I believe in “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” Romans 4:17. What an excellent reminder of some aspects of God this morning. I am keen to choose faith today, like Abraham. “he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness. The words it was credited to him were not written for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:20-25.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God througg our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:1-11.
Then Romans 7 reminded me I no longer belong to sin, to how it was…because I now belong to Jesus, like when someone’s husband dies and they marry someone else.
It reminded me I need to be “dying to what once bound” me…and was also encouraged by those well known words of Paul, the struggle with the sinful nature. But was reminded i don’t want to be feeding that, but rather feeding on God. Some food for thought….
journey2shalom 