Jesus Calling: July 5

Draw near to Me with a thankful heart, aware that your cup is overflowing with blessings. Gratitude enables you to perceive Me more clearly and to rejoice in our Love relationship. Nothing can separate you from My loving Presence! That is the basis of your security. Whenever you start to feel anxious, remind yourself that your security rests in Me alone, and I am totally trustworthy.
     You will never be in control of your life circumstances, but you can relax and trust in My control. Instead of striving for a predictable, safe lifestyle, seek to know Me in greater depth and breadth. I long to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to old ways. I am always doing something new within My beloved ones. Be on the lookout for all that I have prepared for you.

Romans 8:38-39
English Standard Version

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Psalm 56:3-4
English Standard Version

³ When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

Isaiah 43:19 
English Standard Version

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 15:1-3 - Bearing with the Weak

Romans 15:1-3 - ¹We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Message: Pleasing my neighbor

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

It's funny. In my post on the previous verse, from Chapter 14, I made mention that Paul chose to close that chapter not with verse 22, but with verse 23, and yet, reading this first verse reminds me that Paul was just writing, verse divisions and chapter divisions came much later. 

So here I am looking at a new set of verses, even though, I will call it a new chapter. What was said in the previous verses: 

• Remember the weak in faith and do not quarrel over opinions. 
• People have different convictions. Respect those differences. Let God be the judge. 
• If you have a conviction, be fully convinced. 
• If you have a conviction, honor the Lord and give thanks to Him. 
• Make sure your acts in response to your conviction don't cause other brothers to stumble or hinder their walk. 
• Don't let what you call as good be called evil by someone else.
• The goal in all of this is peace. 
• Everything is clean, but that doesn't mean partaking of everything is correct. Look at your motives. 
• Be careful, what is good may in fact be sin if it is done with the wrong motives. 

This is quite interesting, Paul goes from don't quarrel to don't judge to honor the Lord to not causing your brother to stumble to spreading peace to right motives. The bottom line is a message that I see throughout scripture and that is, be careful.  

Thus, verse 1 of chapter 15, looks for like a conclusion. This is something Paul does often. He restates something he has said earlier. Yet, he is a little clearer here. It is those that are strong that must be sensitive to those who are weak. I think he is talking about maturity levels and young versus more mature Christians. 

At time, the young Christian has the freedom of Christ and so thinks that this freedom allows them to do what they want. The last thing that young Christian wants to see is their new faith be a long list of do's and do not's. And yet this is often what they see and in seeing that, they often turn away. The mature Christian needs to be careful in how he approaches the weaker one. Verse 1 says it great, "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." The goal isn't self-gratification for the Christian. It isn't supposed to be about me. I am my brother's keeper. 

Further, verse 2, "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." The reason we don't get baptized and go down and never get raised is because my life is about not me, but my brother. We are selfish creatures. We go to church thinking it is about us and getting our needs met. It is about the other person. That doesn't mean that every message is for someone else, because I can take personal application, but the music, preaching, church government, it's not about me. I am to please my neighbor. 

And what better example do we have than Christ? Verse 3, "For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”" Christ took on the sins of all. All the sins of mankind fell on him. He is our royal ambassador that my walk is about other people. 

I need this reminder daily. Selfishness and pleasing yourself is slammed into us day after day.  

Promise: I can hold onto the promise that I am serving God and my goal is to please Him and not myself, so I can look past my personal comfort and instead, focus on my brother or sister in Christ.  

Jesus Calling: July 4

When you worship Me in spirit and truth, you join with choirs of angels who are continually before My throne. Though you cannot hear their voices, your praise and thanksgiving are distinctly audible in heaven. Your petitions are also heard, but it is your gratitude that clears the way to My Heart. With the way between us wide open, My blessings fall upon you in rich abundance. The greatest blessing is nearness to Me--abundant Joy and Peace in My Presence. Practice praising and thanking Me continually throughout this day. 

John 4:23-24
English Standard Version

²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Verse Thoughts
“True” worship is contrasted with the worship regulated by the temporary provisions of the law, especially the separation of Jews and Gentiles and the requirement of temple worship at Jerusalem. The ceremonial and sacrificial aspects of the law were not false; they were temporary and provisional. Worship “in spirit” is worship in the Holy Spirit. He continues the work begun by Jesus  (John 14:16-18; Acts 2:33). Prominent marks of the age of the Spirit are the removal of the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, and the ability of Christians to worship without the need for a temple of any kind. 
 
Psalm 100:4
English Standard Version

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Verse Thoughts
This psalm may have been sung during a festive entry into the temple precincts. The words spoken here are universal. The people have arrived at the temple; the people have arrived at the Truth. The truth concerning that blessed name of Jesus, which Israel has missed through so much of her long, sad history will known and appreciated at last. 

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 14:23 - Faith and Acting Against Conscience

Romans 14:23 - But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Message: Faith and doubts and acting against conscience

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:  

Verse 22 of Chapter 14 ends with a blessing for those that have their freedom in Christ, but this is not the last word. Paul, rather, ends with a word of warning for the Christian, reminding me once again, the meaning of sin in my life. I think it is so important that sin is at the head of the table throughout our life because self-righteous thinking is so easy to fall into. 

This chapter started with a word to the person who may be weak in faith ("accept the person weak in faith"). 

Doubts are often the result of internal thoughts. The opposite of doubt is faith. The Christian needs to walk by faith (and not sight). In verse 14 is the remark that "nothing is unclean in itself" and this could make the immature Christian believe that his choices or actions will not come under scrutiny. If the immature Christian is engaging in something in which he has doubts, then he is not operating by faith. And therefore it is sin. 

This is key. An act can be committed and yet be unclean for one person and sin for another person. The key is whether it is done by faith or with doubting. 

From TableTalk, "Paul is saying that the attitude of the heart can make an action that is not objectively evil into a sin for those who are convinced that it is wrong." My desire should be to please God in all things. So, my choices must mirror this, but more importantly my attitude, my thoughts, are to mirror this desire. The Christian's motivation at all times is to please God. 

RC Sproul states, "The sin not (inherent to the act)...the sin is doing something that we think is evil." 

As a Christian, I must be very careful about what I name sin, for those issues that fall outside of the Bible, because the issue is not the act, but the motivation of the heart. Either way, what is key, is the attitude of the heart. Am I acting by faith or do I have doubts?   

Spurgeon - Do nothing about which you have need to ask a question. Be quite sure about it, or leave it alone. Whatsoever you cannot do with the confidence that you are doing right is sin to you. Though the deed may be right to other people, if you have any doubt about it yourself, it is evil to you.

Promise: Through my choices, I am to trust God and be motivated by faith with a desire to please Him. I may find it to be sin to go to a certain movie while another person may not see it as sin. Let each of us walk in faith. 

Jesus Calling: July 3

My children make it a pastime of judging one another--and themselves. But I am the only capable Judge, and I have acquitted you through My own blood. Your acquittal came at the price of My unparalleled sacrifice. That is why I am highly offended when I hear My children judge one another or indulge in self-hatred.
     If you live close to Me and absorb My Word, the Holy Spirit will guide and correct you as needed. There is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.

Luke 6:37
English Standard Version

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Verse Thoughts
Jesus elsewhere teaches that His disciples must sometimes judge what others do (Matthew 18:15-17), and that the character of a person’s heart can be recognized from the actions that flow from it (vv. 43–45; Matthew 7:15, 16). What He warns against here is the hypocrisy of those who condemn others for what they themselves are guilty of (vv. 41, 42), and the failure to show mercy (v. 36).
 
2 Timothy 4:8
English Standard Version

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Verse Thoughts
Those that are trusting in Jesus have been imputed with His righteousness, and will, when judged, be declared completely righteous. 
 
Titus 3:5
English Standard Version

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Verse Thoughts
Do we save ourselves? Never. "He saved us." Once again, our works do not save us or make us righteous. I am made righteous only because of God's mercy. I am washed and renewed by the Spirit who applies the grace of God to me and regenerates me. 
 
Romans 8:1
English Standard Version

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Verse thoughts
Judgment nor punishments will fall upon those that are in Christ Jesus. 


Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Jesus Calling: July 2

Let Me show you My way for you this day. I guide you continually, so you can relax and enjoy My Presence in the present. Living well is both a discipline and an art. Concentrate on staying close to Me, the divine Artist. Discipline your thoughts to trust Me as I work My ways in your life. Pray about everything; then, leave outcomes up to Me. Do not fear My will, for through it I accomplish what is best for you. Take a deep breath and dive in the depths of absolute trust in Me. Underneath are the everlasting arms!

     
Psalm 5:2-3
English Standard Version

² Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Verse thoughts

This lament petitions the Lord in the midst of distress. However, the psalmist also expresses trust in the Lord’s protection. David, Israel’s king, addresses God as his King. He knows that his own kingship is a pale reflection of God’s.

Deuteronomy 33:27
English Standard Version

The eternal God is your dwelling place,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you
    and said, ‘Destroy.’

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 14:22b - Passing Judgment on Ourselves

Romans 14:22b - Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

Message: Passing Judgment on Ourselves

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:  

The Christian has a freedom in Christ. I am free from sin. I am free from the consequences of sin. I am free from judgment. This freedom means that, before God, I am completely accepted. I do not have to fear other Christians. I can be confident that the faith God has given me is true. Even in the context here of this passage, there is freedom because in matters of moral indifference, I do not need to make sure people here my conviction, because it is possible my conviction could hurt my immature believer friend. So, Paul says, "Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves."

The immature believer will often pass judgment on themselves and sometimes call too many things as sinful. I think I've struggled with this possible. In the Tabletalk lesson for the day, the writer mentions watching movies and that watching movies in and of themselves is not sinful. I wonder about this. It seems like the immature Christian at times thinks they can continue doing things in life and those things will have no effect on them. So, its possible the immature Christian continues going to R rated movies, not realizing that these are filled with profanity and he shouldn't see them. He can see movies, but needs to be careful. But, Tabletalk just mentions it a little differently. I am not sure I agree with the statement or maybe I don't understand. When I was a new Christian one of the first things I did was get rid of all of the secular music I had. I thought it was glorifying Satan and so I destroyed it and then started getting Christian music instead. I bought a lot of that secular music, but my mom bought me the Christian music. I think that was the right thing to do, but I do think today, as a more mature Christian, I can listen to secular music and not be affected by it. So, maybe that is the same thought with movies. Maybe the immature believer does need to abstain from certain inputs into their lives because of their state of immaturity.

One of the things that I am seeing in my children right now is there playing of computer games and the volume of time they waste doing that. It seems to be a lot of immaturity. As we get older, time gets more valuable and the things we want to do with it are often more important. It seems frivolous to spend that time playing video games. I am amazed at older people that continue to spend lots of time at casino's. And yet, there is a lot of immaturity in their habits. As a Christian, it is important to me to preach the gospel and call people to faith and repentance. This is what I need to do. This is why I think it is so important to continue to speak of sin in a worship service and I'm thrilled the church I attend now does this. I need to be reminded of sin in my life. It is in many dark crevices of my life and it needs to be revealed.

John Calvin mentions that what Paul is speaking of here is the person that understands the Word of God and allows the Word of God to form His conscience. Many people do as they please in life and have no guide for right and wrong.

I saw this on PreceptAustin.org, "Charles Spurgeon, at the height of his fame, was one day walking down the street and saw a sign which read, “We sell the cigar that Charles Spurgeon smokes.”  Upon seeing this sign Spurgeon gave up the habit. He came to see that what was for him a freedom might cause others to stumble. 

And yet through all of this I am seeing the differences. People may have a difference opinion at various levels of maturity about listening to movies and listening to music. I have a couple of Christian friends that continue to speak in ways that just don't seem right. They continue to have filthy mouths. I don't comprehend that. I remember Ephesians 4:29 being an important verse for me as a kid to curb how I speak. But, is this something that I need to not call out in people? Do I leave this alone and realize that people have different convictions. I am not sure. This is a passage that I can document understanding, but its application is still difficult.

Promise: Preach the gospel and call people to faith and repentance.