Romans 12:9-21

In Romans 12:9-21 Paul lays out a beautiful description of what the Christian life really looks like. Notice with me some of the highlights:
1) abhor that which is evil, cleave to good
2) in honor prefer one another
3) don’t be lazy, rather live with fervor because you are serving Jesus
4) rejoice in the future, and be patient and pray when hard times come
5) be giving of yourself, worried about the needs of others more than your own need
6) if someone attacks you, bless them not curse
7) pay attention to the hearts of those around you and laugh and cry accordingly
8) don’t be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good
This is a synopsis of the Christian life. If you read through this list, you cannot help but see faith in every point that Paul makes. You believe God is good, therefore you abhor evil and cleave to good. You believe that only He should elevate you so you don’t elevate yourself. You believe He desires you to work hard, so you balance your consumption of entertainment and recreation and avoid gluttony in these areas. You believe that He is working all things together for your good, even the hard times, so you rejoice and are patient while you pray to Him. You believe that even when you wronged Him with your sin, He still died for you so why should you attack those who do wrong to you. You believe that He knows when you hurt and cares and helps, so you should care and have compassion on others too. You believe that He despises evil, so you hate it too. Your faith is lived out in all of these ways. Don’t miss the point. This is a life that you should chase after, and this is a life that pours out from the gospel working in you.

Food for Thought: Read Romans 12:9-21. According to the end of today’s devo, what brings about this Christian lifestyle?

Romans 12:3-8

In Romans 12:3, Paul brings up an excellent point that all of us struggle with. He says that no one should “think of himself more highly than he out to think; but think soberly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” On the first level, Paul is saying is that no one is the center of the universe. God is the center of the universe. The way we live indicates who the center of our universe is. If we seek day in and day out to make ourselves comfortable and satisfied and happy, then we have become our own focus. We in essence have become the center of our own universe. But Paul says to not view catering to yourself as the only reason for living. God has called you to a greater thing and given you the faith to be a part of that greater thing—serving Him and worshipping Him. At the second level, the Christian family is viewed as body. Each part of the body has been equipped by God at salvation for the specific purpose of serving the other members of the body and worshipping God. If you get sidetracked and think of yourself more highly than you ought, then you will only serve yourself and worship yourself. This idolatry is wicked and God despises it. This is why Paul warns against it here in this passage. Finally, Paul says that you should be more consumed with taking care of the other parts of the body than with just taking care of yourself. For what health would the hand have if it never fed the mouth. It would have none and would shrivel up and die. He uses this point to show that you should be always serving those around you with the spiritual gifts with which you have been equipped. So stop serving yourself in this egocentric view of the universe and start serving God and others.

Food for Thought: Read Romans 12:3-8. What does egocentric mean? Who does paul say you should be serving instead of yourself?

Romans 12:1-3

Have you ever heard those phrases that simply did not make sense. An oxymoron if you will. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about- Clearly Confused, A little BIG, Bad Luck, Floppy Disk, Freezer Burn, Awfully Good, Nonstick Glue, Nonstop Flight, Original Copy, Pretty Ugly…the list goes on.
In Romans 12:1-2 we find one of these oxymorons. Let’s see if you know which two words I am talking about in the verse. It says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” Did you see it? The two words I’m talking about are living sacrifice.  Doesn't quite make sense. When I picture a sacrifice I think of it as dead, but here we are called to be a living sacrifice!
Let’s define the meaning of sacrifice. The dictionary defines it this way, ‘the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.’ To surrender something prized, like our very life, for something higher, like the glory of our Savior. Let’s keep in mind that God is not asking us to do anything He did not already do himself. Jesus gave his very life for the glory of God and to redeem us back to Himself.
Verse two goes on to say, “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
This verse makes clear to me that if I am conformed to this world then I am not being that living sacrifice, but on the flip side, what I am supposed to be is: conforming to Christ! When I lay down my life, my desires, my own will on the altar and do the perfect will of God, that’s when I am that living sacrifice, acceptable to God. Take some time to really think of what your life should look like as a living sacrifice and then walk that way. Application of these verses in our lives sure would be awfully good!

Food for Thought: Read Romans 12:1-2. What oxymoron did we find in today’s devo passage? What does this phrase mean?

Sheila AndersPastor's Wife | www.libcky.com
Sheila and Pastor Matt have been serving the church family of Landmark Baptist Church since 2007. She is a full-time mom of four children - Olivia, Levi, Reid, and Luke.

Romans 11:26-36

Romans 11:33-36 stands as one of the best descriptions of God’s “solitariness.” There is none like Him. There is none that can be like Him. He has no equal, and He has no rival. Any who shake their fist at God do so not as enemies, but as rebels. One Who is infinite in every way is infinite in all parts of His existence. While the mind of man has an end, the mind of God is past finding out. There is no comprehension in human terms of all that God knows. Without a doubt, He knows all that we could ever know and more. He knows all and therefore has no need of advice. He does not take clues how to act from His creations. Instead, as He sees fit, He reveals His will to us and lovingly allows us to trust and obey it, or with longsuffering mercy to doubt and rebel against it. Paul says that the knowledge of God is without end. Nothing past, present, or future is hidden from the mind of God. He knows as well all of the details of eternity past as He does eternity future. He doesn’t only see things coming; rather, He already saw them before they started this way. No one can compare in knowledge to God. Paul further says that no one can compare in wisdom to God. Wisdom is understanding and causing. It is the reasoning power that operates within a given set of information. There is none that can compare to God’s wisdom because there is none that can compare to His wealth of knowledge. He enters every circumstance into your experience knowing the work that it will be for you and extending to you the opportunity of full joy in your obedience to His will.

Food for Thought: Read Romans 11:26-36. What does the word “solitariness” mean? How does this passage describe this about God?

Advent Archive: Romans 11:13-25

Many fruit cultivators use a practice known as “grafting,” in which they cut a part of one plant and attach it to a different plant where it can grow. The reason for this grafting process is that some plants have better roots than others. Therefore, they will take branches off of one type of tree and put them on another type of tree. The new tree part that is being grafted on is known as a “scion.” This scion retains many of its original characteristics. As a matter of fact, you can graft a grapefruit scion onto an orange tree and grow grapefruits on an orange tree. It is a very interesting design that God made in plants and one that gardeners have known and used for thousands of years.
This is why in Romans 11:13-25, Paul uses this picture to describe the work that God has done with the Gentiles. Originally, God came to Abraham and made a covenant with him. This promise of God passed on to Abraham’s children as they believed God like their father Abraham. However, eventually the time came when the children of Abraham no longer believed God (v.20), so He cut their branches off of the tree of His blessing and grafted in the new branches of the Gentiles. This grafting only took place based on God’s grace in response to the Gentiles faith, for had they not believed they would have died without life from the tree. Paul finally makes the point that the new Gentile believers need not scorn the Jewish branches that have been separated from the tree. Rather, try to restore them to the faith that their father Abraham had so that they may be grafted back into the tree (v.23).

Food for Thought: Read Romans 11:13-25. What is the process by which a tree branch is attached to a different tree? How does this relate to we Christians?

Advent Archive: Romans 11:1-12

If you can remember back with me, Romans 9 discussed Paul’s deep burden that Israel would acknowledge Christ as the true Messiah that He is. The nation of Israel, almost as a whole, stumbled over Christ and His cross which led to their rejection of Him. Paul addressed their rejection in Romans 10.
So that leaves some questions in the minds of Paul’s readers that he wants to clear up. Questions like: “Well, if Israel has rejected Christ, what about the covenant God made with Israel? Is God a liar? Has Israel been cast away forever?” The answer: Of course not! If He could lie, He would cease to be God for He would not be holy.
God chose Israel way back with Abraham to be a nation set apart for Himself and through this nation, all the nations of the world would be blessed. It was through this nation that the Messiah would break into humanity and it was through this nation that salvation would come to the nations. As Israel rejected their Messiah, the “mystery” as Paul calls it, referring to the church, would be revealed and the church would be started with the completion of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
So is God finished with Israel? Did he start a work with Israel and throw them away once He got the church? No! There is a remnant of Jews who still believe in their Messiah, Jesus Christ; and Paul, a Jew, is proof of that until one day, as a nation, they will see Christ (like Paul saw Christ) and realize the error of their unbelief (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7).

Food for Thought: Read Romans 11:1-12. Is God completely done with Israel? What must the Jewish people do in order for them to see God use them?
Alan ObrienAssistant Pastor | www.libcky.comAlan and his wife, Amy, have been serving the church family of Landmark Baptist Church since 2008. They have a daughter, Allison.

Advent Archive: Romans 10:16-21

Have you ever been in the car when the bright red and blue lights come on in the car behind you? Perhaps you have been in the driver’s seat. If not, let me be transparent, I have been in the driver’s seat a couple of times (“a couple” means more than two, right?) I’m not sure what part of my anatomy it is, but there is this incredible lump that suddenly appears in my throat. My entire body goes into panic mode – increased heart rate, sweating all over, hyperventilating…the whole works.
It may sound fun to you, but trust me, it is horrifying. And then, the officer (with a gun!) comes to my window. At this point, I am almost in tears, and my hands are shaking as I hand him my driver’s license. You see, I have been caught. I know I am guilty. I knew the law, and I chose to ignore it. I am as guilty as they come. I could even deny it to the police officer, but he knows that I know. There is no getting out of the penalty for my crime. Later that week as I write the check, and “donate” my money to the county, I am reminded that breaking the law isn’t as fun as I thought it would be. And by the way, it would be complete nonsense to be angry at the police officer. He was just serving the justice that I violated.
This is the thought of Romans 10:18-21. God pulls Israel over and discusses what they had done wrong. He tells them that they are disobedient and gainsaying (this means: they don’t agree with God). He tells them that even though they knew what was right and often proclaimed to other nations that their God was the one true God, many times they didn’t live like they believed it. Judgment day had come for them, and they bucked against the punishment. They thought that they didn’t deserve it and cried against the punishment, but it did not affect God’s justice.
We too can be like Israel. Often bragging that we are the one true religion and that we serve the one true God, however, we can get sidetracked and fall away from full service and devotion to Him. We say that we have God’s word, and that we are separated to God, but many times we live lives that indicate a different reality. We treat others, brothers and strangers, as if God doesn’t care how we act or react to them. We withhold generosity even though we are given multiple opportunities. We live lives of apathy, never fully engaged in deep, life-exhausting worship of the one true God that we purport to follow.
Then, in love, God extends His chastening rod to draw us back into a relationship with Him. Having been “busted,” we either cry our eyes out in repentance or end up frustrated at the One who has served justice. So what do we do about it? Well, the remedy for me was to not speed, the remedy for us would be to view God as He is, adore Him in His Excellency and devote ourselves to serving Him at all times and never waver from His truth.

Food for Thought: Read Romans 10:16-21. Did Israel ever have any warning that God would move on to extend His grace to the rest of the world?