Understanding the Promises that come for having Hope

Verses: Romans 8 : 18 - 27

My thoughts about the verses:

Many of us struggle every day.  We struggle with finances, jobs that we hate, illnesses that we wish would just go away.  We pray for God to intervene in the things that are happening to us right now in this moment.  Yet, we miss the big picture.  The struggles that we are going through will be nothing as grand as the glory that we will receive in the afterlife.

Hope is hard to comprehend for most of us.  Because we are hoping that the things that are happening to us will change.  When they do then we have hope that other things will turn out for the good also.  What we don't realize is that this is false hope.  True Hope desires something that we cannot see.

Having Hope is the same as having deep rooted Faith.  Faith believes in things not seen.  In today's society we cannot physically see Jesus.  The disciples were able to see Jesus and after the resurrection through sight they learned the Faith needed to move forward and spread the word of God throughout the world.  Yet, today our faith in God is a deep rooted belief.  We have to believe that what we have been taught by others and through reading the Bible is actually the truth. This is faith that transcends time and space.

Hope is much like faith in that we have no idea how much we can truly receive.  We can hope for things to get better today.  Yet, having hope that when we perish we will receive eternal life is deep rooted Hope.  Hope goes further than our imaginations can ever dream.  Only the Spirit living within us understands how great tomorrow will be.  It is the Holy Spirit that guides us in our comprehension of hope.  Since we are limited by our imagination the Holy Spirit intercedes for us so that we can accomplish the things that God truly needs from us.

I love the song Whispering Hope.  It reveals the deep down feeling that comes from relying on God.  The last verse sums up for us exactly what true Hope is.  The words reflect our understanding of what tomorrow can be if we just allow the Holy Spirit to come into our lives.  We need to allow the things of the world to pass and concentrate on the bright future of tomorrow.

"Hope, as an anchor so steadfast, Rends the dark veil for the soul, Whither the Master has entered, Robbing the grave of its goal; Come then, oh, come, glad fruition, Come to my sad weary heart; Come, O Thou blest hope of glory, Never, oh, never depart."(Anonymous/Unknown, The Blue Book (55))

God's desire for us goes so much deeper than the imagination.  Just think what it means to have your soul renewed because Jesus has risen from the grave.  Our hearts may be burdened with the things of this world.  Yet, there is a soft voice speaking to us within that tells us all will be alright. We as children of God need to listen to that voice and understand that what God truly desires for us is an eternal life in Heaven.  The glory that will come that day is only as big as our imagination. I know many of us will be shocked when that day comes to see how truly wonderful it is to be surrounded day and night with the presence of God.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for the blessings that you give us here on this earth.  We are grateful for the sacrifice that came through Jesus.  We thank you for loving us more than we truly can ever comprehend.  We ask that you teach us to hope for things that we cannot see.  Help us allow the Spirit to guide us.  Help us accept that what we are going through today will never compare with the glory that we will receive in Heaven.  In your Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you allowed Hope to fill your life?  Does your imagination block you from knowing the peace that will come when you arrive in Heaven?  Do today’s struggles seem impossible to overcome? Are you willing to let the Spirit take over so that you can have the life that only God can imagine for you?

If Jesus lives within you then you are a Child of God

Verses: Romans 8 : 9 - 17

My thoughts about the verses:

It is very important to understand how important adoption was during this time period.  People that were adopted became the heir of the adopter.  At the same time the adopted took on the responsibility of helping the adopter when they got older and needed assistance.  Both parties gained from the adoption.  The process immediately made that person a member of the new family and they were no longer connected to their old family.  They were now solely a member of the adopter’s family with all rights and legacy of the adopter.

Understanding these we now can see how much God truly loves us.  God has taken us fully into the family as a child.  We are not adopted children with a mark that separates us from Jesus who was the son.  Instead we are heirs just like Jesus.  We have been given new life.  We are to take on the responsibility that any child would take in this situation.

We are expected to live within a close relationship with God.  We are to share the news that has been placed in our hearts.  We are to encourage others and help those that are both friend and stranger.  We are expected to act with respect and love toward God.

God will cleanse us from our sins.  We are now children that are blessed with eternal life.  We no longer have to worry about our after life because we are part of the family of God.  We do have a big brother, Jesus that will carry us through the hard times in our life.  We have become heirs to the kingdom and have a place awaiting us in Heaven.

We all have someone in our life that is there when all things seem to be going wrong.  We all have times that we are afraid and are struggling yet we have a friend or family member that is always there for us.  For a lot of us that person is a sibling or someone that we have adopted as a brother or sister.  We are there for them just like they are there for us.  Siblings will go through their battles and sometimes fight each other.  Yet, here is where it gets interesting it is okay for us to fight our sibling but, no one better mess with them.

I know that was how it is like me and my little brother.  We have our fights, but we defend each other when it comes to others picking on one of us.  I can remember as a kid taking up for him several times when kids my age picked on him.  We had each other’s backs and wouldn't let others hurt us.

When you are adopted into the family of God you have a protector like none other.  Even when you do not live up to your side of the adoption God is still there.  The blood of Jesus covers all of your sins and there is no one that can remove you from the family of God.  You are then connected with people that you did not even know.  Everyone that truly believes in the power of Jesus's blood is a member of the same family.  They may disagree with each other over petty stuff but in the end they have the same inheritance.

The next time you think that you are alone in the world remember this if you have accepted Jesus you are never alone.  Your best friend that you will ever have is living with you daily. Jesus is carrying you through the rough times.  Jesus is supporting you through your various choices.  Jesus is celebrating your victories. There is no one in the world that can ever take destroy that relationship as long as you have made the choice to have Christ in your life.  Jesus is waiting for you to accept because the death and resurrection have already occurred.  The eternal life and peace that we all desire is right at our fingertips and if you open your heart you will have it today and forever more.

Prayer:

Thank you God for coming into our life.  Thank you for making us a part of your family.  Help us when we struggle in life.  We ask that you carry us when things are rough.  We praise you when things go good because we know you are also celebrating.  Thank you for your sacrifice that made our adoption into the family possible.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the offer of adoption that God extends to us all?  Are you willing to live as a child of the Holy one?  Are you there supporting those that need a helping hand?  Are you putting aside the things that separate you from the love that God freely desires to give you today?

Living in the Spirit brings Life and Peace

Verses: Romans 8 : 1 - 8

My thoughts about the verses:

The gift of living in the spirit is everlasting life and peace.  Peace comes to those that understand that Jesus died to take away all the sins that were ever committed by us.  We have to understand that Jesus lived a human life that was pure and holy.  He obeyed the law and therefor lived completely without sin.  Jesus was able to live out the law as good and through his death he was able to take away the bad that we had committed in the law.

Everlasting life comes to those that fully comprehend that Jesus death was what was needed to take away our sin.  The one that was without fault was sacrificed for those that were full of faults. The sacrifice was that of the purest lamb.  Therefor if we put our trust in the Risen Savior we are gifted with eternal life.

The person that trusts in Jesus lives to obey God.  They walk knowing that it isn't their actions that have made everlasting life and peace possible.  They know that they are forgiven of their sins. They know that they have done nothing to earn their peace.  That it all comes from accepting Christ.

The person that does not accept Jesus into their life does not receive the free gifts that God wants them to have.  They get rewards here on Earth that is superficial.  They believe that fulfilling their human nature will make them feel rewarded in their afterlife.  When actually what happens is that their spirit is dead.  They are in direct opposition to God.  Even though they are given many opportunities to accept Jesus in their heart they choose not to accept the Savior.  They push God from the center of their life and never found peace.

God gives us many beautiful things to help us understand the saving grace that comes through Jesus.  The next time you are out in nature observe the things that find peace by just existing.  I loved this little flower because I saw the image of the Spirit in its shadows.  See how graceful and peaceful it is.  That is just a mere glimpse of what life is like when you have Jesus in your life. Being surrounded by God's nature and seeing its serenity brings you closer to understanding true peace.

Seeing God's creation and how different each one is helps us see how much God loves us all. There is no one that  God does not want to be with in Heaven.  Yet, it comes down to our decision.  Our Eternal life is based on our decision to choose to follow the God of Peace and everlasting life or to live for human nature.  God sent the only gift that we need and that is the Messiah that came to die for us.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for your abundant gifts that you have given to us.  We thank you for the Messiah who came to take away the sins that we have committed. We thank you for allowing us to see your beauty in the simplest things of nature.  We ask dear God that you help us understand what you desire from us.  Help us each day move closer in relationship with you.  Help us dear Risen Savior to put the things of the world behind and walk closer we you.  In the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted to live with God in your life?  Have you found the peace that God so freely gives?  Are you living for fulfillment of your human needs or for your spiritual needs?  How can you show others how to find the peace that comes from trusting the one who died for all?

The war that Occurs Within us

Verses: Romans 7 : 14 - 25

My thoughts about the verses:

There are two parts of our inner soul.  The first is the spiritual side that wants to do good because we know that God loves us.  The second part is the human side that enjoys doing things that are bad.  We struggle with this every day of our life.  Because we understand the difference between doing good and doing bad we are convicted each time we do something wrong.  Yet, our human side desires things of the flesh and there are many times that it wins out over our side that is connected spiritually with God.

There is nothing that we can do to cleanse ourselves from the sin that lives within us.  The grace of God cleanses us from the evil that our body desires to do.  This is a battle that we fight daily. Choosing between doing things that are spiritual and doing things that please our human side.  The only way to win the war and beat the human side of our life is to give ourselves fully to God.

I think it is much like what a tree goes through in the fall.  It starts out with beautiful green colors because it is completely soaked in the spirit of God.  Then as the light begins to dim and the air gets colder the leaves start losing their green color and start turning into the flash of autumn colors.  For most this is the most beautiful time of the life of the tree.  Yet, in reality it is the tree losing the battle of living in the good and falling to the destiny of hibernating, dying for the winter.  Then it doesn't take long and all the leaves begin falling to the ground and it looks as if all the trees have died.  Their battle scars are the multiple piles of leaves left behind.  It is stripped down to the bareness of its bark to protect it for the winter.

Isn't this like the battle we go through.  We have the goodness in our life and we strive to show it every day.  Yet, when the sin comes into our lives it looks more tempting and we start having  the battle of good versus evil.  Eventually when all the things of the Earth pass away we are left baring our souls.  To God this is the part that is most important have we chosen to allow the Holy Spirit in our life or have we denied God access to our life.  Those that have allowed God in their hearts even though they go through struggles will bloom again in the spring, everlasting life.  Those that do not have God in their heart are like those trees that loose the battle during the winter and die off.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for being with us during our struggles in life.  We thank you for caring enough for us that you sent Jesus to take away the sins that we commit.  Dear God we ask that you help us fight the battle between good and evil.  Help us accept the future that you want for us.  We ask you Dear Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and free us from our human sinful nature.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you understand the battle that you’re fighting on a daily basis?  Have you chosen to put on the protecting of God in your heart?  Are you resisting fighting the evil by alienating yourself from God?  What can you do to lead others to the healing and saving power of God?

Sin leads to Spiritual Death

Verses: Romans 7 : 7 - 13


My thoughts about the verses:

The commandments help point out our sinful nature.  The original purpose of the laws was to help us keep close to God.  By following these basic commandments we are able to stay within close relationship with God.  The Law is good.  Yet, what happens because we know the law we know when we sin.  When we sin we spiritually die.  The law points out the worse parts of our human nature.  The part that wants to rebel against God.

Then the question is if the Law is Good how did it become a tool to lead to our spiritual death?  It isn't the Law that makes us sin it is our human nature that leads us down the path of sin.  To understand this you must first take into consideration that we are convicted by the law.  The law shows us the things which are bad. We should desire to do well.  Yet, our human nature convinces us to do badly.  Therefor our relationship with God is compromised.

The fight we live each day is to not stray from the Laws that were established.  Yet, this is a battle that we often fail.  Our relationship with God is affected by our turning away from the Laws that were meant to guide us to God.  We cannot restore our relationship with God by doing deeds. The restoration takes place when we open our hearts to allow God to work in our souls.  Then and only then are we able to regain our spiritual life.  If we continue rebelling against God and desiring things that are not of God we will never regain spiritual life.  Those that follow their own ways are actually dead spiritually because they have chosen Earthly things over being in relationship with God.

I know that each one of us have experienced someone that we loved dying physically.  We experience a time of denial, which soon turns to sadness.  Overtime through the healing process we are able to accept that death and continue on with life.  Many of us have that one special person that we wish was still alive.  It may have been years since they passed yet different sounds or smells rush their memories back to us.  We are faced with being alone.

One of the hardest things to deal with is if someone committed suicide.  There is this feeling that the survivors have of guilt.  What ifs flow through their minds.  They question could they have stopped this from happening?  What did they do wrong?  Yet, in the end the person made their own decision.  They chose to take their life because of their inability to handle life's situations.

When we choose to not obey God we are choosing our own death.  We are choosing the things of the Earth over a relationship with God.  God mourns these losses just as much as someone does when their loved one commits suicide.  See it is a chose not to be with God.  It is a battle that was exposed by the law.  Yet, the victory came with the death of Jesus.  Accepting that in our hearts and believing truly with our souls give us new life.  We need to understand that what God wants is to have a relationship with us.
Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for everything that you have done for us.  We thank you for giving us the law so that we can see our faults.  More importantly we thank you for giving us Jesus.  Jesus we thank you for going to the cross to carry our sins to the grave.  Holy Spirit we ask you to come into our hearts to help us fight the good fight.  In the Name of the Holy Trinity we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you asked God into your heart?  Have you realized that the chose to follow God is in your own hands? Are you willing to walk in the light of the Lord?  Have you been convicted by the law and ready to ask for the cleansing that comes through Jesus?

A Relationship with God is a Deep Spiritual Commitment

Verses: Romans 7 : 1 - 6

My thoughts about the verses:

A relationship with God is an everlasting commitment.  Once you accept Christ as your savior you are making a lifelong commitment to be one with God.  You are not to stray from that commitment by worshiping other things.  See Jesus wants us to have a strong relationship with him. In some aspects you are marrying yourself to God and the ways of God.

Think of it like this.  If you are married to someone that does a lot of community work, don't you also get involved in their projects.   When things are going good you celebrate with each other.  When things get difficult and stress you work with each other to solve the problem.  See being married to someone is committing that you will stand by their side through the easy times and the hard times.

When you unite with God in a committed relationship you are to leave behind all the things that were bad habits.  The sins that you committed in the past are forgotten.  You are now to walk hand in hand with God.  Doing the work of God is your new commitment in life.  You have a partner that will walk with you and celebrate when things are going good.  You also have someone that will carry the weight when the struggles get hard.  The more you work with God and not against God the stronger the relationship will be.

See God has set us an example of how we are to truly live.  We are to make sure that the relationships that we are in are based on deep commitment.  Those commitments should help us keep God in the center of our lives.  When one of the parties is living in sin and the other is living for God the commitment needed to make the relationship work is only one sided.  The person that is living in sin is like a dead person.  The person that is living in obedience to God is alive. Therefor it is only natural for the person that is alive and committed to God to leave the situation in which they are with a dead person.

Here is a good example you have a man who is physically abusing his wife and kids. The wife is a devout Christian who wants nothing more to serve God.  The husband acts out violently every time she goes to church or does things to help others.  The husband has no desire whatsoever to serve God.  Therefor the woman has the right according to the new law to leave her husband because in all reality he is figuratively dead because of his sins.  Yet, in many churches people use the old law.  They say if the woman leaves the husband and divorces him and then remarries a Godly man she is committing adultery.  Yet, if you look at the underlying truth she has left her old self behind because of her commitment to God.  Her relationship with her new husband is one that is centered in God and both are alive.

This is much like the situation that I am in.  I am one of many who live in a place that will not allow me to be legally married.  I can go off to a faraway state to have something that others are freely given.  As I saw DOMA being strike down by the Supreme Court my heart jumped for joy. Then reality set in I could not have it because I lived in the wrong state.  We are both  deeply devoted to God.  The true center of our commitment is to God and doing the will of God.  The old law is now turned into a new law saying that our relationship is not pure.  Yet, in reality our love is actually blessed by God because we are evenly yoked.  It doesn't matter our gender what really matters is that our desire is to have a relationship that benefits God.

I am not alone in wondering how long it will take for people to see that committed relationships are biblical based.  That love is not based on what gender someone is but how your heart feels when you are around them.  See God loved us even when we were against him.  Jesus didn't die for the righteous.  Jesus died for the sinners of the world.  See God understood that relationships and commitments went deeper than outward appearances.  That true committed relationships come from deep down in the soul.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for Dying for us even when we didn't deserve it.  We thank you for loving us and desiring a long lasting relationship with us.  We praise you for your patience and the love you give each one of us.  Dear God we ask now that you help us grow in our relationship with you. Help us love you as much as you love us.  In the Name of the Our Loving Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you have a relationship with God?  Have you committed to dedicate your life to the work of God?  Are you willing to take on the good deeds that God desires from you?  Are you willing to put the old ways behind and take on a new self?  Are you showing others how to live with a true developed relationship with Christ?

The Symbolism of Baptism

Verses: Romans 6 : 1 - 14

My thoughts about the verses:

Baptism is an outward sign of accepting the new life that Christ has given us.  It also symbolizes the death of our old sinful life.  The baptism is a symbol because there are times that you are not able to go through baptism before passing away.  Yet, if you believe that God has forgiven you of your sins you will still get to Heaven.   I always go back to the thief on the cross.  He was not baptized, but was promised that he would be joining Jesus in the promise land.

With that I want to explain the symbolism that happens when we go through baptism.  The very first thing that happens is a person gives them self to the judge, pastor or other person performing ceremony.  This is the same even that happened to Jesus as the soldiers take him to the high priest. The priest begins questioning Jesus so that they can find him guilty.  When a person gets baptized they are generally asked if they believe in Jesus.  Do they want to have a relationship with the Savior?  Are they affirming that they love God?   The questions are different but the symbolism exists.  We must commit to the promise that we are getting ready to take.

Then when we enter the water we are experiencing the death of our old self.  This death is the same thing that happened to Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross.  When we go into the water what we are symbolizing is the death of the old ways.  We are washing ourselves in the cleansing water of Jesus.

Then there is the time you stay in the water.  Those moments under the water are you burial of the old ways.  You are leaving all your sins behind.  You are leaving the sins behind you are burying them in the water.  Jesus carried the sins of the entire world to the grave.  We are symbolically being buried with Jesus as we stay under the water.

As we emerge we come out anew.  The things that had driven us to a death that would not end have been stripped away.  We are now free of the burdens of our sin and are raised like Christ.  We are to walk out of the water leaving all that we carried behind.  As we come out of the water we are symbolizing the resurrection of Christ.

It doesn't matter if you are sprinkled or your body is fully emerged.  Through the process you are acknowledging the power of God.  You are stating that you want a new life.  That you want your old ways stripped away.  You want to walk into your new life without the sins that have weighed you down.  The symbolism is what we must understand.  The new life is ours not because anything we have done but, rather we are cleansed because of Jesus's actions.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for sending Jesus to cleanse our sins.  We thank you for perishing on the cross. We thank you for taking and leaving our sins in the grave.  We praise you for rising out of the grave so that we can have everlasting life.  We ask that you help us give our lives over to you.  In your Holy Name we Pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted that Jesus died for your sins?  Have you trusted that your sins are forever gone because of the power of God?  Are you holding onto something that you need to give over to Jesus?  Are you willing to tell others about Jesus.  Do you understand how baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus?