Please Pray
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, The apostle Paul is known as a great missionary. He is also the writer of many of the letters that you find in your New Testament. However, there is a side of Paul’s ministry that is not emphasized enough in your world. This lack of emphasis inhibits the success of your mission efforts. Paul was powerfully effective in reaching the lost, living out his calling, and blessing new Christians because of his prayer life. His letters include many of his prayers. These letters contain prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of intercession, prayers of blessing, and prayers of focus to help new Christians know what to work on in their lives. The surging power behind the effectiveness of Paul’s mission work and church planting work was his prayer life. Through prayer, he invited the Spirit to take control of his life, his ministry, and the opportunities available to him. You’ve already read several of Paul’s prayers of blessing in previous passages from Romans (Romans 15:13 for example). In addition to Paul’s many prayers for those in My family, he also sought the help of new Christians to pray for him, for his team, for his boldness, for his courage, for open doors, and for his mission efforts. The power of mission always has been tied to the work of the Holy Spirit in response to My people’s passionate prayer! Note from Phil@heartlight.org: To see places around the world that are responding to Jesus in recent years, check out this blog post: The Top 20 Countries where Christianity is Growing the Fastest. For more on the power of prayer for missions, you are encouraged to read Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus. Verses to Live Paul made very clear to his brothers and sisters in Rome that there were difficulties, obstacles, and dangers that awaited him during his journey to them. He knew that he could not overcome these problems on his own power, with his own cunning plans, or through his own skill. He needed divine power and supernatural deliverance if his plans were to be fulfilled. So, Paul asked these new believers in Rome to join him in prayer for these plans. Paul’s foresight was correct: great hardships awaited him, great challenges confronted him, and harsh realities met him in Jerusalem and on his way to Rome. But, his anticipation of arriving in Rome and being “refreshed” by their presence proved accurate (Acts 28:14-15). Because of many issues, I [Paul] have not been able to visit you in the city of Rome. But my time to serve those here is coming to an end, there’s no room left for me in this region, and I have longed to come to you for many years. So I plan to visit you on my journey to Spain. I am hoping that I will not only see you face-to-face, but that you will assist me in the journey west after I have enjoyed our time together. But right now I must make the journey to Jerusalem to serve the saints there. Those in Macedonia and Achaia decided it was a good idea to share their funds to help the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. I must tell you that they were thrilled to be able to help. They realize that they are indebted to the believers in Jerusalem. If the nations share in the Jews’ spiritual goods, then it’s only right that they minister back to them in material goods. When this work is complete and the funds we’ve collected are delivered, I will make my way to Spain through your grand city of Rome and enjoy some of your hospitality. I’m sure that when I come to you I will come as a blessing and as one fully blessed by the Anointed One. My brothers and sisters, I urgently plead with you by the name of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, and by the love of the Spirit to join together with me in your prayers to God for my success in these next endeavors. Pray that I will be rescued from those who deny and persecute the faith in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem will meet the approval of all the saints there. If that happens, then my journey to you will be filled with joy; and, if God wills, I can rest and be refreshed in your presence. I pray the God of all peace will be with you all. Amen. (Romans 15:22-33) Response in Prayer Father, I have several missionaries and ministries on my heart today. I pray that You not only bless and protect them, but that You also empower them to make an eternal impact in the lives of those they seek to reach. Give them courage and boldness. Give them Your sense of timing. I ask this in Jesus’ name and for the triumph of His message of grace. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Beyond the Bucket List
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Let me ask you several questions to get you started thinking about today’s verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans: What makes you tick? What drives you? What is the Father’s call for you and your life? What matters most to you but remains undone on your spiritual bucket list? These are the issues that Paul shares from his heart with the Roman believers in the closing words of this letter to them (Romans chapters 15 and 16). Today’s verses focus on Paul’s very clear sense of his call to share the good news, My story, with all the nations. He recognized that he had been specially called to reach the non-Jewish world. His heart was passionately drawn to reach people who had never heard of Me or My story. He recognized that this call, this grace that was given to him by the Father, was what made him who he was. This call was what drove him to do what he did, what made him tick, what mattered most, and what he desperately wanted to accomplish before he died. Rome was the most important city of the Roman Empire during Paul’s time. As badly as Paul wanted to visit Rome, he saw it as his stepping stone to the lands and peoples who lived west of Italy. He wanted the Christians in Rome to help him get to those lands. As you will see over the next several weeks, Paul’s trip to Rome didn’t materialize quite as he had hoped. However, he did get to Rome, and he ministered in Rome as people came to him during his house arrest. Ultimately, Paul was martyred for pursuing his ministry. As he faced the end of his life, he powerfully testified that he had accomplished the work he was given to do (2 Timothy 4:6-8; cf. Acts 20:24). My hope for you is that you will have that same confidence and sense of accomplishment in living your life for Me! Verses to Live Today as you read the verses below, I want you to feel the passion Paul had for his calling. I want you to commit to finding that kind of passion for your calling to serve Me. You may not be a missionary quite like Paul. But please realize this: I placed you in the relationships and with the network of people you have in your life for you to fulfill My calling for you. You are no less a minister, and you do not have less of a Christian calling if your employment is not church-related. In fact, I want you to realize that much of what happened to spread the good news in the first century occurred because business people and traveling families took My message with them wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4). Remember that people like Paul shared My message as they did their work. Paul was a tent maker along with Priscilla and Aquila. Apollos was a traveling businessman. Along with many others whose names you don’t know, they shared My message and forever changed the world. I will share more with you about this type of ministering in a couple of days as we look at how Paul mentioned all the people he loved and knew in Rome, a place he had not visited when he mentioned these people. Today, however, I want you to focus on Paul’s passion for living out his calling! My brothers and sisters, I am ultimately confident that you are full of goodness, knowledge, and the ability to help and instruct one another. I have written to you with unflinching honesty on many topics because I do not want you to ever lose sight of the tremendous grace God has given me. His grace makes me who I am, a minister of the Anointed One, Jesus, called to serve the nations. The good news of God is the focus of my priestly work. In effect, these nations have become an offering to God, totally acceptable, indeed made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit. So in Jesus, the Anointed One, I have reason to celebrate the things I do for God. I don’t want to be presumptuous, so I will restrict myself to what the Anointed has accomplished through my words and actions, which has culminated in the obedience of the nations. My words and actions have been rooted in Spirit-empowered signs and miracles. The upshot is this: I have been able to preach the good news of the Anointed One in city after city from Jerusalem all the way around the Mediterranean to Illyricum. I have dreamed of preaching the gospel in places where no one has ever heard of the Anointed so that I do not build on a foundation laid by anyone else. But as the Scriptures say, They will see Him even though they’ve never been told about Him; they will understand even though they never heard of Him. Because of many issues, I have not been able to visit you in the city of Rome. But my time to serve those here is coming to an end, there’s no room left for me in this region, and I have longed to come to you for many years. So I plan to visit you on my journey to Spain. I am hoping that I will not only see you face-to-face, but that you will assist me in the journey west after I have enjoyed our time together (Romans 15:14-24) Response in Prayer O Father, help me know in my heart what You have called me to do to live for Jesus. I ask that the Spirit help me know what this calling is. I ask, O Holy Spirit, that You will also fill my heart with a burning flame of passion like Paul demonstrated in today’s verses. I want to be fully responsive, dear Father, to Your calling and mission in my life. I ask for this grace
Giving Grace
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Part of the challenge of being in a multi-cultural fellowship, is that people who are different from you are… different! Their background experiences are different. Their cultures are different. Their customs are different. Their foods are different. Their manners and matters of courtesy are different. Their language can be different. Some things that you may have been trained from the crib to reject as crude or unsavory may be common practice and treasured by another culture. So in a multi-cultural congregation, learn to appreciate your differences as long as I AM Lord, the Father is exalted, and the Holy Spirit lives in you. Also, remember this “two-sided” principle: In light of this, we must resolve never to judge others and never to place an obstacle or impediment in their paths that could cause them to trip and fall. It is your responsibility not to judge your fellow brother or sister on cultural issues. This duty is true even if those issues are offensive to your sense of what is proper. On the other hand, just because you are free to practice something in your culture because you have an understanding of grace, doesn’t mean you should use that freedom. You do not want to cause a brother or sister to stumble so that you can celebrate your freedom (1 Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 5:13-14). In other words, on cultural issues, go out of your way to make sure there are no unnecessary barriers and no stumbling blocks to interfere with your fellowship with others. Why is this two-sided principle so important? It is important because you will stand before the Father in judgment. Either He will use the grace with which you have treated, accepted, and lived for others to judge you, or He will use the harsh and condemning standard you have used on others (Matthew 7:1-2). I don’t think I have to tell you which one of those you will need! But even more than just trying to avoid the Father’s harsh judgment if you have judged others harshly, I want you to follow My example of grace. I want you to follow My example of giving grace regarding cultural differences. I also want you to follow My example of giving grace in all interactions with others. Treat people in your day in the way I treated them in my day (Luke 7:1-50; John 8:1-11; John 4:1-26; Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 5:6-11). Recognize how I welcomed all sorts of different people. Remind yourself of who you were before I welcomed you. And finally, remember what Paul taught in the verses below about not judging others and not causing others to sin. The theme of today’s verses will continue into tomorrow when you will read these words: So accept one another in the same way the Anointed has accepted you so that God will get the praise He is due. (Romans 15:7) That’s the point! Verses to Live Your goal in multi-cultural settings must not be to prove yourself right. You are called to welcome others as I have welcomed you. In My family, the overriding issue is whether or not you treat your Christian brothers and sisters who are different from you in the same way that I treated people. Will you welcome them, differences and all, into My fellowship as I did? Paul was emphatic about this point: [I]f God has accepted them, you have no reason to reject them. How could you think for a moment that you have the right to judge another person’s servant? That, My dear disciple, is very clear! So carefully read what Paul has to say about all this and I know you will be blessed and challenged. It’s high time that you welcome all people weak in the faith without debating and disputing their opinions. Here’s the issue: One person believes that nothing’s off the menu; he’ll eat any food put before him. But there’s another believer — we’ll call him the weaker — who eats only vegetables because the meat is tainted through contact with an idol. If you are an eater of all things, do not be condescending to your vegetarian brother or sister. In turn, those who abstain from certain foods on religious principles should not judge your brothers and sisters who eat meat — if God has accepted them, you have no reason to reject them. How could you think for a moment that you have the right to judge another person’s servant? Each servant answers to his own Master, and he will either stand or fall in His presence. The good news is that he will stand because the Master is able to make it so. There may be a believer who regards one day as more sacred than any other, while another views every day as sacred as the next. In these matters, all must reach their own conclusions and satisfy their own minds. If someone observes a day as holy, he observes it in honor of the Lord. If another eats a particular diet, he eats in honor of the Lord since he begins by giving thanks! If yet another abstains from that same food, he abstains out of respect for the Lord and begins his meal by thanking God too. The truth is that none of us live for ourselves, and none die for ourselves. For if we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. So in both life and death, we belong to the Lord. The Anointed One, the Liberating King, died and returned to life to make this a reality: through His death and resurrection, He became Lord of the living and the dead. So how is it that you continue to judge your brother? How is it possible for you to look down on a sister? We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, so I promise,” says the
Know What Time It Is!
Note from Jesus Dear Follower, Wake up. It’s nearly dawn. Put on your clothes. It’s time for living in the daylight. Paul chose powerful images for today’s passage from his letter to the Roman Christians. It’s as if someone is trying to rouse a sleeping friend who can’t quite “come awake” at the beginning of the day. But it’s time to wake up, get up, and get dressed because the new day is starting. Paul’s message was written about My return and the sense of urgency needed by the Christians in Rome. This verse captures Paul’s sentiment well: The darkness of night is dissolving as dawn’s light draws near, so walk out on your old dark life and put on the armor of light. Also, notice this glorious promise in another truth Paul wrote for those early Christians: [S]alvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. Here’s the point: if you are truly My disciple, you must live like it. Walk your talk. Practice what you preach. Reach for what you pray. Remember that life is fragile and transient. Expect that I could return at any moment. My return will be joyous for those who are Mine and already living in eager expectation of My return. For those who are not, this passage is a wake-up call, a sounding alarm clock, and a powerful reminder that I AM coming. You want to be ready when I arrive. Be a living sacrifice offering yourself to God (Romans 12:1-2). Live as a person whose heart and mind have been remade by your conversion. Live as a person whose heart is captured by the amazing grace of the Father. Stay away from “dark living” and do not fuel your “sinful imagination” with thoughts of depraved rebellion. Wrap yourself in Me! Verses to Live In the section in his Roman letter on practical Christian living, Paul used various metaphors. He began this last section of his letter urging the Roman Christians and you to live as sacrifices and to be transformed (Romans 12:1-2). He then talked about you Christians being My body (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:27). In today’s verses, he used the familiar images of darkness representing evil while light represents things that are good and holy. The call is to wake up and live in the light. And now consider this. You know well the times you are living in. It is time for you to wake up and see what is right before your eyes: for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The darkness of night is dissolving as dawn’s light draws near, so walk out on your old dark life and put on the armor of light. May we all act as good and respectable people, living today the same way as we will in the day of His coming. Do not fall into patterns of dark living: wild partying, drunkenness, sexual depravity, decadent gratification, quarreling, and jealousy. Instead, wrap yourselves in the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed, and do not fuel your sinful imagination by indulging your self-seeking desire for the pleasures of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14) Response in Prayer Almighty God, forgive me for piddling around with my life of faith and procrastinating about living with holy devotion. I commit to living with urgency and anticipation of Jesus’ return and pray for Your forgiveness for the times when I have not done so. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
My Disciples Are Good Citizens
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, You are reading from a letter the apostle Paul wrote to believers in Rome. They lived in the seat of the Roman Empire’s government and power. A period of about two hundred years became known as the Pax Romana. It was relatively peaceful and included the early New Testament times. The Roman government offered great blessings: a stable legal system, relatively safe travel on highways and the seas, mail service, oversight of regional and city governments, and stability for commerce to thrive. The Father had worked in history to bring about this time so that history was ready for My coming (Galatians 4:4-7). The things that Paul wrote in today’s passage about honoring the government spoke to their political situation in a time of a relatively stable government. As you read the New Testament, you will also find very good teaching about how to live as My disciple when the government is growing more hostile. (Both the early chapters of Acts and the whole letter of 1 Peter reflect this kind of situation.) You will also learn how to live faithfully when the government becomes aggressively hostile to your faith (the Revelation to John). During the last years of Paul’s life and ministry, he used all the legal tools available to him to protect himself and his ministry from an increasingly hostile government that would eventually execute him (Philippians 1:19-23; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; In addition, don’t forget the Old Testament resources of Daniel and Esther as examples of faith when faced with hostile government officials!). I promised My disciples the Holy Spirit as their Comforter, Advocate, and Helper. Chapters 14-16 of the gospel of John record this extended conversation with My closest disciples. The Holy Spirit was sent both to them and to you to help “guide you in all truth” (John 16:13). As Paul told the Corinthians, the Holy Spirit will help you understand both the times and My will for you in these times (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). I share this with you so that you will understand that the things Paul said here are principles of how My disciples are to live in submission to government. The context was a government that was not openly hostile to the Roman Christians, but this context would soon change. Even as a government grows more hostile, I want you to realize that there are other resources in the Scriptures to help you know how to live faithfully. And by living faithfully, you will be able to honor your commitments to love the Father with all that you are and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). The specifics of honoring the government for each changing circumstance addressed in scripture can be a little different. However, basic underlying themes are found throughout the New Testament such as: Be a good citizen. Do not be a person of violence. Make sure any suffering you face is not because of your own bad behavior. Be a person of peace. Live at peace with all people. Be a peacemaker. Be a blessing to others. In addition to these themes, the Holy Spirit within you, My example lived before you, and your brothers and sisters of faith around you can help you know the best way to follow Me faithfully through all kinds of different political climates. Paul’s words today focus on honoring a political government. Your Father in heaven is the God of order and peace, not chaos and lawlessness. So governments are put into place with the divine intention to help and to bless people. When the governments become ruthless and tyrannical, the Father will work behind the scenes of history to bring them down (Psalm 2:1-12; the Revelation to John), although there is no way for you to know the Father’s timing. You must honor the government and obey its laws as a good citizen when these laws do not contradict My calling to you. “Do the right thing” and “live with a clear conscience.” “Pay your taxes” and don’t “owe anyone anything” as you show “love to one another.” Once again, what Paul wrote the Romans brings you back to My second great love command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This principle will make you a good citizen, because when you live this principle, “love achieves everything the law requires.” Verses to Live In the last third of Romans (chapters 12-16), Paul repeatedly gives practical applications on how to love your neighbor as you love yourself and especially how to love your brothers and sisters in faith. Today’s verses focus on this responsibility as a good citizen. It is important that all of us submit to the authorities who have charge over us because God establishes all authority in heaven and on the earth. Therefore, a person who rebels against authority rebels against the order He established, and people like that can expect to face certain judgment. You see, if you do the right thing, you have nothing to be worried about from the rulers; but if you do what you know is wrong, the rulers will make sure you pay a price. Would you not rather live with a clear conscience than always have to be looking over your shoulder? Then keep doing what you know to be good and right, and they will publicly honor you. Look at it this way: The ruler is a servant of God called to serve and benefit you. But he is also a servant of God executing wrath upon those who practice evil. If you do what is wrong, then you’d better be afraid because he wields the power of the sword and doesn’t make empty threats. So submission is not optional; it’s required. But don’t just submit for the sake of avoiding punishment; submit and abide by the laws because your conscience leads you to do the right thing. Pay your taxes for the same reason because the authorities are servants of God, giving their full
What Love Looks Like!
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, In the first part of Paul’s letter to the Roman believers, he gave his great explanation of how all people have sinned and fallen short of the Father’s standards for holy character (Romans chapters 1-3). Next, he explained how all people, both Jews and non-Jews, are invited into the Father’s family by grace that they receive through faith in My death, burial, and resurrection (Romans chapters 4-6). He then explained that will-power and works of the law cannot make anyone, or keep anyone, righteous. Everyone needs the power of the Holy Spirit living in them to be the kind of people they want to be as the Father’s children (Romans chapters 7-8). Paul finished his great explanation of grace by writing about the place of both Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation (Romans chapters 9-11). Yesterday’s note focused on Paul’s great outburst of praise (Romans 11:33-36). This burst of praise finished the first section of Romans (chapters 1-11). Paul then began his challenging call for holy behavior. In My family of faith, all disciples need to offer themselves as living sacrifices to the Father (Romans 12:1-2) because of all He has done for them to bring them grace. Today’s verses focus upon some of the principles for living this kind of life to bless others. If you recall, I have told you that loving your neighbor as you love yourself is second only to loving God. These two love principles form the foundation for all of God’s demands for right living in relationship with Him and with others (Matthew 22:36-40). In today’s verses, Paul laid down principle after principle, all of which find their foundation in loving your neighbor as yourself. If you want to know what loving your neighbor looks like, read these verses very carefully. These are not laws to be obeyed but principles that must be adopted and which show what the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) looks like in everyday living. Not only is this behavior your goal in loving others, but this behavior is also “Spirit-natural;” it is the expected result of the Spirit’s work to transform you into having the character and compassion of Christ. When you make the effort to live this way, the Holy Spirit will furnish the power to produce this holy fruit as the Father pours His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Verses to Live The phrase that best summarizes Paul’s principles in the verses below is “Live in true devotion to one another…” This dedication is the kind of behavior and the kind of love that I am calling you to incorporate into your life as My disciple! Love others well, and don’t hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it. Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first. Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord. Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing; take every opportunity to open your life and home to others. If people mistreat or malign you, bless them. Always speak blessings, not curses. If some have cause to celebrate, join in the celebration. And if others are weeping, join in that as well. Work toward unity, and live in harmony with one another. Avoid thinking you are better than others or wiser than the rest; instead, embrace common people and ordinary tasks. Do not retaliate with evil, regardless of the evil brought against you. Try to do what is good and right and honorable as agreed upon by all people. If it is within your power, make peace with all people. Again, my loved ones, do not seek revenge; instead, allow God’s wrath to make sure justice is served. Turn it over to Him. For the Scriptures say, “Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores.” But consider this bit of wisdom: “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink; because if you treat him kindly, it will be like heaping hot coals on top of his head.” Never let evil get the best of you; instead, overpower evil with the good. (Romans 12:9-21) Response in Prayer O Father, I so desperately want my life to be full of the character, conduct, and compassion that Paul calls on these early Roman disciples to have in their lives. Empower me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to be transformed to be ever more like Christ in all these qualities as I live in relationship with those around me as Your child. Please help me to hold onto the passion I feel right now as I long to love others in Jesus’ name and follow His example. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Be a Living and Holy Sacrifice
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Paul spent the first two-thirds of his letter to the Roman Christians explaining the principle of salvation by grace through faith. In Romans chapters 9-11, he explained how the Jewish people and the promises of the Father to Abraham fit into that plan for salvation. This explanation was important since many Jews in Paul’s time rejected the Father’s message of grace through Me and many Gentiles accepted this message. As Paul came to the end of this powerful teaching at the end of chapter 11, he finished with a burst of praise. Then in the first verses of chapter 12, he began the next part of his letter with a call to these Roman Christians to offer themselves to God as living sacrifices and to live for Him. Today’s Scripture is one of the most beautiful and cherished passages in your New Testament. First, Paul acknowledged that the Father’s plan is challenging and not easy to understand. It is both glorious and challenging. Paul’s words are an admission in praise that you cannot begin to understand all of the Father’s ways. The finite human mind cannot begin to imagine the plans of mercy and grace of the infinite and almighty Holy One of heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12). Your mortal brain cannot plumb the depths of meaning and heights of grace in the mind of YAHWEH, the Immortal One. So when you reach the point that your ability to understand the Father’s goodness is exhausted, praise Him! When your mind is confused about the ways of the Father and His plan of salvation, but astounded at His grace, then praise Him! No matter what you may not understand completely, know this: your Father in heaven loves you completely and sacrificially! In the last paragraph in the verses below, Paul gave a concise but challenging summary of the response that should be made to the Father’s love and grace. This choice that the Roman Christians were challenged to make is also the choice you need to make today — and each day. My beloved disciple, you — like these first-century believers in Rome — were redeemed at great cost. I did not, and I still do not regret that high price. However, the love behind this sacrifice that brought you mercy should capture your heart. It should convict you not to live like the rest of the world that does not know My love and the Father’s grace and mercy. Offer all that you are to the Father. That is what it means to love Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:28-30). Please notice that Paul pointed out that We will assist you in your efforts to know the Father’s will and to be transformed as you live for Us. Most of the remainder of this letter to the Romans was devoted to helping them and you love the Father with your all and love each other as the Father’s children (Mark 12:31). Verses to Live While the words speak for themselves, I want to ask you to do three things with today’s Scripture. First read the first set of verses down to “Amen“ several times. Read these verses slowly. Read them out loud. Let the beauty of these words wash over you. Next, take a few minutes and pray a prayer of praise. Don’t ask for anything in this prayer. Instead, offer the Father praise for Who He is and what He has done as declared in Scripture to redeem you and adopt you into Our family. Finally, I want to encourage you to memorize the last paragraph. Even if you know it in another translation, put these words to memory and recite them each morning and each evening over the next week. Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 11:33-36 NLT; Romans 12:1-2 NLT) Response in Prayer O Father, You are “the highest God above, Who is and always will be, the only One Who is holy”! I am thankful that even though You “live in a high and holy place” You also have chosen to live with people like me — “the low, the weak, and the humble” to “renew [our] vitality and revive [our] strength.” I thank You for both Your awesome ways and Your gracious and merciful love. I offer myself to You because You alone are worth all that my life can be. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Note: Today’s prayer is a response both to Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 57:15 and also to Paul’s words in the Scripture above. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
So All Can Be Saved!
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, You are saved by grace. You received that grace through faith. There is no room for boasting about being saved. Neither is there any room for belittling Jews who have rejected the message of grace. This rejection by ethnic Jews opened the way for Gentiles to hear the message of grace, to become My disciples, and to become recipients of God’s promises to Abraham. However, this situation is no reason for non-Jewish believers to feel superior. They — including you, if you are not Jewish — have been grafted into the Father’s covenant people and promises. Salvation for non-Jews depends on the root and the history of Israel and on the promises of the Father to Abraham and to his Jewish descendants, specifically the promise of a Messiah (Me). In Paul’s day, there was a righteous remnant of Jewish people who had faith in Me, just as the prophets had prophesied. In addition, the hardening of Jewish hearts toward Me was part of the Father’s plan to redeem all people. Some Jewish believers had seen faith in Me among the Gentiles, and they became jealous that these Gentiles were being included as recipients of the promises to Abraham. Their jealousy led them to re-examine Me and come to faith in Me. In the future, after the “full number” of Gentiles has come to Me, those who are part of ethnic Israel will be brought to faith in Me. Through that faith, they will be received back into Abraham’s spiritual family and become recipients of the promises to Abraham. The Father will not forget His promises to His Jewish people. So since the hardening of Jewish hearts in Paul’s time meant salvation for the non-Jews, think of how much greater the joy of salvation will be when the descendants of Israel come to faith in Me as their Messiah. They will also be joined with all the non-Jewish people who have faith in Me! Verses to Live The Father’s wonderful and mighty plan is to reach all people of every nation with the message of grace. He wants all who truly trust in Me as their Lord and Savior to be saved, both Jews and non-Jews alike. There is no room for arrogance if you have been saved; you have been saved by grace and you received this salvation by faith. Instead, there should be a deep appreciation for the Jewish heritage on which you stand. Be joyous as you anticipate the celebration when all of My family, both Jews and non-Jews, are in the presence of the Father celebrating My victory (Revelation 7:9-12). Read carefully, as Paul explains this truth to the Christians in Rome. So I ask: did God’s people [the Israelites] stumble and fall off the deep end? Absolutely not! They are not lost forever; but through their misconduct, the door has been opened for salvation to extend even to the outsiders. This has been part of God’s plan all along, and so is the jealousy that comes when they realize the outsiders have been welcomed into God’s new covenant. So if their misconduct leads ultimately to God’s riches coming to the world and if their failure turns into the blessing of salvation to all people, then how much greater will be the riches and blessing when they are included fully? But I have this to say to all of you who are not ethnic Jews: I am God’s emissary to you, and I honor this call by focusing on what God is doing with and through you. I do this so that somehow my own blood brothers and sisters will be made jealous; and that, I trust, will bring some to salvation. If the fact that they are currently set aside resolves the hostility between God and the rest of the world, what will their acceptance bring if not life from the dead? If the first and best of the dough you offer is sacred, the entire loaf will be as well. If the root of the tree is sacred, the branches will be also. Imagine some branches are cut off of the cultivated olive tree and other branches of a wild olive (which represents all of you outsiders) are grafted in their place. You are nourished by the root of the cultivated olive tree. It doesn’t give you license to become proud and self-righteous about the fact that you’ve been grafted in. If you do boast, remember that the branches do not sustain the root — it is the system of roots that nourishes and supports you. I can almost hear some of you saying, “Branches had to be pruned to make room for me.” Yes, they were. They were removed because they did not believe; and you will stay attached, be strong, and be productive only through faith. So don’t think too highly of yourselves; instead, stand in awe of God’s mercy. Besides we know that God did not spare the natural branches, so there is no reason to think He will spare you. Witness the simultaneous balance of the kindness and severity of our God. Severity is directed at the fallen branches withering without faith. Yet kindness is directed at you. So live in the kindness of God or else prepare to be cut off yourselves. If those branches that have been cut from the tree do not stay in unbelief, then God will carefully graft them back onto the tree because He has the power to do that. So if it is possible for you to be taken from a wild olive tree and become part of a cultivated olive tree, imagine how much easier it would be to reconnect branches that originally grew on that olive tree. My brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be in the dark about this mystery — I am going to let you in on the plan so that you will not think too highly of yourselves. A
All Who Call on My Name
Note from Jesus Dear Follower, Paul was My apostle with a special commission to the Gentiles, but he deeply loved and was deeply concerned about his fellow Israelites who had not come to faith in Me. In Romans chapter 9, Paul powerfully and emotionally said these gut-wrenching words: Now let me speak the truth as plainly as I know it in the Anointed One. I am not lying when I say that my conscience and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to my state of constant grief. It may sound extreme; but I wish that I were lost, cursed, and totally separated from the Anointed — if that would change the eternal destination of my brothers and sisters, my flesh and countrymen. (Romans 9:1-3) What Paul wrote was a display of overwhelming love — he was willing to be lost eternally if that would lead his fellow Jewish people to be saved. This commitment makes his words in this section of Romans (chapters 9-11) all the more poignant. He did not write out of anger or hostility, but out of love. He wrote these truths to heal the racial divide between Jew and Gentile in the church in Rome. He wanted to help the Christians there understand the message of salvation. That message was clear: All can be saved, both Jew and non-Jew. However, salvation comes only through the Father’s grace received through faith in My death, burial, and resurrection as God’s Anointed, the Messiah of Israel and Lord of all peoples. While there were Jews in Paul’s time who accepted this message — “God has preserved a remnant, elected by grace” (Romans 11:5) — most rejected it. For these Jews, I was a “stumbling stone” (Romans 9:32-33). In fact, if you go back and re-read about Peter’s sermon and the events on Pentecost in the book of Acts (Acts 2:17-41), you will find the message of salvation Peter preached that day to Jews was the same basic message as what Paul wrote the Roman’s in today’s verses (Romans 10:9-13). That basic message from Peter and from Paul was: Believe in your heart the Father raised Me from the dead. Commit to living a life that’s right with God. Confess Me as your Lord. Call on My name as your Savior in baptism. Be saved. Paul had experienced this same kind of conversion himself. If you read the accounts in Acts of his conversion, you will find these same things were emphasized (Acts 9:15-18; Acts 22:8-16). Paul wanted believers in Rome to realize three truths that are so important for those who love Me and believe in Me. These are important for every generation of believers! First, as I mentioned in My Sermon on the Mount, I AM the fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17). Paul said it this way: You see, God’s purpose for the law reaches its climax when the Anointed One arrives; now all who trust in Him can have their lives made right with God. Second, no one is going to be saved based on law-keeping. All who are saved, both Jew and non-Jew, are saved because they have been called by the Father’s grace that they received through faith in my crucifixion and resurrection (Romans 10:3-4; Romans 9:30-32). Third, those who send others and those who share My good news with others are very important because people cannot be saved unless they believe. They cannot believe unless they hear about the Father’s love demonstrated by My incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection. People cannot go and share this message unless someone sends them. As Paul did so frequently throughout chapters 9-11 in Romans, he quoted the (Old Testament) Scriptures and wrote: Because what Isaiah said was true: “The one who trusts in Him will not be disgraced.” Remember that the Lord draws no distinction between Jew and non-Jew — He is Lord over all things, and He pours out His treasures on all who invoke His name because as Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So send those who will proclaim this message. Share this message yourself when you meet people who are open to receiving it. Know that the Father wants all peoples — Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, politically conservative and liberal, male and female, young and old — to hear His call to grace and to receive that message with faith! Verses to Live Paul wanted all people saved. He made clear in these verses how that salvation comes to people. I hope you will read these verses and not only be heartened, but also be motivated to send and share the message of the Father’s love demonstrated by My life, death, and resurrection. My brothers and sisters, I pray constantly to God for the salvation of my people [the Israelites]; it is the deep desire of my heart. What I can say about them is that they are enthusiastic about God, but that won’t lead them to Him because their zeal is not based on true knowledge. In their ignorance about how God is working to make things right, they have been trying to establish their own right standing with God through the law. But they are not operating under God’s saving, restorative justice. You see, God’s purpose for the law reaches its climax when the Anointed One arrives; now all who trust in Him can have their lives made right with God. Moses made this clear long ago when he wrote about what it takes to have a right relationship with God based on the law: “The person devoted to the law’s commands will live by them.” But a right relationship based on faith sounds like this: “Do not say to yourselves, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’” (that is, to bring down the Anointed One), “or, ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring the Anointed One up from the dead). But what does it actually say? “The
Receiving God’s Promises Through Faith
Note from Jesus Dear Child of Grace, Many people in your fallen world accept or reject others based on race. They exclude those who are not of their race. The Christians in Rome, and really all over the world during the time Paul wrote his letter to the Roman Christians, struggled with the issue of race. The separation between Jew and Gentile was a hard one for many of the early Christians to overcome. As I look at your time, My heart breaks at both the physical violence done in the name of race and also the more subtle forms of exclusivity, prejudice, bigotry, and racial arrogance. Sometimes this racial prejudice is acted out publicly. Other times it goes on in people’s hearts as they fake racial acceptance to get along in culture. Please understand something that Paul made very clear to My disciples. I came to tear down racial divisions and bring about a new humanity not based on race (Ephesians 2:11-22). I came to establish “one new humanity” based on faith. I came to create peace between different peoples through My sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 2:14-16). The future I will bring has all nations, races, languages, and peoples joined together in joyous worship, praise, and fellowship (Revelation 7:9-12). My human racial identity was Jewish. I came as the answer to the Father’s promise to Abraham and David. I came as the Anointed One, the Messiah of Israel. The Father chose Israel to be His people. He did not choose them because they were better, wiser, more numerous, or more powerful. The Father chose Israel because of His love and faithfulness to His promises to the great Israelite patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later King David. John the Baptizer, My cousin and forerunner, had warned people that being Jewish descendants of Abraham didn’t guarantee their righteousness. John reminded the people that the Father “is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:7-9 ESV). Both John and I warned that if a person claims to be a descendant of Abraham, he or she must live a life of faith like Abraham (Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:6-9). So what Paul said in chapters 9-11 of Romans about the relationship of Jews to the Father shouldn’t be a complete surprise. We will be looking at Paul’s message in these chapters for a few days. Paul wanted everyone to know that just as all have sinned, both Jew and Gentile, all can be children of God through faith in My sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. Race is not what makes a person a part of God’s Israel, his chosen people. Faith is what makes one a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:26-29). The Father, in His Sovereignty, chose Israel and gave Israel the great benefits of “the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the temple service, and God’s promises” as “their rightful heritage”. So the Jewish people should be loved and respected because they provided the story, the heritage, the Scriptures, the promises, and the Messiah (Me) that make salvation available to all people. However, Paul reminded Jewish Christians: The truth is that not everyone descended from Israel is truly Israel. Just because people can claim Abraham as their father does not make them his true children. For a time, all but a small group of Jews had stumbled because of the truth that is found in Me, the Anointed, the “rock”. But just as many Gentiles have been brought into My family through faith, a time is coming, and indeed has already begun, when My fellow Israelites will find themselves a part of the Father’s promises by faith. Verses to Live Today and the next several days, you will be reading from Romans chapters 9-11. Paul’s discussion can appear confusing at times because he was using the way of teaching he learned as a young rabbi. But the basis of his reasoning is fairly clear. The Father is sovereign. He works in the way He does to fulfill His promises and to fulfill His desire to bring salvation to all people who will receive His grace. Rather than race, ethnicity, law-keeping, or heritage being the guarantee of this salvation, the Father accepts people based on their faith in Me. In this way, salvation can come to all people, and all people can be accepted into My family without prejudice or racial division or any other distinction. Spiritual Israel, the people of God, is made up of those who receive the promises of God by faith and choose to share this grace with the nations. Now let me speak the truth as plainly as I know it in the Anointed One [Christ Jesus]. I am not lying when I say that my conscience and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to my state of constant grief. It may sound extreme; but I wish that I were lost, cursed, and totally separated from the Anointed — if that would change the eternal destination of my [Jewish] brothers and sisters, my flesh and countrymen. They are, after all, Israelites who have been adopted into God’s family; the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the temple service, and God’s promises are their rightful heritage. The patriarchs are theirs, too; and from their bloodline comes the Anointed One, the Liberating King, Who reigns supreme over all things, God blessed forever. Amen. Clearly it is not that God’s word has failed. The truth is that not everyone descended from Israel is truly Israel. Just because people can claim Abraham as their father does not make them his true children. But in the Scriptures, it says, “Through Isaac your covenant children will be named.” The proper interpretation is this: Abraham’s children by natural descent are not necessarily God’s covenant people; what matters is that His children receive and live the promise. (Romans 9:1-8) So what does all of this mean? Did the non-Jews stumble into a right standing with God without