Why Do You Do What You Do?

04/21/201704/18/2017Leave a comment

“Took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out…” – John 12:13a

Remember the phrase “if everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge would you follow?” It was a question to determine “why you do what you do.” Every year as we recognize the work at the cross that our Savior Jesus did to make a way to reconcile the world to Himself, I come away with a fresh perspective.

This year it challenged me to ask myself “why do I do what I do?” The account of the entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday made me realize there were people engaging in a couple things that were out of the ordinary. First, laying down their cloaks and pulling branches off of trees to lay down for Jesus. Second, crying out

“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
“The King of Israel!”

It appears to me that there were a mixed multitude there that day, those that followed Him because they put their faith in Him, others who were there for no reason except they were compelled by the moment and heard about His miracles, and then there might have been those who just wanted to be a part of what everyone else is doing. Then, finally, there were the religious leaders that, with folded arms and shaking heads, condemned the event.

So, I wondered where I am in the crowd. Why do I do what I do? Two things have come out of this self-inventory. One is an experience of renewed devotion to my God and the other is a way to focus on my walk and not of those who seem to be following Jesus because it’s the “in thing” to do. I would hope that I would be one of those that, even though things didn’t work the way I wanted or it’s just not “fun” anymore I would be found worshiping at the cross of my crucified Savior.

I find that a deep devotion for a God who is able to meet my deepest need of a broken and contrite spirit has to be my motivation. I know myself well enough to know that if I’m hanging around for the latest events of the day or because I’m being entertained and well, everyone else is doing it, it will soon enough fade away as I seek the next best thing.

My prayer for you and I is that as we are moving towards a very busy time of the year with so many added responsibilities and distractions that the convictions of your heart that causes you to bow a knee to Jesus will be paramount and that the devotion of your life will be what causes you to “Do what you Do”. Amen!

Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 12-16| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The righteous do good and forget about having done it! The unrighteous however, keep a mental record of all the good that they have done.” – Zac Poonen

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Sacrifice

04/20/201704/18/2017Leave a comment

“Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.” – Mark 15:21 (NKJV)

It was once called the “Athens of Africa” but after being “bequeathed” in 96 BC to the iron fist of Rome, Cyrene would have its identity changed forever. One of the things that happened (around 85 BC) was it being divided into classes. You had your citizens, your farmers, some resident aliens, and a small population of Jews. It was in this small population came a man named Simon and as far as history goes this man is forever alive in the pages of the Bible. The Catholics have him as 5^th on their Via Crucis list (Stations of the Cross) and he is their patron saint of passers-by. But for me, Simon of Cyrene is something different.

It was definitely a long journey from Cyrene to Jerusalem in order to make Passover but I think it is the only plausible reason Simon is even outside the city walls. He is making his way to Temple with his family to make the sacrifice for atonement when they get caught up in the commotion of Jesus being taken to Golgotha. They start off as by-standers, perhaps thinking that once these criminals stroll on by they could get to the business at hand. But that all changes when the spear of a Roman Centurion taps Simon on the shoulder and is “compelled” to carry the patibulum that Jesus is struggling with. Funny thing about the word compelled…the Latin word for it has a Persian root which means, “pressed into the service of a king.” But I don’t think this crossed Simon’s mind. But then Simon looks into the eyes of Jesus…. “This is no criminal” thinks Simon.

I’m sure Simon is getting spat on, jeered at, insulted, whipped, all the things that a mob does during this journey to a place to die Simon is having to endure, interesting. He was gonna go to the Temple but once the blood of Jesus gets on him, who will soon be a dead man, he becomes unclean and now is no longer able to perform the ritual sacrifice that he journeyed to make. Then he is gonna hear Jesus say this to a few mourning women, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘ For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” (Luke 23:28-31) “No criminal says such things” thinks Simon.

Maybe it would be only later on that Simon would realize who’s Cross he was carrying and why he was chosen to be part of that day. But whatever we can speculate one thing is gonna happen and that is Simon is going with Jesus the rest of the way to the place of the skull. I wonder if we can put ourselves in Simons shoes, but have them walk in our modern times. Like Simon, we can get a narrow focus on what our church life should be – those Sunday mornings where all that matters is getting it done and over with. Maybe this was Simon’s mindset with heading to Temple. Maybe it was time his reason to revere YHVH needed to change.

Sometimes I think we have forgotten the reasons we came to Christ in the first place. For Simon, he needed to get to Temple, present the sacrifice, have the throat slit, get the blood spilled, sprinkled and burned so he could feel better about the rest of the year. For Christians, we seem to be in the same mindset, we need to get to church, sing the songs, give the tithe, hear the message, receive the benediction and get to lunch so the rest of the work week will go well. Unfortunately, like with Simon of Cyrene, God could send a Roman centurion into our lives and “compel” us to stop what we’re doing, pick up that bloody beam and realize just how much it takes to be a child of The Most High God. Simon may have been faint of heart at the start, but as that walk went along I bet he understood why Jesus was doing what He was doing. May it be that way for us as well. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Job 29-30| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The righteous do good and forget about having done it! The unrighteous however, keep a mental record of all the good that they have done.”

– Zac Poonen

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

True Freedom

04/19/201704/04/2017Leave a comment

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)

Peter and the early church were dealing with various problems in establishing boundaries and clarifying Christian ethics/morals. He and other clergies had the office of sorting through the recently converted Jews and their entanglement to the Law, as well as newly converted Gentiles who were full of sin and pagan ideology. In addition, they helped all of them live among each other in harmony, along with the governing officials.

Today, we should look at this freedom through the lens in which Peter meant, not our version of the definition of freedom. For instance, freedom doesn’t give us a license to flesh out in any area that we please. Let’s look through the passage starting from the latter concept of the verse to the beginning:

Living as servants of God: The reality is that we are under new management and being made new, means following and obeying the new Boss. Simply put, “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:10) And do it!
Cover-up for evil: If you’re like me, you might be tired of every Christian ‘after church comment’ everything is fine, everything is great, God is good …. True; things will always end ok for believers, but the reality; we live in a fallen world with broken flesh. Instead of covering the brokenness, hurts, sins, family issues, church problems, lets strive for transparency. Could you imagine a church where people were honest about where they are and wouldn’t be judged but encouraged to walk in victory?
Live as people who are free: Now we live free by His grace, through faith, as we understand it through His Word. I love the way James puts it, “But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so–not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer–he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

Freedom to serve God faithfully, freedom to be transparent, freedom to serve and love; now that’s freedom.

Written by Juan Mendez: Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full-time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 42-44| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Let us remember, as people of faith, that our primary mission is not to have a political ideology, it’s to change the world so that every man, woman, boy, and girl can experience true freedom.”– Mike Huckabee

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Knocked Down, But Not Out…

04/18/201704/04/2017Leave a comment

I can think of several times when I was ready to quit… times when the opposition seemed so overwhelming and I just did not think I had the strength or capacity to press on. Some of those times were in my athletic career; the hardest one was when I injured my back. Lying on the floor after surgery, not knowing how I would walk, let alone run or compete again on the field, was a daunting time. Although this was hard, a much greater struggle came when I was told by my employer that they didn’t need me anymore. I had dumped my heart and soul into that job, given time away from my family that I could never retrieve, and endured several personal attacks on my faith and character. I guess if I was going to give up and not look back, these were the times.

Since then, I have learned a few things. To start, I realized a compliment from a fool is really an insult, and an insult from a fool is really a compliment, and I should always consider the source, never abandoning my faith.

Second, a finisher is not one without wounds or weariness. Quite to the contrary, he is like the boxer, who is scarred and bloody. Mother Teresa is credited with saying, “God didn’t call us to be successful, just faithful.” The fighter, like our Savior, is pierced and full of pain. He, like Paul, may even be bound and beaten, but the fighter, like Jesus and Paul, remains steadfast.

Remaining steadfast with our face towards the goal is not easy on our own. But the third thing I have learned is, I am not alone. God, in His grace and love, walks with me every moment of every day, and in every circumstance. When I am knocked down, his nail scarred hand reaches out and picks me up. It’s these times of upheaval that bring Isaiah’s words to life for me, “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down… But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-6) Not only is He there to pick me up, He stands with me in every battle. He has promised to ‘never leave me nor forsake me’ and through His Spirit, ‘provide everything pertaining to life and godliness’ for those who place their hope and trust in Him.

The last thing I have learned is that even when I may be considering giving up, God never gives up on me. Isaiah goes on to say, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

Paul repeats the theme when he writes, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). If while I was rejecting Him, He was bearing my sin because He saw value in me, how much safer would I be under His care and trusting in His Word…?

There is much else to tell you, but this one thing is more important than all else right now, ‘Don’t give up, don’t ever give up’, don’t let go of His nail scarred hand. Even though you, like the fighter, may be bloodied and hurting, Grasp tighter and pull yourself closer, finish the race, for you are not alone, nor will you ever be with Jesus.

‘The finisher, though wounded and scarred, presses on when he knows for whom and what he fights for.’

Praying 4 U…

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 21-25| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” – George Mueller

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

SET FREE

04/17/201704/06/2017Leave a comment

“In my anguish, I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free.” Psalm 118:5

I am actually writing this Freedom Fighter blog entry the Wednesday before Palm Sunday. We are preparing for the Keswick Celebration Choir concert and I have been privileged to work with an amazing choir of men and women, which includes men and women from our addiction recovery ministries, the Colony of Mercy and Barbara’s Place.

One of the songs from the musical we are doing is called “O the Wonder.”

Your sacrifice, oh, the wonder, oh, the price You paid for me.
The blood You shed bought my redemption, broke the chains and set me free!!! (Words and music by Elicia Brown – 2015 Broadman Press SESAC)

The morning of our rehearsal, I read Psalm 118:5 and the words of the verse leapt off the page and flooded my heart with praise. So coming to rehearsal and singing the above words moved me to tears.

We all have our stories. If we are all honest, we have lived in bondage to something – some besetting sin or something that has held us back from being the men and women God wants us to be:

Worry
Guilt
Fear
Pride
Lust
Drugs
Alcohol
Tobacco
Gambling
Pornography
Food
Cheating
Lying
Gossip
Stealing
Anger
Covetousness
Jealousy
Manipulation
Arrogance
Laziness
Failure,

Maybe your particular bondage is not listed above, so insert yours. I am sure, like me, you have found yourself bound and chained to the point of wanting to give up, forget it all, and maybe even check out.

The answer might be simpler than we can even imagine. David figured it out and so can we. In our anguish and frustration, years of living in defeat, cry out to Him. He is the great CHAIN-BREAKER. He longs to and wants to set us free. And He paid for that with HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD.

What has He set you free from? What is in your life that is holding you back from being free? Cry out to Him and let Him set you free.

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte, D.D.
President/CEO
America’s Keswick

Written by Dr. Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 5-8| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: “The more bored you are with God, the more vulnerable you will be when temptation comes.” —Jared Wilson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

The Compassion of Jesus

04/14/201704/10/2017Leave a comment

“And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.” – Matthew 9:36 (NASB)

Given the present-day attitude of Secularland’s existence, this statement couldn’t be truer: “We are all like sheep gone astray.” I can’t help to think that even we Christians are caught up in this statement as well simply because, though we’re not of it, we’re in it and have to navigate through Secularland daily. And things are pretty cut throat as well. I mean, just listen to how the news is getting presented these days. It is no longer factual as it once was when Walter Cronkite graced us with his presence and stood on this, “In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.” OH-NO! That idea has now left the building for what we used to do in South Philly, and that is the one who YELLS THE LOUDEST WINS THE ARGUMENT!!! C’est La Vie….

If we take a look at Numbers 27:16-17 we see that Moses, who knows his time among the children of YHVH is coming to an end, makes this request, “O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” YHVH doesn’t waste any time (like He ever does) and He, hearing the compassion in Moses’ plea, gives him this reply, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.” Joshua will go on to take YHVH’s people across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. Fast forward into the infancy of Anno Domini…(you may wanna Google that)

You would’ve thought that the Pharisees would have understood their role in the everyday lives of YHVH’s people, but we know they didn’t and it certainly appears that the vast amount of them didn’t care to either. And for all the reading done out loud in Synagogue, they may have run across this: “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered, and his right eye will be blind” (Zech 11:17). Well, they probably did but it didn’t seep into their minds, and when Jesus starts to go out into the pastures that they were given charge of, all Jesus heard was Pharisaical resistance and accusations of being a man who cast out demons by the ruler of demons. I don’t even think those wacky Pharisees could spell compassion, let alone feel any at all. However…

It is a reassuring thing to me that when Jesus Christ came onto the creation, He began to see just what the heart of man was really up to. Outside of the fact that we totally lost a real sense of worship to THE Triune God, man had lost any sense of compassion for each other. Caesar certainly brought no real compassion to the occupied lands and the Pharisees were too busy saving themselves to rightly divide a loaf of bread, BUT Jesus looked out at the multitudes and felt a compassion that lead Him to say to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” I also suspect that this was in His mind as He looked upon Jerusalem and He wept.

It is no different today. Oh, you can sit there and say those were ancient times and that thinking can’t be brought into our modern mindset, but you would be very wrong. All that has changed is we have smartphones that prove how dumb we’ve become. So as we see Resurrection Sunday coming up, let us be reminded of the compassion that Jesus Christ had for all of us, sheep and shepherd alike. Even from The Cross, His compassion knew no bounds as He uttered, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a).

And before you and yours sit down to cut up the holiday ham, ask to pass the scallop potatoes, try to avoid the green beans, and sneak into the candy basket, take a moment to “pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields” (Matthew 9:38). Know the compassion of Jesus needs to be spread “throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” your work place, the White House, The Kremlin, Syria, and Jerusalem. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 7-11| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: “Remember that even Jesus’ most scathing denunciation – a blistering diatribe against the religious leaders of Jerusalem Matthew 23 – ends with Christ weeping over Jerusalem. Compassion colored everything He did.” — John MacArthur

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

Keep Seeking

04/13/201704/10/2017Leave a comment

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” – Ephesians 1:6

I remember a phrase I would hear people say: “I’m trying find my place in life.” I can recall a time when I was discontent with where I was and pondering the same thoughts. After a time of testing the waters of keeping myself happy, I realized that was a bottomless cup. I was constantly pouring fleshly activities into my idea of purpose. For me, a lot of my actions were attempts to find a place where I belonged, to fit in to the crowd, but it was not to be…

I think about a puzzle, and when I would start to put it together, it was obvious that each piece had a specific place where it went. I really had a sense of accomplishment when every piece fell into place. Well, I’m a piece of God’s puzzle, and only He can put me in that special spot.

Sometimes I feel like I’m that piece of the puzzle that fell off the table and I’m not fitting into where I belong. It’s at those times that I can be found seeking my way back to the “big picture.” It doesn’t take much sometimes to forget to Whom I belong. I like the second part of Ephesians 1:6, “He made us accepted in the Beloved”, acceptance picks me up off of the floor and puts me back on the table where the puzzle is being put together. I can at that time catch a glimpse of the finished product as God, the Master puzzle maker, puts everything in its place, “And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth” (Ephesians 1:10 NLT). I like to think of my puzzle as a big picture of Jesus – sometimes it’s hard to see that He is at work. Then I remember He has the top of the box with the completed picture.

Now this is where my illustration of the puzzle comes apart. You see, I never literally fall off the table, but when I’m not where I should be spiritually, my mind and thoughts can cause me to feel alienated and alone. Ephesians chapter 1 is a good reminder for me to bring me back to my rightful way of thinking. It’s only then that my feelings line up with truth. We all have feelings, but feelings should never dictate our thinking – a practice of self-control must allow my thoughts to control my feelings.

So if you feel like that piece of the puzzle that got dropped on the floor where worry and anxiety can set in, know that the One who left His 99 sheep is looking for you. Don’t try to find another puzzle to fit into, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). “Keep Seeking.”

The Daily Bible Reading: Job 27-28 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: “In all things seek to know God’s Will and when known obey at any cost.” – Jonathan Goforth

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Trust And Abide

04/12/201704/04/2017Leave a comment

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ~ C. Ten Boom

To abide means to choose to dwell in something, to rely on its provision, security, and strength. This would be like abiding in some sort of refuge or shelter to escape a storm. We do this because of what we know about these places, as well as what we know about storms. God had been revealing things about Himself to man since the beginning of time so that when we needed shelter from the storms, we would know we could find an abiding place that was ‘known’ to be safe and sound. He told Adam that if they disobeyed His Word, His holiness would consume them like a fire. Yet when the time came, He used it to make known His grace and mercy by protecting them with a blood sacrifice that portrayed His ultimate plan of salvation. Time and again, God revealed His character traits of forgiveness, provider, grace, sustainer, hope, peacemaker, and salvation… all driven by His love. Yet, the Israelites like us refuse His ways and turn to others things for help. They even told the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies” – Isaiah 30:10.

Tell us Lies? Really? You will trust in a lie that’s makes you feel good about yourself but will lead to your demise, before you will abide in the truth? Are we that willful and blind?

God in His faithfulness presses on in pursuit of us saying, “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it’” – Isaiah 30:15.

Just return to me, He pleads, come find rest in my shelter, and I will provide for you everything you need… even covering over your sins and rejection of me… What more could we ask for, what more could we want?

Praying you turn to Jesus and abide in Him today, finding your rest in Him.

Choose wisely….

“I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.” – Psalms 18:1-3

Praying 4 U

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 39-41 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Trust to God to weave your thread into the great web, though the pattern shows it not yet.” – George Macdonald

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Romans: The Ocean of His Righteousness

04/11/201704/10/2017Leave a comment

Don’t Forget – Men’s Fellowship Night is THIS Thursday, April 13th. Come at 6:15 and hear a great message – visit our website to learn more.

Romans is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes. ~ Martin Luther

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
~ Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Romans 1

Oh beloved, it is true.

Without righteousness, we will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. And because of this, we have a very definite problem. Because beloved, if we are willing to be honest with ourselves and with others, we will realize that we have none of this stuff. We know that we are designed to live in it, but we find ourselves very unable to be righteous on our own.

And this is some of the very best news that we could ever even hope to hear. For, even on our best days, we realize that our righteous actions may very well not have a righteous motive. And on our worst days, the spirit is oh-so-willing, but the flesh stays more weak than we know.

But G_d!

This is the entire point of the gospel. In case you did not know it, the word gospel is actually simple to understand. The word “gospel” simply means: Good news. And, since there is none good but Him, we find that the good news we are looking for is not something that is going to help us improve our behavior. Rather, the good news is that an Infinite Person has given us His very self to help solve the problem.

Can we see it?

This is why Paul was so excited to try and get to Rome and share this good news. Paul, like so many of us, had spent years – even decades – attempting to be good enough under the system of laws in which he was raised. He had even done a fairly good job at it. But he realized that it was not good enough.

Paul had studied the scriptures. He had lived out the law. And he saw how he fell short. Years prior, one glance and the blinding light of Jesus’ Presence on the road to Damascus had blinded Paul and knocked him off his horse to the ground. And from that moment forward, he had no doubts. He had been converted instantly.

The Romans were highly religious folks too. They had dozens of gods. They had a trust in their own system of laws and practices as well. The Pax Romana had actually begun to bring a little bit of light to dark corners of the world, and this actually inflamed the religiosity and self-serving sense that Rome had all the answers. However, what probably was creeping into the hearts and minds of the folks in the center of the empire, was that something was rotting from the inside of the empire.

And it is here that Paul drops a letter that has – quite literally – changed the entire world. Romans takes us on an epic tour of the failures of mankind, both corporately, and individually. But, instead of being a lament, it proclaims from the very beginning that The Good News of Jesus Christ has overwhelmed the problem!

So, are you feeling like your righteousness is falling short of the glory of G_d? It is, and each of us are in exactly the same situation. However, the glory of the story of the letter to the Romans, is that G_d has brought Himself to bear on the problem. His perfect right action, and His astoundingly Loving heart has drawn us towards Himself so firmly that we are being adopted into His very family.

Tonight is your night, beloved. Time to dive into the ocean of Romans. Care to join me?

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16-20| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
‘Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am—
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
~Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

How Things Can Change…

04/10/201704/03/2017Leave a comment

Today was the game changer day in the life of Christ. If you have followed HIS story – yesterday was the day that Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem and was being praised and adored. But today everything changes.

But today changes everything. Yesterday exalted, but everything begins to unravel and by Friday the King that rode in on a donkey is nailed to a cross and everything changes.

Devotional writer, Roy Lessin, describes it this way:

There was a time when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem in a most unusual way (John 12).
BUT there will be a time when Jesus returns to earth in a most unusual way (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

There was a time when He rode upon a young donkey (John 12:14).
BUT there will be a time when He rides upon a white horse (Revelation 19:11)

There was a time when He came as a Sacrificial Lamb (John 1:36).
BUT there will be a time when He comes as the Righteous Judge
(Revelation 19:11).

There was a time when He came humbly and lowly (Zechariah 9:9).
BUT there will be a time when He comes to conquer and make war
(Revelation 19:11).

There was a time when palm branches were cast before Him (John 12:13).
BUT there will be a time when crowns will be cast before His throne
(Revelation 4:10).

There was time when people proclaimed, “Hosanna” (John 12:13).
BUT there will be a time when people proclaim, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him” (Revelation 5:13).

There was a time when the local crowds cried out His praises (John 12:13).
BUT there will be a time when people from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, will worship at His feet (Revelation 5:9)

There was a time when a multitude saw His triumphal entry (John 12:12).
BUT there will be a time when everyone on earth will see His triumphal return (Revelation 1:7).

Life changes, and it can change in an instant.

Your job seemed secure, and out of nowhere you are dismissed because the company is downsized.

Your health was good, but then there is a diagnosis that changes everything.

Your kid appears to be doing well, and then you discover he’s using drugs.

You are heading to a fun event with your family, and you end up being hit by another vehicle, and everything changes.

The good news is that while life changes and curveballs come, JESUS is the same yesterday, today, forever (Hebrews 13:8). He may have ridden into Jerusalem yesterday, but Friday He will be nailed to a cruel cross for your sins and mine.

But in the words of the black preacher, “Hold on – its Friday – but Sunday’s a-comin!” And that will REALLY be a game changer.

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte, D.D.
President/CEO
America’s Keswick

The Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 1-4 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: Obedience never ends freedom; it is the evidence that true freedom has entered your life and liberated your heart. Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Freedom Fighters

A Daily Email Encouragement for Men!

Author: America's Keswick

Why Do You Do What You Do?

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Sacrifice

True Freedom

Knocked Down, But Not Out…

SET FREE

The Compassion of Jesus

Keep Seeking

Trust And Abide

Romans: The Ocean of His Righteousness

How Things Can Change…