Meditate. Do you suffer for the Lord?
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. Romans 3:25-28
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No. We are set free by our faith in Jesus as our Savior…by believing in the salvation that God offers mankind. Just obeying God’s law or by doing good deeds isn’t going to take away our sin…and remember that everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23). We can’t smile enough, genuflect enough, give enough money, time, kindness, works or efforts to get us into Heaven. It is only by the grace of God and our belief in His Son that we will ever see Heaven—and God will open the gates wide for those who believe.
Once again, we
realize that God shows no favorites—no partiality (Deuteronomy 10:17) and as
Paul writes here that includes people throughout time, even before Jesus came
to earth. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus has our
back…He is our advocate before the Father. Additionally, Jesus told His disciples…and
us…that the Holy Spirit would also be our advocate. It is so terrific to know
that we have such encouragers and supporters standing up for us. God can surely
see that we are purified by the blood of Jesus…and recognize us as His children—adopted
into His very family.
My dear children, I am writing this to
you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who
pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly
righteous. 1 John 2:1
And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. John 14:16
May God's glory be new every morning.
Morning Glories
Jerusalem, Israel
Share in Christ's glory--Share in His suffering.
So you have not received a spirit that
makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted
you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit
joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are
his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of
God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Romans 8:15-17
So, as children of God—sharing in glory with Christ—brace yourself. Paul tells us that we will have to share in his suffering. Is your love for the Lord, your relationship with Him, your hope of eternity in Heaven, worth suffering for alongside of Christ? How will we have to suffer? Consider the Christians around the world who are suffering persecution right now. Thousands…perhaps millions…of Christians experience oppression, torment, harassment, discrimination, and execution daily. Search the internet for details of persecution, but be sure to have a tissue handy. Life is not easy for these dear brothers and sisters in Christ…and it will bring tears to your eyes. Pray. Pray for the persecuted church.
Prayer ~ Lord God, in Your mercy please give strength and hope to those brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering persecution. Help us to be prepared…to stand up for Christ…and to endure any persecution with which we are faced. I praise You, Jesus. You are worthy of any suffering.
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