Daily Inspirations

  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 condemn...

  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...

  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 i...

  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 fal...

  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 th...

  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 i nto 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. Psychologica...

  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...

  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 ...

  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...

  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 ...

  G oo d mo r ning . Paul then quotes some scriptu r es talking abou t those who we r e ha r d e ned . God gav e them eyes to see not and ears to hear not… I say then , they di d not stumble so as to fall, di d they? Ma y it neve r be ! But by their transg r ession salvatio n has com e to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Because the y r ej e cte d G o d ’ s grace, we have th e opportunity to become Christians. It is the sam e toda y . People th r oughout the world have th e opportunity to r eceive Christ, but they choose to not do so . Now if their transg r ession be riches for the world and their failu r e riches for the Gentiles, how muc h mo r e will their fulfillment be ! If the Jew s had all accepted Christ, the early chu r ch would neve r hav e tu r ned to the Gentiles an d p r ea c hed the wo r d . I am speaking to you who a r e Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostl e of Gentiles, I magnify m y ministr y , if someho w I migh t mov e to ...

  G oo d mo r ning. W e lef t off with Pau l saying tha t God ha d not r ej e cte d His people . In fact, Paul said, I am a desc e nden t of Abraham. God has not r ej e cte d His people whom He fo r ekne w . It looked like it when they we r e in Egyp t and we r e ensl a ved . During E lij a h ’ s time, he said, everybod y has tu r ned away f r om Y ou but me. God told him that He ha d kep t 7000 people who had not bowe d the knee to Baal. And so God had kep t for Himself a r emnant . In the sam e way then, the r e has also com e to be at th e p r esen t time a r emnant acco r d ing to G o d ‘s gracious choice . Sometime s it looks like the r e is not anyone who follows God. This has been true th r oughout histor y . But eve n th r ough the dar k ages, God ha d 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 we r e ...

  G oo d mo r ning . Just becaus e the gospel is p r ea c hed does not mean that everyone who hears will be saved. Howeve r , they di d not all heed th e good news; for Isaiah says, Lo r d , who has beli e ved our r eport ? Howeve r , one does need to hear: so faith come s f r om hearing, and hearing by the wo r d of Christ. Hearing the gospel gene r ate s the fait h necessary to be saved. But I sa y , su r ely they hav e neve r hea r d, have they ? In d eed they have . He r e Paul is talking about the nation of Israel. “th e ir voice has gone out into all the earth, an d their wo r ds to the end s of the w o rld.” Speaking of the Gent il es: I was found by those who did not seek Me ; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me . The Jews we r e trying to find God , but r ef u se d to accept Jesus as the Messi a h – the Son of God. The Gentiles di d not even ca r e abou t God; an d they found Him. God has not r ej e cte d His people , has He?...

  G oo d mo r ning . For with the heart a person believes, r esulting in righteousness, and with the mout h he confesses, r esulting in salvation. Remember in John that the r e we r e certain r eligious leaders who we r e believing in Jesus, but we r e not confessing Him because of fear of the Pharisees. This begs the question , can you be sa v ed if you d o n ’ t confess? Of course salvation he r e p r o b ably means mo r e than just getting your fi r e insurance. Paul then quotes a scriptu r e that make s the statemen t tha t salvation is for everyone, not just the Jews - whoeve r will call on the name of the Lo r d will b e saved. How then will they call on Him in who m they have not belie v ed? How will they believe in Him who m they have not hea r d? And how will they hear without a p r eacher? How will they p r each unless they a r e sent ? Just as it is written, “how beautiful a r e the feet of those who bring good news of good t hin g s ! “ sometime s ...

  G oo d mo r ning . 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 r ock of offense , an d he who believes in Him will no t be disapp o inte d . Now Paul c o ul d ’v e said abou t those Jews, too ba d so sad. Ins t ead he said , m y h ea r t ’ s desi r e an d my prayer to Go d for them is for their salvation. They have a zeal for God, but not in acco r dance with knowledge. For no t knowing about G o d ‘s righteousness an d seeking to establish their own, they did not subjec t themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end (o r f ul fi ll m e n t ) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. How does this happen? The righteousness base d on fait h speaks as follows: Th e wo r d is near you, in your mout h and in your heart – that is, the wo r d of faith which we a r e p r eaching, that if you confess with your mout h Jesus as Lo r d ,...

  G oo d mo r ning . Remember that w e a r e in th e middle of “what if G o d “, endu r e d with patience those (G e n t ile s) p r e p a r e d for destruction. Why did He d o it? And He did it to make known the riches of His glor y upon vessels of me r cy (he ’ s talking about u s) which He p r e p a r e d befo r ehan d for glor y , who m He also called, not f r om among Jews onl y , but also f r om amon g Gentiles. That is actually a ver y big deal. The Jews w e r e G o d ’ s people . He p r omised them, not us. Quoting Scriptu r e: I will call those who we r e not My people , M y people . And it shall be tha t in the plac e whe r e it was said to them , you a r e not My people , the r e the y shall b e called sons of the living God. Also Isaiah talk s about: it is the r emnan t that will b e saved, not all those of Israel. Remember tha t all of this is “what if G o d …“ What shall we say then? That Gent il es, who did not pursue righteo...

  G oo d mo r ning . All right, s o God chose one person over anothe r , and chose pharao h for destructio n – what does that mean? So then He ha s me r cy on who m He desi r es, an d He ha r den s whom He desi r es. Y ou will say to m e then, why does He still fin d fault? For wh o r esists His will? In other wo r ds how can He condemn us to the bad place, since He is the one who chose us to no t believe? On th e contrar y , who a r e you, O ma n who answers bac k to God? The thing molded will not say to the molde r , why di d you mak e me like this, will it? Or does not the potter hav e a right over the cla y , to make f r om the same lump one vessel for honorable us e and anothe r for co mm on use? Agai n it sounds like w e d o n ’ t have a choice – it is p r edest i nation. This is what others would sa y , not what is r ealit y . Then a hypothetical : wha t if God (Pau l is not saying that Go d did, bu t rather what if He di d the f o ll o w i...