Counter-check. Cross-examine.

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 ¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

- Romans 16: 17-19

Paul is warning the church to watch out for those people who cause divisions and who teach contrary to the Word. Such people deceive many especially the naive.  Such people have other agenda and wrong motives. Paul urges the church to be wise about what is good and be innocent about what is evil.

Waging War: Me versus I

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I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

- Romans 7:15

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

- Romans 7:21-25

 

Paul, even when he became a Christian, still struggled with sin.  What he did not want to do, he did; what he wanted to do, he didn’t do: a struggle with sin in the flesh.  He wanted to do, and he did desire to do God’s law, but seemed he was a prisoner (still) of sin.  A Christian has still struggles with sin indeed.

You Won’t Take Your Job to Heaven

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces, perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

- Romans 5:3-4

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[Copied from Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional]

You’re not taking your job to heaven.  You’re not taking some gold watch or achievement award to heaven.  You’re taking YOU, so you want to build your character because God is more interested in what you become rather what you do.

A Doer More Than a Hearer

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

- Romans 2:13

To God, obedience to the law is more important than hearing the law.  God has a different scale in measuring righteousness.  Ours is way too different from His. What credit is it to the man if he hears the law but do not obey it?

Am I a hearer or a doer of the law?  It is futile if I hear the law yet I do not obey it.  By God's grace and by the Holy Spirit's empowerment I am able to hear and obey the Word of God.  I should not just be a hearer, but also a doer of God's Word.

Father God, help me to live out Your Word in my life that I may be a doer more than a hearer.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

[Journal entry: June 13, 2011]

On Being a Jew

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 as a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

 - Romans 2: 28-29

[NIV Footnotes]
A real Jew is someone who pleases God, not someone who has been circumcised (outwardly) but someone whose heart is right with God and obeys Him.  God desires our heartfelt devotion and obedience.

How often am I living like a real Jew? How often do I live with a circumcised heart?  How often am I right with God? Father God, I confess that at times it seems like I live like a Jew outwardly but my heart is not.  Father, make my heart right with You; cleanse it and make it pure that I may give glory to You. In Jesus' name. Amen

[Journal entry: November 22, 2011].

What Should Be

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

- Romans 12: 12-16

Father God, thank You for reminding me today of the hope I have in you.  Thank You for reminding me on how I should be and on how I should be treating others.  Lord, I have hope in You -- I should be joyful for that.  I have affliction -- You have allowed it and I should be patient with it.  I have access to You through prayer; I should be faithful to it.  Thank You, Lord, for showing me Your way; I often forget.

Is This Fair and Just?

For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.  God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times.  And He is entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right in His sight because they believe in Jesus.

- Romans 3:25-26

Is this what you call fair and just?  God must have a totally different meaning of fairness and justice.  He sent Jesus to be punished of OUR sins and not us.  Jesus' blood paid for our sins -- for my sins.  Through the blood shed of Jesus I was declared righteous in God's sight.  Jesus who is sinless took the penalty of my sins and of your sins.  He died for us...for me...for you!

What all men have to do is to believe in the name of Jesus; to believe that Christ died for the sins of men and was resurrected by the power of God.  Now this is something!  This is being fair and just of God.  There's nothing we can do to earn acquittal but only to believe in His Son, Jesus.  If God were really fair, mankind has long before been annihilated on earth.

This is Good News!  This news is so good not to be shared to others.  Jesus took away the sins of the world in order for us to be right and to be reconciled with God.  Praise God that He has opened the hearts and minds of people for this to understand the truth about His love.  Praise God that He has chosen to reveal to me this truth about Him.  And because of this, it is also fair and just for me to share to others of what He has done for me.

[PRAYER]

Father God, thank You for being fair and just.  Thank You for You Son, Jesus because through Him, I am cleansed of my sins and I am reconciled with You.  Your love is great and so deep and so wide that You are willing to sacrifice Your only Son to die in place of me.  Your Son, Jesus, who is without sin became a sin for the world.

Oh how magnificent is Your love!  I can boast of nothing to deserve Your love or merit. It is not because I'm good You saved me, but because of Your great love for me!  All I have to do is to believe that Jesus died for my sins.  Now I'm dead to sin and I'm alive in Christ Jesus!

Father God, I pray that You anoint my mind, my mouth, and my hands for the work of Your Kingdom -- that I may be able to share to others of Your awesomeness and of Your great love especially to those who don't know You and who haven't heard of Jesus yet.  This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[Journal entry: April 13, 2011]