s love. Thank you Lord.

Thank you God for your love… a love that isn’t affected or controlled by me; a perfect love that is inpenetrable to the effects of my sin; a love that never ends; a love that never changes.  Teach me to love you the same way… with your heart and not my own.

My Environment…

Romans 8:5-8 (ESV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

OK. To continue my last post, Paul continues to stress the importance of the mind in the battle of the soul. It seems a bit to me like the age old question: “What came first the chicken or the egg?” in trying to understand how the mind and the flesh interact.  Does the flesh direct the mind or does the mind direct the flesh?

Verse 5 is fairly specific. As we live, so we set our mind. It’s either on carnal things or Spiritual things, and ultimately death or life. It sounds like what I put myself around, I will eventually set my mind to. Perhaps therein lies the battle plan of the enemy. No one can argue that our culture and – worse yet – our children, are bombarded with TONS more images, words, implications, blood, death, hate, (fill in the blank) that we were. We are constantly stimulated with sights, sounds, images, smells, whatever, in a very media-rich environment.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to just be still and quiet? “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). This is why its SO important for community, for fellowship, for “iron sharpening” – as we’re doing here.

Paul lays it all out there. “Death” or “Life and peace.” While it seems like a no brainer, the question becomes what am I surrounding myself with physically? On what am I setting my mind?

I choose life. I choose peace. I choose righteousness.

It’s time to evaluate my environment. It’s time to get still.  (Tried to embed Reuben Morgan’s “Still”)

Still – Reuben Morgan

The Command Center

Continuing the the thought of the last post is where Paul picks up in Romans 8.

Remember, I posed the question of why Jesus added the “mind” to the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30), when God himself gave the command (Deut 6:5) without the identification of the “mind”.  Read what Paul has to say about it…

Romans 8:5-6 (NLT) “5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.“

No wonder Jesus thought it was important.  The mind is the command center of the spiritual battlefront between our spirit (controlled by the Holy Spirit) and our flesh (controlled by the enemy). Wikipedia defines the command center as:

A command center is a central place for carrying out orders and for supervising tasks, also known as a headquarters, or HQ.

Whoever controls the mind, controls the battle.  Note: We can lose a battle, but we’ve already won the war. (Thank you God!) No wonder Paul writes a few chapters later in Romans: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV).

So the question becomes, if the mind is the command center and the key to victory, how do I send in reinforcements (to continue the war metaphor)? Verse 6 says by “… letting the Spirit control our mind…,” but what does that look like?

How does one renew the mind? Is it back to what God’s been saying to me over the last several, seemingly unrelated, journal entries? Thus the beauty of journaling… to be able to go back and see how God is speaking in themes… then BAM! He ties it all together. Cool.  Very cool.

Is it back to the spiritual disciplines? Are Romans 12:2 and 1 Cor 9:24-47 related in this way?

Battleground of the soul

I have known for some time that we are made up of three “parts”: the spirit, the soul, and the flesh.  Additionally, the soul appears to be further divided into three parts: the mind, the will, and the emotions.

The spirit-man is what gets saved when we surrender our will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The spirit IS saved. The soul IS BEING saved and the flesh is the enemies. It’s like the good guys vs. the bad guys (spiritually) all the time in our lives. Jesus has our spirits, the devil has our flesh and they are battling for the soul – the mind, the will, the emotions.

Romans 7 makes it very clear that the remnant of sin from our sin nature is very alive an well in our flesh (Romans 7:18).

Romans 7:22-25 (ESV) 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

It’s like the soul is Hell’s Gate (Lord of the Rings reference). The spirit man is Gandalf, Aragorn and the Fellowship, while the flesh is Sauron’s army of Orc’s. The assault is non-stop. The attack is relentless. Legions and legions of orcs and darkness continually bombard the soul. The mind wants to do one thing, but the flesh wants to do another. (Romans 7:14-20)

I find it interesting that Paul says, “… I myself serve the law of God with my mind…” How does one do that? It the mind – that part of the soul – more closely aligned with the spirit?

The Greek word used for mind, nous, in this passage means “1b reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and of hating evil.”

Jesus said (Mark 12:30) “30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” It’s interesting that Jesus inserted the word “mind.” The original version (Deut 6:5) only has “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Why does Jesus add “mind” to the list? I think it’s important. I think it goes back to spiritual discipline. Practicing and exercising those spiritual disciplines to have my spirit (and my mind?) stronger than my flesh (and my emotions?). All the spiritual disciplines involve the mind and exercise the will. Pretty soon, I’ll have my flesh outnumbered!

What choose you?

Romans 6:15-19 (NLT) 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

The predominant word that stands out to me in this passage is the word “slave.”  So often that word has such a negative connotation in our Western – particularly U.S. – culture.  I’m not sure I fully grasp the cultural significance of the word slave used in the times and culture of Christ.

Regardless, I looked up the word in its Greek origin.  The word is doulon means this: 1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition. 1a) a slave. 1b) metaph., one who gives himself up to another’s will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men. 1c) devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.

What is particularly interesting is the root of this word. The word originates from the word deo which means to “bind” as in: 1) to bind tie, fasten. 1a) to bind, fasten with chains, to throw into chains. … 1b2) to bind, put under obligation, of the law, duty etc. 1b2a) to be bound to one, a wife, a husband.

So, choosing to participate in sin is choosing to become bound to sin, like a husband and wife are bound to each other.

That’s why there is no grey area of sin with God.  It is either sin or it is not, because I am either bound to sin (which verse 19 says leads to deeper and deeper sin – deeper and deeper bondage) or I am bound to righteous living by  (verse 17) “… wholeheartedly obey[ing] this teaching we have given you…” and (verse 19) “… you must give yourselves to be slaves of righteous living…“.

Our culture is saturated in moral relativism… “if it feels good, do it”… “I’m not bothering anyone else”… yada, yada, yada (to quote the great Jerry Seinfeld).  Our society is so jacked up because of it, that we – as a nation – pass laws limiting the rights of the many in order to “protect” the few from being offended or isolated.  Our courts let the wrong go free and legislate from the bench because their own moral compass doesn’t jive with the moral compass of those who passed whatever law is on the books.

How did I get down this train of thought?  I don’t know.  The question becomes then, how do I give myself to be a slave of righteous living?  It’s fairly easy sitting here in the midst of the Bible Belt in the land of Freedom (although our freedoms are diminishing with every year).  What does it look like when the Christian becomes the target?  What was it like when the Roman’s were feeding Christians to the lions?

If this is the easiest place in the world at the easiest time to be a radical Christian, why are there really so few?  That’s a convicting question.  What aren’t I more radical than I am?

I had a girlfriend in college that called me a “Bible thumper” when we broke up.  In response to that, a friend told me, “Hey, we all thump something.”  He was right.  So is God.  According to this passage, we are all slaves of something.  It’s our choice.  It’s my choice.  Sin or Righteousness.

I choose righeousness.

Faith like a child

Romans 4: 18-22 (NLT) 18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.

I don’t think I really, really understand faith.  I am convinced that “faith like a child” that Jesus spoke of is much simpler than I make it out to be, in all my maturity and wisdom. (sarcasm implied)

My son Jake understands faith.  I think he has faith like Abraham.  If God said it, that’s enough for him.  There are no questions and no doubts.  Just faith.  By the way, he’s 10 years old.

No, I think I’ve spent my whole life trying to squelch exactly what God puts in us as children.  I so wanted to be “grown up” and a “big boy” that, somehow, I’ve let my faith be tempered by reason, understanding, and feasibility.  OK… I just scared myself writing that down.  Check out what Jesus said on this very topic.

Matt 19:14 ESV 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Luke 10:21 NLT 21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.”

How foolish of me to think this way.  How prideful of me to think this way.  Do I really think God only works and can work in the confines of what I understand?  Do I really want a God that is limited by my own imagination? Not me.   Sometimes, I think Papa just sits up on his throne and says about me “Bless his cotton-pickin’ heart. He has NO IDEA what I am capable of.”

Lord, I repent of my sin… my idiotic pride that has led me down a limiting and narrow view of You.  I pray for faith.  Help me exercise my faith this week Lord.  I cast off all the preconceived ideas and pre-built boxes I’ve put you in being “religious” and “pious.”  Forgive me.  Fill me anew with your Holy Spirit and renew a right spirit within me.  Reignite the faith of a child within me.  Thank you for examples of faith such as Abraham. Help me be fully convinced as he was.  Thank you for a living example of faith in my son.  Help me be more like him.  If You said it… that’s enough.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.