Good morning. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It would take a lot of perseverance and encouragement for believers to be of the same mind. Otherwise, we would give up and not even try. Being of the same mind does not necessarily mean that you will all believe exactly the same. The motivational force behind our thinking, though, will be the same. We will want the same results, though we may use different means to get there. Why do we want to be of one mind? So like an orchestra playing in tune with one another, we will show forth the glory of our God and Father. You cannot have the members of an orchestra all playing the way they want to instead of the way the conductor wants. Father thank You that we can all blend together in harmony. Then the world will truly know that we are one with ...
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Good morning. Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Yeah, right! I can see that happening. If we love our neighbors as ourselves… Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. We have our great example: for even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me “. If Christ, knowing that that would happen to Him came to do the will of the Father anyway, shouldn’t we take His name with us into the world, knowing that those reproaches will fall on us? In the following, Paul is talking about the old testament. Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. We should do the same thing. Mostly we would read the New Testament, but we can even get some guidance from the old. We can see what hard times the early church went throug...
Good morning. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. That is so the opposite of what a lot of Christians do. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food (or anything else). All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. Again this applies to all areas not just food which he is talking about. Still we don’t necessarily give up things just because another Christian thinks they’re wrong. It is good not eat meat (that might have been sacrificed to idols though not known for sure. They only burned part of the animal; the rest was sold in the meat market) or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. So if you’re not sure whether...
Good morning. Do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil. Remember back in Matthew 6:33; but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. I said that the Greek word that was translated “and” between His kingdom and His righteousness, in that case should’ve been translated either namely or even. That is, it should have been translated seek first His kingdom even/namely His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. When you translate it as “and“, it makes it sound like two different things – His kingdom and His righteousness instead of two different ways of talking about the same thing. Notice that it says His righteousness. Paul writes different times about the Jews seeking to establish their own righteousness. This next verse in Romans helps to confirm that His righteousness is synonymous with His kingdom. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (yesterday we talked about the Jews being concerned a...
Good morning. To the Jews there were a lot of things that were considered unclean. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. He is talking about food here; but it could apply to other things for Christians. In today’s world, there are some things that are in a gray area – are they OK, or are they sin? There are some things that come to mind, but I’m not going to mention them because I don’t want to get your dander up 🤗 . If you think they are wrong, then it is wrong for you to do them. Then there are some things that you believe they are OK to do, but if a fellow Christian sees or knows that you do them, they might take offense, because they believe they are wrong. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Again we are not talking about food here, but rather those things which so...
Good morning. But you, why do you judge your brother? And you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Take care of your own little red wagon. When someone feels inadequate, he/she always looks down on others and puts them down, hoping to lift themselves up. As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. We always compare ourselves to someone who is “less than“ we are. We wouldn’t dare to compare ourselves to God. So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. So you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout I’m telling you why; God is watching you each day. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this – not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. The stumbling block was the part of a trap that held the bait. It would be the person through whom the temptation came. He/she is the one who hold...
Good morning. Then Paul goes through a bunch of verses about eating versus not eating, but you can actually apply it to just about any topic that Christians have different opinions about. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Again pick a topic about which Christians have opposing views. This applies in most cases. There are certain topics though in which there is only one way, and that is the Bible way. A few verses later Paul writes: for not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord, therefore whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. That is an excellent attitude to have in life. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead, and of the living. He was the epitome of someone living and dying for others. Father help us to view other Ch...
Good morning. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in .... Remember that most of the bad stuff goes on at night. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. It’s almost like a mission impossible episode where people cannot tell that it is Tom Cruise; instead they think he’s really that bad guy. When people look at you, they’re not supposed to see you, but rather Jesus. This does not mean that we’re pretending that we are Jesus. The transformation that takes place inside of us is supposed to come forth in our lives, and we are supposed to behave just like Jesus would if we really were He. Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. It is too easy to look down on others who do not believe the way we do, and in fact come up short (at least in our opinion). One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only – vegan! There were...
Good morning. What has Paul been saying? Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place? Wake up! Actually Paul said: do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Of course he is not talking about being born again, but about the return of Jesus. The night is almost gone, and the time is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Remember that this is 2000 years ago that Paul was saying that the day is near. My Bible says that these verses do not mean that the early Christians believed that Jesus would return within a few years, and they were mistaken. Rather they regarded the death and resurrection of Christ as the crucial events in history that began the last days. Since the next great event in God‘s redemption plan is the second coming of Jesus, “the night“, no mat...
Good morning. What everyone likes to hear: for because of this you also pay taxes (now come on Paul 😩 ), for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom taxes; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. And then a verse we all need to follow: owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. That’s very “simple “. If you truly love your neighbor like you are supposed to you won’t be breaking the following commandments: you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Those are the commandments that relate horizontally to people. It does not include those that relate vertically to God. Father help us to give to others what is due them (love). Help this to be a very spiritual day for the rea...
Good morning. Rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. If you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. We can all point out situations where it seems like this is not the case – that there are authorities who do wrongly to the people. We have to remember that Paul lived under the authority of the Roman government, and there were a lot of times that it had rules and regulations contrary to the word of God. Of course we can’t obey those rules; but we have to be willing to face the consequences of disobeying them. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. All of this emphasizes the necessity of Christians to continually pray for their government...
Good morning. Finally, to recap what he’s been saying in the previous verses, Paul writes: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Now we get to a verse that can be controversial. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. We can’t say that just because we don’t like the political party in charge that we don’t have to obey them. Of course the exception would be if they required us to disobey the word of God. That then puts people who work in certain positions in a bad place when their bosses require them to perform activities that are contrary to the word of God. Of course some people use any excuse to refuse to do what is required. I pray that we are never put into a situation where we have to decide whether or not to obey a requirement. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnatio...
Good morning. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Sounds like Jesus again - turn the other cheek. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. It does not say to respect everything that everybody believes, which is how a lot of people today feel. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (blessed are the peacemakers). It doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them; just that it should not be you that is stirring up the trouble. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. After all, He can do a much more thorough job of repaying. Again just like Jesus: but if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he’s thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. That is something that would be hard for us to do in the natural. It is, however, exactly what God did with us. Even though we were against Him, He still blessed us, even bef...
Good morning. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. That is so not going to happen in the natural. This, of course, is the same thing that Jesus said. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Too many times people want to gloat over those who are sad, and become jealous when someone else gets a blessing. If we truly love them, we will “feel their pain“. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. We should not look down on others. When churches start to grow and the members start to get blessed, it’s too easy to start thinking that you are better than those that are not blessed. When you start to think too highly of yourself, as one of my friends in high school and college used to say, “you are cruisin’ for a bruisin’”. God has a way of using our “wisdom“ to cause us to get ourselves into deep trouble. Father thank You that we all have the same worth in Your...
Good morning. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Are you kidding? Do you realize what he/she is like? If you truly love without hypocrisy, you will be devoted to one another and give preference to the other person. (I didn’t say it would be easy). Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the Saints, practicing hospitality. It’s hard to be diligent, fervent in spirit, to keep serving the Lord, rejoicing, and persevering in the midst of good things. It definitely takes the actions of the Holy Spirit to do all of those things when things are really, really bad. On the other hand, people devote themselves to prayer when things are going bad; but sometimes have trouble doing that when things are going good. When things are bad, people are desperate. But even the pastor has mentioned several times about people falling...
Good morning. Let love be without hypocrisy. Of course we know from I Corinthians 13 that God’s love could not possibly be with hypocrisy. Too many Christians say, “I love you brother/sister.”, but don’t really mean it. And too many times it can be a “I’ll love you as long as you love me (better). Abhor what is evil. Today’s Christians don’t. They not only tolerate it, many even accept/embrace it. Whatever you tolerate, eventually becomes the norm, and even becomes expected. Cling to what is good. If you cling to what is good, you won’t want what is evil. You won’t know what is good unless you immerse yourself in God’s Word. Remember that they train bank tellers to recognize counterfeit money not by handling counterfeit money, but rather by constantly handling real currency. Father help us to have Your love which is without hypocrisy; to look out for the well-being of others. Help this to be a great day for the reader and his/her family.
Good morning. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. When we say something bad about a member of the body of Christ, it’s like saying something bad about a part of our own body - “Johnny, my foot has been a bad boy lately”. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching... Each should do his/her best in exercising his/her gifts, not for his/her own benefit or glory, but for the benefit of the body of Christ. One should not be envious of the gifts of others and strive to obtain them. Father thank You that we have (and need) other members of the body of Christ. Help us to find and exercise our gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ.
Good morning. So why are we to be transformed by the renewing of our minds? So that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. This transformation of us is God’s will, and it is good; it is acceptable; and it is perfect. That is the meaning of this verse in context. I have said before that I do not like the term “permissive” will of God. I understand what is meant by it, but I disagree with the use of the term. There needs to be a different way of designating this concept (perhaps: permissive boundaries of God). God has only one will (desire); and it is perfect. Again, in context it is not necessarily talking about God’s will in general; but only in our transformation. Got any uppity friends? For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself then he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. When God is using you and it seems that y...
Good morning. So we present our bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God. Anything else? Well a sacrifice doesn’t do anything; it just lies there. And do not be conformed to this world. This is something very important that too many Christians aren’t very careful to avoid. If you see and hear things over and over again, it’s hard to avoid incorporating them into your own life. They seem the normal thing to do. All right - that’s something we don’t do. What is something we do? But be transformed. The word transformed is the Greek word metamorphosis. Our change should be like the change from a caterpillar 🐛 into a butterfly 🦋 (Hello wormy). They are like two completely different creatures, and so should we be. Butterflies don’t crave the same things that caterpillars do. How are we transformed? By the renewing of our minds. In other words; get rid of our stinking thinking. How can we do that? By immersing our minds in the Word of God. Physically you are what you eat. Psycho...
Good morning. So since God did what He did for us, what should we do? Therefore I urge you by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Instead of feeling like we can do anything we please, we should respond to God’s gracious gift by giving ourselves totally to Him. Sacrifices aren’t alive when they’re placed on the altar. They don’t choose to be a sacrifice. It says that Abraham bound Isaac and placed him on the altar. It doesn’t even say that Isaac tried to get away. I don’t know how old Isaac was, but his dad was over 100. Surely he could have gotten away, but he trusted his father that no harm would come to him if he lay still and not try to get off the altar. Shouldn’t we? Father thank You that we have the opportunity to be a willing, living sacrifice for You. Help us to embrace that opportunity instead of resisting.
Good morning. For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. Remember that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Instead of everyone starting off righteous (like Adam) and then losing their righteousness some time later, everybody starts off a sinner and then (some of them) some time later obtain righteousness. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! It is not the way we would have done it, if we had been God. Thankfully, He knew what was the best way. Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? Of course the answer is no one. Thank goodness it was not up to us to tell Him how He should do it. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Can I get a big amen to that? Father thank You that You knew the best way to do everything. He...
Good morning. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God‘s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. Of course that would not sit well with today’s culture. “how could God be so cruel?“ And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. This could make some Gentile believers jealous. After all the Jews rejected Jesus; why should they get another chance? For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild Olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved. If this hardening had not happened, where would we be? It sounds like...
Good morning. OK so we gentiles have been grafted in – so what? Do not become arrogant towards the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. We dare not point fingers at the Jews who did not believe and were rejected. The same thing could happen to us if we no longer believe. Why the Jews? Remember that Jesus told the woman at the well that salvation is from the Jews. If it weren’t for them, there would be no salvation. They were put in charge of taking care of the word of God to make sure that it was correctly handed down from generation to generation. At times they failed to fully follow God; but there was always a remnant that kept His word. Father hel...
Good morning. For if their (the Jews) rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Sounds like we should be constantly praying for the acceptance of the Jews. If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. My Bible says that part of the dough made from the first of the harvested grain (that is, the first fruits) was offered to the Lord. This consecrated the whole batch. It also says that the first piece of dough referred to the Jewish patriarchs, like Abraham. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild Olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the Olive tree... my Bible says that the usual procedure was to insert a shoot or slip of a cultivated tree into a common or wild one (that’s like they do with citrus plants). The “contrary to nature” part would be to graft a wild Olive branch (the Gentiles) into the cult...
Good morning. Paul then quotes some scriptures talking about those who were hardened. God gave them eyes to see not and ears to hear not… I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Because they rejected God’s grace, we have the opportunity to become Christians. It is the same today. People throughout the world have the opportunity to receive Christ, but they choose to not do so. Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! If the Jews had all accepted Christ, the early church would never have turned to the Gentiles and preached the word. I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. The Jews could not stand the thought of the Gentiles receiv...
Good morning. We left off with Paul saying that God had not rejected His people. In fact, Paul said, I am a descendant of Abraham. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. It looked like it when they were in Egypt and were enslaved. During Elijah’s time, he said, everybody has turned away from You but me. God told him that He had kept 7000 people who had not bowed the knee to Baal. And so God had kept for Himself a remnant. In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God‘s gracious choice. Sometimes it looks like there is not anyone who follows God. This has been true throughout history. But even through the dark ages, God had people who followed Him. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened. Father thank You that we were chosen and obtained Your grace. Help us to...
Good morning. Just because the gospel is preached does not mean that everyone who hears will be saved. However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? However, one does need to hear: so faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Hearing the gospel generates the faith necessary to be saved. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have. Here Paul is talking about the nation of Israel. “their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” Speaking of the Gentiles: I was found by those who did not seek Me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me. The Jews were trying to find God, but refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah – the Son of God. The Gentiles did not even care about God; and they found Him. God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! God did not reject them; they rejected Him. Even though we did not seek You, You allowed us to fi...
Good morning. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Remember in John that there were certain religious leaders who were believing in Jesus, but were not confessing Him because of fear of the Pharisees. This begs the question, can you be saved if you don’t confess? Of course salvation here probably means more than just getting your fire insurance. Paul then quotes a scripture that makes the statement that salvation is for everyone, not just the Jews - whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!“ sometimes this passage is used to either obtain support for missionaries, or to even encourage...
Good morning. Paul says of the Jews who pursued righteousness by works: they stumbled over the stumbling stone. Behold I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed. Now Paul could’ve said about those Jews, too bad so sad. Instead he said, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God‘s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end (or fulfillment) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. How does this happen? The righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. In these vers...
Good morning. Remember that we are in the middle of “what if God“, endured with patience those (Gentiles) prepared for destruction. Why did He do it? And He did it to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy (he’s talking about us) which He prepared beforehand for glory, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. That is actually a very big deal. The Jews were God’s people. He promised them, not us. Quoting Scripture: I will call those who were not My people, My people. And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, you are not My people, there they shall be called sons of the living God. Also Isaiah talks about: it is the remnant that will be saved, not all those of Israel. Remember that all of this is “what if God…“ What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that...