1 Peter 1:1-11 (New Living Translation)
The Hope of Eternal Life
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
Mike's Thoughts:
Hope is a great word. More often than not, it is a guaranteed thing in the bible. It's not a wish for things to come. When God gives you hope for eternal life, he isn't saying you can wish for it and it may come true. He is saying you are in. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can believe and know we have a hope of salvation. However, God still calls us to live by faith. He gives us a hope that we WILL be in heaven on day. But he calls us to live out that hope. Verses 8 and 9 give us an indication of what it means to live it out: To love him and live out that love, which is to trust him. When we do that, we will have an inexpressible joy and salvation of our souls.
Prayer:
God, thanks for loving us. Thanks for not making us wonder if we can be in heaven. Thanks for making it clear that if we trust you we WILL be in heaven with you one day. Help us to trust you. Help us to connect with you, your spirit, and your people so that we can live out that life.--amen
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Day 27 -- I am a sinner...
1 John 1
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Mike's Thoughts:
The past 26 readings have all been pointing to this: God wants to walk with you. John actually walked with Jesus. He was a first hand eyewitness. The rest of 1John is dedicated to how we can and should walk with God. He calls us to walk in the light. We know we can't do that perfectly, that is why Jesus came. God needs us to acknowledge that we sin. Not so he can punish us, but so we can accept God's grace. Jesus didn't just come to wash our sins. He came so that we could be connected and walk with God. Forgiveness of sins was needed so that we could do just that.
Prayer:
God, Thanks for the removal of sin from my soul. Thanks that even though my mind and body has committed sin you have removed the stain of sin from my soul. Thanks that I can connect and even walk with you. Help me to focus on walking in the light. Help me to acknowledge when I sin, and at the same time accept the forgiveness. Help me to see the life with you that I can live.--amen
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Mike's Thoughts:
The past 26 readings have all been pointing to this: God wants to walk with you. John actually walked with Jesus. He was a first hand eyewitness. The rest of 1John is dedicated to how we can and should walk with God. He calls us to walk in the light. We know we can't do that perfectly, that is why Jesus came. God needs us to acknowledge that we sin. Not so he can punish us, but so we can accept God's grace. Jesus didn't just come to wash our sins. He came so that we could be connected and walk with God. Forgiveness of sins was needed so that we could do just that.
Prayer:
God, Thanks for the removal of sin from my soul. Thanks that even though my mind and body has committed sin you have removed the stain of sin from my soul. Thanks that I can connect and even walk with you. Help me to focus on walking in the light. Help me to acknowledge when I sin, and at the same time accept the forgiveness. Help me to see the life with you that I can live.--amen
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Day 26 -- Taking the mystery out of life
Romans 12:1-2
A Living Sacrifice to God
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.
Mike's Thoughts:
It's a question people start asking from about high school and continue asking until they retire, or even die. It's the answer that we are searching for and never seem to find. At the same time, the answer is easy. But we make it hard. We make it hard because the answer is too easy. We want the answer to be something that is tailored to us. The question is found at the end of the reading: "God's will for you". What is God's will for you? Whatever it is, the reading says it's good and pleasing and perfect. We think it's wrapped in our jobs, where we go to college, who we marry or if we will even have any of these things. God has called us to focus on something different. At the beginning he has called us to focus on giving our whole lives to God. I think we will find his will if we ask this question in every aspect of our lives: "How can I live for God in this situation?"
Prayer:
God, thanks that your will isn't a mystery. Thanks that we can know you and your will for us. Thanks that we don't have to go around wondering what you want from us. Help us to accept that your will for us is found in living for you. Help us to live for you and see where your will comes out. --amen
A Living Sacrifice to God
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.
Mike's Thoughts:
It's a question people start asking from about high school and continue asking until they retire, or even die. It's the answer that we are searching for and never seem to find. At the same time, the answer is easy. But we make it hard. We make it hard because the answer is too easy. We want the answer to be something that is tailored to us. The question is found at the end of the reading: "God's will for you". What is God's will for you? Whatever it is, the reading says it's good and pleasing and perfect. We think it's wrapped in our jobs, where we go to college, who we marry or if we will even have any of these things. God has called us to focus on something different. At the beginning he has called us to focus on giving our whole lives to God. I think we will find his will if we ask this question in every aspect of our lives: "How can I live for God in this situation?"
Prayer:
God, thanks that your will isn't a mystery. Thanks that we can know you and your will for us. Thanks that we don't have to go around wondering what you want from us. Help us to accept that your will for us is found in living for you. Help us to live for you and see where your will comes out. --amen
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 25 –It’s over.... I win.....
Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. God sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 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.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 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.
Mike's Thoughts:
Do you find yourself thinking about spiritual things? Or do you find yourself thinking more about the "flesh", things your body desires that aren't good for the spirit? God didn't just come to give us a home in heaven, he came to help us defeat sin. Because of sin (Adam), our bodies will die. Because of Jesus, our spirits will live. The problem with most of us, is that we act like we have this flesh side of us that always wins. We feel defeated. Jesus died so you don't have to feel that way. The question for you is, do you live by the spirit or by the flesh? We didn't earn the spirit. It was given to us by Jesus. But do we use it? Do we think about it? Do we live for it? Do we try to listen to it? Remember the spirit is in us and is a part of us like any other bodily organ. The same way we listen to our heart when we are scared, we can listen to the spirit when we are tempted by the flesh. Rather than focus on our weakness and the things we struggle with, what about focusing on the power Jesus put in us when we became Christians and were baptized and gave our lives totally over to him?
Prayer:
God, thanks for the Spirit that gives us life. Thanks that I don't have to focus on my weakness and fleshly desires. Thanks that I can live for you and not me. Help me to hear your spirit and listen to your desires for me. Help me to see the difference between what is flesh and what is spirit. --amen
Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. God sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 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.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 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.
Mike's Thoughts:
Do you find yourself thinking about spiritual things? Or do you find yourself thinking more about the "flesh", things your body desires that aren't good for the spirit? God didn't just come to give us a home in heaven, he came to help us defeat sin. Because of sin (Adam), our bodies will die. Because of Jesus, our spirits will live. The problem with most of us, is that we act like we have this flesh side of us that always wins. We feel defeated. Jesus died so you don't have to feel that way. The question for you is, do you live by the spirit or by the flesh? We didn't earn the spirit. It was given to us by Jesus. But do we use it? Do we think about it? Do we live for it? Do we try to listen to it? Remember the spirit is in us and is a part of us like any other bodily organ. The same way we listen to our heart when we are scared, we can listen to the spirit when we are tempted by the flesh. Rather than focus on our weakness and the things we struggle with, what about focusing on the power Jesus put in us when we became Christians and were baptized and gave our lives totally over to him?
Prayer:
God, thanks for the Spirit that gives us life. Thanks that I don't have to focus on my weakness and fleshly desires. Thanks that I can live for you and not me. Help me to hear your spirit and listen to your desires for me. Help me to see the difference between what is flesh and what is spirit. --amen
Monday, March 16, 2009
Day 24 -- Beautiful contrast
Romans 5:12-21 (New Living Translation)
Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mike's Thoughts:
Some things go together. Peanut butter and jelly, Salt and pepper, Mike and Andria, Adam and Jesus. It's important to put Adam and Jesus together. When we put them together we get the beautiful contrast and a color picture of the significant roles they played. Through Adam, all men must die; but through Jesus, all men can live. Through Adam, all men are cursed; but through Jesus, all men are blessed. When people ask “Why did Jesus have to come to earth?” the answer is Adam. When people wonder how the life of one man could save the people, the answer is Adam. Because one man brought death, another man had to bring life.
Prayer:
God, thanks that you made up for Adam's failures. Thanks that you didn't make us live out his mistake. Thanks that we can spend eternity with you. Help us to stay focused on your love for us and how that love positions us for eternity. --amen
Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mike's Thoughts:
Some things go together. Peanut butter and jelly, Salt and pepper, Mike and Andria, Adam and Jesus. It's important to put Adam and Jesus together. When we put them together we get the beautiful contrast and a color picture of the significant roles they played. Through Adam, all men must die; but through Jesus, all men can live. Through Adam, all men are cursed; but through Jesus, all men are blessed. When people ask “Why did Jesus have to come to earth?” the answer is Adam. When people wonder how the life of one man could save the people, the answer is Adam. Because one man brought death, another man had to bring life.
Prayer:
God, thanks that you made up for Adam's failures. Thanks that you didn't make us live out his mistake. Thanks that we can spend eternity with you. Help us to stay focused on your love for us and how that love positions us for eternity. --amen
Friday, March 13, 2009
Day 23 --Heaven is full of sinners
Romans 3:9-26 (New Living Translation)
All People Are Sinners
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous— not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless.
No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 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, 26 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.
Mike's Thoughts:
There are a few things God cannot do: 1. He cannot lie. 2. He cannot be around sin. The bible says that there is NO darkness in him AT ALL. No matter how good we are there is still a gap of righteous between us and God. The gap may not be that big, but there is still a gap. No matter how big or small we envision the gap to be, it's enough to where God can't be around it. But God still desires to be with us. He created us so that he can be with us. Only God could solve that tension. We couldn't do it on our own. Jesus came to fill the gap. He filled it by making us right and declaring us free of sin.
Prayer:
God, You are good and great. Your love for us is bigger than we can imagine. Thanks that you are our God. Thanks for making us right. Thanks that no matter the size of our gap, you have filled it. Thanks that you let your love for us fill the gap. Thanks that you didn't let our sin come between you and us. --amen
All People Are Sinners
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous— not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless.
No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 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, 26 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.
Mike's Thoughts:
There are a few things God cannot do: 1. He cannot lie. 2. He cannot be around sin. The bible says that there is NO darkness in him AT ALL. No matter how good we are there is still a gap of righteous between us and God. The gap may not be that big, but there is still a gap. No matter how big or small we envision the gap to be, it's enough to where God can't be around it. But God still desires to be with us. He created us so that he can be with us. Only God could solve that tension. We couldn't do it on our own. Jesus came to fill the gap. He filled it by making us right and declaring us free of sin.
Prayer:
God, You are good and great. Your love for us is bigger than we can imagine. Thanks that you are our God. Thanks for making us right. Thanks that no matter the size of our gap, you have filled it. Thanks that you let your love for us fill the gap. Thanks that you didn't let our sin come between you and us. --amen
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Day 22 –You’re in or you’re out, you’re up or you’re down
Romans 2:5-11 (New Living Translation)
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
Mike's Thoughts:
Many people think God is complicated. They aren't sure of what his will is, or what he wants from them. I actually think it's pretty simple. In this passage, God talks in simple, direct to the point language. 1. We will all be judged. 2. If you live for God (not perfection) you will experience his eternal life. 3. If you live for yourself you will experience his wrath. 4. Everyone will be judged the same.
Many people want to read the bible and make it say something it was never intended to say. Others will read it in light of what they have been told in the past and try to apply that to the truth they are now reading. If you read it for what it is, you will see it in a different light.
Prayer:
God, thanks for giving us your word. Thanks that we have direction to live this life and live it for you. Help us to understand it and remember it. Help us to apply it and live for it. --amen
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
Mike's Thoughts:
Many people think God is complicated. They aren't sure of what his will is, or what he wants from them. I actually think it's pretty simple. In this passage, God talks in simple, direct to the point language. 1. We will all be judged. 2. If you live for God (not perfection) you will experience his eternal life. 3. If you live for yourself you will experience his wrath. 4. Everyone will be judged the same.
Many people want to read the bible and make it say something it was never intended to say. Others will read it in light of what they have been told in the past and try to apply that to the truth they are now reading. If you read it for what it is, you will see it in a different light.
Prayer:
God, thanks for giving us your word. Thanks that we have direction to live this life and live it for you. Help us to understand it and remember it. Help us to apply it and live for it. --amen
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