Overflowing

DEVOTON
ROMANS
OVERFLOWING
Rom 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
NIV
Well, here is a great saying, a great promise which I really should be able to grab a hold of or take to heart so to speak. The God of hope, he is the author of hope, without him there simply is no hope, no anticipation of goodness, no expectation of eternal life. This God of hope fills me with all joy and peace as I trust in him. Now there does seem to be something here I am responsible for, trusting in him. I would suppose is a person did not trust in him, that person would never be filled with all joy and peace. Yet, here I am filled to the brim. Here I am so filled with this joy and peace. Maybe I should look at the Greek here. Joy here is reflected as a calm delight and peace as the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and fearing nothing from God and content with its earthy lot, of whatsoever sort that is. What an awesome thought. I am filled, no not just filled, but overflowing with a calm delight. I am overflowing with this tranquil state. What an incredible way to live. This is by far one of the best promises, the best result of knowing and trusting in God. With so much anxiety in life, with so much tension as well as unrest this world has to offer. With all the struggles to “get ahead” to “plan for the future” many people seem to be preoccupied with, it would seem to me this peace is a needed thing. It would seem being in a tranquil state, being assured of salvation and not having to fear anything from God, not having to be concerned about his wrath, as well as being content with where and what a person has in this life would be greatly desired. Maybe they do not know about it, maybe that is why God has filled me to the brim, to overflowing with this hope, this joy, this peace, so that others may enjoy that which overflows out of me by the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe the joy and peace I have is not really for me in the first place, but I am but a vessel to be filled to overflowing so others may enjoy those things.

Glorifying God

DEVOTION
ROMANS
GLORIFYING GOD

Rom 15:7-12
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." 10 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." 11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." 12 And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." NIV
Being a gentile in the sense of these verses, that is of course not counting my great grandmother Bloomline, who was a German Jew, I have received the mercy of God through the servant hood of Jesus on behalf of the Jews. Therefore it is my responsibility and my joy to bring Glory to God. It is without question the reason I am here. If I were here only to lavish myself with my own desires, spoiling my own self, seeking after all the things and pleasure of life simply to satisfy myself, what benefit would that serve? If that is all life is about, then what a waste life is. To be born, to live a life of self absorption, then die ending up in some dark box to rot or in Hell would seem to me to be a total waste of human effort. Then if ending up in Hell was not bad enough, that route ends up in perishing, which also results with “to rot”. All of that seems so much waste, when I can spend my life giving God glory for his mercy. Singing hymns to his name, rejoicing, praising the Lord, and singing praises to him, about him and for him and having my hope in him. Now this is a life worth living, a life of worth. This is a life filled with purpose and promise. This is a life filled with joy and hope. How could I ever think my previous life had any meaning at all? Yet I did, I thought it was all about me. How wrong I was, I utterly wrong I was. This life I now live is a true life, the real purpose for my being here, to bring Glory to God. To give him all the glory for everything he has done, is doing and will ever do. He is the author of life. Without him there is no life, I would not even be, and that is a fact, not fiction! So I praise you Lord! I sing praises to your Name! I glorify you God!

Accepted, Accepting

DEVOTION
ROMANS
ACCEPTED, ACCEPTING
Rom 15:7
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
NIV
What a horrible thing to consider Christ rejecting me. I am glad I do not have to be worried about that for he did not. No he did in fact accept me just the way I was and am. I am completely amazed at this total acceptance. What have I done to desire such love? I am not sure I can think of anything. He simply accepts me for who I am one of his creations who was in need of salvation or justification. I am also someone who needs the help of the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification. To affirm one again, I am simply accepted. Now the rub here, is I need to learn to accept others in that same total complete way. What does that mean? I believe what I need to do, is accept others as they are. Not attempting to change them to me my requirements. That surely would be a form of judgment. I would be saying in so way they are not good enough for me to accept them. They need to change; they need to be more like what I think they should be. That certainly seems awfully self- centered to me, if I am like that. Who am I do not accept others? Nobody! I am in no position to not accept others for who they are, the way they are, as Christ has and is still doing. But it is not that easy. I have to admit I do have those kinds of feelings. I do expect others to fit some kind of mold, to act in some way which I deem to be correct behavior, especially in their relationship with me. There I have said it. So what do I do with that now? Does it mean I have rejected them, for who they are? No, not really. I do accept them, but at the same time I am not happy about how they act toward me. So how do I marry those two thoughts; accepting them and not accepting their behavior? Is that what Christ does? Does he accept me, yet he desires me to change? I think so. But he is Christ. He has the authority to require change, I do not. No, I must simply accept others as Christ accepted me, freely and openly without any other requirements of change. Any change in other people must be left to the one who is in authority. Lord, I need your help!

One Heart One Mouth

DEVOTION
ROMANS
ONE HEART AND MOUTH
Rom 15:5-6
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV
So God does give me the endurance and the encouragement, but now I must also accept this spirit if unity he bestows upon me. It is he who gives this spirit of unity among me and my fellow followers of Christ. So then I have to ask myself, why do I not feel unity when I am among fellow followers? Is it because I am not really following Christ? Is it because they may not actually be following Christ? Is it both? Am I more interesting in myself, then Christ? Do I follow after my own agenda rather than God’s agenda for me? Are all us believers of one heart and mouth? Do we all glorify God? Do we all present a unified image to the unbelieving world? It is my fault? Do I function in the body as God intends for me to? Even if I do, do I do it with a true spirit of unity? This unity is to be like minded or have be of the same opinion, or mentally disposed in a certain direction. Is this the definition of the church? Am I of the same opinion or mentally disposed in the same direction as the rest of the followers of Christ? A difficult question indeed! Does this mean doctrine or dogma? Or does this imply loving God in the simplest form, allowing for a wide range of individual doctrinal disputes? If so, what then does have one heart and mouth mean? Do not all these differences take away from bringing glory to God? I think so, but what can I do about that? How do I apply this verse to me? What is my responsibility in being like minded with fellow followers of Christ and being of one heart and mouth? I do believe it has to be in the simplest sense of loving God with all my heart, my soul, mind and strength and loving my neighbor as myself. The rest is fluff and puff. So I say to my fellow followers of Christ, if you love God with everything you have and me as much as you do love yourself, we are of one heart and mouth and we can glorify God together.

Learning

DEVOTION
ROMANS
LEARNING
Rom 15:4
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
NIV
It does not make much sense to read anything, to me at least, unless I am going to learn something from what I read. That is why fiction holds no interest to me. I want to learn something, to expand my knowledge in some area of interest to me and thus here I am with the one true writings which such be of primary interest to all mankind, the Holy Scriptures. This verse surely puts that right up front and personally right in my face. The scriptures were written for the purpose to teach me, so I might learn. The question, which has to be rhetorical, is to teach me what? The answer is, of course, all about God. For it is all about Him. He is the author of life itself. He is the creator of all that is, and all that will ever be. It is my task, to learn all I can about God and about His relationship with me. I might have been tempted to say about me relationship with Him, but I see now how that centers around me which is not what should be. No, the scriptures teach me about God’s relationship with all of His creation which includes me. And as I read that which was written in the past to teach me about God, who He is, and What He has done for me, in me and is doing through me, I should endure and be encouraged by those words in order that I have hope. For I know as a fact, without God having this relationship with me, I would have absolutely no hope at all. How could I live without hope? What a waste of my time. Without hope, I would only have this short useless time here, with nothing to look forward to but a dark box, a tomb, a grave. But Jesus won the victory over death, and thus it holds no power over me as well. I have the hope of eternal life in the everlasting presence of my Lord and my God. Praise His Holy Name! Through His power I have learned and will endure and I am encouraged because of His divine Word.

Building Up

DEVOTION
ROMANS
BUILDING UP
Rom 15:1-3
15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."
NIV
It appears I would have to admit, I am strong in my faith, I have freedom in Christ and I know without a shadow of doubt the path God choose for me to travel. So does spiritual pride enter into my life, having this complete confidence in God and what he is doing for me, in me and through me? Perhaps to a degree, I must at least admit to myself, yet not really when I actually consider I am but a sinner saved my grace. I am not any better or any worse than all others who are saved by grace. Actually I am not any better or worse than others who are not saved by grace, I am simple saved by grace. But having thought that out, I do have a certain sense I should not expect all others to have the same kind of faith I do. It appears from these verses there may well be people who know the Lord as their Savior but are somewhat weak in their walk with him. From the preceding dissertation about eating and drinking, this seems to follow up in the same manner. Instead of expounding on the virtues of my faith, and the strength of my convictions, I should bear with those who are weaker, bear, which is to take up with my hands or heart. and in fact endeavor to build him up. How do I please that neighbor, that fellow believer who is weak? How do I build them up? Do I tell them about how they should be stronger in their faith? I think not. Do I live in a manner demonstrating my faith? This certainly has some merit, I think, yet I should not live in a way that I am boasting about my faith, for that surely with not build them up, but rather the opposite. No, I do believe I must walk the talk, that is walk in a manner my faith in God allows me to walk. I must also talk the walk, that is, share through teaching, preaching and writing the exceptional qualities of God and his plan for his creation. This I believe God has called me to do in order to assist in building up my neighbor.

Between Me and God

DEVOTION
ROMANS
BETWEEN ME AND GOD
Rom 14:19-23

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
NIV
So the last verses laid it out in general, and now I have to deal within on a more specific issue but I must deal with it between me and Him. In a certain sense this is no nobody’s business if I eat something or drink something which they believe is a sin. Now the idea here, I think is pretty simple. If I am out having dinner with a fellow believer who thinks drinking wine or any other adult beverage is a sin, and I order wine, I am certainly out of line, and out of the will of God. I would be causing my brother to stumble, to think badly of me, to have thoughts about my relationship with God, or whatever. I would never do such a thing, of that I am sure. I respect those beliefs in others and would never eat or drink anything which would cause them to stumble. And I must say I would not even tell them of the liberty in Christ which I enjoy. In the society I live in I cannot think of anything I should not eat, but certainly know many of my fellow believers would have a problem if I were to drink wine. Some would not, but some would. Again those who restrict themselves to those rules of no drinking, no dancing, no smoking, no movies, no whatever, I believe would have trouble with how long or short the “no” list should be, consider such a list does not exist in the scriptures. I do believe it is not about the list but about a relationship with our Lord. Whatever I believe about drinking wine, in this case, is completely between me and God. I simple keep my relationship with God on a personal one on one condition. I know what God has told me, I have no doubts in my heart at all. I can only hope and pray I will never do anything which would cause my fellow believers to struggle with their faith, with their relationship with God.