Author: David Short

Romans 13:1

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Personal Challenge

Here is one area that I personally believe that the modern Christian is failing to follow the teachings of our faith. It has become acceptable to deride our government, even to the point of participating in an insurrection, in the name of God. God has commanded us, both here by Paul and earlier in the scriptures by Jesus, himself, to submit to the authority of the government. God expects this because He is the one who has put that government in place. If the government is not moving in the direction that glorifies God then we have the right to exercise the tools of our citizenship here on earth, such as voting, to change it. We do not have the right to be subversive and destructive. By doing this with the earthly governments, we eventually digress to the state where we also believe we can behave this way with the leadership of the Church, God forbid! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on those who profess you as Lord and yet live with allegiance to the ways of this world!

Romans 12:14-18

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Personal Challenge

Paul continues to challenge us on how to live righteous Christian lives. He sums it up at the end with the admonition to live peaceably with all men. How do we do this? We do this by blessing those who persecute us and not cursing them; rejoicing with those who rejoice; weeping with. those who weep; being of the same mind toward each other, associating with the humble, and not getting hung up on ourselves. We do not repay evil with evil and should always be focused on the good things of God. We must live our lives aggressively for God. Glory be to God!

Romans 12:12

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Personal Challenge

If we are supposed to go through life loving our God and our neighbor, putting their needs and desires above ours, how do we do that? If we are to put up with the persecutions that the world will levy against us, how do we do that? Paul gives us some guidelines here. We rejoice in hope, the hope that is in our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith that we are in His hands eternally. Through that hope we can be patient in the tribulation that comes our way knowing that in the end we will be glorified in our Lord. And in the process of doing this we continue stead­fastly in prayer to our Lord and King. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

Personal Challenge

Paul makes it clear that we are to hate the evil things of this world and to cling to the things that are good. Many have gotten good at the first piece of this but also taken it to the extreme that their hatred of the evil things has carried over to the hatred of the person doing the evil things. We must remember that he starts this admonition off by telling us to love without hypocrisy. He is basing this on Jesus telling us to love God and to love our neighbor above all else, we are to hate the evil, but still love the person who has been created in the image of God that we might win them over to that which is good, the love of God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Romans 12:4-5

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Personal Challenge

It is often difficult for us to remember that God’s Church is comprised of many parts, many people, that make up one unified body. All these parts are needed in order to complete the work that God has called the Church to do. When we get to the place where we exclude, even denigrate, other Christian faith practices because they are different than us, then we have become enemies of the Church. We should always be on the guard for erroneous teaching and heresies, but be loving and supportive of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Glory be to God!

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Personal Challenge

I have spent most of my life, living in an age where it was safe to live our Christian life without any fear or concern about persecution. Christianity has been tolerated by most. However, we are entering into a time where the concept of being a Christian has been mainstreamed in our society and bastardized to be conforming to the world rather than set apart for God. In the name of Christianity, people are storming our capital and school board meetings threatening people’s lives for their definitions of godliness. We are seeing resistance in our churches for choosing to follow and be submissive to our hierarchical leaders in the cause of exercising our “rights” to do what we want. The day may be coming soon, if it is not already here, where people proclaiming to be Christians will be persecuting other Christians who are choosing to adhere to the 2,000 year old teachings of our Lord. This will be a time where we will truly be living sacrifices for our God! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

“For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Encouraging Words

It has always been encouraging to be able to submit to another who knows so much more about something than I do. Whether it be in work or in volunteering, when the leader is knowledgeable in the space that we are working in, it is easy to let them lead. This is the way it should be in our lives and our relationship with God. He has so much more knowledge and wisdom than all of creation added together let alone me, He has no need for a counselor. He knows all and is in all. No one or nothing can ever know His mind. Knowing and believing this makes it so much easier to yield to Him and let Him lead my life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Romans 10:14-15

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Personal Challenge

We are challenged here by Paul, to be preachers, emissaries, of the gospel of Christ. We do not get welcomed into the family of God just to go sit in the comfortable corner of the Kingdom of God and let everyone else do His work. We are called to share His life giving gospel with everyone that we meet. We share this gospel by our actions as well as our words. By doing this we are bringing glad tidings of good things to the world around us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Personal challenge

God loves us. Jesus died for us. These are irrefutable truths. If we truly believe this, with our whole heart, soul, spirit, mind, and body, and are willing confess this belief every moment of our lives, then we are partakers in Gods’ love. This profession of our faith is not a once in a lifetime event. It is a never ending, day after day, moment by moment willingness to proclaim that Jesus is our Lord and our choice to follow and obey Him. By doing this our lives are changed from a worldly focus to a heavenly focus. By living this way we will never be put to shame. Glory be to God!