November 12th, 2017
Devotional
“Revival: A Crisis of Faith” - Romans 4: 3-5 and Romans 5: 1-2
Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com
Monday: “Believed” - Romans 4: 3-5
I have said before that one of the places that Christians sometimes struggle in articulating what we believe. Its one of the reasons I think that the creeds are so important. They help us to focus on what we believe.
Scripture, Experience, Reason, and Tradition - the Wesleyan Quadulaterial - can also help us to focus in on what we believe in. How we have experienced God’s grace and mercy in each of our lives. Testimonies can help us share what we believe about God with others.
The Apostle Paul is pointing out to us in this section of Romans, that while it matters what we do in this world, the works that we do in Jesus’s name, it also is foundational to know why we do what we do - as our actions are a reflection of our beliefs.
At camp this past year we shared together the story of Abraham - how he didn’t always go about living into the promise that God made to him in the best way. Sometimes he grew impatient and tried to make the promise come true in his own timing. Other times he acted as if he didn’t believe what God had told him. It took twenty-five years for the promise of God to be fulfilled in his life, but over that period of time he learned to deeply trust God and he learned to believe in God more fully.
What helps you to trust in God?
What do you believe about God and how do your actions reflect these beliefs?
Prayer: Loving God, you have gifted us with so many ways to believe in you and to get to know you. Yet so many times, we ignore your presence and action in our lives because it shows up in unexpected ways. Help us, precious Lord, to trust you more fully and to share our beliefs with others in a meaningful way that reflects your love and your Kingdom. Amen.
Tuesday: “Righteousness” - Romans 4: 3-5
Paul writes that Abraham’s faith was reckoned to him as righteousness Sometimes Paul, and particularly in Romans, use wording that is unfamiliar to us today. When Paul is writing to the church in Rome, he is speaking about the Greek understanding of righteousness, which is speaking of right relationship to others - in this particular case, God. Righteousness is often contrasted against wickedness, or the ways we act that doesn’t reflect God’s goodness and glory.
Abraham was considered faithful and righteous because of his trust in the covenant that God made with him. Abraham showed his trust in God through his obedience of being able to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham believed so fully in God that he was willing to risk the unthinkable by expressing his faith through action.
Now, we find righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are in right relationship with God because of Christ’s saving work for us on the cross, if we believe in him. While we want to have actions that fully express our belief in Christ, we cannot earn righteousness, as it is a gift given to us by God.
How can you express your gratitude for what Christ has done for you on the cross?
What does righteousness mean to you?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we try to earn our way into heaven. Sometimes we get so focused on the rules of faith that we miss the point of what you have already done for us on the cross. Let us live lives of gratitude, marked by holiness, but let us also never lose sight of your love and grace. Amen.
Wednesday: “Through Our Lord Jesus Christ” - Romans 5: 1-2
On Sunday we talked about living into the tension between wanting to live holy lives that please God and trusting in God’s goodness and grace. In a perfect world, we live into this balance and know that, in the words of Rev. Adam Hamilton, “Out of his great love for us, God has taken the initiative to save and deliver us. Our lives are lived in grateful response.”
Paul is writing to an audience that also struggles between those tensions. On one hand they want to do good works, but need to be careful not to slip into believing that good works can earn them salvation. On the other hand they believe in Jesus Christ, but need to be careful not to think that believing in Jesus Christ gives them a free pass to act however they want.
Paul, therefore, describes the saving act Jesus made on the cross as one that bring us peace with God. And that peace, through grace, gives us the ability to put our full hope in Jesus and boast in the goodness of God through our words and actions!
How does salvation through Jesus Christ bring you peace?
What are some of the ways that you boast in the goodness and grace of God in your daily life?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you this day and every day for the salvation we are offered because of Jesus’s gracious gift towards us on the cross. Let us share that gift with others in such a way that they can come to accept your love in their lives as well. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Thursday: “Live by Faith” - Romans 1:17
I am a planner. I juggle a calendar that has no less than eight different colors on it for places to be and people to see. Yet, I have to balance planning with living in the moment God has gifted me with. Often I pray that each day I live in a way that notices the opportunities that God is giving me and that I respond in a way that honors and glorifies God.
For me, living by faith may mean having a long conversation with someone at a store or taking time to pray for someone who is on my heart and mind. It may mean driving someone unplanned without really knowing why I am going, other then following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Living by faith looks different for each of us. But the apostle Paul writes, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” May we live by faith each and every day.
What does living by faith look like for you?
Prayer: Lord, we seem to have so many people and places competing for our time. We confess that some days it is hard to live by faith. We also confess that sometimes we think that living by faith means that everything needs to be spontaneous, while failing to trust that your Spirit also works in the order and rhythms of our lives. Let us be people who live by faith and allow our faith to witness to others, whenever we may find ourselves. Amen.
Friday: “Work Together for Good” - Romans 8:28
Sometimes, even when we are living by faith, storms arise in our lives. It may be an unexpected diagnosis. Or death. Or divorce. Things that rock us to our very core. Yet, even in the midst of life’s storms God is there.
One of the false beliefs that we can slip into from time to time is that God causes the storms in our lives. More truthfully, we need to claim that God redeems the storms in our lives. God doesn’t always cause bad things to happen to us, but Paul reminds us that God can work all things together for good for those who believe.
Next time a storm is raging in your life, ask how God is present with you in the midst of whatever you may be going through, and invite God to be in control of even the winds and the waves that you face.
How do you often respond to trials in your life?
How can God use storms and trials to draw closer to you?
Prayer: God, help us to trust that you can work all things together for our good, if only we have faith and trust you. They may be simple words, O Lord, but we know that they can be so hard to live into. Help us, we pray. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Revival: The Necessity of Grace ” - Ep 2: 8-10
Family Activity: Talk about faith. What does faith look like in the lives of each person in your family? How can we grow in faith?
No comments:
Post a Comment