Free to serve

Romans 7:1-3
We have died to the law and the sin that it reveals in us, but when will we quit dwelling in it? I find myself so often trying to do things that will make me look good or make God like me more. I know better than that, and yet I find myself returning to that pattern naturally. I don't know if it was how I was raised and taught to think, or what I came up with when I realized who I was and how much help I really needed. I want to quit trying to earn my salvation and rest on the reality of who God is. There is just so far to go!

Romans 7:4
I have died to the law, and been born in grace. And now I belong to another...I am not free except in that I belong to my creator and redeemer and love. The rightful owner now has say and rule in me, and I am to bear fruit. Oh I want to ber fruit, and that happens when I keep on in repentance

Romans 7:6
Reminds me of Jesus in John 4. The time is now when we will worship in spirit and truth. Let me not be so busy and self-fixated that I lose the voice of the Spirit and fall back into legalism instead of a joyful intimacy for being set free to follow and serve you. Awaken oh my soul and respond daily to this wonderful love that led Jesus to bear the dreadful curse for my soul and set me free. May I never forget what the High King of heaven did to purchase me, to buy my freedom and hope. I am in debt to God through Jesus for the price tht was paid, and let me never forget that my freedom is nothing more than a call to obediently follow and serve my King. May I serve with all my life, since that was what was saved, and may I serve with all my soul, since that was redeemed, and may I serve with all my heart since that was renewed and healed, and may I serve with all my mind since it was finally cleared and cleansed.

Grace choosing

Romans 6:20-21
Freedom from righteousness, the ability to do whatever I want without regard to anyone or anything. And how does that end? In fruit, but fruit that I am ashamed of. Wow, if that's not the truth I don't know what is. And I have seen how that ends in death. I think of times in my life when I lived without regard for righteousness, and honestlty those are the times now that hen I reflect I realize I am not proud of them, and in all reality didn't enjoy that much at the time. I can see how my selfishness and seeking of myself was just slowly sending me to my own death. AARRGGHHHH! I should insert Romans 7:25. Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! His grace was so much bigger, His patience so much longer, His love so much deeper than I deserved, expected, wanted. Only He can save, only He can change my heart, only He can make me right. He is my God and I will serve Him, and I will always run to Him, especially when I fail and run from Him.

Romans 6:22
The fruit I now get leads to sanctificaiton. Fruit of conviction, of repentance, of joy, oe hope, of worship, of truth, of honesty, of integrity. The end of these thigns leads to eternal life. not becuase they earn me anything, but because as I chose righteousness and respond to God by grace, then He produces these things in me. I don't sit around wishing God would chnage me, I fight my sin through the cross and run continually to God when I fail and allow me present suffering to draw me cloaser to Him knowing the hope I will one day realize.

Romans 6:23
Feel like this verse is taken out of context so much. I choose death or life. I act on death or life. I am a slave to death or life. I have esrned death by my sin, but I am free by the wonderous grace of God to choose Jesus and life. It all depends on me to choose which I will be a lsave to, but that's all the depends on me. Because I can't save myslef no matter how I try, all I can do is choose Him by admitting how sinful I am and falling prostrate deoending on His grace. Thus in my weakness I am made strong. The cross changes everything, or it chnages nothing. I decide which it will be for me because God offers me a choice, I'd be a fool to choose anything else but to be His willing and loyal slave all the days of my life. Now God give me the grace and faith to live out this bold statement from the mouth of a babe prone to wander and fall.

Choose Wisely

Romans 6:17
Obedient from the heart. Further proof that it is an inside out change. And although this passage talks a lot about choosing and action, it is all based on heart change first. Anything else is behavior modification and trying to earn God's favor which, as we all know, ends in frustration and death, because that is sin. It is sin because it is trying to add things to salvation. We are all broken, and while we were broken, God sent Jesus for us. And the double imputation on the cross is what justifies us. Not anything I do. So let God change me from the inside out, and as He does, then let that my choose to do the things that stir my affections for Him.

Committed. Not halfway involved or sometimes following, committed. A new life that dominates who I am and what I am becoming. Giving myself over to the process of santification.


Romans 6:18
And I willing choose this why? Because I have been set free from sin. I am only now really starting to understand how great that is. Sure I know all the surface things that means, but have you ever thought about what life should and could look like without sin ruling? Herr is that already...not yet tension again, but I don't think we should skip the already. There is freedom now. I DO NOT HAVE TO SIN ANYMORE. That is now a possibility. And if that is a possibility, then it is worth engaging and fighting for.


Romans 6:19
In Rome, 1/3 people were slaves, 1/3 had been slaves, and other 1/3 probably had slaves or were about to become slaves. Important to remember that for these guys, slavery was not a class or econmoic distinction. Slavery was much closer to a form of indentured servanthood, hence the term in some translations of "bond-servant." The idea being you choose who to sell yourself to work for and be loyal to. Now times have changed, but this analogy still remains. Who am I selling my life to and for what (see v21-22). I want to become a slave to sanctification. Can you even imagine what that could look like? What could God do with me if I really started striving to give Him all my heart, soul, mind and strength? Now that's exciting!

Romans 6:12-14

Ok, so we're going backwards in Romans, but we're still in Romans, how can that be a bad thing?

Romans 6:12
Interesting to see that it says not to let sin make you obey its passions. This makes sense, I don't feel that when I sin I'm even doing my passion. I really think my passion is for God, but I don't always follow my own passion. Of course, notice the "therefore," which is referring to Romans 6:1-11 about the fact that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.

Romans 6:13
There is choice. And if there is choice, then there is the opprtunity to make the right one (1 Cor. 10:13). I used to think that there were some sins we would in essence always be in bondage to, i.e. once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. But isn't that in reality just saying that sin is greater than grace? Surely the goodness of God is big enough to conquor the power of any sin that is in me. Temptation is always a reality, but there must be a point in which my heart can desire and love God more than it loves myself. God brings this change through the Holy Spirit from the inside out, but still I decide whether or not to participate in this chnage by the choices I make. To be free, then I must obey. I am understanding Galtians 5:1 more and more I think.

Romans 6:14
Sin will have no dominion over you... I need to hear that. As I struggle with lust and food, I need to know that these things do not have dominion over me. God is the one who has dominion over me. He has set me free, so I can live in Him and by His grace not put myself under the boothell of sin again. Love God more than yourself, love God more than your sin, choose life not death.

Paul is such a genius here. All this just makes so very much sense to me. As I read it I feel like a ight is going off and I'm like, "Of course! How could I not see that before?" Thank you Holy Spirit for continuing to grow and develop me so that I might be sanctified. It is so empowering, refreshing, rejuventing to know that God's grace is so complete and tht His love so amazing that He continues to work and chnage me. What a great God!

No Seperation

Wow, way long time soince last blog. I'm going to claim it was because I was so busy...but the truth is laziness. Anyhow... let's get back to Romans.

Romans 8:38  Life can't seperate us fromn God's love. How huge, becuase life often makes me feel estranged and alone. I'm not scared of death and know God will be there, but it gives me great comfort to know nothing in life can seperate me from God's love. Not my foolish and selfish sins, not the circumstances of life, the tragedy of loss, the meanness of people. All those things can try as hard as they might, but they cannot seperate me from god's love through Jesus. Even supernatural powers have no effect on God's love, it is just too powerful for that!! My fears and worries can give me the illusion that I'm alone and unloved, but the truth is that is just an illusion. "Hell can't keep God's love away." God's love is so great it can save you from hell, if you'll respond.

Romans 8:39  Things are hard, and for our lives will be. Creation is shattered, humanity is broken and stained, circumstances are devastating. However...keep hope (8:25)! God is saving us through Jesus, and nothing can stop His love, except us. And even we can't stop it, we just reject it. Thank you for softening my heart so I didn't reject you! Thank you for penetrating through my stony heart and infusing me with your awesome love! Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for loving me!

OK...so I'm on Romans 9. Wow...never really contemplated God's sovreignity like I am now. Before I just wanted to believe what I wanted to believe, but reading this (scripture which I can't disagree with) is making me readjust some thinking...  I'm not sure when I'll post on chapter 9, cause it is hard and makes my head hurt trying to fit it's broadness in my narrow thinking. Anyone who wants to though, feel free to read the chapter and drop me a line on your thoguhts.

Labor Pains...Uuuggghhh!

 Probably don't need to keep mentioning it, but these blogs will make much more sense if you have read previous posts and will have the scripture open as you peruse it. So let's get into it...


Romans 8:35: So if Jesus love us with that amazing kind of super-love, then regardless of what happens we shouldn't be shaken! All the things that are listed here are the present suffering we must endure now before we partake in the glory. The only way to make it through life and the things that we inevitably will have to walk through is the hope of Jesus and being completely redeemed in the end (see 8:25). Don’t listen t your feelings about God in the midst of the suffering of life, they will give you false impressions and ideas of what is happening leading to erroneous conclusions on why things happen. This scripture seems to make it very clear that the reality is we should expect to encounter these sufferings because we live as a fallen people in a fallen creation. Good to know as well that Paul isn’t writing this from some luxury suite somewhere, but is writing from the still fresh memories and experiences with this brutal world (that will shortly kill him), and the truth that he clings to that enables him to go on.


Romans 8:36: This is a quote of Psalm 44:22. The psalm talks about the people walking faithfully with God, and the end result they expect from that of God doing big things like He had in the past like leading them out of Egypt. What the writer of the psalm struggles with is that even though he and others are being faithful, things are not going well for them! Indeed, many of the people are being killed for their faith, even by their faith because they are relying on God and not man. “I do not trust my bow, I do not count on my sword to save me, it is You who gives us victory over our enemies, it is You who humbles those who hate us.” Psalm 44:6-7. And that very faith is what they cannot comprehend. They believe that faith means God should move NOW to deliver them and they can’t understand why He won’t when they fell like they’ve been faithful. Listen to 44:23, “Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever!” And this is 44:26, “Rise up! Come and help us! Save us because of your unfailing love.” Is this not what Paul is talking about in all of Romans 8? Creation is fallen and groaning for salvation and redemption, but for now we must suffer through and hope. Hope in the truth that while it does not look like it, Jesus has begun the redemption process that will one day restore us and all of creation. And He has done this because of His great love for us, and at great cost to Himself (the cross). So now, in this fallen creation, things are not as they appear. There is death, heartache and struggle…but only for a little while longer. And in the midst of all of this God’s love remains a constant, bringing us forgiveness and adoption instead of condemnation. So there’s only one conclusion to be reached…


Romans 8:37: Because of what Jesus did, the victory is ours. Sin has been defeated, death is simply a transition, eternity is secured, hope is realized, love is conquering. These terrible things we experience now, are like the labor pains before the birth. At the time very painful and all encompassing, yet quickly forgotten and pushed aside when new life comes from them (See 8:22). We’re in labor, waiting to be reborn so yes, the things we experience are painful and large, and it is easy to let them make us feel forsaken. And yes, those labor pains will last our entire lives (even though that isn’t even a blink of eternity), but not forever. These labor pains cannot, will not, are not separating us from Jesus’ love…which has already sealed our fate through the Holy Spirit. We are God’s children!

What love!

Ok, at this point can I say that I feel like I’ve never read Romans before? I’ve read it many times before, but the ENTIRE book seems like it is new to me. God is so good to speak and reveal Himself…what love! Enough of that though, got to get to the latest musings…


Romans 8:33-34: Selah…that’s Hebrew for “Stop, pause, meditate, let the enormity of what was just said sink in.” And after reading these verses, that is so what you have to do! Because the One with the right, the One who deserves to judge, condemn, forsake and destroy me has raised me up on the same level as His Son, so I am His son as well. And Jesus doesn’t forsake me, but is next to God pleading for my miserable soul. He loves me more than I think I’m worth. Me, the lustful, gluttonous, sluggard of a soul that He pleads for with His blood in front of the Father, our King.

What’s greater than love? What’s the word for the next level of love? Because whatever it is, that is what God is showing me. I obviously have no concept of love, because the love I see now is a pale reflection due to the fall. Jesus loves me. He thinks I’m worth pleading to the Judge for. God help me to accept this kind of love…because my mind wants to reject the notion that anyone would or could love me that way. And yet it is the truth! No wonder Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and it will set you free.” Wow. Makes me feel like Tom Cruise shouting, “I want the truth!” And God replies, “You can’t handle the truth, but it will save you anyway.” Brian Littrell puts it this way in his song “Over My Head”:

I’m in over my head, right where I want to be, lost in your love.

 Gotta tell you, it’s a pretty good place to be!