Abraham, Paul & Aunt Wayne: Romans 3 & 4

Romans 4:3 ……… "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

My husband once told me to, “Start with the end in mind”. I was thinking about that today, and thinking what I want people to say about me when I pass from this earth into my eternal life in Glory. I couldn’t help but laugh at some things I’m sure people would say about me. I’m certain they will say I’m a Southern gal and that I like to talk. Others will say how I love to tell jokes and have fun. There’s actually a lot others could say about me, some of which I don’t care to write here!! However, if there’s one thing that I want others to say about me, it’s that they see Jesus in me, and that maybe they would even consider me a righteous women.

Paul brings up Abraham in chapter 4 of Romans and talks about his faith. I can’t imagine being told at the ripe old age of 100 that I would have a child. That is exactly what happened to Abraham. God said He would make Abraham the father of many nations and Abraham believed. My response to being told that I would have a child at 100 years old would have been more like “Why me Lord?!?!! Are you mad at me Lord? Are you sure Lord? Can I change your mind Lord?” Some righteousness I have!!!

Paul goes to great lengths to talk about our FAITH making us righteous in these chapters, not our works! Paul had studied the Old Testament and God’s law many years before becoming a follower of Christ. He had been taught we should follow the law, but trying to following the law apparently made him conscious of his sin. (Romans 3:20) He realized at some point living perfectly was impossible. As he said in Romans 3:23 and really drove home in Romans 4: 4-18, we are ALL sinners. Christianity is the only religion that believes one is entered into heaved by faith alone. All other religions believe this is accomplished through works. I always like to ask people of other faiths, “How’s that working for ya? Are you living by the law and without sin?” If they say yes, they are lying, and well, that’s a sin!

Now, we should certainly try to keep God’s law and do good works. We are saved by faith FOR works, and not by works. But faith alone is how we can be accredited with righteousness in God’s eyes.

If I look back at the struggles in my life, I don’t think I went to Jesus right from the beginning of the struggle. I don’t remember saying, “OK Lord, whatever you have for me is just fine.” When I moved to San Antonio and didn’t know anyone. I certainly struggled with loneliness, but I was here months before I looked to Jesus for help. When I lost two babies due to miscarriage I certainly looked to Jesus, but not until I talked to my doctors and tried to figure out what was going on and how we could fix the problem. And when God told me I should quit my full time job, well, let’s just say it was silly how I tried to remind Him what my bank account looked like. Where was my faith!?!?!

And then I think about my Aunt Wayne. (Yes, it’s AUNT WAYNE. It’s a Mississippi name. Her full name is Hilda Wayne and we just call her Aunt Wayne for short.) In the last several years she’s lost one child, one grandchild, and her husband. If anyone has had an excuse to be angry with God or to question His ways, it’s my Aunt Wayne. I asked her one day how she does it, “How in the world do you keep that joy in your heart during the mist of such difficult times?” Her answer….. FAITH. She said she has complete faith in God and whatever He has for her was just what she wants because she is confident His plans for her are good. Amazing faith. Faith like that of Abraham.

So how do we get this faith like Abraham, or like Paul, or even like my Aunt Wayne? I think Martha touched on it in her comment from last week. It’s a process. It’s a faith to faith process. After we first believe and begin to trust, our faith grows. But our faith grows when only we make strides to make it grow. I have faith in my husband, that he will take care of me and he will love me until the day he dies. However, I didn’t just get that after I figured out I loved him. It took spending time with him, getting to know him, sharing my thoughts with him, and being his friend before I would trust him with being my husband. I think it’s the same with God. We believe a little, and then as we read the bible and go to church, our faith grows. And then we go through hard times, and our faith grows a little more. Some faith builders are fun, some… well… some not so much.

I know my faith is growing each day. I’ve certainly learned to go to God first when there’s a problem and to trust Him. I’ve not perfected that, but I’ve gotten better at it. But as I was finishing my reading last night, I read back through Romans 3 and 4 and saw this verse:
Romans 3:3-4 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Praise God!!! God is faithful even when we’re not!

• What are Romans 3 and 4 saying to you?
  
• Is your faith increasing? If so, how?
  
• Have you taken a risk for faith lately?

Post your comments by clicking below or email them to me at: stephieb@swbell.net

A Changed Life and Encouraging Each Other - Romans 1 & 2

It's hard to think about the book of Romans without thinking about Paul, the author. What an amazing testimony he had! Acts 9 tells us he was on his way to Damascus to kill followers of Christ when a bright light appeared and he heard a voice saying, "Why do you persecute me?". It was Jesus speaking to him. That moment changed Paul's life and purpose forever.

Paul's original mission was based on his life's education, what he'd learned from his father, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, and from a Jewish rabbi he studied under. He wasn't just an average, uneducated man. He was a Roman citizen, and a very educated Jew. He was confident in what he had been taught by man. He was taught to follow God's law. But then, he meets Jesus. Not just Jesus, but the resurrected Jesus. Three years later we find Paul headed back to Damascus, but this time to preach the Gospel as a follower of Christ!

What a change!! From killing Christians to preaching the gospel! Most of us, well, hopefully everyone reading this, are not Christian killers. But I hope all of us have had a change in our lives after meeting Jesus. And not just a change, but a redirection. Is your life different with Jesus?

As we begin reading Romans, we see Paul has given us so much information. There are so many things we could address, but I think for me God is saying, "Let's do a heart check." I read Romans 1:17, and wondered - am I really living by faith? I read Romans 2:8 and thought about my heart. Are my actions self seeking or truth seeking? And then there's Romans 2:28-29. Do I try to follow God's law because that's what you're suppose to do, or because my heart is being circumcised(changed) by the Holy Spirit?

What about you? What do you think the Lord is saying to you in Romans 1 & 2? Please click on the comment box below and sign in to post your comment, or email me your comment (stephieb@swbell.net) and I'll post it for you. I want to hear from you. Romans 1:12 "I'm eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other."

Romans Beauty Treatment To Begin Soon!

Ahhh...Summer. A little more relaxed. A little more time with the ones I love. There's a lot to enjoy during the summer...swimming, the beach, vacations. One thing I don't enjoy during the summer is getting away from my typical Bible study routine. Each summer, I always make a commitment to study the Bible, but it never works out like I plan. It's easy for us moms to get caught up in entertaining and caring for our families, so much so that we forget about caring for ourselves! OK, so now you're probably saying, "How does bible study relate to caring for myself?!??!!" Well, Bible study is the best way we can care for ourselves. It can put more glow on your face than any Avon, Mary Kay, or Cover Girl product. I'm convinced that it is even better than exercise. (1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”) I look better when I have a good dose of the Bible. AND, I act better when I've had a good dose of the Bible. (I can hear my husband saying, "Amen to that!" HA!)

So what about you? What are your summer Bible study plans? Why don't we hold each other accountable for staying in God's Word this summer?

I'm making a commitment today. I'm going to read and study the book of Romans this summer. I've read this book before, but I want to go back through it again... a little deeper...think about it a little more. Starting Monday, June 15th, I will post my thoughts and findings on 2 chapters of Romans a week. I would love it if you would let me know your thoughts and findings too. Comment back or shoot me an email. (stephieb@swbell.net) Just think how beautiful we will be by the end of the summer if we do this!!

The Wal-mart Commercial

Last night and this morning I saw a Wal-mart commercial that reminded me that the kids are getting out of school soon and summer time is here. It said in the commercial "It's summer. Our kids are ours again." I'm so excited about that. I love that I can sleep past 5:30 am during the summer. I love that I don't have to hear my kids saying "do we have to get up" each day. I love taking them to the library and to the movies. I love the time I get to spend with them during the summer. It's a lot more work for me, but the pay is good. I get all the hugs and kisses I can ask for!

The bible says that children are a gift from the Lord. Since I lost two babies before I had Leanna eight years ago, I can tell you that is so true. What a precious gift my kids are to me! But in all this excitement about summer, I also realized that I have a lot of responsibility this summer. After all, my kids will learn from me all summer. Eating habits, exercise habits, bible study habits, dealing with relationships...all these things my kids are learning from me. YIKES! If that doesn't freak a parent out I don't know what will!! HA! I'm so imperfect. I have so many faults. Boy, do I need Jesus' help. I don't want to mess up the gifts He gave me!

I'm sure in August I'll be saying, "WHEN DOES SCHOOL START!", but until then I'm going to enjoy my kids, and the work that goes along with them. I'm going to pray each day for Jesus to help me teach my kids the right way to live. I'm going to eat broccoli in front of them and tell them it's good. I'm going to go bike riding with them and tell them how important it is that we get outside and get moving. And I'm certainly going to study the bible with them and in front of them so they will see how important the bible is to their mom.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Jesus, help me to teach my kids Your ways and NOT mine!

Fear Not!

Fear is running rampart across the United States. The economy is a mess. I hear "I'm scared I will lose my job", or, "I think my retirement money is going down the drain". And then there's this swine flu. "What should we do?!?!?" people are saying. What a mess. Everywhere I look there is fear. Honestly, I think fear is what we need to address right now, especially for Christians.

What does our bible tell us? Isaiah 41:10 commands "do not be afraid", and reminds us that God is with us. Psalm 91 says if the Lord is the Lord of our life, He will send His angels to watch over us. Proverbs 1:33 says "whoever listens to me will live in safety". Well, PRAISE GOD! This is some good medicine for the fear epidemic.

Now, this is not to say we should ignore what is going on in our world today. The bible also says we should plan well. We should do the right thing to save for retirement. We should also do the right things to make sure we stay away from the swine flu. We should do what we can, and then pray about the rest. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us to pray about everything and don't worry. If we do this, we will have peace...godly peace.

Jesus said He did not give us a spirit of fear.

Satan uses fear to rob us from joy, to steal our happiness.

What will we do when we are afraid? What will we do if all our savings are depleted and this flu shows up in our home? We'll I'm certain I'm going to keep trusting Jesus. I'm going to see investment specialist or doctors, whatever is needed. And I'm going to pray!

Jesus, help me to keep my eyes focused on YOU and Your Word and not what the world is telling me!

Believing God

I am so encouraged. I love reading stories about atheist that start trying to disprove Christ and Christianity, and then in the process become Christians. While doing my Bible study this week, I read about John Clayton who is a scientist and former second-generation atheists. He came to believe in God while attemptiong to disprove the Bible. I love hearing these stories of people searching to discredit Christianity but then realizing the only rational thing to do after studying history is to believe in Christ. So cool. This is the same thing that happened to former atheist, Lee Strobel. Lee has actually the author of 2 of my most favorite books, The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. These are must read books for people that are Christians, and for those that are not. It's really neat information.

One thing I picked up from John Clayton's story was that he was taught by his parents that Christians weren't rational and church was silly. I couldn't help but wonder that what if Christian parents taught not only the Bible to their kids, but also taught their kids about the history that backs the bible. What if Christian kids going into college and leaving their homes for the first time knew that Jesus was Lord, not just because they were born again (which is very important!!), but also because it was simply historically accurate. How much stronger would their faith be when they were tested in the world? How many would turn from their faith? How many would tell others about their faith?

He is risen!

Matthew 28:5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

1 Cor. 15:55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

This is an excellent week for me to be celebrating Easter. It seems as though I'm surrounded by the thoughts of death. As I type these words, 2 of my uncles lay on what appears to be at this time their death beds. My heart breaks for my aunts and my cousins.

And there's been illness in my family. My mother in law is having more problems with her liver. Bless her. She's never experienced serious health issues and this has us all wondering what the Lord has for us next.

And then there's Oakley. Oakley is our 13 year old lab. I became his mom when I married Dean over 10 years ago. He has liver cancer and is not doing well. He's such a wonderful pet. He's smart and loves us all so much. It tough to watch him go through this.

It would be so easy for me to be down this week. But God keeps reminding me what this week is all about. CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD! He did. He really, really did. He paid for our sins. For my sins. For my uncle's sins. For everyone's sins. All we have to do is accept His GIFT to us and follow Him. Isn't that amazing?!?!?! And he doesn't care when you accept the gift....as a child or on your death bed...it doesn't matter. You just have to accept it. Amazing. Amazing love. Amazing grace.

Death, where is your sting? Oh, I believe my Savior took it away!!!!

Praise you Father!