Roman’s and Ephesians

Romans 6:23 (NIV) ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life In Christ Jesus our Lord. I am driving down the road yesterday with a good friend of mine and we are having good conversation. Out of the blue I dropped an f bomb …… just one. I was floored and embarrassed. I don't talk that way. I have heard the phrase "out of the mouth the heart speaks" Yeah……. That tasted real good. I have found myself lately dropping a few S!&* bombs in casual conversation with other believers …. Men I respect. Of course I would never curse in front of someone who didn't know me. (I wouldn't want to damage my witness would I?) Even in my men's group we will have some curse words fly around casually. Really makes me wonder about the other sin in my life. I would never say the Lord's name in vain, but in a way isn't that what we are doing when we curse? Are we thinking ……. Oh that curse word was just a little sin. What does the word say? ^8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 john 1.8 NKJ How many times did you sin yesterday? Better yet ….. how many times have you sinned today before you read this devo? Did you curse yesterday? Did you think bad things about the person who cut you off or the person who wouldn't let you in? Were you prideful? Were you judgmental? This is just a small list of what I did yesterday that I didn't confess and get prayed over to be healed. I am sure if I asked the Holy Spirit I would have more revealed to me. Here is the good news. Ephesians 2 4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, NASB

Forgiveness

Who have you not forgiven today? Stop right now and ask Holy Spirit, is there anyone who I hold unforgiveness towards? What name comes to mind right now? That is the name that causes great pain, hurt, anger, resentment, hatred or all of the above in your heart. You may even say "Lord I forgave that person a long time ago" Maybe you cannot even say this person's name. I would venture to say that if the Lord brought that name up that you have not forgiven that person yet, because if you had then the Lord would not have brought that name up ……. Right? So praise God that He did bring a name up and Praise God that He didn't bring a name up.

25 "And whenever you stand praying, qif you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 4But rif you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:25-26 NJKV Matthew 18:34-35 (NKJV)34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother 7his trespasses."

Here is the part that really gets me. If you do not forgive …… You will be turned over to the tormentors. So how does that taste?

Mark 11:25 (NLT)25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.*" 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone* who sins against me? Seven times?" 22 "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!* 18:21-22 NLT That is 490 times if you did that in one day, you would forgive that person every 2.9 minutes over twenty four hours. In one year you would have to forgive that person 1.3 times per day. So forgiveness is a process. Some can forgive immediately and some it takes a while, but you must do it.

Eyes open to the spirit

Decided to read Oswald today, it seems to me that there is a re-accruing theme, and I need to take notice. As I think back over the last three and a half weeks, I have tried to focus on the Lord, but my focus has been elsewhere. I have said it before … going through the motions …. Punching my ticket. You know what I mean. I prayed for 10 minutes and I read for 10 minutes and then I can say I did my quiet time. Have you been there? That always seems to happen when you don't have any vision and no enthusiasm. This is something I have definitely been lacking in. I wake up in the morning and sometimes wonder when I say "yes" do I really mean it? My prayer…. "Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you." 2 Corinthians 6:3-4 (NLT)³ We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. ⁴ In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

It takes Almighty grace to take the next step when there is no vision and no spectator - the next step in devotion, the next step in your study, in your reading, in your kitchen; the next step in your duty, when there is no vision from God, no enthusiasm and no spectator. It takes far more of the grace of God, far more conscious drawing upon God to take that step, than it does to preach the Gospel.

Every Christian has to partake of what was the essence of the Incarnation; he must bring the thing down into flesh and blood actualities and work it out through the finger tips. We flag when there is no vision, no uplift, but just the common round, the trivial task. The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you. Continually get away from pettiness and paltriness of mind and thought out into the thirteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. Oswald Chambers

Count it all joy

So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, steadfast, unmovable, -- Spurgeon it has been an interesting ride …. A sort of test you might say, James says to count it all joy…. He does not say count part of it all joy!

He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts are many. If then, yours be a much tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it--hate the thought. The God, who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end. Spurgeon This is what spoke to me Friday. This the first time I had read in this devo in over a year just nailed me.

"Lovest thou Me?" Then - "Feed My sheep." There is no choice of service, only absolute loyalty to Our Lord's commission; loyalty to what you discern when you are in closest contact with God. Oswald Chambers This is what spoke to me Saturday. As I think about this statement it has dawned on me that He has been speaking ….. I have chosen not to listen or told myself that it was me. I know better than that. I know the Lord's voice …… His whisper. You have to stop for a moment and just listen. I would be lying if I said, I haven't had a "whoa as me attitude. " It is getting better though. Could it be a good thing that I broke my leg? That is a tough one. Could it be a good thing that you lost your job? Or can't find work? Only time will tell. Time to make a choice

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)² My brethren, ^bcount it all joy ^cwhen you fall into various trials, ^3
dknowing that the testing of your faith produces ¹patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ²perfect and complete, lacking nothing.