"Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead." Romans 6:13. Because, we are! But, what if I do not feel alive? So, what does being alive look like in my life, in yours? We have obtained our introduction by FAITH into this GRACE in which we STAND. We exult in HOPE of the GLORY of God. And not only this, but we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 6:2-5.
Paul is very full in pressing the necessity of holiness. Matthew Henry. Justification and holiness are inseparable. You cannot be dead and alive at the very same moment. "Let us present all our powers to God, as weapons or tools ready for the warfare, and work of righteousness, in his service. There is strength in the covenant of grace for us. Sin shall not have dominion. You cannot have a stronger motivation against sin than the Love of Christ."
Wake us up, O Lord, to the Love of Christ. So rich. So free. So alive.
PRAYER FROM PSALMS
Dear Father, we pray Psalms 1 for our life. May we not stand in the path of sinners. May our walk this day be in holiness. May we not linger in the counsel of the wicked. May our walk this day be in holiness. May we not sit in the seat of scoffers. May our walk this day be in holiness. May our delight be in this Word of God. This Word of Grace. Planted by trees of rivers of righteousness. Show us the way, O God! Show us the way
Paul is very full in pressing the necessity of holiness. Matthew Henry. Justification and holiness are inseparable. You cannot be dead and alive at the very same moment. "Let us present all our powers to God, as weapons or tools ready for the warfare, and work of righteousness, in his service. There is strength in the covenant of grace for us. Sin shall not have dominion. You cannot have a stronger motivation against sin than the Love of Christ."
Wake us up, O Lord, to the Love of Christ. So rich. So free. So alive.
PRAYER FROM PSALMS
Dear Father, we pray Psalms 1 for our life. May we not stand in the path of sinners. May our walk this day be in holiness. May we not linger in the counsel of the wicked. May our walk this day be in holiness. May we not sit in the seat of scoffers. May our walk this day be in holiness. May our delight be in this Word of God. This Word of Grace. Planted by trees of rivers of righteousness. Show us the way, O God! Show us the way
Romans 4:19-25 The Message Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
ReplyDeleteAbraham didn't feel alive, either, Bev. His faith is what gave him a legacy with God. God made something out of Abraham while he was still a nobody. If it had been something A. had done, Abraham could have taken credit for it. But as Eugene Peterson reminds us, this is a God story not an Abraham story--this is for all of us nobody's who don't need to do a thing but believe. Believe in this Gift of the Sacrificed Jesus who makes us fit for God.