The Daily Dose

Abundant grace

“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,”   Romans 5:20

Let’s talk about sin for a minute.  There is no complex definition.  It is simply falling short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23)  It is a condition we were born into because of the choice Adam and Eve made in the garden.  I know we like to think we don’t sin unless we break one of the big 10 (the Ten Commandments). But the reality is there were over 600 commandments given to Moses in the wilderness.  Well, this verse says that the law was given to make the offense abundant or more obvious.  In this way it is completely evident that we need to receive our Savior through God’s grace for the law to be fulfilled.  Without Jesus this is impossible.

The next part of the verse is utterly amazing!  It says that where there is an abundance or an overwhelming amount of sin, there is so much more grace available.  The definition of grace is having all sufficiently in all things and having it in abundance for every good work. (2 Cor. 9:8)  So we can conclude from this passage that by receiving God’s infinite grace, it makes up the difference of where we fall short from God.  Grace is God’s divine empowerment to complete His plan for your life regardless of the fallen world we live in. Glory to God!  His grace fills in all the places we are lacking.  Truthfully, I cannot put into words the greatness of God’s grace.  It is so much bigger than could ever be explained in our earthly language. Therefore, my final thought for you to consider would be: God’s grace is like a tidal wave, crashing over me, rushing in to meet me right where I am and filling in all the gaps where I lack in ability.

Today I want to encourage you to take some time to consider and ponder the grace of God.  How is it different than His love?  Then when you get some revelation about it, think even bigger.  God’s grace is eternal and without end!  No matter how big you can think, it is still bigger yet!

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 5:12-21

God loves sinners

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

God’s love.  It is unending, unlimited and unshakable.  Why does He want anything to do with me anyway?  Is it because I’m a good person?  No, I know that is not the reason, because I once was a bad person and He loved me then.  Is it because I go to church now and try to do good things?  No, because He still loved me after I’ve done bad things, too.  The truth is God’s love has nothing to do with something I have done or something any of us has done, for that matter.  It’s all about what He has done.  The first thing He did was make us in His image.  He created us (people) to be His family.  All people.  Next, He made a way to get His family/people back to Himself after we were separated from Him by sin.  What was that way?  The blood of Jesus.  Now, He can receive us back into a relationship with Him through our accepting Jesus and returning God’s love back to Him.

Today’s verse says God showed how much He loves us by giving Jesus as the payment for sin . . . Not after we received Him, but while we were still sinners.  So today, God doesn’t love me because I’m a Christian.  He loved me before I was a Christian, when I was still lost and without a Savior.  Jesus didn’t die for Christians, He died for sinners. The reason why He died for sinners was because God loved them then and He still loves sinners today.  It doesn’t matter how many good things you do; you cannot make God love you anymore than He already does.  Likewise, it doesn’t matter how many bad things you do, you cannot make God love you any less.  God loves people . . . all people!!  The difference between you, me, and the rest of the world is that we love Him back.  We decide each day to have a relationship with Him.  We decide each day that we are going to spend time talking and listening to Him and His Word.  We are the ones that decide that we are going to take the time to get to know God and His love for us.  It is up to us now if we are going to have a relationship with God.  If it were up to God, He would save the whole world, that’s why Jesus died for the whole world. (John 3:16) Jesus died for the whole world, but only some choose to accept His salvation.  However, God wants all His people back because He loves them all, even while they are still lost in their sin!

Today I want to encourage you to consider that there’s nothing you can do to make God love you more than He already does right now.  However, there is something you can do to be closer to Him.  You can spend time with Him, talking to Him, and including Him in your everyday life.  You can hang out with Him more each day and then share His love with other people that God wants to have a relationship with, and that’s everyone!

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 5:6-11

Peace with God

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1

Peace with God!  What a wonderful promise!  Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into peace with our Father for all eternity.  This peace is where true freedom is.  It wasn’t always that way.  I don’t know if you have ever read the old testament, but before Jesus came there were some times that God was not so peaceful.  Times with Moses and his leading the people through the wilderness.  Many times, God was angry at their unbelieve.  Other times written in the prophets when God warned of Israel’s captivity because they refused to do thing in the way of righteousness.  Then there were time that His anger rose up against foreign kings and leaders.  Certainly times that I am thankful not to have witnessed.

Today we are witnesses of God’s goodness.  He poured out all His wrath on Jesus at the cross, so we no long have to face that day of judgement.  Instead, verse 2 says we have access to His grace at all times.  I am so thankful. What a wonderful Father we have

Lastly, verse 5 says that God’s love has been poured into our hearts so that we can love others with it.  When you get around others that are not so lovable, just remember that you can draw on God’s supernatural love to love them with.

Today I want to encourage you to thank God for the peace He has provided through Jesus.  Thank Him for the grace and goodness He gives us through faith to talk to Him at any time.  Then thank Him that He has poured out His very own supernatural love into your heart to love others with.  Lastly, love other with it.  Let you witness be one of God’s peace goodness/grace and love to tell those in your world what true freedom is.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 5:1-5

Faith or fear

“(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed (that is) God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;”   Romans 4:17

Have you ever heard someone say or maybe you have said it yourself, “I’m afraid ____________ is going to happen.”  Maybe it’s something like cold weather or rain.  Maybe something a little more personal and serious like sickness or even disease.  Maybe it’s something you’re afraid for yourself or for someone else, but here’s the thing, when you speak the things you are afraid of (whether you are actually afraid or just considering) you are actually giving life to them. Speaking words puts your breath/life behind them.

Today’s scripture is about Abraham and how God made him the father of many nations long before he even had one child.  God made the promise to Abraham and then Abraham believed it and began speaking it.   Abraham didn’t go around saying, “God said it would happen but I’m afraid we just can’t have children or a whole nation.”  Abraham believed God and so he began to speak what God promised him.  In fact,  as we talked about yesterday, the scriptures says that Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Abraham not only believed God, but he showed his belief by speaking what God had promised.  God changed his name from Abram to Abraham which literally meant “father of nations.”  He didn’t go around saying I can’t call myself Abraham because I am not a father of nations yet.  He took the promise of God and gave life to it by speaking it every time he said his own name.  It grew so big in him until one day he believed it so much that it opened the door for God to come in and do a miracle.

Here’s the point . . . We today can speak what we fear or what we believe.  It is up to us to give “voice” to the promises of God both from His Word and from His Spirit.  We cannot be intimidated by the world’s philosophy of speaking doubt and unbelief.  We must take our stand on the Word of God for it to become evident in our lives.  This also applies to our current circumstances. God and His Word (Jesus) are more real than any circumstance but we cannot continue to agree with the seen, temporary, present things. (2 Corinthians 4:8)  We have to ask God for the wisdom to speak what He is about to do in the situation, the changes He is going to make, and then speak the promises that He gives us.  2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.”  Now is when we make the decision, “do I speak what I see and what I fear the outcome will be or do I speak and agree with what God sees the outcome can be if I trust Him?”  The choice is up to you.

Today I encourage you to consider your words over your circumstances.  Pay attention to the words you are saying over the details of your life and over the struggles of your life.  Consider if you are agreeing with your circumstances or if you are agreeing with God and His Word on every level.  Here’s the thing, you are saying something anyway that probably hasn’t happened yet, why not take the God side of the issue and say His Word over it instead of the fear side?  Not only will His Words bring peace of mind, they will bring the results you desire for all the concerns surrounding your life.

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 4:13-25

Put in on your account

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Romans 4:3

In yesterday’s Dose, we read that there are none righteous, not even one.  It was discussed that you cannot do or be enough to make yourself righteous or in right standing with God.  Today’s reading in chapter 4 of Romans reinforces that thought in verse 2.  It says if Abraham was justified by his works, then he would have something to boast about. And then in verse 4 it says to him who does works for their salvation it is counted as a debt to them not as God’s grace.  The conclusion?  God’s grace is better.  In fact, it is the only way.

Todays key verse says that all Abraham did was believe what God told him.  Because he believed, righteousness was put on his account.  That righteousness cancelled the debt of sin that was formally on his account.  Now his relationship with God was in right standing.  James 2:23 actually says that Abraham was called God’s friend.  That is quite an honor, and all he did was believe what God said by speaking it over his life and in the life of others.

That is the same thing we are called to do today.  We are to believe God.  We believe His Word and every promise He made to us in it.  We believe that He sent Jesus into the world to pay the price for sin and we accept His payment to receive our salvation.  We believe God wants us to share His love with those around us so they can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus so we share that love with all.  We believe God has a purpose and plan for our lives and we talk to Him each day to get the direction He would lead.  The list is endless.  The fact is, we believe more each day as we spend quiet time with God and His living Word.

Today I want to encourage you to believe God and the promises He has given you in His Word and it will be put on your account as righteousness. Take time to read and learn what His promises are each day. Receive His loving salvation through Jesus and then believe it enough to tell others about it.  Believe He has given you gifts and abilities to use to draw others to Himself and then use them in that capacity.  If you are not sure today what you believe, take a look at your actions and you will know exactly what is in your heart.  Your actions always demonstrate what you believe in your heart.  If you actually believe that God loves all people and wants you to share His love with others, your actions will demonstrated that love on every level.  If your actions are all self focused then what you really believe is that you have to take care of #1.  Believe God and His Word today and it will be accounted to your as righteousness too.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 4:1-12

Not even one

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:10

This is the leveling ground.  No matter how rich or poor you are.  No matter how beautiful or unattractive you are and no matter how smart or uneducated you are, you cannot get to God on your own.  Even if you are the richest, most gorgeous and most intelligent person in the whole earth, you still need Jesus.

The only way to connect with our righteous Father is to become righteous.  No person can accomplish righteousness on their own.  Isaiah 64:6 says: We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags;  We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities are like the wind taking us away.  Righteousness simply defined is in right standing with God or Father.  No one can have a relationship with the Father in themselves because His perfection and holiness cannot accept anything less than perfection in His presence.  Because I sin less than one person does not make me better than them or because I sin more than another person does not make me worse than them.  All have sinned and fallen short of God’s perfection.

In this scenario, we are hopeless and without remedy.  We are destined to spend eternity away from Him by paying the penalty for our crime of unrighteousness.  Thank goodness, God made a way to bridge that gap and put a plan into motion to send us a Savior and Redeemer.  The Lord Jesus came into the world, showed us how to live successfully as a child of God, paid the price for all sin for all time, then went and got the keys to death from His enemy.  He came back to the world, taught His people how to believe for salvation and receive His Spirit and showed them how to tell the whole world about it. Then He ascended into heaven to sit with His Father and Reign as King of kings over His body that is still on the earth.  Now He moves through them to reach more people to come into His eternal Kingdom.  Such an awesome plan!!

Today I want to encourage you to receive His great gift of righteousness through Jesus our Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to become sin for us, so we could become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).  God wanted a relationship with us so much that He sent His only Son to come and pay the price of unrighteousness so that all could choose to receive His righteousness and have a right standing with Him.  If you have never received this gift of righteousness through salvation, pray this prayer today.  Jesus will come into your heart and into your life and make you a new creation.  You will have a connection with your Father in heaven that can never be broken and spend all eternity with Him in glory.

Pray this from your heart:

God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive me for my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new.  I know your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father. I also ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to do the things that You have planned for my life and discover the purpose for my existence in Jesus name, Amen

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 3:9-31

Line it up

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:  “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.” Romans 3:3-4

Wow!  This is so good and certainly a rule that you can live your life by.  Whatever you see and hear in the world can be changed, simply by believing and lining your life up with what God says.  This passage says that whatever God says is true and everything else is changeable. 

Here are some examples of what this looks like.  If God says you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21) then that is the truth.  God does not lie.  If you do not feel like the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then you are the one that needs to change your feelings to line up with what God says about you.  If God’s Word says: You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13), even if you don’t feel like you can, by faith you believe if God said it, it must be true.  Ask Him to empower you with that strength for what you need right now and He will give it to you.  If God’s Word says: do not be anxious about anything, but you are nervous and afraid, then it is up to you to exercise your faith by believing that it is possible.  Start showing you believe His Word by thanking Him for it. 

If you feel like your faith is week, you start standing and believing on Romans 10:17 that faith grows by hearing and hearing the Word of God.  So now you began to speak God’s Word out loud.  As you do, you will actually began to feel your hope growing right in the middle of your crisis.  Here’s the thing, the lies come in our thoughts and even in our circumstances at times, but God’s truth comes when we speak in agreement with what He already said about the situation!!

This happens in my life on a daily basis.  I have doubts, I have disappointments and I have struggles, but when I remember that they are all subject to change simply by putting God’s Word on the situation and then letting Him take care of it.  He will always line up the crisis with the truth of His Words.

Today I want to encourage you to line up every area of your life with the truth of God’s Word.  Every struggle, every obstacle and every dilemma, speak the truth of God’s Word that you want things to line up with.  Then start thanking God for the truth of His Word and that every single thing in the natural world is subject to it.  Let God be true in your life today and every other thought, circumstance and idea be a liar that doesn’t line up with the best that He has for you!

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 3:1-7

A changed heart

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.  Romans 2:29

The final verses of chapter 2 are about works for salvation vs. a changed heart.  The apostle Paul is talking to Jewish people about their relying on God’s law for salvation instead of a changed heart by His Holy Spirit.  He was warning them about having a religious mindset above a relationship with their Father.  He said that they are trying to prove they have a relationship with God by how they keep and enforce the law of Moses.  However, the only problem with that is they were not able to keep the law for themselves.  He concludes that to be truly a child of God, you must have a change of heart by seeking after what pleases God, not people and not a set of rules.

This is evident even in the church today.  People think because they go to church and behave properly that they have a relationship with God.  But it just isn’t what God has in mind.  His desire is to spend personal time with His people. Teaching and talking with them, not commanding and holding a set of rules over them.  He desires to love us and that our love for Him will empower us to follow His direction.  Not because He wants to control us.  It is because He wants the best for us and He knows how to get it to us.  Plus, He knows what will bless us better than even we do ourselves.

Today I want to encourage you to set special quiet time aside with your Heavenly Father.  Cultivate your relationship with Him and press in close so that you can hear His love and direction on the inside of your heart.  Then be eager to follow what you hear so that you can get to the blessed place He has for you in life.  You can be as close to Him as you are willing to give attention to His voice.  He has left it up to you to initiate that love and He will never turn you away.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 2:17-29

Your secret life?

And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.  Romans 2:16

Yikes!  This is a sobering thought.  Do you have a secret life?  A better question may be, do you have a different life depending on who you are with?  For instance do you behave one way when you are at work and a different way when you get home?  What about when you go to church?  Or are you the same person no matter who you are with.  It is difficult sometimes and usually there is one group that you are totally “yourself” with.  In fact, is there a certain place where you feel you do not have to be at your best? 

When I am at home, I tend to be more open to complaining and criticizing.  That is not good.  I need to live a surrendered life at all times.  It should be who I am.  I should be the same way when I am with my family, my Pastor, my boss, or my coworkers.  I am a child of God and I represent Him to all people no matter who they are.  I need to keep my heart and life submitted to Him so that my secret life is the same as my public life.

You do too, but it does not happen automatically.  First of all, you must commit every area of your life to your Savior Jesus.  Allow Him an entrance and give Him authority to guide you in every area of your life.  Fill your heart up with His Word and meditate it day and night. (Josh. 1:8, Psalms 1:2)  If you submit all your thoughts, words and actions to your Heavenly Father, you will have no secret life to worry about on the day of judgment.

Today I want to encourage you to make a plan for turning every relationship in your life over to God’s authority.  Trust Him to guide you and give you wisdom in all your thoughts, words and actions.  Set aside time each day to fellowship with Him and learn from His Word.  Lastly, ask for His help to ensure that you have surrendered all to Him and ask Him to reveal anything you may be keeping from Him.  You do have a choice right now, why not get the secret things out in the open so there will be no judging them one day.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 2:12-16

God’s “good works”

There will be glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good.  For there is no partiality/favoritism with God.  Romans 2:10-11

This is an encouraging message.  Glory, honor and peace to all who do good things for others.  Think about this:  Can you do good if it is not for others?  Does God consider what we do for ourselves as “good works”?  Actually, back in verse 8 of this chapter, self-seeking is listed with disobedience and unrighteousness.  I think it is safe to say, to do good according to the heart of God, the first step is self-sacrifice.  Putting others before yourself.  This is of course different than taking care of your physical body.  Certainly, I am not saying that you should neglect your own body to take care of the needs of others.  Yet it has been done many times.

I can think of those who have neglected their own needs to care for others such at doctors and nurses in times of war.  When people were brought to them dying and needing attention, they put in endless hours so that the wounded soldiers could be cared for.  We can find countless accounts in history where heroes have put aside their own physical needs of food and rest to care for those that needed their immediate treatment in order to survive. Even soldiers themselves put their lives on the line for the freedom of their nation.

We can compare this example to the lost and dying people in today’s world.  Are we willing to put aside our own needs to sacrifice for others to come to salvation?  I heard a minister speaking one time about Christians in countries that are preparing for martyrdom by training to win their executioner to Christ.  These Christians are facing a martyrs death because of their faith in Christ Jesus and their greatest concern is not their own safety or wellbeing, it is will they be able to tell the person that is going to kill them how much Jesus loves them.  I would say that is self-sacrifice.  That is a good work and one worthy of God’s glory, honor and peace!

Today I want to encourage you to step out in your daily activity to love others.  There are so many lost and dying people out there that have no idea how much God loves them.  They are waiting for someone to tell them this message.  You can start small, simply with a kind word of encouragement and building a relationship of trust.  Show others what God’s love is like by loving them right where they are.  Don’t get caught up in what they are doing wrong, simply love them the way God loved us before we knew Him. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  If you are in a position that you don’t meet a lot of lost people, use your resources to support ministries that are out there doing it.  There is always one of God’s “good works” that you can get involved in.  Ask Him today how and where you can help.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 2:5-11