Don’t JUDGE or hold a GRUDGE

Don’t JUDGE or hold a GRUDGE

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 NIV

Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21 NLT

Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.  The Message (MSG)

What or who pushes your button?  What thing happens that causes your blood to start to boil? Politics, bad driver, incompetence, gossip, hypocrisy, lies, abuse, or being cheated?  When something happens that causes you to want to take revenge, you are being overcome with evil.  When you feel like you have to justify your curt attitude, you are being overcome by evil.  When you act as if you are more important than the attendant that is taking your order, you are being overcome by evil.

It’s interesting that evil is personified in this passage.  The translators use the words overcome, conquer, and  get the best of, to show that evil is not neutral.  It has a purpose.  It desires to intimidate and dominate you.  Because it is not neutral, it will pursue you to make you its slave.  Do some people just annoy you as soon as you think about them?  Maybe your face gets flustered and you can feel your body tense up as you are about to encounter them in a conversation.  These are signals that evil is crouching at your door to have dominion over your

Do not hold a GRUDGE or JUDGE!  These are the two quickest ways for evil to make a beach head in your spiritual walk.  They can start so small with just a thought like “she did that to me on purpose, how could she”.  This thought will change the way that you speak and act toward her from that point on.  You have taken up and offense and evil is growing.  FORGIVE immediately.  Let the person go free and do not hold the offense against them.  Then think of a way to speak a blessing about them.

Judging is even more deceptive in its work.  Only God is judge!  He does not give us that privilege.  So, be careful when you say “ I would never do that! Or He is so cold, mean, arrogant…you feel in the blank”.  When we judge we are cursing another person.  Judgment happens when you place value to a fact.  It’s a red car is not a judgment.  I don’t like people with red cars is a judgment.  Again, when you hear in your statements or think in your head that you have made a judgment, REPENT.  Ask God to forgive you and help you to speak blessing and not a curse.

Waking up every day asking the Lord for creativity to overcome evil with good can be very fulfilling.  You have the potential to influence everyone you meet with blessing.  Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will lead you.  Notes, cards, phone calls, and especially chocolates J are great ways to bless others.  Being unoffendable can help evil to lose its grip.  Being kind is like adding Teflon against the stickiness of sin.

Father, forgive us when we judge and hold a grudge.  Help us to see that blessing and being kind have great advantages for our personal and spiritual walk.  Help us to keep our sin accounts short.  Help us to bless often.

Each member Belongs to all the others.

Each member Belongs to all the others.

4For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  Romans 12:4-6

The Bible records several imageries to describe our relationship with Christ.  We are like a temple being built into a spiritual building with Christ as the chief cornerstone.  We are a family with a heavenly Father and responsibility to a lot of siblings.  Here in this passage we are told that we are the Body of Christ.  He is the head.  We make us the rest of the body.  The Holy Spirit gives every believer a role to perform in the body.  Each role has certain gifting that allows a person to benefit the rest of the body of Christ.

There is one body.  This can be hard for some to understand because we have so many denominations and congregations.  These groups do not “get along” very well.  Their disunity is so strong that many times they discredit each other as part of the body at all.  One congregation may purport that another group not agreeing on essential doctrine disqualifies them.  So, many have adopted the saying attributed to Augustine, "IN ESSENTIALS UNITY, IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY”.  God so desires that we get it right in being in unity as the body of Christ.  More about Unity in another blog.

“Each member belongs to all the others.”  Let that sink in for a moment.  As a child of God, you belong to all the others.  Has the enemy ever made you feel alone, insignificant, isolated, or that your life doesn’t matter?  Memorize Romans 12:5.  God’s word says that you belong to all the others.  This means that they are connected to you whether they like it or not.  It also means that you are connected to them, whether you like it or not.

Each has a function to perform in the body of Christ.  That means You have a vital role to fulfill in order for the body to function well.  The Holy Spirit saw you, gifted you and empowers you to perform your part whether you think it is a big or small part.  When you are not living the Spirit-filled life, the body suffers.  The Body is incomplete in some fashion.  It is not able to accomplish everything with the same ease of operation.  Your life matters to the body of Christ.  Know your gift.  Offer yourself daily to the Father to use your gift.

Father, thank you for your wisdom.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that equips and connects us in the Body of Christ.  Help us today to live fulfilled lives for your kingdom.  Let us not compare giftings in a way that belittles our role.  Every joint supplies.  Help us to do our part each day.

Doxology  

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[i] knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”^[j]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”^[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.  Romans 11:33-36

Have you ever written out a praise confession toward God?  These verses are Paul’s response to God’s grace to save both Jew and Gentile.  All people were in disobedience, yet God saved those who He wills.

“the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God”.  Are there issues surrounding your life in which you need wisdom?  God has more than just a little.  He has an overabundance that He is ready to share with you.  There are no mountain of problems to high or discouragement in the valley so low, that God’s wisdom is not able to find the right application for victory.  Don’t believe it when you say, “there is no way…”; because God’s wisdom can make a way.

 ”How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”  Now that God’s wisdom is evident, you may agree or disagree with his method.  IT may be a point in which God’s actions do not make sense to you.  Why would a baby die so early, why would a man leave his wife, why would a child stray from his faith, why would someone reject God’s offer for life?  No easy answers.  But you can trust that God is working his plan to bring about righteous judgment in all things.  He is trustworthy even when things don’t seem to add up.  He is not finished counting.

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?    Or who has been his counselor?”

Have you ever had the temptation to tell God how you would handle the situation if you were God?  Pain is never in our plans.  It was not in God’s original plans, but He uses pain.  It make us see the brevity of life and allows us to look to the Lord for answers.  He knows what he is doing. Praise Him!

Father, Thank you for your wisdom and counsel.  You are worthy of all praise. Life that is good is from you, through you and for you.  Help my confessions agree with your character.  Even when I have limited sight, you are still glorious.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your attitude toward the Jewish people?

What is your attitude toward the Jewish People?

18do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Romans 11:18-21

What should our attitude be toward the Jewish people be in this present age?  Paul spends the entire chapter of Romans 11 discussing this subject.  He is writing to a Gentile audience.  In summary, the Jews are God’s anointed people who rejected Jesus as the Messiah; their blindness and hardness of heart made a pathway for gentiles to become God’s children…children of Israel.  There is still a path for Jews to be saved through grace and for Gentiles to be saved through grace.

The attitude of arrogance or haughtiness toward another reflects the lack of understanding of the grace that is offered.  Christians should never think that we are better than the Jewish people because we have received Jesus as our Savior and they did not.  Neither should we be afraid to share now that ALL come to the Father through Jesus Christ; both Jew and Gentile.

Knowing that all of foundation is in the root of Jesus Christ from the stump of Jesse, we have no room for arrogance.  Yet it is true that we owe our lives to him for loving us.  Paul says that we should tremble before God that He has chosen us.

What is going to happen in the end?  God said that He is God.  IF he spared not the Jews who were favored, he also could harden the gentile heart.  For He is God.  Personally, I believe that both Jew and Gentile come to the Father through Jesus Christ.  There will not be another separation of time in which a person comes to the Lord in faith.  The Holy Spirit is here now operating and opening hearts to the knowledge of God through our words of testimony.  We must tell as many as we can that God loves them and He has a plan to remove the wall of separation that we might become his children.  That plan is Jesus who died in our place for the penalty of sin so that we could have eternal life with him. If you think God is going to save the Jews in another way, it takes away the burden for seeing them saved now.  Pray for those ministries that are sharing the gospel among the Jews and the Arab nations to see many salvations. Some are dying today.

Father, break our hearts over those who are lost, both Jew and Gentile.  Let us look Jesus did over the crowd and was moved to compassion.  Father, help us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into the ripe field.  Help us today to pray for boldness of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses.  Forgive us when we miss the opportunity. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Savior is Waiting

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

As I think about these verse I can’t but remember an old hymn by Ralph Carmichael

The Savior is waiting to enter your heart
Why don't you let Him come in
There's nothing in this world to keep you apart
What is your answer to Him

Refrain
Time after time, He has waited before
And now He is waiting again
To see if you're willing to open the door
Oh, how He wants to come in

If you'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend
You'll find His arms open wide
Receive Him and all of your darkness will end
With in your heart He'll abide

To receive Jesus is an easy task, but it will cost you your life.  His life in exchange for yours.  You must give up lordship of your own life and give it to him.

Will you pray with me?

Father, if you are who you say your are, please save me.  God into my life and make me clean.  I no longer want to be in control of who I am, I give it all to you.  Thank you for making me new.  I am confessing you as Lord with my mouth and I believe that you died for me in my heart.  Thank you for coming in.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

That is the best decision you have made for all of eternity.  I would love to hear if you prayed that prayer.

Blessings

Stumbling Stone

Stumbling Stone

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. ³² Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.  Romans 9:30-32

This is the conundrum for the gospel given to man.  The people of God (the Jews) who had favored relationship, forfeited that status.  And those who didn’t even have a concern about holy things, get the opportunity to participate in eternal life.  Paul says that the defining line is faith and not works.

Why did Jesus become a stumbling stone?  Is there something about Jesus that may cause anyone of us to stumble?  Wouldn’t it had made better sense for God to make Jesus someone to be adored by all?  But He is not.  God gave him a name that is above every other name on earth.  In fact, you can mention “God”and the conversation continues easily, but when you bring the name of Jesus into the mix everyone gets uncomfortable. Why?

Because He has been given status of LORD.  He can only be approached humbly, on knees and with brokenness.  A relationship can only be established on his terms.  This is true whether you are a Jew or a Gentile.  It is true that it is “either His way or the highway”.  None of our efforts, rank, status, good looks, money, good works or sacrifice is enough to gain a favorable influence.  Relationship with Jesus is a grace gift.  Because it is gained only on His terms, it causes people to be offended or stumble.

This stumbling goes beyond salvation, it becomes part of our life also as we are identified with him.  As we talk about Jesus, as we tell people that He is the way the truth and the life, and as we follow Him in speech and actions, our lives become offensive, a stumbling block.  Yet, upon this Rock, God’s children gather to build His church.

Father, help us to appreciate the wisdom of your ways.  As Paul says what right does the clay have to tell the potter what He should do with the clay.  So we humbly, thank you for your grace.  Let us embrace you as the rock of stumbling and offense.

Overwhelmingly Victorious

Overwhelmingly victorious

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[j]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37

HELPS Word-studies

5245 hypernikáō (from 5228 /hypér, "beyond" and 3528 /nikáō, "conquer") – properly, exceedingly conquer, being "more than a conqueror," i.e. "super-conqueror" who is "completely and overwhelmingly victorious" 

Think of the verse again in this way…  Who causes you trouble, who brings hardship into your life, who is it that is persecuting you, what happens when your resources are dried up, what happens when you are stripped naked and publicly shamed, how do you respond when you are being tracked down to be killed. Paul says that you will be overwhelming victorious.  Not that you will be incredibly courageous or that you will suddenly have super power to be a hero.  Paul is saying that nothing can stop you from being overwhelmed with the love of Christ.

  Take it to the worst experience that can be brought upon you and Christ still has the ability to shed his love toward you. You may not be able to point to anything positive in the physical.  It is not just having a good attitude about the experience, rather you will be comforted by Jesus presence that He will never leave you nor forsake you.  You will be able to see like Paul that these a “momentary afflictions” in light of eternity.

Father, None of us want to go through hard times.  We may even voice that we are “chicken” and good never endure that kind of suffering.  Please help us in a our frailty.  But we thank you that you love us still.  We thank you that your promises are true always.  We thank you that your love supersedes all adversity.  You love us and nothing can stop you from making that love constant, deep and real,  In Jesus Name Amen.