17-18    I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.  For such persons do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 


    Paul wrote this most likely in A.D. 57, according to my ESV Study Notes, but it wasn't just to warn those in his day- it is also to warn us now.  There are many churches and leaders who do not follow the Bible in its entirety.  They change what they like so that it is fitting for their lifestyle.  When a church or leader chooses to follow certain aspects and commands of the Bible, but not others, they are not truly worshiping God alone- they are also worshiping their "own appetites".  When anyone worships something other than Jesus it is idolatry.  When a church or leader decided that they think it is best not to follow the Bible completely, or believe it is not all completely truth, they are deceived, and you will be deceived by following them.  The Bible is entirely truth, and when we follow any other representation of what the truth is, we are not following God, but allowing ourselves to be completely deceived.  If such people or churches do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ as Paul writes, they are not leading themselves or the ones that follow them to eternal life, but to eternal death. Be careful what church you attend, what pastor you allow to teach you, what books you read, and what websites you conform to.  If what you practice, hear or read, does not agree with God's word or preach Jesus, it is not a church of God.  Some of the churches and leaders who practice and teach these things fully believe they are aligned with the Bible and think they are leading people to Jesus. They are wrong.  They are so deceived.  It is so unfortunate for those who are naive- to think that they have finally found the church that seems right to them- and for them not to understand that it is not a church built by God, but built by the devil.

    I am going to be blunt here- you may like it, you may not.  If you do not like what I am about to say, chances are you are among the deceived. An example of this God-less church or leader would be those who marry homosexuals in the church or have a homosexual as the leader in the church.  God is very clear about homosexuality in the Bible- it is sin.  It is just the same if the church allows drunkenness, marital unfaithfulness or murder.  They are all sin.  It is unfortunate that some christians have condemned homosexuals so much that all christians are labelled as unloving toward them. Please know, I love the person that practices homosexuality. I just hate their sin.  Just the same- I hate my sin, your sin and my friends' sin, whether its selfishness, greed, adultery, porn addictions, drunkenness etc.  It has nothing to do with singling any specific person or group out.  To follow Jesus means repentance.  A church or leader that does not preach repentance or changes what God says is sin, is not teaching Truth.  

    I hope you understand Scripture is teaching here, and I hope you understand what I am saying.  If you have any questions, please- email me.


Dear Lord,

I hope and pray that all who are following destruction within a church or leader would recognize through this verse in Romans 16, that they are being deceived.  Please convict those who need to be saved from such- that they might find a place to worship the True God.  Lord I pray that if any reader has a problem with what was written, that you would show them it is YOU who wrote these commands- for our good and for your glory.  I pray that you would free anyone from deceit and lies and show them Your Truth. 

Amen.

 1-2    We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

    Do you know of anyone that you associate with that is weaker than you in faith?  We are called to walk with them in their faith.  Let's say you and a friend are out swimming in a lake.  You are a strong swimmer, and your friend is anxious about swimming in the first place.  A current comes that you have to swim against- you aren't worried about it, but your friend was having a hard time. Would you help your friend get through it or would you swim to shore and leave your friend to struggle and perhaps drown?  You say, well of course I would help them!! (or at least I hope you would say that....!)  The same is true spiritually. Except we are fighting against the current of life to save them from eternal death.  This should be even a bigger deal.   People who are weak in faith need friends who they can trust that can come along side of them and help them in their walk with Jesus.  Satan tries to steal the hearts of those who are choosing to live for Jesus.  The closer we are to Christ, the easier it is to detect Satan's schemes and the easier it is to avoid temptation.  Don't get me wrong- we all still struggle, are tempted and fall into sin.  We are not perfect.  I am going to relate this situation to sheep.  Think of a pasture full of sheep.  There are some weaker sheep, young sheep, injured sheep, stronger sheep, healthy sheep, older sheep, and a shepherd or two- you get my point.  One day a wolf comes- hungry as ever and sees a weak sheep among the flock.  Obviously the wolf will go for that one- it's just easier, right?  The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, that, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Don't let the ones around you that are weaker in faith, be the ones that the devil devours. Build them up, pray for them, encourage their walk with Jesus, be of good example,  love them and if you see the devil prowling around their territory, stand firm in faith with them.  If they are attacked, help them get back up and on their feet again.

    13    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.



~Leanne~

I really like this chapter, as it pertains with some things I struggled with not too long ago...  There are things in life that God has taught me- like contentment, being a better helper to my husband, my spending habits, my priorities, walking by faith- that are just ways God has pruned me- and are milestones in my walk with the Lord.  

    There are also some things that God revealed to me as sin in my life.  According to the Bible, it was not sin in itself, but the result of me doing these things made it sinful for me.  I will give you an example. 

    Alcohol.  In the Bible, I believe Jesus and others drank wine.  I believe the Bible does not command us to abstain from alcohol but from getting drunk.  For me, even when I just had a glass of wine or a beer, my thoughts would become impure, my character would change, and many times my actions would prove sinful.  Drinking for me was a door to sin.  Therefore, I stopped opening that door- I quit drinking.  I say it so simply, and yet it was one of the hardest things I have done.  It wasn't that I was an alcoholic, but I really enjoyed social drinking. God asked me too many times to quit, and I kept putting it aside- trying to control the problems myself.  God didn't ask me to quit because He wanted to make my life miserable, but quite the opposite.   It was no longer a cycle of drink, sin, feel guilty, ask for forgiveness, abstain for 2 months, drink again-thinking I had it under control, sin.  He wanted to free me from the bondage of sin that was connected with my drinking habits. And that is what I am- free!

     Obviously I heard the Lord speak, and I obeyed.  But what if the Lord didn't speak to you the same way? This is where I want to point out my sinful judgment.   I do believe there are blatant sins that we need to hold each other accountable for, but I also believe that God will teach each person in His timing about godly characters and habits that will honor Him, in His timing, and in His way.  Unfortunately, I had the urge to tell my friends about the characteristics and habits God was teaching me in a way that commanded them to follow suit that was not in His timing or in His way.  I was just so strong about what God had told me and instructed me to do, I fell into thinking, if the Lord wanted me to know this now, He must want you to know this now too. That was wrong on my part.  Who am I to tell people to do this or that if the Lord hadn't spoken to them?  Verse 4 says, Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. It was not my place to judge the actions of others, for they are not accountable to me.  Also verse 16 says, So do not let what you regard as good be spoken as evil. For me this meant, whatever I knew God to be teaching me, was for me- it did not make it sinful for others.  God teaches everyone differently and at different times in their walk.  For one person, drinking might be sin.  For another, having Netflix might be sin.  For another, buying that new car (jeans, purse, ATV) might be a sin.  Who am I to pass judgment?

14:1-As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Remember, that not everyone is in the same place spiritually- we all grow into maturity at different rates. Therefore,The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. (Verse 22) If we, who are mature, overwhelm the weaker in faith with the things the Lord is showing us, they will get discouraged and we can actually do more harm than good.  Remember the verse in 1 Corinthians 3:2- But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. And in Hebrews 5:12-14- For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.  But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. 


    However, in verse 21 it says, It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. This is where sin can be avoided. If we do something to cause our friends to stumble, I believe we are held accountable.  I hope that my friends who know my weakness with alchohol, would not drink around me, therefore make me stumble.  I can think, even right now, ways I have recently caused my friends to stumble. Forgive me Lord.  It can be as simple as telling someone about a sale, when you know they don't have the money and might go in debt for something they don't need.  It might be bringing over a cheesecake when you know your friend has been struggling to eat healthier and lose weight. It might be bringing over a movie that has a brief sex scene in in when you know your friend struggles with porn and lust.  These last three examples seem pretty harmless- don't they? However, let me make it more of a reality when you see it through different eyes, perhaps your own...

    How would you feel if you were the one broke and constantly being tempted to use your credit card on stuff? You feel convicted, and have been praying for strength not to spend money when you don't have the money. You and your husband have been fighting over finances and his pay checks seem to be getting less and less every month.  Then a friend comes over and gets super excited about some incredible sale online and tells you that she would split the shipping with you because there are a few things she wants too, but the sale ends today. You don't think twice about gettin' in on the sale, until the purchase goes through and you feel the conviction in your heart that you should not have just spent money you don't have for something you don't need.  The package comes and you hide your new clothes (craft supplies, makeup, books) from your spouse, knowing he will be upset about your unneeded purchase. 

    What if you are the person who has been trying to lose weight for over a year now, and you finally stopped trying to do it on your own- you surrendered it to God. You have verses pinned up all over your house and you made a menu plan for the next month!  It's been a week and you lost four pounds. You've been sharing your struggle with your friends, and although your best friend is as skinny as can be and eats all that she wants, she prays with you and supports you.  One day, you decide to have a girls movie night, at your house- and one of your friends brings over a huge honkin' cheesecake.  Oh crap.  It's only this once... right? You feel the urge to resist...but it just looks so good!  Your friend realizes that she just brought over your favorite cheesecake when you have been doing so good losing weight, but then assures you one small piece won't make you gain your four pounds back. The movie ends, your friends go home- and oops- she must have forgotten to take the left over cheesecake. All of a sudden your belly is rumbling and it's sitting on your counter with what seems like a glorious light glowing on it. 

    What if you are the person who struggles with porn.  You and your wife just haven't been having quality time together, which also means lack of intimacy.  You struggled with porn everyday, at least once, for over a month.  You finally confessed it to an elder at church because you knew you needed help.  You also asked your close Friday night guy friends to pray for you.  You pray about it everyday, and for the last week, you have been porn free.  You shared with your wife that you have been struggling, and unfortunately she's mad and has been withholding sex from you ever since.  You are really struggling this week as you fight impure thoughts and temptations when you go online. So far, you haven't given in. It's Friday night, and the guys come over for some man time. After playing a game of cards, one of the guys pops in a movie.  We're all laughin' having a good time- then it comes.  All over the screen is a hot chick, seductively undressing herself while her eyes flirt with the man in the film- although it just seemed as if she was staring at you. The room goes quiet and your friends are taking in this testosterone building scene.  You hear the Lord say- get up, walk out of the room.  But you would seem like a wuss if you did that, right? After all, these guys go to my church, so it can't be that wrong- it's not like they are having sex...it's not porn.  The scene changes, and you are free- for now.  Your wife gets home late that night after the guys have all gone home, and suddenly you have a desire to be intimate with her- maybe she will look at me the same way that girl did in the movie...impure thoughts flood the mind again...

    Do these situations sound so harmless now?  I know I may have gone to a bit extreme, but aren't they so real at the same time? I don't think we take into consideration how critical it is to honor other people's struggles. I don't think we realize how much it can be damaging to them, if it's not damaging to us. 

    Let us be careful in our actions to not cause a brother or sister to fall.  Let us make every attempt to be aware of their struggles and convictions about what is wrong for them, and let us respect and honor those things while we spend time with them.  Let us not pass judgment on them if what they say is wrong for them, seems harmless to us. But let us commend them for their obedience to God and support them in it. 


~Leanne~

Verses to Remember:

    12b, 14    ...let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

    Do you remember the verse in Ephesian 6 that explains the armor of God?

     Verse 10-17 reads: 

    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.


    We will be tempted all the time.  Satan studies us to learn our weaknesses- he may even know them better than we do!  Instead of battling him once he pursuits us viciously, be prepared.  Instead of trying to pull out your sword when he is already attacking you, have your sword ready at your side.  As verse 17 says, the sword of the Spirit is the word of God- the Bible.  Be prepared with verses in God's word that can defend you against the lies the evil one will whisper in your ear.  Do not be defeated by him or the desires of your flesh.  Be on guard- be ready. Do whatever is necessary to avoid temptation. 


~Leanne~

There are so many amazing verses in this chapter, I feel like we could highlight most of them! (Don't worry, I won't go through every verse.) However, lets look at a few:

Verses to Remember:

    1    ...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

    Not only do our souls belong to God, but so do our bodies.  Therefore, just as we surrender our soul to Him, let us also surrender our bodies with Him.  With it, we should worship God. What does this mean?  How do I do this? We could relate it to 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 when it talks about avoiding sexual immorality. In verse 20 it says, "So glorify God in your body."We could also connect it to  verse 19, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, we should take care of them.  Be mindful of what you eat and drink.  Proverbs 23 it says to not be among the drunkards or gluttons. "Presenting" our bodies could also represent how we literally present ourselves. In Jeremiah 4:3 it says, "What do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain, you beautify yourself. In 1 Timothy 2:9 it says, "...likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire." I think there are many aspects and ways to present our bodies as living sacrifices.  Let's ask God how we can specifically honor God with our bodies. 


    2    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

    What does conformed mean? Conformed means to comply, to become similar to in nature or character, to accommodate... How about transformed?  To change in nature or character, to change in form or appearance... Let us read the first part again with our definitions replacing the words.  Do not comply, accommodate or become similar to this world, but be changed in your nature, character, appearance by the renewal of your mind.  When we receive Christ He begins a transformation process- some are immediate, like receiving also the Holy Spirit, and some are progressive- like the renewal of our minds.  There are some things that God makes known to us right away, there are some things that take time to learn.  I will refer to the couple verses that talk about being fed with spiritual milk versus solid food.  Our minds through spiritual maturity, may not be able to be fed with solid food, our minds may not be ready for it, which is why some are still being fed with spiritual milk.  Things that have been revealed to you, may not have been revealed to your closest friend.  God matures us and renews our minds at different paces.  But regardless, God does renew our minds. He wants us not to blend in with the world, or do what it does, but do the things that God is teaching us. The closer we are to Jesus, the more our minds are renewed.  Through this, we will be able to to know and understand God's direction for us.  We will be able to understand the Scripture more clearly, therefore better understand what His will is.  Craig Groeschel in his book, Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working, says, "If we follow Christ, we're not supposed to be like everyone else. The whole point of sanctification is to become more like him instead of who we are when left to our own devices and desires. So how do we discern the difference between a good choice and the best one?"  Craig then quotes this verse- Romans 12:2.


    3    ...not to think of himself more highly than he ought, but to think with sober judgment...

    I think we can connect this verse to yesterday's study of Romans 11:17-24. 

    4    For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.

    And this one to 1 Corinthians 12, where it talks about spiritual gifts, and all being important and needed in in the church.  Again I will stress the importance of this.  NOT ALL OF US HAVE THE SAME GIFTS AND ABILITIES.  Did you get that?  Please do!  I have been discouraged because I see someone else having "better" abilities and gifts than me.  I wonder what's wrong with me that I don't feel called to work in children's ministry.  But I do help with the worship band.  Everyone has different gifts and callings.  God wouldn't call everyone to serve in children's ministry- we'd have a 100:1 ratio!  God wouldn't call everyone to the greeter ministry- there would be no one to greet!  God wouldn't call everyone to lead worship- there would be no one to lead! Get my point? ALL parts of the body are crucial. Without one, the whole body suffers.  Rejoice in that!  We don't all have the same function, and we are all needed. God gifted you for His purpose, and when you serve in the way God has gifted you and called you, it will be fulfilling. 


    20    ...if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.

    Love this text.  

    21    Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This chapter would be easy to skip over- but don't.  It seems to concern issues that might not concern us- but it does.  It references Old Testament that you may have not read.  But God spoke directly to me when I read this chapter previously a couple months ago, and I am happy to revisit it, and give you my testimony concerning it. 

    I would like you to read part of this chapter in The Message version, verses 16-24.  I think The Message paraphrases this passage well and maybe you too can relate to how it is explained.

 16-18  Behind and underneath all this there is a holy, God-planted, God-tended root. If the primary root of the tree is holy, there's bound to be some holy fruit. Some of the tree's branches were pruned and you wild olive shoots were grafted in. Yet the fact that you are now fed by that rich and holy root gives you no cause to crow over the pruned branches. Remember, you aren't feeding the root; the root is feeding you.

 19-20  It's certainly possible to say, "Other branches were pruned so that I could be grafted in!" Well and good. But they were pruned because they were deadwood, no longer connected by belief and commitment to the root. The only reason you're on the tree is because your graft "took" when you believed, and because you're connected to that belief-nurturing root. So don't get cocky and strut your branch. Be humbly mindful of the root that keeps you lithe and green.

 21-22  If God didn't think twice about taking pruning shears to the natural branches, why would he hesitate over you? He wouldn't give it a second thought. Make sure you stay alert to these qualities of gentle kindness and ruthless severity that exist side by side in God—ruthless with the deadwood, gentle with the grafted shoot. But don't presume on this gentleness. The moment you become deadwood, you're out of there.

 23-24  And don't get to feeling superior to those pruned branches down on the ground. If they don't persist in remaining deadwood, they could very well get grafted back in. God can do that. He can perform miracle grafts. Why, if he could graft you—branches cut from a tree out in the wild—into an orchard tree, he certainly isn't going to have any trouble grafting branches back into the tree they grew from in the first place. Just be glad you're in the tree, and hope for the best for the others.


      For me, I looked at myself like the wild olive shoot- now being nourished by the Holy God.  Sometimes, I took pride in where I was and who I was in the Lord, only to be reminded from this text, that it's nothing I do to be there, but God who brought me there.  I know in my past I have hurt others because of my pride- thinking I was holier than them, "crowing" at them, trying to teach them all the things I was learning.  I was cocky and "strutted my branch" as if to think it was I who connected myself with the Tree.  There are people who are olive shoots just like I was- since I know the amazing nourishment that comes from the Tree, shouldn't I want the best for those who are broken  branches, on the ground with out connection to the Root?  If you are reading this, and I have hurt you in my pride, my apologies are greatly given.  I do not want to be proud.  I want to be humbly mindful of the Root that keeps me lithe and green.  I don't want to think my leaves greener than they are.  I don't want pride to make me to fall-  to be broken and be deadwood.  I am grateful that God in His mercy- and only by Him, did He graft me in to His nourishing self.  I want to be pruned- in a way that I can grow healthier- not in a way that is cut off.  Instead of feeling superior over the branches that were broken off because they were dead, without faith,  I want to pray that they would, like me, be reminded of the only nourishing and supporting Root- Jesus.  Without Him, they are just deadwood.  With Him, they can be accepted to receive all that He provides.  Don't be like how I was, thinking I had it together and judging brothers and sisters in Christ.  If you see a fellow Christian who seems to be falling away, instead of "crowing" over them, pray for them.  Crowing over anyone, does no one any good.  No one comes to Jesus or comes back in relation with Him because you nagged them or judged them.  Remember who you are.  You are just a branch.  You are not the root.  Remember, all that keeps you alive is the Root.  Be humble then,  and honor Him, not yourself.

    36    For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

Verses to Remember:

    9-10    ...because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.


    This is the basis for salvation- note: it doesn't say if you confess with you mouth and do good things according to your faith... Also note, confessing with your mouth and believing with your heart go hand and hand.  Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites because they, "honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

    If you believe in Christ, are you ashamed to profess it with your mouth? Are you willing to face persecution because of your love for Jesus?  I personally think it odd when someone says they love Jesus, but you never hear them talking about Him.  I know there are people who are quiet and more private about their lives, but Jesus is not something to be quiet about!  The closer you are to Jesus, the more He transforms you, the more excited you should become about it- I have a hard time not sharing what He is doing in me!  I think if we love the Lord as much as we say we do, it should be overflowing into the people and world around us.


~Leanne~

The first thirteen verses of chapter nine explains that not all the Israelites that were saved out of Egypt and brought to the promised land were chosen and saved by God. These verses mentions 'election'- a topic that I would rather tackle in this Bible study.  I will however summarize what it means, for those who don't know.  

    There are two theories based on some verses in the Bible about salvation.  There are some scholars that believe that God has predestined His people- meaning that before time, God had already chosen those who would be saved into His kingdom.  This theory also tends to support that once you are truly saved, you are always saved, and cannot lose your salvation.  If someone turns from the faith, people would question whether they were truly the elect and truly saved. There are many verses that support or mention this theory:

        Ephesians 1:3-5, 1:11, Mark 13:27, Luke 18:7, 2 Timothy 2:10, Titus 1:1, 2 Peter 1:10 and John 10:27-28- there may even be more.

    The other theory is that you can lose your salvation if you turn from God and walk an unrepentant lifestyle. Here are some verses to support this theory:

        1 John 3:6-10, 2 Peter 2:1, Galatians 5:4, Hebrews 10:26, Hebrews 6:4-6, Psalm 69:28 are a few of the verses I found on this theory.

    Both of these theories are believed by the most honorable theologians- and should not be fought about or debated exhaustibly.  The difference of theories have split up churches and parted relationships. I encourage you to study both sides if it is of interest to you, but don't let it outweigh your love for Jesus. Believing in either of these views will not determine your eternal destiny, only your love and devotion to Jesus will.

    Verses to Remember:

    15b-16    "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."  So then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God, who has mercy.

    What another great reminder that we can't do anything to win mercy or compassion from God, but through His loving self, shows compassion and mercy to us who don't deserve it.  This reminds me of my life before freedom in Christ.  There was nothing I did to deserve God's mercy.  I was headed for eternal death- but God out of His great compassion and mercy for me, rescued me. I am so grateful for His undeserved, unattainable mercy.  

     Thank you again Lord for this awesome reminder of how amazing you are. Thank you for saving me from destruction and eternal death, even though I did absolutely nothing to deserve it.  Thank you that you are so gracious.  

    20b    Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"  

    I remember a few years ago when I really struggled with what I looked like.  For years, I didn't like who I was as a person either.  I wished that I was thinner, bigger breasted, had a better complexion, had whiter teeth, had bigger eyes, wanted to have a better sense of humor, not so selfish, more success driven, more friendly, wished that I wasn't so bold and opinionated... as you can see I just wasn't happy with me.  But it comes down to, my unapproving attitude toward what God had made.  Granted, some of my personality issues, some not even mentioned, were things I could attain by working on my attitude.  Some of my body disapprovals could have been changed if I got off the couch, stopped having frappicinos every other day (but oh they are so good...) and walked somewhere other than the garage to get in my car. 

    However, some of my issues were that of how God made me.  Some of the envying traits my friends had, God hadn't given me for a reason.  God gave me other traits for a reason.  If you personally know me, you know that I am opinionated, passionate and bold. Sometimes it gets me into trouble (I am really working on that).  It has been something that I am learning to harness, something I am surrendering to Him- to use purposefully.  It is actually one of the underlying reasons this website started.  I could share my opinions, boldly and passionately without personally offending anyone.  I haven't been so bold yet- I have been holding back the reigns... but soon I will be writing about contentment, roles in the home, porn and other addictions, unhealthy relationships,  finances, being a good wife, priorities and more.  I feel that God has blessed this site as I am using what He DID create in me for His good. 

    How wrong of me though, to have the attitude of disapproval of how God made me.  We are talking about God here- like we know better than Him?  Yet that is exactly what our unhappiness portrays, that we could have done better than Him in creating us.  He created us for His purposes, not our own, therefore, He knew exactly what He was doing when He made us.  Psalm 139:13-16 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

    Even though we may still wonder how God is going to use this trait or that for His glory, He may reveal it to you in time.  Honestly, there have been a few times, and I might be exaggerating, when my boldness, passion and opinions did any good.  But I honestly feel that God has matured these traits in me that I might use them to exalt His name through this website.  For once, I am content with how He created me because I can see the fruit of His creation.  But that isn't a good example to follow- as I should have accepted how God made me, years ago, and surrendered all of myself to Him.  Even though we might not always see the fruit of our character, God does use us, without us always seeing the fruit.  And maybe, like me, God has to mature these traits over time before He will use them.  That is what pruning is all about ladies and gentlemen- pruning out the weeds, so the fruit can grow maturely and effectively, therefore planting seeds to produce more.  Pruning is not always a fun process- it sometimes hurts when weeds are picked out of us, especially if they have deep roots.

    I know I went off on a rabbit trail a bit- but I think what it came to was important.  I think that when we aren't happy with how God made us, it is because we see our faults and weaknesses and don't like to see them. We all have weaknesses and faults- some people are just really good at hiding them.  When we surrender these to God though, we allow Him to change us.  He is the only one that can effectively change us- and when He does, those "bad" traits turn into good ones that are used for His purposes. 

    As far as our bodies, we are all created equal in God's eyes- blond hair, black hair, blue eyes, green eyes, no hips, big hips, no boobs, big boobs, small butt, big butt, a face that can grow a beard, one that can't even grow a goatee- we were all created in His likeness and in His image. YES to the world we are too fat, too skinny, not tanned enough, not tall enough- and they have made so many things to change how God made us- colored contacts, hair color, spray on hair, tanning beds, weight loss drugs, surgeries etc.  Please don't misunderstand my point, I am not against taking care of your body or coloring your hair.  I am just challenging you on your acceptance of how God made you.  If you are coloring your hair,  getting surgeries, working out 24/7,  wearing brown colored contacts when your eyes are green, wearing 4" heels and a bra that has more padding in it than your pillow because you aren't happy with how God made you, then I would advise you to not check the mirror again, but your heart.  This grieves me, because I was this person a few years back, it consumed me, and it was not godly.  I spent too much time trying to change how I looked and who I was, rather than learning how He did create me for His purposes.  

    Only reading a chapter so far of the book Cha-zone by Craig Groeschel, I don't know much of my recommendation.  However, I really respect Craig's love for the Lord and the subjects of this book. It's all about finding your God created purpose for your life.  http://www.chazown.com/

Another good one that I have read entirely is The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/en-US/Home/home.htm

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  SERMON TO LISTEN TO:

http://newspring.cc/series/man-vs-wife/ : 4 Things Every Woman Needs to Focus On

I just absolutely love the writing of Paul. There is so much content in these chapters, I would encourage you to read it twice before you settle to understand it and apply what it says.  Try to read it in a Bible where you haven't already made notes.  I am trying to even read the chapter the night before as well as in the morning, so I have some time to meditate on it before I dive in. 

Verses to Remember:

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

    At the moment that you accept Christ into your your life, you also accept the Spirit of Christ in your body- and He dwells in you.  People ask, how do you know you are saved? Verse 9b says, Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. The minute you surrender your life to Him, you go from being condemned for all your transgressions, to being completely free of them.  It is so amazing to grasp that reality. From one minute you are a slave to the desires of the flesh- your destiny is eternal hell, and in the next minute,  only by the grace of God, you are made completely clean and blameless in His sight!  Then, if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.(verse 11e) Life in this verse refers to eternal life- life with Jesus in heaven after our earthly death.


    5    For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 


    This is a great reminder about the things we ought to be spending our time and energy on.  Why would anyone that does not love the Lord set their mind on things of Him? Seems like a silly question, doesn't it? We should be asking ourseves the same question about living by the Spirit.  If we live by the Spirit, why would we set our minds on things of the flesh?  So often, the desires of our flesh overtake our time and energy.  We realize, or don't, that we are spending our time, energy or money on things of this world.  About a year ago, I cancelled the magazine subscription I had to House Beautiful.   It was my favorite magazine. Something you should know about me before understanding this example- I love designing houses- from the blueprints to the paint colors. I would cut out ideas, draw up house plans- dreaming up the house I would one day build. I chuckle at myself even now- as God leading our family in a new direction lately, I have said goodbye to those dreams.  Desiring an awesome house with your design and style isn't the issue. For me, it was contentment.  By spending minutes looking and drooling over houses and concepts in the magazine, I became less and less content with the house God had provided for us now.  I started looking around at my walls and rooms, wishing we could make more money so I could adopt ideas from this magazine in my house. Please note, House Beautiful displays houses of splendor- ones that even if my husband made three of four times his income, probably couldn't afford.  The ideas in there aren't for DIY entrepeuners with a piggy bank. They weren't for me.  It may sound silly to you, but this was extremely hard for me to let go of. I have always had dreams of nice houses, with all the luscious interior decorating to boot.  It wasn't wrong of me to desire a nice home decorated nicely, as long as it didn't take precedence over my relationship with God...and  it was.  As I said I was becoming discontent with what He had provided and I was beginning to envy the life of some of my unbelieving, success driven friends.  My mind was set on things of the flesh. 

    My study notes say: "To set the mind on the flesh means to think continually about and constantly desire the things characteristic of fallen, sinful human nature, that is, to think just the way the unbelieving world things, emphasizing what it thinks important, pursuing what it pursues, in disregard of God's will."

    With the world screaming at us, BUY THIS, DO THAT, it's easy to get caught up in worldly things without realizing it. But the closer we are to Jesus, the more we have discernment of these things. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we can hear His Spirit in us- guiding us, convicting us, giving us wisdom. We need to be more aware of Him who dwells in us.  

    28    And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 


    "Good" here does not refer to things on earth, but conformity to Jesus.  As we continue to conform to Jesus, even the term good as we know it, changes.  It changes from earthly contentment to things which have eternal reward. It's amazing to see that change happen in our hearts and minds.  
  

    31b    If God is for us, who can be against us?

    We have the most mighty, magnificant Being EVER that loves us and stands for us- who could ever stand against up to that? May you be encouraged by this verse!

     To the right you will see a YouTube of Chris Tomlin's "Our God" which includes this verse in the bridge of his song.  Great song!

    35,37-39    Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.


    NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.  There is nothing you can do that will stop God from loving you.  There is no one who can change God's love for you. He will always love you.  This isn't saying that we can't separate ourselves from God by our sin- for sin does separate us from Him, but even in our sin God loves us.


~Leanne~

For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what i do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if i do what i do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

    How many of us can relate to Paul's frustrations here?  I CAN!  It's always the things I do not want to do at all, that I find myself repeating- like being selfish.  I can be a very selfish person, my family and friends can testify to that, I'm sure! And I am grateful that they realize that I have the desire not to be selfish, but I don't have the ability to always be selfless.

~Leanne

    Verse 1    What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?

    I remember back even 4 years ago- I was choosing to sin, and knew I was under grace.  The Lord had asked me to stop drinking alcohol and I was refusing. I knew that if I had a drink and felt guilty that I could just ask for forgiveness and his grace was never ending.  I remember 2 years ago when I was at my worst with my porn addiction. I knew when I went online I would sin, yet I knew the grace of God would cleanse me.  This is NOT the way to live.   I can't say, "Well, I asked Jesus into my heart 5 years ago, so God will forgive me," then the next day go on sinning. That was my attitude.  Repentance is a daily thing.  We must live in repentance.  I really believe that is also what Paul is saying in this verse.   When we accept Jesus' death on the cross we can put to death the sin in our life. 

     Verses 10-11   For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

     I am not saying we will never sin. That is impossible until we get to heaven.  We are human and we are not perfect.  However Paul used the words 'live in it'.  Messing up, and living in sin are two separate things. Living in sin is intentionally sinning and allowing the devil to have a foothold which leads to enslavement- like my two examples above. 

     Verse 12    Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 

     Verse 16     "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

    But when we surrender our lives to Jesus and live in repentance... We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (verse 6)

    Thank you Jesus!  Thank you that we don't have to be enslaved to sin anymore by your death and blood shed on the cross- I am free. Thank you Jesus that porn and alchohol have NO dominion over me anymore!  

     Verse 14    For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

    Let us do this:   

    Verse 19b    For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

    Let us not be enslaved to sin anymore. Let us repent and turn from impurity and lawlessness and be righteous and holy.  In your life, let Jesus not have been crucified in vain. But let us realize the power of His death on the cross- that once He died for us, we died to sin.  Let us live in repentance and be sanctified and therfore, have eternal life!   

    Verses 20-22    For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  but now that you have set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

    Verse 23    For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~Leanne 01-05-12 

Father, I pray with all that I am that if there is anyone reading this that is enslaved to sin, that your Holy Spirit would convict them so deeply to repent and to live a life of repentance.  May they be sanctified through Jesus' blood and death on the cross.  Lord, I pray that we would realize the power in His death and resurrection and claim His death as our own death to sin.  Thank you Jesus!

We rejoice in our sufferings... some of you may think- why on EARTH would I do that? Once you have suffered while believing in Christ, you realize that although the suffering is painful while in the midst of it, they transform you to be more like Christ. How? God uses all things for His glory. All circumstances of suffering are different, and God doesn't use them all in the same way.  But He uses suffering to turn our hearts to Him. Maybe we have tried to live life on our own for so long, and amidst this specific suffering God allowed, we realize we can't get through the pain on our own- we need Him.  Maybe it's only by the power of God that your marriage was restored after a spouse acted unfaithful. Maybe it's the comfort given to you by God when someone close to you passes away. Whatever the suffering, God wants to be right with you.  When we suffer, and know we are not alone, and get through it by the grace, mercy and power of God, the next time we suffer- we have faith and knowledge that God will get us through the next.  That is endurance! We are then able to endure all things because we know that God, who loves us and has infinite control will do what's best. Even when it seems the worst, God will be right by our side.  Sometimes, God uses what Satan meant for evil and turns it into good. An unfaithful spouse that repents and is reconciled with  the forgiving spouse is a great example of that. Satan intended to ruin their marriage and win a heart over  to death, but God because of His great mercy and power, took what was made for evil and made it good.  Once we have faced a few trials through endurance, we begin to have more faith and trust in God and less faith and trust in ourselves.  This makes a change in our character. We become more reliant on Him,  we become more fruitful because of our faith, we have more confidence in Him, we look at our circumstances differently. Our character becomes more unified with Jesus.  Because of our faith, confidence, and trust in Him it builds our hope in Him- and so it should, because God's love is inescapable, and we will see more and more of His love the more we have hope in Him.  

    6-8    For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.    

    I love the reality of these verses.  A man may choose to die for someone that is a good person- but for a 'bad' person, would someone sacrifice their life?  That makes God's love so much different than a human's love and separates His magnificance from our insignificant selves.  Jesus died for us while we were in sin. He did not come to die for the righteous- but for the greedy, the malicious, the drunkards, the idolaters, the adulterers, the murderers, the liars, the selfish.  All of us, at one point in our lives fell into one of those descriptions.  For some, including me, I fell into a few.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11~ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor the idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were wahsed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. How amazing.

        10    For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.   

    18-19    Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.  For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

        This verse is neat because it takes us back to Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve.  It parallels the sin of Adam to the righteousness of Christ. What Adam did in leading all men to condemnation is made right by Jesus dying on the cross that leads all men to justification and life.  Through Adam's disobedience we were made sinners, but through Jesus' obedience we were made blameless.   I absolutely love when we can connect or when Scripture connects Old Testament with New Testament!

~Leanne 01-04-12

 Paul is quoting Psalm 14:2-3 & 53:2-3 and Ecclesiates 7:20. 

    I am going to reference Tom Kelby's study on Romans.  In his study notes, he comments on the first part of this verse, "none is righteous".  To explain this, Tom says, "No one is right before God. None of us, on our own, pass his inspection.  At the very core, in the heart, man is desperately wicked."

    Continuing on, "no one understands; no one seeks for God."  If we were left to our own flesh, we would not seek God. We would live to fulfill our earthly desires, that which is sinful, and seek after exalting ourselves.  We wouldn't understand the mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of God- we would be helpless.  

    "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless."  By living for ourselves, we would turn from God. We would not fulfill the purpose for which we were created- which is to glorify God.  

    "No one does good, not even one."  It's not saying that there is no good that ever comes out of man, but that if not living for the glory of God, and thus, living for ourselves, all good would be tainted with some selfishness- some evil and therefore, wicked in God's sight.  

    Do you remember, before you were saved when the Bible seemed foolish and completely confusing? Have you shared His Word with people who just don't understand? Although Scripture can still be challenging, in Christ, we have the ability to study and understand God's word.  It has been made known to us.  Mark 4:11-13 says: " And he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.' "

    22-25   ...the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned all fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  

Tom Kelby's study:

    If we are to grasp the ramifications of these verses, we need to understand the words found within them. This passage includes eight of the most important words a Christian can know: righteousness, faith, glory, justification, grace, redemption, atonement and blood. Let’s look at these words one at a time. Let the definitions sink into your heart. A proper understanding of these words will change your life!

1. Righteousness - This is a word that can be difficult for our minds to grasp, not because the meaning is obscured, but because our minds, which are often coated by years of non-Biblical thinking, have a hard time grasping the truth here. Carefully read Paul’s words in verses 21 and 22.  
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:21,22  Righteousness is “the character or quality of being right or just”. In other words, righteousness is perfect conformity to God’s will. Keep in mind, Paul has just gone to great lengths to prove that no one  righteous (verse 10), but here, just 11 verses further, he says that,“righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” The righteousness he is discussing is from God, meaning it is not from man. It comes to all who believe. This righteousness doesn’t start with you; it comes to you. God gives righteousness to all who believe in Jesus Christ. This is not a “grade B” type of righteousness being discussed here.  It is the very righteousness of God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 It is critical to understand that this righteousness is not earned. Indeed, it cannot be earned. After all, how can righteousness be attained when wickedness is the starting place? How can truth spring from error? Can a can of red paint ever have enough white mixed into it to be made truly white? As Jesus said, “a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”  Righteousness can only spring from rightness. God is the only one who is right. Therefore, righteousness can only come from God. And God gives righteousness to all who believe in Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you are righteous. It is your very nature. Say it aloud, let this truth sink into your heart: “Because of Jesus, I am righteous!”

2. Faith - Notice how this righteousness comes: through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  Faith means, “firm persuasion.” This firm persuasion is to be in the living person of Jesus Christ. But the New Testament meaning of faith includes much more than just firm “mental” persuasion. True faith goes far deeper than that. It goes to the heart. The main elements in “faith” ... are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth e.g., 2 Thess. 2:11-12; (2) a personal surrender to Him, John 1:12; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender, 2 Cor. 5:7.45 To be real, this firm persuasion includes total surrender, which will necessarily affect your conduct. If I firmly believe a fire is going to destroy my house, I will drop everything I am doing and I will act! I will make sure my family is safe. This sort of faith holds nothing in reserve. True faith is absolute trust in Jesus and abandonment to his will. The importance of faith cannot be overstated.  "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Our faith is not in a concept.It is in Jesus. Carefully look at the words in the verse below. “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:15-16 Our faith must be placed in Jesus Christ. Where is your firm persuasion? To whom have you surrendered? Who is inspiring your conduct? If the answer to these questions is not Jesus, you will surely fall.

3. Glory- In Romans 3:23, Paul indicates that our sin has caused us to fall short of God’s glory. Glory encompasses God’s nature and attributes - his love, goodness, holiness, purity, power, beauty, honor, distinction and righteousness. Wherever God is, there you will find his glory. The glory of God is so weighty it can be felt. Many saints have seen and felt this glory, at least in a measure. D.L. Moody, the 19th century American evangelist, had just such an encounter with the Lord one day while he was walking the streets of New York.

“Ah, what a day! - I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it, it is almost too sacred an experience to name - Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years - I can only say God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand.”

We were created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7). In the same way that you desire people to know the real you, God desires us to know the real God, in all his glory! He wants us to see him and know him as he really is. Unfortunately, sin has caused man to fall short of this glory. I believe this is part of the emptinessman feels. We were created for much more than we have ever known. Like a race horse that has spent its entire life in a stable, never allowed to experience the thrill of running free and testing the limits of his legs and lungs, we were created to be revelers in and partakers of God’s glory; yet sin has closed the door, keeping us from the very thing we were created for. I want to know this glory and experience it and live in it. Moses had this same desire. He asked to see God’s glory, yet he was only allowed to see God’s back, for, as God explained in Exodus 33:20, “... you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” This experience alone, while it was only a partial viewing of God’s glory, was enough to make Moses’ face glow and frighten the Israelites! Imagine what it will be like when we see God’s face! The wonder of Romans 3:23 is that if sin is what causes us to fall short of the glory of God, then righteousness must be what causes us to be restored to a position where we can see and know his glory, albeit only in part here on earth, but at the coming of the Lord Jesus, we will know him fully! What a day that will be!

4. Justification - In verse 24, Paul indicates that those who believe are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” This word means “the legal and formal acquittal from guilt by God as Judge, the pronouncement of the sinner as righteous, who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.”  It is important to notice that justification is much more than just being declared not guilty. Justification is also the declaration, by God himself, that you are righteous! Think about this! God has examined you and declared you righteous in his eyes. If God is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31)? It is God who justifies. Who is it that condemns? Romans 8:33,34

5. Grace- Grace describes the “friendly disposition” behind God’s giving. God delights in blessing for he is the “compassionate and gracious God” (Exodus 34:6). He gives with joy, liberality, and favor. The ideas of debt, works and repayment are totally foreign to the idea of grace. As Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved”. Praise God for his grace. If this were not his disposition, none could be saved.

6. Redemption- In ancient times, slaves were often freed from their owners by the payment\ of a ransom. In the same way, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, paid a heavy ransom to free us from our bondage to sin and death. Let the weight of this thought sink into your heart. Your justification did not come cheaply. Someone needed to pay a ransom to free you. If no one came to pay the ransom, you would remain a slave. That someone was Jesus. He died to set you free. The purchase price he paid will not be paid again. Those who have been set free are free forever, for the ransom Jesus paid obtained eternal redemption for you.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12

7. Atonement- Jesus’ death paid the price for your sins because it was a sacrifice of atonement (NIV). Other Bible versions may use the word propitiation (KJV, NAS, ESV). The idea of a “sacrifice of atonement” and a “propitiation” is the same: “The act by which God restores a relationship of harmony and unity between Himself and human beings.”  We must remember that God does not need to be reconciled to man. It was not his desire or any action on his part that caused separation. Man sinned against God. The enmity exists on our part. God is just. He cannot simply ignore or cover over the penalty for sin. God’s justice would not have been satisfied if he simply erased the penalty for sin. The price for sin needed to be paid, and it needed to be paid by a man, as man was the guilty party.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 1 Corinthians 15:21. For this reason, God himself, in the person of the Lord Jesus, was born a man, so that he might become that “sacrifice of atonement.” We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 The iniquities “of us all” were laid on Jesus. Therefore, his death and resurrection established “grounds for reconciliation” for all who will accept what he has done through faith in his blood.

8. Blood - The final word we will look at is blood. It is strange to think that blood, something we normally recoil from, actually was the “currency” that purchased our freedom. But blood and forgiveness go hand in hand. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20 ... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 Jesus’ blood, unlike the sacrifices required by God in the Old Testament, is not a temporary solution. It is not a bandage that hides a gaping wound. His blood doesn’t merely “cover” our sins; it totally washes them away! “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 And this is not a temporary solution. Jesus’ blood will never lose its power. Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us! We were redeemed, not by the perishable, but by the imperishable blood of Jesus! If God is eternally satisfied with this sacrifice, who are we to question its efficacy? If he washed your sins and guilt away by the blood of Jesus, why hold on to them any longer? The Christian has eternal redemption by the blood of Jesus! What a glorious thought! Just think what awaits us in heaven! To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his presence without fault and with great joy ... Jude 1:24 If you have confessed Jesus as your Lord, say this verse aloud, for the reality of it must sink in. “I will be presented before God’s glorious presence without fault and with great joy!” What a day that will be!

 Tom has other in depth studies that are available for purchase on his website: https://www.handstotheplow.org/index.html

~Leanne 1-2-12

   He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. {Verse 6-8}

    If you are reading along wtih me, you will see that these verses are talking about God's righteous judgment on mankind. Some may be confused when first reading this as it seems that God is judging people on their works, not their faith in Jesus. But to assure you, these verses are not contradicting Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." But rather works, apart from works means nothing. Here are a couple of verses to remind you:

James 2:14-26
  What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;  and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?  For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Galatians 2:15-16
  We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

    So there, our faith in Jesus is crucial, and through our faith in Jesus comes love- love that results in good works.  Our deeds prove our faith in Jesus. If you say you believe in Christ, but your life does not display his love through good works, then you should re-analyze your faith in Him.  Our lives should be evident of the work He has done in us.

~Leanne~

   17b    ..."The righteous shall live by faith."
 
    What does living by faith mean? As a Christian, we need to surrender each day to God. We need to trust Him in all circumstances, the ones that seem like everyday routine, and the ones that come without warning that seem stressful or burdensome. Living by faith does not mean we know the answers. It means we might not be able to see the other side. It might mean we are without answers for some time.  It does not mean trying to figure it out on our own. It does not mean taking control of the circumstance and trying to get out of it as quickly as possible. It does not mean knowing every detail and what the future holds. It means being okay with where you are, and knowing that God, who loves you, is in control.  It means giving up complete control and trusting Him with the outcome.  It means seeking God and His peace and wisdom during the time of uncertainty.  It means surrendering our fear of not knowing and allow Him to dress us in peace.
    This can be a very difficult thing to do. We as humans, (a.k.a. control freaks) want to know what, where, when, why, and how. Faith is believing God will reveal those things to you in His timing, if He so chooses to tell you.  Living by faith is our attitude and depth of our faith all the time, not just deciding here and there to have faith.  We live everyday, therefore we must include faith as part of our being. 
    Faith does not come easy. In fact, as you face circumstances, and trust God, faith grows in us. The next time we are faced with a challenge or uncertainty, we can have more faith because we know how God orchestrated the last circumstance. Sometimes, it takes us trying to control things in our own strength too many times, that in desperation, hopelessness and weakness, we finally give up- and allow God to do what He wanted to do all along. That's not the fun road- don't take it if you can help it. Trust God first, above all else.  We can't do it on our own. We need God. Don't make the mistakes I have made on behalf of my stubbornness and pride. Be humble, trust God in ALL circumstances and live by faith. 
 
 
    19-24    For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely,his                           eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
 
    Pretty much, God made it obvious to people who He is and how amazing He is- just look at the things in the world that He made! But instead of worshipping the God of the universe, they chose to worship the created things rather than the Creator. 
 
    I still don't fathom how anyone can believe that we came from algae, when you take a look at the complex designs God made in everything. My husband is bird and butterfly watcher. It is amazing that one bird has legs for this reason, colors for that reason, spots for another reason.  The blueprint of all things are purposeful- not arbitrary.  The way a baby is formed in a mothers womb and then delivered- that is a miracle! It was designed perfectly. There is nothing that was created that was by mistake, or thrown together obscurely. Everything was divinely, in order, the way God intended. 
    The last part of the passage says, "they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator..."  I want to highlight that verse. As believers, we sometimes idolize (worship) the things God created rather than Him who created them. I will give our children as a harsh example. Sometimes we idolize our children and place them above our worship of God. Other examples include: money, time, spouses, nature, hobbies, our pets....to name a few.  Let us make sure that our worship is solely in the One who created- the One who made the entire universe and its order, the one we can have complete faith, trust and hope in, the One who loves us more than we can apprehend. Amen.


~Leanne~