Category - Devotionals

9/19            Romans 5:1-2

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 

POSITION

Our position is in Christ.  Our belief in Jesus (faith) gives us a standing in Christ that places Jesus righteousness upon us and the Father sees us in Christ, cleansed and righteous.  We cannot overstate the majesty of Jesus who has brought us from death to life.  He is indeed Lord and master of all.  

9/18            Romans 4:23-25 

And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 

25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

OKAY

We become okay with God through the work of Jesus Christ appropriated by us through faith.  This faith is belief that Jesus is Lord and that He died on the Cross for us and was raised by the power of God.  This belief can be as simple as a child’s belief and as complex as 50 years of belief by an adult.  They are the same thing because Jesus is the reason our belief works.  Christ is all and in all.  He is Lord of life.  

9/17            Romans 4:20-22 

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 

REQUIRES

God requires that we honor Him and take Him as our God.  Faith equips us to do just that.  We believe and that belief opens us to administration of our Holy God.  God broadens our faith as we begin that faith journey with Him.  It is our faith in God that lets us be used and equipped by God.  Jesus is everything and is everything to us.  The greater our knowledge of God the greater our faith grows. 

9/16            Romans 4:18-19

 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. 

PROMISED
God promised and Abraham believed.  It’s that simple.  Believe in the promise of a savior by God and thou shalt be saved.  You have a promise that the world cannot stand against.  Jesus is Lord and He is our promise of salvation. 

9/15            Romans 4:17 

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. 

ABRAHAM

Abraham believed by faith what God said and God counted that as righteousness to him.  You and I believe what Jesus promised to us, whosoever will may become a member of God’s family-believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.  Believe God.  Ignore the world.  

9/14            Romans 4:14-16 

If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 

INVISIBLE

Faith is a venture into the invisible and eternal.  It is a little bit us and a whole lot of God.  As we move into faith we discover that the more we move the more we are certain.  We believe and He connects with us.  It is a movement that is provided foundationally by God and by man’s surrender.  Reaching out to what cannot be seen into a realm that we cannot know evidences our confidence in a God who cares about us.  This promise received by faith is a free from God to us.  Wow.  Amazing.  Jesus is Lord.  

9/13            Romans 4:12-13 

And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 

BY
By faith are we saved.  Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and He is the only way to the Father.

9/12            Romans 4:10-11 

But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! 11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 

HOW?

By faith in the Son of God we are saved.  It brings us from death to life in Jesus Christ.  

9/11            Romans 4:6-9 

David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”  9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 

GOOD NEWS

We are no longer at war with God and He has made the provision in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.  It is a free gift that no one can boast.  Jesus is Lord.  

9/10            Romans 4:1-5

1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.  5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 

FAITH

We believe that the Father has forgiven us because of the work that Jesus Christ did paying the price for our sin.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and yet we have believed His word and by faith the Lord has forgiven us and brought us into His family-forever.