Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.

1 Corinthians 7

Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 1 Corinthians 7:21-23

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter nineteen - Showing the Truth of Christian Freedom, but Not in a Simplistic Way.  Here, John Piper helps us see how, through the life and writings of Paul, we can navigate the complexities of life specifically in the area of submission to earthly authorities as we balance this submission with the freedom we have in Christ.  Piper first starts by pointing to Paul's words from Colossians 3:1-3 and Philippians 3:20-21 where Paul describes how believers are citizens of Heaven.  Piper then moves to Paul's words in Romans 13:1 and Ephesians 6:5-7 where - even though we are citizens of Heaven - we are to obey earthly authorities placed above us by God.   Piper then describes how Paul helps us resolve the inevitable tension that results when obedience to God and earthly authorities conflict: obedience to God is the priority.  We are referred to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 7:21-23, and Acts 20:28 as the scriptural basis for this guidance.  Piper then looks at how Paul's description of Christian freedom extends beyond earthly authorities to freedom from the law (OT), pointing to Galatians 5:1-3 and Romans 5:8-9, 19, and 8:3 as examples where Paul's words help us.  Piper then wraps the chapter by summarizing our freedom: "[s]o we are free from God’s law and free from the world’s institutions— even those ordained by God (e.g., state, business, home). Christ owns us and we are his.  He is our absolute commander and protector. If he calls us to submit to any law or any institution, we do it. Not because the institution is absolute. And not because law-keeping makes us right with God. We do it because we believe Christ knows the way of love better than we do.*"

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good as You give me true freedom in Christ - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the joy and blessings that come from freedom found in You.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.

Jeremiah 34

So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. v17-18

In verse 9, God through Jeremiah makes a covenant with the people that they are to free their Hebrew slaves.  It did not take long for the people to renege on their commitment and re-enslave those Hebrews previously freed.  At least of couple of takeaways:

1. God offers an amazing covenant through His Son Jesus Christ - God will forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life in Heaven if we accept Christ as our savior and believe in Him (John 3:16-18).  As part of this covenant we must follow his commandments - see also Matthew 22:34-40.  We should not renege.
2. We may have an earthly definition of freedom - but it is not for us define.  If we choose not to believe in Him, we will have no freedom at all as we all are slave to one sin/idol or another.  For those of who believe, we can have true freedom - freedom in Christ and freedom from the sting of sin and death.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who provides freedom in Christ and freedom from the sting of sin and death.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I worry and I am often harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[Y]ou also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead[.]...You are not your own, for you were bought with a price....Care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Romans 7:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and Acts 20:28

[Y]ou also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead[.]...You are not your own, for you were bought with a price....Care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Romans 7:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Acts 20:28

I agree with this post on DesiringGod.com that states that Holy Week is the most important week in all of history. As such, I continue with one of the recommendations from the post to prepare for Holy Week, which is to read John Piper's 40-day devotional Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Today I read reason #23: So That We Might Belong to Him.  Here, John Piper shares what is likely to be very controversial for those who are not believers and perhaps openly hostile to God; that is that "[t]here is no autonomy in the fallen world. We are governed by sin or governed by God."  This should be non-controversial for for believers, at least those familiar with scripture - for example, Piper refers us to Romans 6:16, 20, 22 on this question.  Piper then elaborates: "[m]ost of the time we are free to do what we want. But we are not free to want what we ought. For that we need a new power based on a divine purchase. The power is God’s." We are then referred to Romans 6:17 and 2 Timothy 2:25-26.  For those that believe, Christ's death on the cross (and subsequent resurrection) gives us (He purchases) our freedom from enslavement to sin. Piper points to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Acts 20:28 for scriptural support on this. Piper concludes the devotion to share how once we are no longer slave to sin, as believers we become slaves to God which Piper describes as not autonomous or independent but free (and desirous of) to "want what is good." Obedience to the OT law meant rules - instead believers in Christ die to this way of life and live a new life in Christ - see also Romans 7:4. Repent, believe, and experience freedom in Christ!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that gives me true freedom...freedom in You!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how I belong to You and have this freedom.  My sin continues and it is great.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from this sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1

 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. v21

Both Overviewbible.com and MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase) describe the "joyful tone" of Philippians.  Indeed, Paul is writing this letter from prison in Rome to the church in Philippi. For more on Paul's imprisonment and the "prison epistles", check this out.

Paul is joyful because of his freedom in Christ - as v21 captures this joy.  It is essentially a no lose situation for him.  As long as the gospel is advanced, he is good with that.  Paul is at the center of God's will - this is true joy and freedom in Christ.  John Piper also describes this freedom in Christ: "Freedom is doing what you love to do, if what you love to do is what you ought to do, and transformation is the change of our hearts, so that what we love to do is what we ought to do."  Piper describes how we can achieve this transformation of our hearts and minds here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who HAS transformed my heart and life - this I KNOW!  Yet I know this work is still in progress and there is much to do.  Thank You Jesus for the miracles You have worked in my life.  I am not deserving for the many, many blessings You pour out for me.  I sin...daily.  I am selfish, lazy, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Provide Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6

 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I moved on to chapter eight Raised to Walk in Newness of Life, which covers Romans 6.  My focus today is Romans 6:11-23 which my commentary refers to under the heading Actions We Must Take. In these verses, Paul encourages us to avoid the path of following our temptations into sin - as posted yesterday, our new identity in Christ means we are to leave behind our old self in experience a life in union with Him. We become "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (v11).  Paul then reminds us to avoid antinomianism where we adopt an attitude of permissiveness to sin (v15). Paul moves on to describe how we become more obedient to God and it is through Him - not of our own doing - see also my post during my reading of Piper's Providence.  Look closely at v17 where Paul says:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed[.]

Paul thanks God for our obedience and it is through the sanctification process where we are daily in union with Christ and reading/studying God's word.  In v20-23, to help us see the consequences of sin vs life in Christ, Paul's contrasts the two writing how we may perceive freedom in a life of sin but instead we are slaves to sin and there is "no fruit" - plus and even worse we are condemned. 

My commentary urges us to "make war with sin" as God hates sin. We are also encouraged to see how grace is not just a gift but a power - based on our response to God's overwhelming love we seek to please Him.  My commentary ends by reminding us that with Christ we have superior benefits vs a life of sin and we are to submit to Him daily, allowing Him to do a work in us so that in return we are progressively sanctified and increasingly worshiping Him. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed an amazing God and I see Your grace as not just a gift but power...power to become more like You and to please You in service and love. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  I continue to sin...anger, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

I agree with this post on DesiringGod.com that states that Holy Week is the most important week in all of history. While Holy Week and Easter have passed, I do want to read to completion John Piper's 50-day devotional Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Today I read reason #39: To Free Us from Bondage to the Fear of Death.  The devotion explores how Satan uses fear to keep believers from living boldly for Christ.  We are referred to John 8:44 where John describes Satan as a "murderer" and "the father of lies."  Satan is further described in the devotion as not someone whose chief aim is to kill us but instead to deceive us into believing that "that self-exaltation is more to be desired than Christ-exaltation, and sin preferable to righteousness."  If we don't we repent and seek forgiveness of sin from Christ, than we are eternally damned - hence why the devotion refers to deception as Satan's "one lethal weapon."  If we do repent and seek forgiveness of sin from Christ, than we are eternally saved (see Romans 10:10) and Satan is neutralized.  Piper shares: "[i]f [Satan's power to deceive] could be taken out of his hand, he would no longer have the power of eternal death. That is what Christ came to do—take that weapon out of Satan’s hand....[Once we are believers], [t]ry as he will, Satan cannot destroy us. The wrath of God is removed. His mercy is our shield. And Satan cannot succeed against us."  The devotion then moves to describes in more detail how Christ neutralized Satan: "[t]o accomplish this deliverance, Christ had to take on a human nature, because without it, he could not experience death. Only the death of the Son of God could destroy the one who had the power of death."  We are referred to Hebrews 2:14-15.  When Christ was nailed to the cross, He also nailed our sin to the cross.  The devotion winds down by sharing that "freedom from fear" was Christ's aim in His death.  Fear of death is described as enslaving us and preventing us from living boldly for Him which is what Christ ultimately seeks - that we glorify Him in our lives.  We stop seeking "big headed self-preservation," and instead seek what Christ desires (serving one another - see Galatians 5:13), even to the point of death.  Believers know that our mortal and earthly bodies may decay and pass, Christ is saving a place for us in Heaven - see also Romans 8:11.  Rejoice in Christ who gives us true freedom!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves me, saves me and gives me true freedom!  Thank You Father God.  I am not deserving of how You save and for the unbelievable blessings You pour out for me every single day and for eternity.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.

 1 Corinthians 7

For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:22

As I continue to ponder what to study next, my Bible study this morning once again leans on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today explains the text's correlation of "slavery (rather than liberation) with Messiah, and liberation (rather than slavery) with Master[.]"  John Piper explains broadly by sharing that believers in Christ do have new freedom in Christ (no longer slaves to sin), but this freedom is limited in that while we are free from other lords (and hence "uncontested" and "secure"), Jesus remains our Master.  Similarly, while we gain new freedom, we are bound by and slaves to Christ, and this brings us "from the confines of captivity into the open spaces of peace." Piper goes on to share that by being His we experience the "sweetest of joy."  Piper refers us to Isaiah 9:7 and Psalm 81:16.

This morning's devotion calls to mind how Jesus' commands are not burdensome nor "restrictive" - our obedience is in response to how great God is, and how He is full of grace and compassion for us. 

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are great, Your mercies are new every morning, and they never cease - and You give me freedom from the sting of sin and death.  You also give me the sweetest joy of being slave to Christ.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sins are great and they continue....daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1 John 3

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 1 John 3:24

I resume my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 3:18-24.  

Per the commentary for this text: 

Main idea: "God uses biblical truths and the gift of His Spirit to provide assurance and comfort to His beloved children."

Excerpts from the introduction:

• "The human heart is a tender, vulnerable, and complex component of every single person."
• "Our inclination is to embrace platitudes like “trust your heart” and “let your conscience be your guide,” but God tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” Interestingly, the answer to this often quoted verse is found in the very next verse in Jeremiah: “I, Yahweh, examine the mind, I test the heart to give each according to his way.”
• "The apostle John recognized that those who have believed in Jesus (3:23) could still suffer from a hurting heart, a condemning conscience. He also knew there were some basic truths, all grounded in the good news of the gospel, that could provide healing, the exact cure that is needed. Some basic knowledge of what God has done and is doing in the lives of those who have trusted in Jesus provides the precise remedy for this all-too-common heart condition."  
  

Divisions:

1. Love for Others Reassures Our Hearts That We Belong to God (3:18-19): Love for others that is not motivated out of pride or selfishness, etc. demonstrates to God that "we are of the truth" as children of God. However, it is often difficult to love others in various circumstances.  We must love as a an act of service and "[s]ometimes this service is public, noble, and newsworthy. Sometimes it is private, humiliating, and unnoticed. It can be a challenge....love requires service. Service involves humility. And loving others in humble service gives us assurance that we belong to Jesus."
   
2. God Is the Perfect Judge Who Sees Everything (3:20): In those circumstances when we may feel condemned, we can rest in how God truly knows us and offers freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1). See also 1 Corinthians 4:3-5.
   
3. Be Confident That God Answers Our Prayers (3:21-22): Not being condemned by God gives us confidence that we can approach God and be heard and given what we ask - if we are truly in God (and He in us) than our asks are in alignment with God's will. "Believers with clear consciences, confident access, and obedient lives that please Christ can be assured that God will hear and answer their prayers for their good and for His glory." 
   
4. Believe That Jesus Christ Is the Son of God, and Love One Another (3:23).
   
5. Abide in God and Know that God Abides in Us by the Gift of His Spirit (3:24): "John clearly wants us to understand that the Spirit—the true Spirit who stands in radical contrast to the false spirits of antichrist (cf. 4:1-6)—comes as a gift, not as something God was obliged to give us. He is given to us as a grace gift; He is not something we can earn or merit. In saying the Spirit has already been given to us, John looks to the past, to our conversion, the moment in time when we first believed the gospel. That is when we received the Spirit....if we would set our hearts at rest, when they accuse and condemn us, we must look for evidence of the Spirit’s working, and particularly whether he is enabling us to believe in Christ, to obey God’s commands and to love our brothers; for the condition of Christ dwelling in us and of our dwelling in him is this comprehensive obedience (24a), and the evidence of the indwelling is the gift of the Spirit (24b)."
   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who is full of grace and compassion for us - giving me Your Word, and the Holy Spirit to help me in my journey with You - towards greater maturity in Christ, obedience, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the compassion and grace You pour out for me. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

 1 Corinthians 5

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  Today my focus is a review - aided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 5:6-13. Building on commentary for 5:1-6, the commentary* for the text today provides three (3) divisions:

1. Church Discipline Is Grounded in the Redemptive Work of Christ (5:7-8): We are new creations, called out of a life of sin to be holy. Paul's reference to the Passover festival is used to recall how Israel broke free from its bondage in Egypt and Jews celebrate this freedom. Believers are similarly called to celebrate - this time the work Christ on the cross and what it does for those who believe.  Church discipline must be based in an effort to demonstrate lives that are new and transformed - bearing fruit. 
   
2. Church Discipline Must Be Exercised in the Community of Faith, Not the World (5:9-11): Here, Paul shares how church discipline is focused inward - on those inside the church, not on those outside the church. He calls out specific sins of sexual immorality, greed, swindling, idolatry, slanderers, and drunkenness. The challenge is to be "in the world" to seek and save the lost but not be "of the world" where the sinful influences lead us astray. Be on the watch for brothers and sisters within the church that have been led astray. 
3. God Judges Those on the Outside While We Judge Those on the Inside (5:12-13): Paul emphasizes that God alone judges those outside the church so the church should avoid this focus and instead look inward and be on guard for the little bit of leaven that "leavens the whole lump" (v6). We are referred to Galatians 6:1-2 for how we can approach a brother or sister in Christ with "a spirit of gentleness."  The commentary* wraps for the text by sharing how it is not harsh to confront sin in the church: "[o]verlooking sin is not loving; it is sinful. Overlooking sin is not gracious; it is cowardice. Overlooking sin is not merciful; it is dangerous. Overlooking sin is not kind; it is hateful."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - You provide brothers and sisters in Christ who help confront my sin and encourage me in my journey with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

*Akin, Dr. Daniel L.; Merritt, James. Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Romans 14-15

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter eighteen Gospel Unity, which covers Romans 14:1-15:13.  My focus today is v14:13-23, which my commentary refers to under the heading "Love." Here, Paul picks up where he left off (see post yesterday) and focuses again on how we must avoid judgement of one another in the church - unity is important. He uses ceremonially unclean foods again as the example to make his point that "[t]he kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (v14:17).  Service, honor and worship of God (akin to "matters of importance" level 2) from yesterday's commentary are important in God's eyes so there is where we should focus (as well as "matters of importance" level 3). We are to pursue "what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding" (v14:19) and "not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God" (v14:20) - we must not do so for any unessential/inconsequential/debatable matter of faith (level 1).  

My commentary looks at today's verses and emphasizes that, particularly for stronger or more mature believers, are not to flaunt freedom in Christ in front of weaker, less mature believers - we are not to put any "stumbling block" or "hindrance" in the way of a believer (v14:13) as this would not be "walking in love" (v14:15a).  We are warned not to "destroy the one for whom Christ died" (v14:15b). Once again - church unity is important! We are encouraged to follow Paul's lead by looking at his words from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The commentary goes further on the subject of "flaunting" freedom in Christ with weaker believers by warning us to look at v14:22 and to see that we are not "to broadcast your views on disputable matters, trying to convince people that you are right."  A useful saying is provided: "[i]n essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, but in all things charity."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - You are an awesome God who loves me and who has saved me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your grace and mercy.  I am often impatient with younger, weaker believers.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Help Me Repent When I Sin, and Give Me Hope That There is Freedom From Sin...Through Christ

Today's Reading
Leviticus Chps 20 to 27

In Leviticus we continue to read about God's rules for holy living.

We also see in chapter 26, rewards for obedience and punishment for disobedience.

Rewards

¹ " 'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.

² " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.

³ " 'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁴ I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

⁶ " 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. ⁷ You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. ⁸ Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

⁹ " 'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. ¹⁰ You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. ¹¹ I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. ¹² I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Punishment

4 " 'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, ¹⁵ and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, ¹⁶ then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. ¹⁷ I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

¹⁸ " 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. ¹⁹ I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. ²⁰ Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

²¹ " 'If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. ²² I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

²³ " 'If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, ²⁴ I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. ²⁵ And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. ²⁶ When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

²⁷ " 'If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, ²⁸ then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. ²⁹ You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. ³⁰ I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. ³¹ I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. ³² I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. ³⁴ Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. ³⁵ All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

³⁶ " 'As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. ³⁷ They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. ³⁸ You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. ³⁹ Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away.

⁴⁰ " 'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers—their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, ⁴¹ which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, ⁴² I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. ⁴³ For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. ⁴⁴ Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God. ⁴⁵ But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.' "

While this is a covenant of hope, it is also daunting in that there are so many rules and regulations for living. The only freedom we find is in verse 44 and 45, where it says that God will not destroy us. This is not the freedom we have in Christ...with Christ we have freedom from sin because He knew we would sin. It is important for me to repent when I sin and also not be a slave to sin...for this I am grateful to Christ for Him dying on the cross for me.

My Prayer: Lord, please help be obedient to you and when I am not, help me repent. Help me also remember that I have freedom from sin only because of you - Jesus Christ. I am thankful for this.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 10-11:1

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  Today my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1.  Here, Paul builds on his warnings against idolatry (1Corinthians 10:1-22) by stepping back and looking big picture at Christian freedom - theology that is unpacked here in detail at DesiringGod.com. In v23, Paul states clearly that our freedom from the law does not mean that we are free to do things that do not forward God's call for our lives both corporately and individually - we are to focus on those things that help the mission and build others up.  In v24, this is amplified with Paul's words that we not focus on selves but on others - demonstrating Christ's model to love God, then love others (most important commandments (Matthew 22:34-40).  In vv25-26, Paul elaborates on Christian freedom for believers by using Psalm 24:1 as scriptural support to describe how they are not shackled to Old Testament ceremonial law.   In vv27-30, Paul uses the example of being a dinner guest of an unbeliever who serves food offered as sacrifice (as part of an idol worship ritual) to hit home Christian freedom - our liberty should be directed towards God's mission for us.  This means we must be flexible as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.  This is made plain in vv31-33.  V11:1 hammers it home - be imitators of Christ.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me freedom from the law - so that I can be slave to Christ.  And this is a blessing and not a burden!  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed....Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.

Leviticus 4

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed....Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. Leviticus 4:27-28, Romans 7:1

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter four - How God Deals with Sin - covering Leviticus 4:1-35, looking specifically at the theme God Frees People from Past Sin.  Here, the commentary looks at how sin is made known to us so that we may make atonement for our sin.  First, God gives us salvation and faith through redemption and justification, and we then have this freedom from sin.  We then are progressively sanctified as God makes known sin to us through the Word and Holy Spirit, and further refines us as we submit to Him. My commentary points out how in the Old Testament God frees the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, giving them freedom; He then gives them the law - again to make sin known to us where we then have path to atonement through the sacrificial system.  We are urged to see the order of freedom then the giving of the law - this order is important. For believers in Christ Jesus, while the sacrificial system (animal sacrifice) is done away with, my commentary describes this same process applies. "First comes His redemption, then comes His law.  Praise God, He frees people from past sin!"  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for both my freedom in Christ and for giving me the law so that I can know sin.  I seek to become more like You and seek to rid myself of as much sin as possible - I know that through Christ this is possible!  You are a God like no other!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this and all the blessings - which my words cannot describe - You pour out for me. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. v21-23

In chapters 4-10 Paul moves on to practical matters about living, including "dealing with the church’s lack of judgment on sex and legal disputes, marriage, divorce, and virginity, then on to eating meat used for idol worship".  In chapter 9, however we see a nugget of scripture that we can use as a basis for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

John Piper helps us better understand how we are to become all things to all men to save some:

"In freedom, for love's sake, you try to overcome unnecessary, alienating differences that cut you off from unbelievers. In freedom, for love's sake, you learn the Maninka language and translate the Bible. In freedom, for love's sake, you eat dinner together the way they eat dinner. In freedom, for love's sake, you dress pretty much like the middle class American natives. In freedom, for love's sake, you get into their politics and their sports and their businesses.

And all the while you keep a vigilant watch over your heart to see if you are in the law of Christ."

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who became a man and died as a man so that I could have freedom from sin and eternal life - thank You Jesus!  You are an awesome God!  I am undeserving of such love and such a gift.  I sin..greatly...and all the time.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God[.]

Hebrews 7:23-27, 9:24-26, and 10:11-12

I agree with this post on DesiringGod.com that states that Holy Week is the most important week in all of history. As such, I continue with one of the recommendations from the post to prepare for Holy Week, which is to read John Piper's 50-day devotional Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Today I read reason #26: To Bring the Old Testament Priesthood to an End and Become the Eternal High Priest.  Here, John Piper highlights three sections of text:

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Hebrews 7:23-27

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:24-26

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God[.] Hebrews 10:11-12

Piper starts the devotion by defining "once for all," as "something happened that was decisive. The act accomplished so much that it need never be repeated."  This of course is what Christ accomplished through His death on the cross.  The necessity of such a decisive act hearkens back to the inadequacy of the Old Testament animal sacrifices.  These sacrifices had to be repeated year after year as both a reminder of sin and as a means to seek God's forgiveness.  See also Hebrews 10:3.  Yet these sacrifices were insufficient as Piper describes because "[t]he people knew that when they laid their hands on the head of a bull to transfer their sins to the animal, it would all have to be done again. No animal could suffice to suffer for human sins. Sinful priests had to sacrifice for their own sins. Mortal priests had to be replaced. Bulls and goats had no moral life and could not bear the guilt of man."  See also Hebrews 10:4.  Despite the inadequacy of the OT sacrificial system, Piper shares how God honored this system (He created it) and He knew that "one day he would send a servant qualified to complete what these priests could not perform—to put away sin once for all."  Jesus Christ is both this final Priest and Sacrifice.  Rejoice in Jesus Christ who is the Spotless One and Only True Lamb who sits at the right hand of God interceding for us as our Mediator and Advocate.  Rejoice in Christ who took upon Himself the wrath of God so that we could have forgiveness of sin, freedom in Christ in this life, and eternal life with Him.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who sent His Son to take upon Himself the wrath of God to end and replace the inadequacy of the OT sacrificial system.  Jesus then became the Great High Priest who is at Your right hand continuously interceding for me.  Awesome and thank You God.  I am not deserving of such blessings and of my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues....daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.      

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Romans 7

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I moved on to chapter nine Wretched Man, Wonderful Messiah, which covers Romans 7.  My focus today is Romans 7:1-6.  In these six verses, Paul builds on chapter 6 (see post yesterday and previous posts) he writes how believers are no longer slaves or dead to sin but are reborn and alive in Christ. He helps unpack this by helping us see how through an earthly death, you may experience freedom from the law (see v1-3).  Now, Paul wants us to better understand both the benefit of dying to sin and being alive in Christ but also the purpose - we escape condemnation and we "bear fruit for God" (v4). 

We exist to bear fruit for God - to glorify Him...and why would not desire to for all that He has done for us!

My commentary reminds me that for Jews in Rome reading Paul's letter, that Paul seeks to confirm with them that all scripture matters, and that Christ is the fulfillment of the law.  He does not want Jews to not believe as he "weeps over Jewish unbelief." The commentary goes on to encourage us to see the application as believers are no longer "wed" to the (Mosaic) law as our old selves died when Christ died on the cross for us and we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.  We are wed to Christ and in union with Christ (see this post).  We are also to see the consequences or benefit of this union as fruit of the Spirit. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who rescued me from my sin and gave me new life!  Thank You Jesus! The greatest gift of all time - I am undeserving of such a gift and of all the blessings You pour out for me.  I have anger and other sins that continue every day.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. or the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 1-6

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. or the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:13-18

Day 328 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as my commentary* notes that "the letter would have been written about A.D. 50, shortly following the Jerusalem conference. The subject of Paul’s letter parallels that of the conference itself, which pertained to the problems created by those Jewish Christians who were insisting that Gentile converts submit to the rite of circumcision and observe other rituals to which the Jews were accustomed."  The letter also is used by Paul to defend His faith and teachings as my commentary* also notes how Judaizers sought to undermine Paul.

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Paul focuses a good amount of his letter (Galatians 5-6) on Christian freedom as Paul defines our freedom and urges us to express our freedom by "walk[ing] by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16) so we can avoid desires of the flesh but instead enjoy fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me freedom in Christ - a blessing of which I cannot fully fathom but I understand that it is a blessing.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of all the ways You bless me...my sin continues, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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[.]

Ephesians 2

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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[.] Ephesians 2:4-6

This morning, I pause my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today explores the the pre-salvation state of believers and how our salvation is a "totally unconditional and utterly free act of God....This freedom is the very heart of grace."  In describing our pre-salvation state, John Piper shares that "we were dead to God. We were unresponsive; we had no true spiritual taste or interest; we had no spiritual eyes for the beauties of Christ; we were simply dead to all that ultimately matters." Piper then shares that "[t]hen God acted — unconditionally — before we could do anything to be fit vessels of his presence. He made us alive. He sovereignly awakened us from the sleep of spiritual death, to see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The spiritual senses that were dead, miraculously came to life." Using Ephesians 2:4-6, Piper then emphasizes "the free-ness of grace" by pointing to verse 5 (and how Paul says the same thing in v8). Piper concludes the devotion by sharing rhetorically a question that looks at believers' election and says  an "what act could be more one-sidedly free and non-negotiated than one person raising another from the dead! This is the meaning of grace." Soak in this grace and love God for being rich in mercy!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for  - saving me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and compassion and mercy.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 19.  Here, John Piper discusses the freedom in Christ believers enjoy, and that we should celebrate during Christmas. First, Piper shares that Jesus became the incarnate Son willingly - He chose this so that believers could have life to the full (John 10:10). He willingly died on the cross "to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). We are then reminded by Piper that Satan tried to stop Jesus from dying on the cross by tempting Him in the wilderness and by working through human agents, including Peter (Matthew 4:1-11, 16:21-23). But Christ was not stopped and He endured an unimaginable death, despite a sinless life.  The crucifixion - per Hebrews 2:14-15 gives believers power over sin and death - and as a result, believers live with hope and that we can live fearlessly...for Him and His glory.  Piper shares as He concludes the devotion: "Christmas is for freedom. Freedom from the fear of death.  Jesus took our nature in Bethlehem, to die our death in Jerusalem — all that we might be fearless in our city today. Yes, fearless. Because if the biggest threat to my joy is gone, then why should I fret over the little ones? How can you say (really!), “Well, I’m not afraid to die but I’m afraid to lose my job”? No. No. Think!  If death (I said, death! — no pulse, cold, gone!) if death is no longer a fear, we’re free, really free. Free to take any risk under the sun for Christ and for love. No more enslavement to anxiety."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord You are good indeed and You give me freedom and victory over sin and death - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” v62

Jesus is talking about the cost of following Him.  Indeed there is a cost - He does not guarantee a life free of trouble.  On the contrary - we WILL have trouble (John 16:33).  John Piper expands on the cost of following Jesus.

Yet, Paul reminds us of the "surpassing worth" of following Christ:


But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:7-14

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who is worth more than anything I or anyone else can ever attain for ourselves.  You adopted me as Your own and died for me so that I could have life - freedom from the sting of sin and death - thank You Jesus.  You are the most amazing gift of all time.  I am undeserving of such a gift.  I daily miss the mark.   Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.