Romans 14
Scripture
Romans 14
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (NIV, personal underlines added)
Observation
It appears that Paul is attempting to pacify some of the infighting and arguing that was going on in the early Roman church. According to verses 5 and 6 of the same chapter it sounds as if the members of that particular body were arguing over matters such as the sabbath day, “Christian diets”, and abstinence. All things that may pertain to the life of a believer..
Understanding
Have you ever asked God to highlight a portion of scripture for you and He highlights the one verse that you did not want to see? Deep down there is a part of me that knows that there are multiple areas I need to see growth in. Romans 14:3 is one of them. The sad part is, I am not even one of great faith “who eats everything”. Ha! This passage is intended to instruct Christians on how to deal with one another in areas of their faith based living. But I feel led to apply this principle to areas of my life which do not necessarily require faith.
For, I am still guilty of treating others with anger. Inside my heart.
To justify my annoyance.
To give depth to my anger.
Because my way is clearly the more mature way!
Paul urges us in verse 13, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” (NIV)
Life Application
I certainly don’t want to operate from a perspective of anger and contempt. I wonder how different the global church would be if we took some of the edge off of our tones and our hearts when we disagreed with one another. Whether the issue was theological or faith based.
Lord help me to deal with my brothers and sisters in Christ as one who does not want them to stumble. May my words and my actions towards members of the body have zero judgement, less anger, and embody love.
May I carry that way of thought into how I interact with non-believers.
May I operate that way even in the most mundane of ways as I live and walk daily to further your message of love on this earth and beyond. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
-kenneth lee
Romans__13
Scripture
Romans 13:13-14
“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Romans___12
Observation-What does it say?
Paul is writing to the Roman church, to encourage them to continue to live a life serving Christ. But to do it by working together, in unity, humbly, and reminding them that God has blessed them each, with special gifts to accomplish this.
Understanding-What does it mean?
The most efficient way to do this is by working together with a group of fellow believers. Continue reading in Romans 12 and you will see that God has blessed each of us with certain gifts. Some with a gift to prophesy, some with a gift to serve others, some with the gift to encourage others, some with the gift to teach, some with the gift to give, and others He gives the gift to lead and show kindness to others. The bottom line here is that we are all working towards the same goal. We are all part of Christ’s body. We all need each other, and each other’s gifts and talents to accomplish Christ’s mission. So let’s all do our part to help accomplish this mission. Let’s not be lazy, but let’s serve together enthusiastically- (verse 11)!
Life Application
Thank you God for partnering and entrusting me with this mission of yours. Thank you for blessing me with the strength, gifts, and abilities to do this. I know I can lean on you and your people if it ever gets too overwhelming. Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. It’s because of this and the promise in your Word, that I know I can do this (through you)! Amen.
Romans_11
Scripture
Romans 11:29
29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Observation
Borrowed words from various commentaries…
The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable: This is another reason why God hasn’t given up on national and ethnic Israel. This principle, stated by Paul, comforts us far beyond its direct relevance to Israel. It means that God will not give up on us and He leaves the path open to restoration. [https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/romans-11/]
For the gifts and calling of God, etc. – The gifts which God has bestowed upon them, and the calling – the invitation, with which he has favored them he will never revoke. In reference to this point there is no change of mind in him; and therefore the possibility and certainty of their restoration to their original privileges, of being the people of God, of enjoying every spiritual blessing with the fullness of the Gentiles, may be both reasonably and safely inferred.
Understanding
To carry on the conversation from yesterday morning, “You are God’s masterpiece, and He made you with a plan, with good works that only you can do.”
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
Add to that what we read today in Romans 11 that those plans – His call on our lives – and the gifts He’s given us as He created us for those plans…are IRREVOCABLE! Meaning they are “not able to be changed, reversed, or recovered; final.”
So, what does that mean? It means it’s not too late to do what God has called you to do. It doesn’t matter if you felt called today or ten years ago or anywhere in between or even before…that call is irrevocable. He’s called you, placed you, prepared you and equipped you for such a time as this!
Life Application
Therefore go. Go and be intentional, on purpose, full of God’s grace and love and share that madness with everyone you meet! <3
Rei
To check out the discussion or to join in click here.
Romans___10
Scripture: Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Observation-What does it say? Throughout chapters nine and ten, Paul expresses his anguish of the nation of Israel. Though he once had great zeal for the traditions of his people, Paul now has knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah. Having come to this knowledge, Paul longs for all of Israel to come to Jesus in the same way he did. He points to Christ, proclaiming that He is the end of the law, freeing all Jews from the burden of the law. He then pleads to their senses, exhorting them to accept Jesus as the Messiah. While doing this, he points to the simplicity of action needed: confess and believe.
Understanding-What does it mean? I remember the call, which came in the middle of a Friday, on a weekend I was scheduled to work through Sunday. My grandma had moved from North Carolina to live with my mom about six months prior. They had both become tired from the almost two year process of my grandma’s cancer treatments and decided it was easier for both of them to be here in California. This decision forced my grandma to leave her childhood home. The tone in my mom’s voice during the call was calm but hurting, “I think we only have a little bit left.”
I left work almost instantly, to spend the next day listening to my grandma’s last breaths. It was painful and beautiful all at once. Having to watch someone leave this life is horrible, because it feels so permanent. It made it easier knowing that my grandma had spent a life loving Jesus, and would get to spend eternity with Him.
In Paul’s writing, there is almost the sense that he sees his friends and countrymen dying without the same confidence of their salvation. Throughout his letters, he carries a sense of urgency, as he pours out his life so others will have the same knowledge of Jesus as savior that he did (Philippians 2:17). Though, Paul still had the peace to know that when he went on to be with Jesus, he had done all he could (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Life Application: Jesus, give in me the same heart as Paul, and the same urgency of preaching to those who need to hear the good news of Your salvation. Help me to have graceful speech. Allow me to produce fruit in season and out of season. In my shortcoming, allow your love to shine through.
-Tyler Galloway
Psalm 124
Application
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Observation
Psalm 124. A song of ascents. A special song that was sung by pilgrims as they ascended uphill or as the priests climbed up the steps of the temple.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
would have swept us away.
6 Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
Understanding
There were so many times in my life when I would have been swallowed alive by fear or swept away by a flood of anxiety. If it had not been for the LORD, I would not be here today, I would not be here today serving Him.
When I was a little girl left alone at night, I called out to him for help and he sent people to me.
When I was a young adolescent lying in my bed scared, hyperventilating, and filled with disappointment, as my drunk father finally came home, breaking another promise, I called out to Him for help and I was instantly filled with peace.
When I was 23 and waking up yet again with my stomach in knots, wondering if I would ever be free from the anxiety that had plagued me all my life, I called out to Him for help, and I when I awoke the next day, it was gone.
When I realized my life was a mess from my own doing, I asked Him to come into my heart and be my savior, to forgive me of my sins. I asked Him for help to transform my life and he led me to Desert Streams Church. I went to every service, every class, every prayer meeting. I served, built relationships with people, and was discipled. I asked him for help and he saved me.
Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Application
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Think of the times that you have needed help and he has saved you. He saved you. He will save you again and again.
I think it is interesting that this psalm is called a song of ascent, meaning they sang this song as they went up to a higher elevation.
Some of us are going through a hard time and cannot see how the LORD can help us. I think worship takes us to a higher elevation in the spirit.
They started out singing the song as they climbed. At the end of the song they declare where their help comes from and who he is.
Let worship take you to a higher elevation and when you get to the top declare where your help comes from!
Deborah Lee
Romans__8
Scripture
Romans 8:36-39
Observation
Understanding
Freedom is FREE!
Ever since we read this passage during the fast I have gone back to it several times. Each time I read it I find myself getting so excited over the words that Paul so beautifully writes. He paints a wonderful picture at the end of this chapter too. The idea that once I am adopted into the sonship nothing can separate me from it. There’s one dilemma I find in this passage though. Somewhere along the way we are in this cyclical relationship of bondage and freedom. A relationship that we have created and placed on ourselves. Like Paul says in this passage you are free! However, actually grasping that core belief and living in it is a lot different than just saying it.
Here’s the main point I want to sit on before practically giving ways to living in freedom: freedom is paid for and there’s no “return policy.” Once it is granted and atoned for there is no reason to feel like you have to give it back or it has to be re-earned after you mess up (because let’s be real, we all mess up along the way). But the Bible says that:
God raised us up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
Ephesians 2:6
Life Application
How exactly do we walk in this amazing freedom?
- We have to know who are in Christ. This is only possible by reading His Word daily and being in constant communication with the one who made us.
- We must recognize that God is the one who is able, and we are simply to act in obedience with our own willingness. Sure, freedom is free and the most liberating feeling, but it doesn’t make you the ultimate earthly person. Instead this freedom is meant to empower you to carry out God’s will.
- Lastly, we must share this freedom with others. God doesn’t just want us to hoard all this freedom and love to ourselves. He longs for others to become “more than conquerors” as well.
When life seems difficult most of the time that means you are headed in God’s direction. Resistance means the enemy is scared, but you can rest assured that nothing can separate you from the love of Jesus. It’s free, paid for, and ready to be consumed by us.
Romans__7
Scripture
Romans 7:16-25-
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Paul is talking about the battle between his flesh and his Spirit. They wage war against each other.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Jesus is our Rescuer and the One who gives us hope to overcome our fleshly desires.
Jesus lived the verse, “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41).” His obedience on the cross despite His own inward struggles as a man, is why we are able to conquer and defeat sin and death as well!
When tempted to sin, RUN (don’t walk), to the One who rescues us from it-Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!
At one of our ministry leader’s meetings, Pastor basically broke down the above verse and said that we can’t blame the devil for acts that we do because it was our own evil desire that enticed us. The devil tempts, but he can’t make us do anything. Our own evil desires are what entice us away. So how do we defeat these evil desires?
Here are the 5 things that help me because yes, I am human and get tempted also. No one is exempt. Not even Jesus was.
- Run to Jesus and confess it. Don’t continue to meditate on it and don’t run away from Jesus due to shame. He understands temptation because He was tempted the same way we are. Confess to the Lord that you need His help. The Holy Spirit always comes through.
- Run to God’s Word. Encourage yourself away from the temptation through His truths. God’s Word is our offensive weapon against the evil one’s attacks. We must wash our minds clean daily with the Truth in His Word. Jesus always used God’s Word in the correct context when tempted by the devil and the devil left him.
- Put up safeguards to guard your heart and mind. Don’t go closer to the temptation. Run away from it just like Joseph in Genesis 39:12. He RAN away naked leaving his cloak behind when his master’s wife kept tempting him to sleep with her and she started becoming aggressive with it. Joseph’s integrity and pleasing his master (both earthly and in Heaven) was more important than sleeping with that woman.
- Remember the consequences of the sin, not the pleasure of it. We usually know the harsh consequences if it was a sin committed in the past or if it was a learned consequence from someone else’s sin.
- Confess your struggle to another Spirit filled person to pray for you and even consider going to a Christian counselor if needed. The more we shine light on the darkness, the less likely darkness will overtake and overcome us.
We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness (Romans 6)! We are God’s chosen and we are holy and dearly loved. (Col. 3:12).
Let’s live in that truth!
-Michelle Gaddi
Romans_6
Scripture
Romans 6:6-7
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Observation
From https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/romans-6/
Knowing this, that our old [self] was crucified with Him: The death of the old [self] is an established fact. It happened spiritually when we were identified with Jesus’ death at our salvation.
- The old [self]is the self that is patterned after Adam, the part of us deeply ingrained in rebellion against God and His commands. The system of law is unable to deal with the old [self], because it can only tell the old [self] what the righteous standard of God is. The law tries to reform the old [self], to get him to “turn over a new leaf.” But the system of grace understands that the old [self] can never be reformed. He must be put to death, and for the believer the old [self] dies with Jesus on the cross.
- The crucifixion of the old [self]is something that God did in us. None of us nailed the old [self] to the cross. Jesus did it, and we are told to account it as being done. “In us there was nothing even to sicken and to weaken our old man, much less to murder him by crucifixion; God had to do this.” (Lenski)
- In place of the old [self], God gives the believer a new man– a self that is instinctively obedient and pleasing to God; this aspect of our person is that which was raised with Christ in His resurrection. The New Testament describes the new man for us.
- The new man, which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness(Ephesians 4:24).
- The new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him(Colossians 3:10).
Understanding
However you want to say it or break it down, the bottom line is [the good news] that we are free in Christ, because of Christ’s death on the cross.
Able to walk in freedom because of Jesus’s death on the cross. Surrounded by Him, delivered by Him, liberated…children of God. This is the good news!…and there’s a world needing it, searching for, hungry for it. So, let’s go share it!
Life Application
Cool Stuff Does Require Bribing Some Friends. J
May we be purposeful today as we go about – whether within our homes, in our workplaces, schools, when we go to the grocery store…whatever we do, may it be for God. With a heart bent towards His will, with heart/ears open to hear His voice and eyes open to opportunities to share God’s love with others.
Rei
To check out the discussion or to join in click here.
Romans_5
Scripture Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Observation-What does it say? As Paul opens up the letter to the Roman church, we see several instances pointing to our inability to connect with God on our own. Paul even exposes a prideful attitude within the Roman church, who were in the practice of judging others for actions they were also committing (chapter 2:1-16). In chapters three and four, Paul encourages them to seek God through faith, like Abraham did, and not to rely on works.
In chapter five, Paul points back to the old testament, comparing Jesus to Abraham. Paul highlights the foreshadowing of the story of Adam and how it was a metaphor for what Jesus would do through his death on the cross. Adam, the first man, introduced sin and death into the world by not obeying God’s command. Jesus, the Son of Man, though his obedience to God’s command, reintroduced us to community with God. But, the grace we receive through Jesus is much more abundant than the death we have in Adam.
Understanding-What does it mean? I really struggled with English class all throughout school, especially grammar and spelling. My spelling and grammar were so bad that I failed most of my writing assignments on that alone. This became very discouraging and made me completely apathetic towards English. But this apathy made me miss out on some of the better parts of writing and stories, like the many literary devices, such as foreshadowing. As I have gotten older, I love to read a book and be pleasantly surprised when I get towards the end of the book and have the “ah ha” moment. For me, the “ah ha” moment is when I read a sentence and finally realize why something else was written at the beginning.
What’s incredible about the Bible, is the amount of “ah ha” moments you can have. The story, written by so many different authors, over hundreds of years apart, uses all kinds of literary devices to help us understand God’s awesome power and love for us. In comparing Adam and Jesus, we get a taste of the foreshadowing that is used throughout the old testament. It’s a little glimpse of how much God loves us. He took such care, and paid so much attention to the little details.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Before we were even a twinkle in our parents eyes, God planned out how he was going to tell us he loved us. He orchestrated all the parts, all the players, to make this great story that we get to take part of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=300&v=7_CGP-12AE0&feature=emb_logo
Life Application Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for the love you have displayed since before I was aware of it. Help me to use my life to share this story with those around me.