4 ...Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
This verse really stood out for me this week. I think we very often repent out of a fear of the wrath of God - but this verse says it is His Kindness that leads us to repentance. It made me think - if we 'measure' or 'compare' our own kindness against His kindness, what would it look like? It would be pale against His brightness to say the least.
It really is God's kindness that makes us see our sin. To know how far we have fallen short of His glory and then still receive His grace and kindness - that leads us to dig deep in true repentance.
Point to ponder:
Do you really know God's kindness? The kindness that leads to true repentance of a sinful heart? If not ask God to give you a supernatural revelation of His kindness toward you this week, and see what happens to your heart in terms of repentance.
3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
Romans 1:17
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith"
Paul teaches us that the righteous will live by faith. Faith in what or in whom? Verses 3-6 spell it out clearly. Faith in the Son of God, who was born a descendant of David (in the natural), was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Jesus Christ) and through Whom we receive grace to bring about the OBEDIENCE OF FAITH....
This is a mouthful but there is so much truth here. There has been many books, even dissertations written about this, trying to understand and piece together Paul's train of thought. I think mostly we just make it much more complicated that what it is. Keeping it simple, I think Paul is simply saying: We cannot live righteously enough or obediently enough so that our works will be able to declare us holy. So we are righteous by faith, we life by faith, and once we live from a place of faith in Christ, then we live in obedience to that faith. Obedience does not produce faith, it does not bring holiness, it does not make us righteous, only faith in Jesus Christ Who is THE RIGHTEOUS ONE, can make us righteous in HIM. And when we are in Him we cannot live differently but be obedient to the faith He is working in us, through His Spirit of Holiness.
Faith first, then obedience follows naturally. Faith saves, makes us righteous, obedience is the fruit of that salvation and righteousness in us. Obedience is a work of the Holy Spirit in us that follows salvation. Disobedience means I am choosing with my free will to say to the Holy Spirit - "please wait in the corner until I am done sinning, because I just first want to do this thing, even though I know it is out of line with holiness..."
It grieves the Holy Spirit when we do that, but He does not violate our free will. He honours it. However, choosing disobedience also means we choose the consequences that come with it. Can we learn to apply our free will to making godly choices against our sinful nature? Yes of course we can. We have been given the Spirit of Holiness. Let us choose to submit ourselves in totality to the Spirit of Holiness - and live by faith, having received the grace and apostleship that brings about the obedience to faith.
Point to ponder:
Are there areas of my life where I still make my own decisions, perhaps not in to obedience to faith? Ask the Spirit of Holiness to help you deal with it this week.
Rejoice in the fact that by grace we are saved through faith and that we live out of His Righteousness!
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools...
Living a life of not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ, is not easy, especially when the gospel clashes with our culture or the expectations of those around us. Paul had to pay 'n price for living this statement in his time and we will pay a price for living it in our time, but the gospel is the power for salvation to all, and this life is only temporary while the life that comes is eternal. Living by faith does not just mean to believe in some distant God that we cannot know. The God of the Bible is a God that wants to make Himself known to us. In this scripture Paul argues that since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes can be clearly seen because He reveals Himself to everyone through faith WITHIN us. He says that the reason we do not know God is because we suppress the truth that God has set within us. Paul teaches us that we are without excuse because even though we knew God, we did not honour Him as God, nor are we thankful for what He did for us. This suppression of truth causes man to become futile in reason and our hearts are darkened. We think we are wise but in actual fact we have become foolish....
When I was contemplating this piece of scripture I was asking myself the question, how did or how does God reveal Himself in all mankind so that He can say in these verses that mankind are without excuse? And then I remembered that in the Garden of Eden man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Suddenly I understood that we do not have any excuse because God has placed, revealed deep in our hearts, the truth of His righteousness. The only way we can say we 'do not know' is when we suppress that truth that God has revealed within us. What an incredible indictment against mankind this piece of scripture is. That we know God, we know His truth, but we do not honour Him as God nor are we thankful for what He did for us!
But for those who live by faith, the truth of God is revealed and it is the power of our salvation, and God's righteousness keeps being revealed to us from faith to faith. It springs up from faith and it leads to faith. It makes God's invisible attributes visible within us, it reveals Him in our spirits, His eternal power and divine nature can be clearly perceived - because He revealed it within us... what an amazing thought... the God of the universe is revealed within you and me so that we may have the privilege of knowing Him. Even though He is holy and unknowable - through His Spirit and in faith He is knowable in His "unknowable-ness...". too big for words....
Point to ponder:
Can I say I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?
What invisible attributes of God does He make visible within you and me this week?
This week a group of my friends and I started reading through the book of Romans. So probably you are going to get a series of Monday devotions from the book of Romans for a while... 😊. Sometimes when we are invited to present a seminar, we are asked to introduce ourselves to the people and some even ask me for a CV before the time. Its always kind of difficult to do this, so when I read Romans 1, I could not help but notice how Paul introduces himself to this church:
Romans 1:1
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
At the point of writing this letter, he had not visited Rome yet and is thus introducing himself to people that do not know him at all. He has all the reasons in the world to give an extensive resume of himself: he was a learned man in his own right, was a Pharisee and studied under some of the most prominent Rabbi's (teachers) of his time. He may have listed all his credentials and mentioned the prestigious universities of the day at which he studied and may have pointed out some of his accomplishments, but no, he does none of that.
Paul starts off with "I am a bond-servant of Christ-Jesus". This is the most important thing he wants this congregation to know about him. A bond-servant was someone who, out of his own free will, chose to serve his master in spite of the fact that he was free to go. Secondly, he introduces himself by his calling - as an apostle set apart for the gospel of Christ. He does not treat his apostleship as a title of great importance that entitles him to certain privileges and statuses as we see so often today. He simply sees it as his calling to which he was set apart for the gospel of Christ.
Isn't it a profound way to introduce yourself? Think about it this way: Jesus came to set us (all of mankind) free from the slavery of sin - and then He says to us: "Now you are free to choose who your master will be". Jesus does not set us free from the slavery of sin and then just enslaves us again to Him - for He is not a slave master. He sets us free so that we can choose whom we want to serve. We can choose out of our own free will to be His bond-servant - or we can choose to remain to be the bond-servant of the enemy, enslaved to sin. Either way, its a free choice.
Absolutely a profound demonstration of God's character. God just unselfishly came and made us free, so we can choose - all the while knowing that some will choose to serve the very enemy from whom He sets us free and therefore remain in slavery to sin. It also means that when we choose to be a bond-servant of Christ, we have the ability to choose to sin or not. We make the wrong choices in that regard very often, and then we can always go back to God, but the fact remains that we are free to choose. Mind-blowing...
Point to ponder: Whose bond-servant are you and I? At whose table do you sit? The invitation stands - the choice is ours. What is your choice?
Psalm 23 is probably one of the most well-know scriptures in the Bible. This week verse 5 that says "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" drew my attention. Would it not have been so much more encouraging if it said "You prepare a table before me in the presence of My God?" Surely I would really rather sit at a table and eat and have a feast in the presence of God than in the presence of my enemies?
But then the second half of that same verse follows "You anoint my head with oil, My cup runs over". As I was pondering this part with the first half of the verse I realised that shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out and continues to be poured out on all believers. So when we sit down at the table the Lord prepared for us in the presence of our enemies, we know that his anointing - the Holy Spirit - has been poured out in our spirits (on our heads) and therefore our cups runs over because He empowers us with His Spirit. He has not left us alone to dine with the enemy - He is poured out on us in such closeness and intimacy that we are in His presence while sitting at the table that HE prepared for us - even if it is in the presence of our enemy. There's a sense of defiance for me in this verse - something like - I am invited to sit at the table that God prepared for me with the full empowerment of His anointing on my head - in spite of the enemy's presence. God knows who He is in us. He knows He is victorious over the enemy. He knows we can sit at that table in the full victory of Christ on the cross and the full empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Thought to ponder:
At who's table are you and I sitting? Do we sit at the table God prepared for us and are we doing so in the full empowerment of Him anointing our head with the oil of the Holy Spirit? Are our cups running over?
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”
So this week Monday devotions became Wednesday devotions, because I was travelling in the Eastern and Northern Cape. On this particular trip we did not always have electricity and sometimes no water, since the water pumps work with electricity... and for some of the time we had absolutely no internet connection. Amazing how we can do without things we otherwise these days see as absolute essentials. We had to do without some of our usual plans in our presentations and we needed to make new plans, be creative and work with the resources we had, however - God was still God. He still is the only God, since no God was before Him, nor shall there be another God after Him. He is the one and only saviour and we are His witnesses. He declared that before the day was, He IS, and that no one can be delivered out of His hand, and then that last sentence really hit home for me:
I work, and who will reverse it?
In spite of our shortcomings, in spite of our lack of resources, or wisdom or knowledge or know-how. In fact, in short we can simply say, "In spite of us" He works and no one can reverse it! What an amazing declaration! I am so relieved that He still works in spite of us - that He is so much bigger than our resources, wisdom and abilities, or lack thereof - yes in spite of all that - He is the God who works - and no one will reverse it!
Point to ponder:
Call to remembrance and share a few stories this week of times when God worked in your life and no one could reverse it ...
They have been extinguished, and have gone out like a wick):
18 “Do not call to mind the former things,
Or consider things of the past.
19 Behold, I am going to do something new,
Now it will spring up;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will glorify Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
21 The people whom I formed for Myself
Will declare My praise.
This weekend we were ministering in the 'Groot Karoo' area, and we could once again experience how God made things new and gave us a new beginning in different areas of our lives. It reminded me of this scripture which is a celebration of the might of our God. He makes a way through the sea when we think it is impossible to cross and He destroys the power of the enemy chasing us. Then He reminds us to not call to mind the former things. Not even remembering the things of the past because it takes our focus back to the enemy's plans and destruction. Instead, He reminds us to 'behold' - focus our gaze upon, look and keep looking, hold, lock our vision upon Him to see the new thing that He will bring about.
Last year in September we were also in the same area of the Karoo and it was incredibly dry. Since then God has poured out his grace, in the form of rain, on the land and the people and we could really enjoy the new thing He had done in nature this weekend. Truly there were rivers in the desert and animals in the field. Nature was glorifying Him by growing with gusto and being as green as it could be, for He gave them waters in the wilderness and drink to His chosen people.
Let us - who are the people whom He formed - declare His Praise for evermore for each new thing He is doing in our lives!
But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your Creator, Jacob, And He who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
Last week God called us to Arise and Shine with His Light in us, this week's message links so beautifully with that message. God reminds us that He has called us by name. He is our creator, He formed us. He tells us not to fear for He has redeemed us AND He has called us by name. Its not just a general calling, not just a blanket statement of 'everybody' is called thus implying that I am just one of the called masses. This statement is a specific and very personal one. He called you and I "BY NAME". He knows my name, He knows your name. Before we were born he knew your name, and He had a purpose and a calling in mind when He created me and you for such a time as this.
What does this calling of God mean?
Firstly I think it is a call to a life of personal relationship with Him. It is a personal calling therefore He uses our personal names. It is a call unto Him firstly.
Secondly it is a call to a God-given purpose that He has ordained, prepared and equipped us for before we were even formed in our mother's womb.
Point to ponder
Lets take time to ponder the state of our personal relationships with God this week. How do I respond to Him calling me 'BY NAME' ? Re-write that verse with your own personal name in the sentence.
Secondly let us take some time to ponder His purposeful calling of my name for this year. What are the specific purposes that He is calling me to for this season?
“Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 “For in fact, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness will cover the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem]
And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.
A very good friend of mine brought this well known scripture to my attention this week, and somehow it just did not want to disappear again. Every time I think about Monday devotions and wonder "what is the Lord saying for this week?" this comes to mind. Therefore I think we had better pay attention to Isaiah 60. So here goes:
Is there anyone out there that feels their light is sort of dimming in this very challenging time, or is it just me? The darkness seems to escalate continuously and less and less light and truth seem to be visible out there. It is truly a time where darkness covers the earth and a deep darkness the people. However, in the midst of this darkness, God encourages us to "Arise!" and to stand up from our downtrodden state and let the Light that He shines upon us "Shine!"
John 1:4-5 says: "4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]."
Even though the darkness covers the earth and the people, the Light of Christ is upon us and the darkness does not understand it, nor can it overpower it, or appropriate or absorb it. If we read closely in Isaiah 60 we see clearly that it is not our own light that we need to 'shine', it is the Light of the Lord that rises upon us. He is our Light that has come, He came to shine on us and we can merely reflect His Light to the world. In Him is life and the life IS the LIGHT of men.
Points to ponder this week:
Let us ask the Lord to clean our mirrors with which we reflect the Light that He shines on us, so that the glory that He shines upon us will be reflected brilliantly into this present darkness around us!
Some doors may have closed over the past year. Some of them may have just been outside our reach, some open doors we may not have recognized and may not have made use of, others may have been slammed shut in our faces because of other people's actions, reactions, decisions or indecisions. Whatever the case may be, chances are that we experienced some losses. We may even be mourning over the loss of whatever dreams, opportunities or expectations we perceived to be lying beyond those doors. Loss is always painful. Sometimes there are regrets about our own wrong decisions or inactions or whatever the case may be, in the end we need to face the losses and accept that our life's journey has taken a different path than planned. Mostly it means that we have to deal with the loss of our expectations.
Jeremiah 6:16-17 says:
Thus says the Lord,
“Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is; then walk in it,
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’ AMP
Many of us - if not all of us - are standing at a crossroad with some life decisions. We are wondering what road to take, what decision we need to make, which direction to go. The Lord reminds us today that there is an ancient path, a good way that, when we walk in it, we will find rest for our souls. The choice is ours. Are we going to take the road He placed before us since before the beginning of time, or are we like Israel of old going to say: "We will not walk in it?" The road is there, it is not missing or so obscured that we cannot find it. It's there and the outcome is rest in Christ. Rest for our souls.
Let us not hold on to what is behind us, but let us stretch ourselves out to what lies before us. Let us follow the path He has set before us.
The year 2022 lies before us, undoubtedly filled with many open doors and opportunities for a myriad of different aspects of our lives.
Revelation 3:7-8 says:
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. NKJ
The Lord encourages us today that He puts before us an open door which leads to the ancient paths. He gives us opportunities and when He gives them and opens the door, NOBODY - no government decision, no world pandemic, no wrong decision, NOTHING, can rob us of the doors that He opens for us. Even when we have just a little strength left, let us keep His Word and not deny His name as we step forward through the open door and follow the ancient path He set before us.
Sometimes it looks like there is no way ahead, but God will make one, in fact He already did. Let us use every opportunity available to us to walk in His glory to the honour of His Name only.
