2012 Day 210 – Roman 4

28 Saturday Jul 2012

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In today’s reading, Paul uses David as an example of how God forgives and is able to continue to bless us. In verse 6 it says, David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: Paul goes on, in verses 7-8, to quote David’s words from Psalm 32:1-2, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” These words came from a man who lied, committed adultery, and murder and yet God allowed him to experience the joy of forgiveness. If we recognize, admit, and let go of our guilt and accept God’s forgiveness, we too can experience the joy God has promised us. Thank you God for forgiving me of all my sins and for covering my sins to the point where they are no longer counted against me. May I be as forgiving of others as God is of me.

2012 Day 209 – Romans 3

27 Friday Jul 2012

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Depending how you choose to look at it, verse 23 will either give you hope or despair, until you read on to verse 24, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. I feel an incredible amount of hope in these verses. God already knows I have fallen short of what He requires of me to be justified. But because of the redemption I receive from Christ, I am justified in the eyes of God. I get very frustrated when I realize I am so weak and so full of sin. Sometimes it’s hard to feel I am redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice. However, when I read verses like this, I am reassured that redemption comes to all who repent and accept grace; giving me hope through these verses.

2012 Day 208 – Romans 2

26 Thursday Jul 2012

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We always want to put our best foot forward. We always want to show everyone our best side. While that makes people around us more at ease and happier to be around us, the real us is who we are inside. Paul uses circumcision as an outward indicator of what makes someone a Jew. In verses 28-29 it says, A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. What makes us who we are is what is inside through Christ and the Holy Spirit working in our lives. We may be able to fool people around us when things are going wrong, but God knows who we really are. For this reason it is important that we work on improving inwardly so that we can outwardly express who we are in Christ and who the Holy Spirit is making us become.

2012 Day 207 – Romans 1

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

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Today we start one of the most powerful books of the Bible; Romans! This book was written by Paul before he ever even visited the Romans. It was written as Paul prepares for his visit to Jerusalem and approximately 57 years after Christ’s sacrifice. He writes this letter as a presentation of his faith to the Roman people, which does not give it the typical form of a letter except for brief greetings at the beginning of the book and more detailed greetings at end. His intention in writing this is to introduce himself to the Roman church which is mostly Jewish, but also has a considerable number of Gentiles.

Within the first few verses Paul gets to the point very quickly and delivers the premise of his message. Verse 16 says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Paul does not mince words in expressing his belief and faith in the gospel of Christ. He was definitely not ashamed and he proved it over and over with each form of persecution and near death experience. Where we live in Franklin, TN it is not difficult to carry the flag of my belief in the gospel. My boldness and desire to serve God must go beyond the comfort of where I live. I pray that I am never ashamed to share what I believe no matter where I am or what I’m doing because the gospel is truly the power of God shown through salvation which is available to everyone, no matter where they live or what they have done.

2012 Day 206 – Psalm 55, 102

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Psalm 55:22 stood out to me today, Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. The same God that sustains us each day wants us to trust in Him and cast all of our cares on Him. God is always there and sometimes my human self feels like He is waiting to see when I screw up. The truth is He is waiting there to pick me up and dust me off and help me to continue to move forward. Nothing I could ever do could ever surprise or shock God. He knows I am a weak human being who needs Him more than I need anything else in my life. It’s time I started acting as if God is big enough for all of my cares and that I start casting my burdens on Him so He can help me. I will never be strong enough, and He will never grow tired of caring for me.

2012 Day 205 – Psalm 43, 44

23 Monday Jul 2012

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The first two verses in today’s reading struck me right away. Psalm 42:1-2, 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Our lives depend on God 100%. We are like the deer in verse 1 who realizes he will die without water, and so will we if we do not find God. Separation from water for the deer is the equivalent of separation from God in our lives. Both will ultimately lead to death. When we feel separated from God we must seek to be with Him even more.

2012 Day 204 – Acts 20

22 Sunday Jul 2012

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Today we briefly go back into the history of the church as we visit Acts 20. Paul is saying goodbye to the elders of the Ephesus and he lets them know that where ever he goes, prison and hardship are part of his future. It is humbling to see that even while he looks to a future of suffering, Paul sees hope in verse 24, However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. How often do I ask God to take my burdens away instead of asking God to allow me to finish this race strong. Reading this today has given me a new perspective on how I should be approaching my life of service to God. Instead of asking for my life to be easy, I should be asking God to give me strength when (not if) life gets hard. I also need to consider hardship as an honor when it comes to serving God, not a burden. I know this is easier said than done, but it gives me a new perspective of how things should be.

2012 Day 203 – Psalm 77, 78

21 Saturday Jul 2012

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As I started to read Psalm 78 I thought I would not have much to say about the chapter because it was mostly a recounting of the history of the Israelites through David’s reign. However, as I read and noticed how many times the people rebelled and God forgave them, it reminded me of my life. No matter how bad things I do, God always forgives me when I repent and ask Him for His forgiveness. As we fast-forward to Christ, He solidified grace and forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It humbles and sometimes shames me to think how many times God has to forgive me. I need to be reminded daily that I need the Holy Spirit to help me and guide me through my life to stay away from my potentially sinful ways. God is merciful and full of grace, which makes me love Him all the more.

2012 Day 202 – 2 Corinthians 13

20 Friday Jul 2012

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Paul ends the book of 2 Corinthians reminding us that even though we are weak as humans we are still strong through the power of the Father. Verse 4 states it well, For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you. Christ is the ultimate example of allowing weakness so that God’s power can shine through. Even in the crucifixion of Christ, the power of God ultimately won. Think about how this applies to us. If we are willing to humble ourselves to realize our weakness and turn over the glory and power to God, how much more could we accomplish in this life. The key is to remember we are not the ones accomplishing it, but the Father through us.

2012 Day 201 – 2 Corinthians 12

19 Thursday Jul 2012

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Verse 9 is a powerful verse that speaks to me every time I read it, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. We are nothing without Christ. Whether we do good or bad it pales in comparison to Him. Because of our weakness, it shows God’s strength all the more. In order for us to be truly effective in this life, we must rely on God instead of relying simply on our own energy, effort, or talent. Further, our weakness develops our character and deepens our relationship with God because we are forced to admit our weakness in order to affirm God’s power and strength in our lives. As for me, I am encouraged by my weakness when I know I don’t have to be the source of all my strength. Praise God for His perfect presence in my life.