Our giving and hospitality need to find their roots in our identity as children of God who brought us into His family when we were far from Him.

Everything changes when we are living in the sphere of hope.

When we serve for the wrong reasons, we can find ourselves quickly burned out and disillusioned. However, if we serve the Lord, we are serving the greatest person in the universe who calls us to serve Him, while at the same time, He is serving us.

Paul tells the Roman church that he does not want them to be ignorant regarding God's plan for the Jews and the Gentiles. To understand God's plan for the Jews, we need to have an understanding of covenant as recognised during the times of the Abraham, Issac and Jacob.

Romans 10:16-17 Shows us the importance of faithful and faith-filled reading of the good news about Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon called the Apostle Paul the master of condensation. Paul can take the Gospel message and condense it down to a few great phrases. That is what Paul does here in Romans 10:8-9.

When God brings you into his family, he gives you a new identity in Christ. You receive the family name, the family likeness, and the family love.

Our new freedom in Christ is exemplified as we say yes to the Spirit and no to the flesh. If you invert that order, you will put yourself into a legalism trap. This self-trust will result in a deadly collision of your ego with your weakness.

Our freedom from sin and death is a direct result of God’s no condemnation declaration. There are many ways to avoid sin. I have countless books on breaking habits with many great tips and tools. But the result will not be God’s righteousness, but self-righteousness which according to God is no righteousness. God’s forgiveness and through faith in Jesus must come first, and then will empower us to overcome sin in our lives. Our position of “in Christ” must precede any change in our condition.

Message from Wesley DeVries on November 26, 2017