The Civil War, two world wars, the Great Influenza, the Great Depression, floods, storms, and hurricanes. How did they survive? How did they endure in such challenging and uncharted territory? Our encouragement to endure comes from the Lord. It’s true, it’s a gift, and it’s the mark of the “with-God” life. Such endurance sets us apart. Paul even whispers a…
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How we treat each other matters—it matters to God. Specifically, how we treat other believers reflects a message (good or bad) to the watching world. Our character is on display. Shouldn’t they know us by our love? Here, as Paul is drawing to the end of his letter, he finds it necessary to address a concern for the church in…
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We’ve journeyed through twelve powerful chapters of the book of Romans, and now we must face the question: How now should we live? I found the answer by reading the chapter backwards. No, not sentence by sentence, but thought for thought as follows: As we review this chapter, it would be well to keep in mind Paul’s admonition to the…
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We could easily pass by these passages and say, “That’s nice. I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises.” And many have read these verses and done that very same thing. Not you. We belong to Christ and should care how the community we live in sees us. Not to impress them, but to honor the Lord. The…
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The beauty of taking our time in Romans is how we can see the big picture with the benefit of small powerful pieces – each piece fits perfectly. There is no coincidence that we’ve moved from the doxology at the end of Chapter 11 and the call to consecration in verses 1 and 2 in Romans 12. Now it fits…
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We are called to be a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1-2, but before we can fully grasp this directive we need to focus on the devotional doxology of Romans 11:33-36: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and inscrutable are His ways! For “who has known the mind of the…
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The Jewish people, from the days of the prophets to today, searched for the Messiah. The Savior came into the world, but they failed to recognize Him. He came to His own, and they rejected Him. Why? It’s a mystery. There were some, a select few, who believed. They walked with Him, spoke His language, and became His disciples. From…
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How then will they call on Him whom they have not believed? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!”… Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ…”All day long, I…
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Have you ever heard the term, “Roman’s Road”? It is a “formula” helpful in sharing the gospel by taking key verses from the book of Romans. It’s not really a road, but a few bricks removed and shown to a potential believer hoping he or she will come to a saving faith. The formula breaks down because that’s not the…
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