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Why is God my "Father"?

I think most often when we pray we address God as Father. Why is this? Mostly is because Jesus told us to in the Sermon on the Mount. Christianity is more or less unique in this view of God but we are losing our grasp on it's meaning as fatherhood is diminished in our culture so I think it bears some discussion. This story is told of my great-grandpa;

One of his grandchildren was walking out in the grove crying. His dad had told him to cut a branch he could be "switched" with. Grandpa said, "Here, let me see that." He then proceeded
to make little slits in the branch so when the father began to spank the child it broke. He thought it was funny. Apparently his opinion was that the father was being too hard on the child.

The problem is that earthly fathers aren't perfect. I realized mine wasn't (according to my subjective young opinion) as soon as I became self-aware enough to realize I wanted my own way and it wasn't always my dad's way. But God is perfect so we have to adjust our view of fatherhood. Here are five aspects of fatherhood that help re-establish God's right to fatherhood in our lives.

1. Right and Responsibility of ownership

Father-God owns me and everything there is. "in the beginning He created the heavens and the earth." In John 1 it tells us we were born by His will. And lastly if you are His child it is because He chose you in Christ before the started this whole universe (Eph. 1.4) So He has the right and responsibilities of ownership. This is a good thing because we have a good God. The problem is how far we earthly fathers have fallen. We must look beyond that to what God is and His original intention for Fatherhood looked like.

2. Paternity

Pater is the word which our word father comes from. It is also the root word for pattern. "Like father like son" is a biological fact. Genesis 1.26,27 tells us God created mankind in His own image so we are to be like our Father God. One of the main themes in the Sermon on the Mount is God's fatherhood. He says when we do all these good things we are sons of our Father in heaven. He calls us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. He has given us a pattern but our sin has separated us from Him and we can't follow it.

3. Discipline

Any good father will discipline his child. Not all discipline is punishment but it is often hard or painful. My grandpa Smith was hard on his children but they were all good fathers and very successful in life. He knew life was tough and kids had to be toughened up to face it. So often today people think they want a soft god. We have become soft rebellious children but Hebrews 12 tells us:
Heb 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE
REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." It is for discipline that you
endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then
you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits,
and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

4. Providence

A good father will Provide for his children. The idea behind providence is that God provides for His children Naturally-through the laws of nature, Soveriegnly, by active
involvement in this world's events, big or small , and Spiritually-through special interventions in the laws of nature. God is shepherding all of humanity and specifically his children for their good.
Again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that God is a good father that provides for the tiniest things-even flowers and will provide for us. And most important to me He provides
Mercy. He takes the steps to restore our relationship as the father did in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Hebrews 4.16 tells me I can confidently draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

5. Legacy

This is another concept we've lost track of. It's where we get the word legend. God wants to make you part of his legend or story. He does this in this way:
-He has loved you from the founding of the universe and desired you to be his child
-He is using good and bad circumstances to cause you to see your need for mercy
-He has provided His Son as a sacrifice to pay for your sin-to restore your relationship
-He wants to breathe His Spirit into you to re-animate your dead stinking flesh
-His Spirit now resides in you as down-payment to get you on your feet and provide for you
until you are living on His estate under his full protection.
-Even though we can't see Him to emulate Him He has given us a "big brother" in Jesus, His
Son. All His fullness is in Jesus. Because of this we are not orphans or bastards.


So please, if you are in some way running from God, either in rebellion or denial, stop, turn around and embrace your eternal father as He is with His arms out to you.

P-ADD (percieved)

This morning I was running out in the middle of nowhere when suddenly there appeared an over-the-hill motorcycle gang. This always irritates me because they seldom have mufflers and it is deafening. Not only that, but they often have 3 headlights and they seem to be on bright, sometimes blinding me in broad daylight. I met a guy on a Goldwing the other day and his were flashing. I started to pull over thinking it was a cop. I got to thinking; What's wrong with people nowadays? It's like everybody is screaming, "look at me, I'm not getting enough attention." I can further support my case:

And:

And

Now, I have a big mouth and sometimes like to think I say cute things so I guess I must feel like I need attention too. I remember from children that often the ones that need attention the most are the ones who deserve it the least. It just reminds me to love everyone whether I think they deserve it or not. It'll take a lifetime for me to apply what the Bible says in Romans: God demonstrates His love for me in that while I was still a sinner Christ died for me. And in another place: Christ came to save sinners and I'm the worst.

One Image is Worth a Thousand Pictures

Have you ever seen something happening and instantly figured out the whole senario including what led up to it? Well on July 4 this happened to me. I heard a siren and thought, "mm, fireworks". I drove several blocks to see a fire truck sitting in the driveway of a Walmart with the door open and no-one in there. The bubble-gum machine was still on. I thought, "what on earth are they doing?" As I drove on I saw the fireman with his walkie-talkie stuck in his back pocket pushing just as fast as he could, a big guy in a hoveround with a "Big Gulp" in the cup holder down to some nearby apartments. The way I figure it Buba decides to run down to the "Walmarts" for a drink. His battery runs down so he simply calls his handy 911 for a push home on his cell phone...Your tax $$$ at work, and no, Tim I'm not cussing.

Conclusion

Romans 12:1-2

With this in mind, Brothers and sisters, I would urge you to throw caution to the wind and let God's astounding mercy motivate you to worship Him to the extent that you would present your very bodies to Him as a living, holy sacrifice, longing to please Him by no longer conforming to this world's way of thinking but letting His ways transform your mind to operate according to His perfect, fulfilling plan.

Useful Jealousy

Romans 11:25-36

I am revealing all this to you so you won't think you are too smart. This hardening of Israel is only until God is finished with the Gentiles then all Israel will be saved. The scripture says, "The deliverer will come from Zion and will remove Jacob's ungodliness. 'My covenant is to take away their sins.' ""

As you begin to understand the gospel they may look like your enemies but it's all part of God's plan. They are beloved for the sake of the promises God made to to their fathers. God does not take back His gifts or callings. Once you were the disobedient ones but now God has used their disobedience to show you mercy. God wants them to see His mercy on you, return to Him and receive His mercy. God universally uses disobedience as a means of shutting people up so He can show them His mercy.

O God,

How deep are your riches,

How wide is your wisdom,

How high your knowledge.

Your judgement and ways are impecable.

Who could know your mind?

Who could counsel you?

Who could ever think they had made you beholden to them?

No, all things are:

From you and

Through you and

To you.

To you be the glory forever,

Amen.

God's Tree of Nations

Romans 11:11-24

Israel is not hopelesly lost but their stumbling has opened up salvation and all of God's gifts and blessings to the rest of the nations. This is meant to provoke them to jealousy and I, though a Jew, but an apostle to those nations gladly participate in this plan. I am excited about being a part of this new frontier because if God is using His blessed Israel in this way He will eventually being them around. Some of them will be moved to jealousy and accept God's plan His way. The little bit of "yeast' that is left will permeate all the dough. Or to put it another way, it is as if God's salvation was an olive tree and He broke Israel off because they were not producing. Then He took wild olive branches (you gentiles) and grafted them in. What a change! Once connected to the rich root of God's salvation you began to produce luscious fruit for Him. Keep in mind, though, you didn't do anything to make this happen and even your nourishment comes from Him. So don't be arrogant or proud about this. That is how the other branches got broken off and if He needs to He can do the same thing again.

So you can see that God can deal with a people regardless of the point they are at. If you respect His kindness He will nourish it. If you don't He will cut you off. As for Israel, if they repent of their unbelief God will graft them back in. You might say you were a branch removed from a wild olive tree and artificially grafted into a domestic one. It would be much easier for Him to replace you with the branches that came from it.

The Principle of the Remnant

Romans 11:1-10

So, has God rejected the very nation He chose? No, not at all. Look at me; I am an Israelite who can trace my heritage back to Abraham. Look at the scripture where Elijah pleads with God against Israel saying, "They have killed your prophets, torn down your alters, I am the only one left and they are after me." But God responds, "I still have seven thousand men who have not bowed to Baal." We are in a similar situation now. God has graciously chosen a remnant and this has nothing to do with what they might do to achieve God's favor. If it did it wouldn't be a gift from God. So Israel doesn't find what they seek but God chooses to give it to some anyway and the rest become hard-hearted just like the scriptures say, "God gave them a stupid spirit; eyes that won't see and ears that won't hear Him right down to today." David writes, "Let their table become a trap and a stumbling block. Let their eyes be darkened and their backs be bent forever."

Progressions of Faith

Romans 10:14-21

Now in order to call on Him they must believe, to believe they must hear and to hear someone must be making this proclamation; and someone must be sent to make the proclamation. The scriptures say someone coming to bring good news is a sight for sore eyes. Now even though they desperately needed this good news they didn't all heed it. (Isaiah says, Lord who has believed our report.") No, the seed of faith is planted when we hear this word as relating to Christ.

Salvation comes from God

Romans 10:1-13
In spite of all this my heart goes out to them and I still pray to God for their salvation. They certainly care about the things of God but they don't understand Him fully. They don't realize that their righteousness must come from God, so instead of submitting to His righteousness they work to establish their own. But our attempts righteousness by keeping laws are meant to drive us to belief in Christ (and His righteousness for us). Moses writes that one who practices a law-based righteousness shall live by it. But of the righteousness which comes from faith he says, "You can't ascend into heaven (to bring Christ down to your level (to say you had a part in it) or you can't descend the ocean depths (to try to make Him meet your needs). No, God has already put His Word near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the word of faith which we proclaim: that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord and believe in your heart God raised Him for your salvation you shall be saved. An understanding-and resulting faith-that righteousness comes from God originates in the heart. This seed grows to full salvation as we confess it with our mouth and I, along with the scripture assure you, you will not be disappointed. This is a universal principle. God makes no distinction. Whether Jew or Gentile, He is Lord of all and He has sufficient riches to bestow on all who call on Him. Whoever calls on Him for salvation will be saved.

I Pity the Foo...

...The Foo who try to stand in the place o the place o Harry Caray at Wrigley Field

Interesing

Last night Dale and I were watching "The shoes of the Fisherman" It was made about 1968 and was set in the future-1980's. In it they portray "Red China as isolationist, desperate and, as a great nuclear threat. They have a futuristic computer thing that shows images of a nuclear test, missiles launching, and China's kooky leader. A couple hours after guess what happens: My computer thing shows images of a nuclear test, missiles launching, and the kooky leader of North Korea.

Romans 9:24-33

So, you can see God used this long painful process to produce a few special people from the Jewish race and is now

doing the same with all the nations. In the book of Hosea He says, "I will call those not my people, my people and her

is unlovable, beloved.'" And those I rejected as not my people will now be called sons of the living God. Isaiah also cries

out, "Though Israel grows to be as many as the sands of the sea, only a remnant will be saved. For the Lord will execute

His word thoroughly and quickly." And, "If the Lord hadn't left us a few seeds we would have been as devastated as

Sodom and Gomorrah. So we must conclude that though the Gentiles didn't care about righteousness they received it

out of faith. And Israel, being obsessed with it never achieved it. They thought they could do it themselves and not trust

God for it so they stumbled over the stumbling stone which God had forwarned: "I am going to lay in Zion a stumbling

stone, a rock of offence, and he who believes in Him will not be dissapointed".

God's Pottery Shop

Romans 9:19-23
If we are not careful here we will fall into a trap and begin to wonder what gives God the right to make some receptive and others cold toward Him. Actually, we who are simply lumps of clay in "God's Pottery Shop" don't have the right to question what He is going to mold us into. It is He who has all the rights and He knows it is necessary to produce all kinds of pots, some very beautiful and some for the most basic, utilitarian purposes. Who are we to complain if God, in the process of producing a few works of art that show just how wonderful and merciful He is, had to patiently produce many imperfect vessels. These were only fit to be destroyed but were not wasted as their eventual destruction shows how patient God is and yet how justified His wrath is.

The Question of Fairness

I am dead serious when I tell you the truth of this great message produces in me a kind of reckless abandon for the people of my heritage, Israel.  If it were possible that I could be separated from God so they could take this final essential step in the gospel it would be worth it to me.  All that we are spiritually comes to us through their legacy; the patriarchs, the symbolism of the temple, the promises of God, and even the Christ Himself who sums up all of God's plan and to whom all authority has been given.  How could a people with such a rich legacy fail to respond to God's message?  Well, being a Israelite doesn't actually come from birth so not all of them are Abrahan's children.  But God tells Abraham, "Through Isaac your descendants will be named."  So it is not his physical offspring but the children of this promise who are his spiritual descendants.  God's promise was, "When I come next year Sarah will have a son."  Then there is the story of Rebecka who conceived twins through our father Isaac.  Though they had not yet been born and before they had done either good or bad God purposed to show that He chooses not by what someone does but according to what He wants to do by saying, "the older will serve the younger twin."  So He makes this ominous statement,  "I loved Jacob but I hated Esau."  Is God being unjust when He says this?  No, not at all,  later He tells Moses,  "I will have mercy on whomever I wish and I will have compassion on whomever I wish.  So, the issue here isn't justice because we are a condemned race, it is mercy and it comes down from a merciful God.  His mercy is a gift and it can't depend on how badly one wants it or works for it but on the grace of God.  At one point He says to Pharaoh,  "I brought you to this position to demonstrate my power in you so my name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.  So, then He pours out mercy on some and hardens others according to His desires.

Come Hell or High Water

Romans 8:35-39

What could ever interfere with this love He has for us?  Would troubles or the anxiety that comes from them?  What about persecution or famine, nakedness, peril, or war?  It sounds like they could when you read the Psalms:  "For your sake we are being killed all the time.  We are just so many sheep to be slaughtered."  But in spite of this we are not the conquered but conquerors through his love.  In fact, I am convinced that neither death or life nor demons nor present or future circumstances, not any power, no mater how how high or deep it comes from, not anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us from Christ Jesus or Lord.

Our Day in Court

Romans 8:28-34
In fact, our Father is actively orchestrating all the events of our lives for the best possible benefit for us and Him. He knew us before He began this creation and planned to make us just like our big brother who is His son. Yes, He sealed our fate by calling us to stand justified and shameless before Him in all of Christ's glory, sharing in His awesome perfection.

Ok then, what kind of attitude does knowing God is on our side produce in us? It is obvious that if He was willing to sacrifice His own Son that He will give us whatever we need. The God Who justified us at great expense is certainly not going to charge His chosen children with any sin or crime. Even if we were charged, our big brother, Jesus who became the rightful judge of the universe through His death and resurrection would not condemn us. No, He sits at God's right hand pleading our case.

Making Sense of Pain

Romans 8:26,27
This process produces a weakness in us that causes us to blindly cry out to God. But we are not alone in this. God's powerful Spirit knows us in the deepest recesses of our hearts. He also knows exactly Where the Father is headed with us. Thus, He can turn our groans into useful requests aligned with our loving Father's plan

A Universe in Labor

Romans 8:18-25
Our good Father has a plan to put this entire universe at risk. He has immersed us all in a process of corruption and decay in the hope that it will give birth to a new order of freedom and glory breaking us free from the slavery of sin and death. But keep in mind childbirth is never easy. There is groaning and pain and suffering involved. And since the infusion of God's Spirit in us has started to bear fruit in us we groan in anticipation too. But there is also the joy of hope that it will all soon be over. So use this time of hoping to learn perseverance.

Daddy!!

Romans 8:12-16
So, you see, our obligations to the flesh are all gone. Our flesh is connected with the old realm of death and every time we try to live by it we step back into that painful treacherous world and start to experience death again. Then in desperation we yield to the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body, and start to live again. Now we are back on track and led by God's Spirit recognizing we are God's children with with all the pleasures, rights, and privileges that come with that position. There is no fear in this relationship. The spirit of slavery from the past life is gone. We are adopted to Father God by His Spirit and we innocently cry out with arms outstretched, "Daddy!!". From deep inside His new Spirit within us says, "That's right. You're My child now."

From Obsession to Possession

Romans 8:1-11
This way out begins when we realize that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This new life of the spirit will set us free from the power of sin and death. Our weak and vulnerable flesh was not helped by law but God sent His Son in the image of our sinful flesh. He was condemned and paid for our sins in the flesh. So now all the requirements of the law have already been met for us. We no longer walk according to fleshly desires but according to His Spirit. Fleshly people are obsessed with fleshly primal urges but spiritual people yield to the promptings of God's Holy Spirit who now possesses them. A fatal obsession with ourselves results in hostility to God because it opposes God, His order, and everything He stands for but yielding to His life-giving Spirit within us produces a joyful life of peace. We must make a distinction here between those fleshly people who are not possessed by God's Spirit who don't belong to Him and You who have this Dynamic Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, Who now lives in you and powerfully gives your dead body the same kind of life He gave Christ.

The Cycle of Wretchedness

Romans 7:15-25
Here's how the process works: First I am doing the very things I hate, not what I would like to do and I don't understand why. Though I long to follow that good law something deeper is controlling me. That thing is sin. So I see that my flesh is shot through with sin. I have this spiritual longing to do good but wind up practicing the very evil that I hate. It's as if sin takes on a life of it's own. So I conclude that I want to follow God's law one moment and the next thing I know my body wages war on what I know to be right. I am a wretched prisoner to a body that belongs to the realm of sin and death. Now that I realize what a hopeless situation I am in I start looking outside of me for hope. I can now say, "Thank you God. You have provided a way out through Jesus who you've designated to take over my life.

Time Bomb

Romans 7:7-14

This might lead us to think that law is sin. No, not at all. In fact, I myself would never have come to a knowledge of sin except through law. I thought I had my life under control until I realized the law said, "You shall not covet." That's when sin got a foothold in my life. It produced in me an obsession with every kind of lust imaginable. Before this sin had no power. Sin lay dormant in me waiting for an opportunity but when the commandment became alive to me those sinful desires took on a life of their own. They deceptively used that law to produce in me a painful shameful death. I can't blame laws commands and rules for this. There is nothing wrong with them. No, its the sin that was always there in me. God must use this process to awaken us to the fact that there is plenty of sin hiding within us. He uses this spiritual law to continually show us our bondage to sin.

What a Jerk!

Romans 7:1-6

Now let's look at this from a legal point of view. The law only has jurisdiction over the living. For instance, a married woman is legally bound by law to her husband but if he dies she no longer has any obligation to him. If, while he was living she joined herself to another man she would legally be an adulteress but when her husband dies she is free from the law and can live with whoever she chooses. In a similar way, friends, you, through the body of Christ died to the law so that you might rise from the dead and be joined to Him so we might bear fruit for God. This death and resurrection were necessary because of the effect this old "husband" had on our hearts. He brought out the worst in us and since we were living in a realm of death only death could result but we are dead to the law and it's demands. We live a fresh spiritual life now and not in an oppressive legal system.

Eternal Life Starting Now

Romans 6:19-23

Of course, being human it's hard to understand how powerful this slavery is. Back when you were a slave to sin you were kept from the freedom of righteousness. And what good did that slavery do you? When we look back we are ashamed of those things and their destructive power in our lives. But God has liberated us from sin's mastery and power and you now gladly submit to God as your new master. This fruitful relationship is having just the opposite effect; putting us back together and giving us an eternal life. Sin only produces destruction in us but God graciously gives us Christ Jesus as our new master and along with Him His powerful vibrant eternal life.

I'm No Zombie

Romans 6:15-18
And why would we want to sin any longer in this new wonderful life? I suppose you could tell yourself you are still a slave and listen from this voice from the grave telling you to do evil things from this zombie world of your past. Or you can recognize what you are in this present life of freedom and righteousness. Now that's something you can put your heart into. And when you do, the natural result is going to be all kinds of good things happening on the inside and flowing out in what you do and say on the outside.

"Access Denied"

Romans 6:12-14
Your slavery to sin is over. Don't listen to it. Don't give sin access to the members of your body for destructive means but gladly present yourselves to the God who raised you from the dead and offer Him your body as His fruitful tools. You are dead to that slavemaster of sin and the law that empowers it. Your new life is a powerful gift.

The Promise of Death

Romans 6:1-11
We might say then, "If this grace is so powerful then let's keep sinning and give it more to work with." No, that will never do! Remember we have died to sin. We don't live in that realm anymore. Surely you know your baptism symbolized your death with Jesus Christ. You were buried with Him and left the old life. Then in an explosive glorious act the Father raised Him up with you in tow so that you too might live a completely new kind of life. It's like once we are entangled with Him in His death there's no stopping the process. We become inseparable from Him in His resurrection and we become aware that our old self is crucified with Him, that our sinful body is done for, and that our slavery to sin is over-Dead men don't sin! Of course, along with Christ we don't stay dead. We are raised to a new kind of life with Him. That realm of death could kill Him one time and can no longer control Him because He lives with God in His realm now. So you need to think of yourselves as in Christ, dead to sin, and alive to God.

Final Nail in the Coffin

Romans 5:12-21
Adam sinned and put all humanity under the administration of sin and death. This is evident in the fact that everyone sins. Even before the law was given to Moses and the terms and condemnations were codified death reigned. We have an opposite and more powerful parallel in Jesus. His one act of righteousness was just the beginning of God's pouring out of an unlimited gift of grace on all of mankind which would reverse all the condemnation and judgment which resulted in unrighteousness and put the final nail in the coffin of the reign of sin and death through the much more effective rule and reign of grace.

Romans 5:1-11
So, now by believing that Jesus our Lord by God's plan has completely justified us we have peace with God. Through our belief in Jesus we now have a new position of grace and a new attitude of grateful participation in all that God is and all that He is doing. We can even joyfully dive into the troubles of life armed with the knowledge that God is using it to teach us to persevere, to prove our character, and to give us a confident hope that comes from all His love which He has poured into our hearts through His Holy Spirit. All this results as it dawns on us that at the point of our greatest need and ungodly desperation Christ died for us. I mean, why should anyone die for someone else? I suppose you might be able to find a situation where someone would die for a "truly righteous" person. But even that isn't the case here. No, God played out His love on us while we were sinners by Christ's death on our behalf. If that's the case and as we now stand justified through His blood He saves us from the wrath of God. For if, while we were enemies God reconciled us through the death of His son how much more now that nothing any longer stands between us will He save us in His life. The result of all this is an uncontainable inner joy and peace with our God which comes from our reconciliation with Him through Jesus Christ.

God's Plan for Righteousness

Romans 4:16.25
This is why righteousness must come through a system of grace, so the promise would be universally available to all the descendants of Abraham whether they believe directly or come about it as a result of the Law. God told Abraham, "I have made you a father of many nations." He did this through His creative power. Abraham put all his hope in this promise and even though he was about a hundred years old and Sarah and his bodies were worn out he kept believing, kept strong, kept trusting God believing in God's creative power. So God considered that righteous and not just for him but also for we who believe in Him who raised Jesus our lord from the dead; Jesus who was convicted and crucified for our sins and raised from the dead to justify us.

What I am thankful for

We are having our first (and only and last I hope) winter blizzard this morning. I got up and my neighbor was stuck in the ditch. I dragged myself outside hoping my


big diesel tractor wouldn't start because I didn't feel like being out in it. It did but about the time I got it warmed up it ran out of fuel. But by that time I noticed it wasn't so bad out there after all. I remembered St. Paul's admonition to give thanks in all things and in one of those rare moments God adjusted my perspective to the reality of my situation. I think I'd better strike while the iron is hot. I am overwhelmed by God's grace to me. He has:

-Given me a rugged spiritual and physical upbringing that helps me handle hardships and challenges me to want to know the truth about Him and the meaning of life

-Given me a great wife, Alice to keep my weirdness in perspective and love me unconditionally

-Worked sovereignly in our family to give our children the the background that causes them to want to know and serve Him.

All in all it was a wonderful day. I couldn't really go anywhere so I just stayed home and was thankful. Oh yes I did get to pull someone out later

Abraham as Example

Romans 4:1-15
Let's talk about Abraham, an actual person from our past. If you could establish he was justified by something he did then he could boast-but no, God stood right there in front of him and God declared him righteous because he believed. Now if one works he can claim he deserves his wages but if you don't work but believe God justifies the ungodly that belief will count as righteousness. David says a man is blessed when God counts him righteous in spite of the fact he did nothing; "Blessed are those whose sins have been covered, whose sins the Lord does not count". Now is this blessing on the circumcised or the uncircumcised? Remember, Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness. When did that reckoning take place? That's right, before he was circumcised. So that act was a sign, a seal that marked the fact that he had already believed. He received righteousness before he was circumcised to verify that he was the father of all who believe God's promise applies to them whether circumcised or not. Like him, when they believe they will be counted as righteous. This great promise given to Abraham and his heirs to inherit the world came, not through any legal barter but through a good-faith agreement and our spiritual relationship to the one who received it. You can't have it both ways. If something you do makes you righteous then this simple promise to Abraham means nothing. But you were born; you had no choice in the matter. Anything you could do wouldn't qualify you anyway. You would just stumble right away and bring God's wrath down upon you, but if it is nothing you do but an unconditional promise then there are no terms to violate to affect your inheritance.

Romans 3:21-31
This contrast works throughout God's ancient covenant in showing how righteous He is. And He has chosen Jesus to demonstrate this in a new covenant if you will believe it. We see His glory and we know we don't measure up. We are all sinners. Our worth can only be justified as we believe Jesus Christ decided to graciously redeem us. God publicly displayed Jesus' righteousness and then publicly had him slaughtered as a propitiatory sacrifice to justify all the years he had passed over sins. This act establishes His goodness and His right to justify us right now and anyone in the future who puts their faith in Jesus. So you can forget boasting because there's nothing you can say, nothing you can do. It's only Who and what you believe that matters. Clearly a person is just before God by this fact and no law. He is consistent in this whether you are Jewish or any other nationality. He will justify the worth of all people regardless of their religious system or lack of one. So if you believe we can throw out the law, no, faith finally gives law meaning.

This is a fine mess you've gotten us into, Olie

Romans 3.1-20
So what good is the "circum-system"? Very good. It is the source of God's message of grace. So what if some didn't follow it? Does that reflect on God? Be careful in your response. God is always true. He always prevails. This contrast doesn't reflect on God it establishes His right to judge us. So some say, "My sin is good because it glorifies God in some way". Those are condemnable words. These anti-law people are no better off than those with an external law or internal law. Scripture says; there are none righteous, none who understand, who seek God, who have merit, who do good, not even one. everything that comes out of their mouths is poison, cursing, bitterness. Everywhere they go they bring evil with them and they see God as powerless to stop them. When we look at the law honestly it puts a stop to all this and we realize we are accountable to God and cannot keep His law. We become acutely aware of our unjustifiable sinfulness.

Back to Romans

Romans 2:17-29
The Jews, on the other hand, have this whole system of law and an air of compliance and still break their law. They have misunderstood God's calling for them to be a light to the nations and instead think themselves to be superior to them. They also dishonor God and cause the nations to blaspheme because of their hypocrisy and disregard for the law. The "Circum-system" is meaningless if it doesn't work. Those not under it look pretty good if they live righteously and they naturally extend that view of righteousness to look down on those who have the law and stumble. God's nation and God's system are not fleshly and external but of the heart and the Spirit.

Good Morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are staying in a hotel in The Galleria in Houston. Not much is happening. It has pretty much constantly rained the whole time. We went to the big center with Neiman Marcus and all that yesterday and it was weird. It felt more foreign to me than anywhere we've visited in London or Rome. Anyway, we got up this morning-another dreary day-I opened the blinds and sat there. Pretty soon I heard what I thought was a dumpster with rough metal wheels being rolled down our hall. Hey wait a minute we're on the sixth floor. I looked out the window-nothing. Suddenly the noise changes to what Joel described as "Tribal Drumming" with a rhythm. I looked over at a seven story building in the adjacent parking lot and the corner of it was just starting to move. I yelled, "Look, Look, Look." Dale popped up all bleary eyed without her glasses and says, What, Where?" In a couple seconds it had all dropped to the ground and of course a huge cloud of dust had started to rise. That gave us something to talk about for a while. Here is a link to the demolition company's video and Here is one to some info I wish we'd had before.

Please stand by...

This "Romans stuff" gets to sounding mean sometimes but I believe St. Paul was a good lawyer and understood how to lay out his whole case in logical order. You can't ignore the bad news. If you do you will take the good news for granted or miss it entirely. So hang in there it gets better.

Romans 2:1-16 God's Impartiality

We naturally like to think we're all above all this; That God would be right to punish all such activity. We look down on others knowing deep down that we fall into the same patterns and progressions of sin they do and yet somehow think God, the only perfect judge will make an exception for us. Then when he does pour out His kindness and forbearance and patience on us as a last-ditch effort to turn us around we take Him lightly. Eventually, your stubborn reprobate heart will break the dam and on that day all of God's wrath and righteous judgment will roll down on you. Everything will be leveled and you will pay. If anyone has actually been seeking honorable things and looking to eternity they will receive eternal life but all self-centered unrighteous people who disregard the truth will receive God's wrath and indignation. Anxiety and trouble will fall upon those who do evil but glory, honor and inner-peace on those who do good regardless of nationality or religious system starting with the Jews who were first to receive God's revelation. For God is completely impartial. Again, the awareness of sin is self-evident whether one is outside religious law or in a religious system and all will be punished accordingly. Hearing the law doesn't justify one's right to exist before God but doing it. The gentiles, for example, know right and wrong without the law. God's law is written in their hearts-the mechanism works from within. God will eventually judge all men's hearts.

****STAND BY FOR NEWS****

I don't know how some older people can cope with the rate of change in our world. My grandma lived for 112 years spanning 3 centuries. Finally she just didn't want to hear any more. She was sharp till the end-she'd just had enough so we talked about the present or the past.

This week held a lot of change for me. The Denver and Rocky Mountain News was always one of my favorites. It was a small conservative tabloid when I lived out there as a child. I liked it because it fit between my small arms and it was different than other papers. I also visited the paper on a school field trip. Anyway, when it became available online I started reading it again. Well, Thursday when I logged on there were only pictures of an empty newsroom with trash lying around and another of staff with tears in their eyes being told it is over.



As you can see the other thing is that Paul Harvey died today. Sometimes I loved him, sometimes I hated him. I can remember listening to him as a child while traveling or at home. I told Joel once that he was "The Oracle of the Windy City." He literally sang the news. My brother-in-law, Phil who runs a True Value Hardware store said he could sell ice cubes to Eskimos. People would flock in to buy whatever Ol' Paul was hawking that week. I don't know why but it has been routine for me to listen to him around noon time about every work day for almost 40 years. I guess I'll have to find a new obsession now.

If you wonder where he is just listen to this:

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

Paul Harvey............................good day!!

Romans 1:16-32 Why I must boldly declare the gospel

I am not ashamed of this gospel. God has powerfully used it to rescue anyone who believes starting with the Jews and now also the Greeks. This power comes first from it's revelation of God's righteousness. It was by faith at the beginning and still is now. As the scripture says, "The righteous man shall live by faith." Mankind's unrighteousness and ungodliness has brought on the wrath of God because of our continual suppression of the truth. They know all about God for He has revealed Himself among them. Clear back to the beginning this creation of His has been declaring His power, His divinity and many evident facts about God that we can't see but know are obviously true from what we see around us. They are without excuse. They knew God and instead of acknowledging the obvious and being thankful for such a God they twisted the facts into absurd speculation. The more they did this the more foolish they became. Less and less of the light of truth could filter into their hearts. They said they were wise but became fools. They had a perfect incorruptible God to worship but threw that away for corruptible worship of man, birds, animals and creepy things. Finally God cut them loose to be driven by the lusts of their unstable hearts to impurity. What followed was the disgusting degradation of their bodies. They wanted to believe the lie and ignore the truth about God. They would rather worship and serve the creature rather than their eternal blessed Creator.
So God consented to their demand to follow their destructive obsessions. Soon women stepped out and were driven outside the bounds of what they were designed for and of course men abandoned their obligation and attraction to women and burned in attraction to other men committing shameless acts and suffered the natural consequences of such error. Since they actively worked to push God out of their thoughts and heart God set their minds adrift as well . This blossomed into all kinds of impropriety: unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice, envy, murder, strife and deceit. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, braggarts, inventors of evil and rebellious children. They've lost the capacity to be sympathetic, to be trusted, to love, to have mercy. It doesn't stop there. They blatantly do these things knowing God declares death on all such activity and then encourage others to practice them as well.

Romans 1:8-15 A Common Destiny

First, I am grateful to God that through Jesus Christ everyone in the world is talking about your faith. God has made the gospel of His Son an obsession with me from the depths of my heart as well. He knows how I can’t stop thinking and praying and asking that now, at last, He might let me come to you. I want to do this because I think I might be able to impart some of His special foundational tools, but I also know you would be an encouragement to me, so there would be
much mutual benefit. I don’t want you folks to think that I haven’t planned a visit. I want glean some of this fruit God is producing in you in His great harvest of the nations. I owe this to Greeks, Barbarians, wise and foolish and I, myself am eager to fulfill this obligation to you in Rome.

First Romans Post

1:1
Greetings from me, Paul, My whole life is duty-bound to Jesus, God’s chosen one. He has ordained me to get up and go, to live my life for His shocking message, which shouldn’t be so shocking as He always promised through the prophets and Holy writings His Son would be born in the line of King David. Now, though, He has added power to this truth by raising Him from the dead. This powerful act of His Holy Spirit leaves no doubt: God has chosen Jesus to redeem and rule mankind. Jesus has abundantly equipped us with everything we need to deploy and bring this gift of faith resulting in allegiance to His lordship throughout all the nations bringing them under His authority and protection. Jesus has called you to this realignment as well.

I am writing this to all of God’s beloved elite people in Rome. God has declared peace on you and showered you with all the spoils of the victory of our Lord, Jesus His Anointed One.

What Are Blogs For?

It's been a long time since I've posted. I guess I blame Christmas and taxes and preparing for a new year. Anyway, one of my reasons for doing this was always to post things I think I am learning.

One way to study the Bible is with pen in hand. I often do this in order to make myself regurgitate what I am learning. Otherwise it goes in my eyes and drifts off into an empty void between my ears. I was reading one of the epistles and suddenly realized, "Hey, this is supposed to be a letter. Why not re-write it as one and see it as what it was originally and not what it is to us, a book in the Bible." Anyway that is my project with Romans. Now, I am not claiming this as a translation or even a paraphrase but more as a personal application of the information. I am aware of the danger of speculation. I don't want to do that but I have gained some helpful insights on some hard passages. If you are willing you can read these and discuss, correct and warn me when I'm getting off-base. Maybe you can tell me how to word it better.