2 Corinthians 4:6-11

Life is a gift, but this life is not all that there is, we have the gift of eternal life if we are followers of Christ.  But “we have this treasure in jars of clay” or in other words we have weakness and brokenness that we must deal with on the road to Heaven.  And in our weakness our Father’s strength shines through and upholds us.  We have a hope and a future if we have the eyes to see it!

Romans 15:8-13

Getting served has many meanings in modern culture, many of which are negative in context, such as being served legally or being called out or put on notice.  Some might think of serving someone as getting even or getting revenge for a perceived wrong.  However Jesus served us in another way, he provided forgiveness, mercy and a covenant where punishment was deserved.  Jesus fulfilled the promises of the prophets.  He submitted Himself to suffering and humiliation for our sake,  Jesus gave us the opportunity of pardon from judgement and ultimately the complete forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus showed us what service truly means.  Will you accept His offer?

Romans 15:5-13

As we live in this world do we say “so help me God?”  Is this how we approach our lives?  God gives and provides for us, it is not by our own achievement that we find life and success.  The “us vs them” mentality is not His will for us, instead He provides everything we need to live in love.  It is only by God’s power that we can be filled with joy and peace so that we can overflow with hope.  We are meant to be the ones that stand in the gap for a hurting world around us.  Without God’s help we will be disappointed in this pursuit and will look only to ourselves.  Live in love and mean it.  Ask for God’s help in this.

Romans 15:1-4

We should choose love instead of condemnation for those who have had an abortion.  Our purpose should be to bring hope to those who are considering an abortion.  We should consider our own response to crisis in our lives so that we can gain perspective and have empathy.  Are we hopeless when we face crisis?  Do we act as if there is no God?  Words of hope and the miracle of God’s gift of life applies to each of us.  We are precious to Him.  We must take God’s hope for us to heart so that we can faithfully give it away.

Romans 14:1-15:7

What role do you play on God’s team?  Knowing where and how God would have you play a part in His game plan is critical to developing a winning team (Being effective as Christ’s disciples).  Do what you do for the Lord, who is concerned with your hearts and the way you go about our faith, not only the actions you take.  Be accepting of weaker players and give them space to grow, showing them love and encouragement.  Do everything in your power to better your teammates.  Jesus was the ultimate teammate, although He was free of sin and without fault, He still accepted us in our weakness and in full view of our shortcomings.

How you play is determined by what you are striving to win.  Do you seek recognition and praise from your peers?  Or are you looking to please your coach, to bend your knee to His direction, and to recognize you can’t see the full picture?

Romans 14:1-12

Be mindful of others and live as for the Lord.  Do not judge others, rather talk about your concerns and show mercy.  We all stand equal before God and He is our judge, the only one capable of this difficult task.  He knows our hearts and our intentions.  Instead we are to be a different community, a different people.  A people of love and compassion, a different kingdom.

Romans 13:8-14

We are called to love people and do right by them.  We are to leave no debt outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another.  We are to speak the truth in love and to value and respect each other.  Yet we are to go beyond this, we are to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us.  We are to set an example of love for the world by following Jesus example.  To love means to be vulnerable yet this is what is asked of us.

Romans 13:8-14

What is the next step that God would have you take?  When we stop and think about our next steps we should take time to reflect on where we have come from and were we are going.  However we should not live in the past or be anxious about the future.  God is still at work in this world and what we perceive is not the whole of our story.  He is doing a new work in us and in this world we live in.

John 3:16-17

He gave His only son.  God wants us to be saved, not condemned.  We celebrate the wonder that God would take on human flesh, come down to the earth, and sacrifice in order to save us.  Jesus came because He loves us.  This is the core truth of our lives in Christ, it affects how we live and how we perceive the world around us.  The incarnation of Christ changes everything.

Philippians 4:4

Tidings of great joy, Jesus came to save us.  He came to restore us and renew us.  The fall was the loss of joy as we were alienated from God.  Salvation is the restoration of the joy which we were created for.