02/20          Romans 12:12-16
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.  13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

VALUE

People count.  All people have real, God-given value.  We are to value everyone we come into contact with.  Treat them the way you want to be treated.  Do not forget to pray for those who mistreat you.  You and I are called to live in harmony and reality.  Jesus is indeed Lord of all things. 

02/19          Romans 12:1-2

1 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. 2 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. 

HOLY

You and I are called to live life as a victorious family member of the Almighty God.  We do not stumble over the sins of the world.  We live in deference to the mighty, not stymied by the evil of the current generation and in fact are very different than the world.  How are we different?  We love one another.  We do not wear different clothes.  We do not look down our nose at the lost-Jesus died for the lost.  We love them.  The call from the Cross is to love one another. 

02/18          Romans 10:13

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” 

YOU

This is directed to you.  If you have called on the name of the Lord you are saved.  You are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.  When you pray, Jesus is there praying with you.  There are NO second-class citizens in the family of God.  I encourage you to pray boldly and live humbly.  Jesus loves you. 

02/17          Romans 10:10-11

10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 

FAITHFUL

God is faithful.  Whosoever calls upon the name of Jesus and openly declares their faith is saved and will never be disgraced.  I don’t know what life will be like after we pass but I do know that Jesus promises to be with us for eternity and the Father says we will never be disgraced as we trust Him for eternal life. 

02/16          Romans 10:5-9

5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

SAVED

Do you believe that you are saved by Jesus?  If you do Jesus declares that you will be saved.  Live in victory.  Stop letting the world get you down.  You belong to the Lord and nothing can separate you from Him. 

02/15          Romans 10:1-4

1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. 

BELIEVE

Believe in Jesus.  Quit trying to figure out your own way.  Ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you of your sin and bring you into His family.  He says that whosoever calls upon His name will be saved.  Jesus is Lord. 

02/14          Proverbs 1:33

33 But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

FEARLESS

How can we lead a fearless life?  Follow the Lord faithfully, get to know Him better and spend time with Him.  He wants to know us.  All kinds of things will come against us but we can prevail in prayer.  Follow the Lord.

02/13          2 Peter 1:4-7

4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.  5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 

LOVE

We are called to love one another.  When we don’t do this we are called to change.  If I do not love then I am outside of the Lord’s plan for my life.  How do I get back on track?  How do I change?  Prayer, time with the Lord and an awareness that His power will guide you to the change that you need to make.  Don’t forget read the Word.  It is alive and there is a message there for you from the Lord Jesus.

02/12          Romans 8:37-39

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING

Remember, nothing can separate you from Christ.  Nothing.  Not your sin, not your foolishness, not forgetfulness, nothing can separate you from Jesus.  When you ask Him into your heart and by faith believe that Jesus has saved you you become His.  Forever. 

02/11          Romans 8:28-31

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 

STRENGTH

In Jesus you have real strength for living.  It doesn’t matter who comes against you, they cannot stop you from serving the Lord.  No more intimidation.  Jesus is able to give you the strength you need to do what you must do to live a Godly life.  Remember, the touchstone for Godliness is love for one another.  If you do not love the brethren you can’t love the Father.