Romans____10

Scripture

Romans 10:3-4

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Observation-What does it say? 

In this chapter, Paul continues to desire the salvation of the Jews, who still try to gain salvation through their own righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ.

Understanding-What does it mean?  

We do not work for our salvation. We cannot establish our own righteousness. Our works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10) apart from the righteousness of Christ.

Paul continues to have a burdened heart for the people of Israel because they worked for God instead of accepting the work that Christ had already finished for them on the cross. 
They based righteousness on how well they were able to keep the law, instead of believing, confessing and submitting to the righteousness of Christ as Lord.  

Life Application

Let's stay committed to praying for the lost to come to Christ like Paul did. In verse 1, Paul states that his heart's desire AND prayer for the Israelites is that they be saved. 

Let's stay committed to praying for the people on our PII list and be intentional about investing in their lives, inviting them into relationship with Christ and inviting them to church. (Note: PII stands for Prayer, Invest and Invite and is a list of people who have not yet accepted Jesus’ invitation for salvation.)

Dear Lord, there are so many people on earth who are still dead in their sins. Even people who call themselves a "good person" are not good apart from Your righteousness. I pray that You would give us Your heart for the lost and we would be so burdened as Paul was to pray that the lost are saved. 

- Michelle Gaddi

Psalm__31

Scripture

Psalm 31:24

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”

Observation-What does it say?

David was under constant distress. His enemies from all over were plotting his death. False rumors were being spread about him everywhere. Even his friends are giving him the cold shoulder and ignoring him. They fear to be around him, almost like they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire, while his enemies were plotting to take his life. But David had one constant in his life-his faith and trust in God.

Understanding-What does it mean?

God never fails. 

In the final sentence of this Psalm, David encourages all who put their faith and trust in God, to “be strong and courageous”. You see, although David is considered to be a man after God’s own heart, that didn’t exclude him from life’s troubles. On the contrary, he seemed to always have opposition in his life. David had enemies who wanted him dead, he had neighbors who despised him, he had false rumors spread about him, and he had friends who left him. It was his trust in God that gave him the strength and courage to get through no matter what was sent his way.

There are multiple times in the Bible where the phrase “be strong and courageous” appears. I believe it serves as a great reminder for us that there is no problem out there too big or small that God cannot handle. When it seems like the odds are stacked against us, there is One who is always with us. God is at His strongest when we are at our weakest. The question is are we willing to fully commit our faith and trust in Him? David did, and God fought his battles for him...and we all know that God is undefeatable!

So when life’s storms hit you, (and they will), when you’re feeling beaten and overwhelmed, remember to take heed to God’s word, “be strong and courageous”! Remember who is truly fighting those battles for you. Fully commit and trust in God the way David did, then see what miracles God can do in your life.

Life Application

What does being strong and courageous look like today?

We may be facing financial struggles, health issues, relationship problems, or even facing a crossroad in our faith. I want to encourage you to take heed on those words and biblical principles of being strong and courageous. Like I said earlier, the Bible mentions this phrase multiple times, and I don’t think it’s by accident either! I believe it’s of great importance to listen to those words. Why else would the Bible mention it so many times?!

In 2 Timothy 1:7 it mentions that God didn’t give us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. God gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us. A Spirit filled with power! What should we fear then if He is with us, and He is on our side?

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”-Philippians 4:13 

So why not be strong and courageous in whatever circumstances we face? The God of the universe has our back, and He is STILL undefeated and is STILL our reigning Champion!  

-Moses Gaddi

Romans___8

ScriptureRomans 8:29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Observation - What does it say?In this portion of the letter that Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he is telling them about how their lives should be different now that they are Christians. He talks about living lives controlled by the Spirit of God instead of our sinful nature and about what it means that we are children of God. Among all the beautiful and wonderful implications of being children of God – being heirs of God and a heavenly kingdom, being free from our old life, having a future hope, and the ways God loves and fights for us as his children – Paul points out that God has a purpose for every one of his children: To transform us into the image of Jesus. Understanding - What does it mean?Christlikeness is God’s goal for every Christian.

Being formed into the image of Christ means we will look like him.  Obviously not physically. I don’t know any Christians who started looking more like a Jewish man the longer they had been saved. Being formed into Christ's image means we resemble his character - His love and humility, his joy and his gentleness.

 

God is more concerned with the kind of person we are becoming than any specific things we might do ‘for’ him. Although God has prepared good works in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), the ultimate destination for every Christian isn’t a position or title or ministry role. Rather, the ultimate destination God has in mind has to do with character. And journeying toward this destination is a lifelong process. None of us are perfect yet. None of us completely resemble Jesus. We cant fall into the trap of setting false finish lines based on comparing ourselves with others who are less mature or with who we used to be. Being like Christ is the goal, not being better than we were or better than someone else. This “conforming into the image of his Son” is something God will be doing in each of us as long as there is breath in our lungs. 

 Life ApplicationDo I look more like Jesus today than I did before God saved me? If the answer is no, I would doubt that I am in fact saved.Do I look more like Jesus today than I did a year ago? …a month ago? …a week ago? How is my growth? Have I slowed in my transformation or can I point to recent evidence that God is continuing to transform me?God, I am reminded that there is so much room that I have to grow. Please have your way in me. In the areas my growth has slowed I invite you to go to work. I want to look more like Jesus, to resemble his perfect character, to be holy, to love unconditionally, to be a servant of all. I surrender to you. Amen.-Levi Thompson