Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (NKJV)
Devotion by Merry Peterson (Canada)
In the part of Ontario where I live there is a museum called ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’. Inside there are lots of strange and unusual items and displays about occurrences that are most, well, quite frankly unusual! The sign says it all – believe it – or not. Some things in that museum I find really hard to believe.
Faith is really about belief. Our belief that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. That’s the tenet of having faith – those beliefs about God. His existence as the supreme ruler of the universe and that His declarations of what He will do He follows through on.
In the previous chapter we see that Abraham was justified by his faith even though the whole salvation plan through Jesus dying on the cross for our justification hadn’t happened yet in his time. It was Abraham’s belief that God was in control and able to do what He said He would do that brought him justification.
We as Christians have received justification through Christ’s sacrifice because we live in a different time frame than Abraham. Christ, the promised savior that God declared would become the sacrifice for sin has indeed died, and risen again, and our justification comes through that fulfilled promise.
Notice that the fulfilled promise brings peace. We have peace with God through Christ. We have peace knowing that our sin is covered by Jesus’ blood, that we are no longer God’s enemies because of our sin. The blood of Christ washes away the debt of our sin. We become in good standing with God. How is this achieved – by our belief that God is in control and follows through on his promises. He said that Jesus would be the once for all atoning sacrifice for mankind bringing us justification with Himself. We believe it!
For Reflection:
Do you have friends or family members who have a hard time with faith?
When did you first start to have faith and believe?
Was there something or someone who helped you truly believe?
Are there ways that you could help guide another person to belief?
I am a Daddy’s girl, through and through. As a child, you could usually find me hiking with my dad, reading books with him, snuggling up to him, or helping him with a building project. He was so strong, secure, safe. Now, as his terminal illness has progressed, I have much more of a parental role toward him than he does toward me, but I’ll still always consider myself a Daddy’s girl.
Sometimes I like to sit back and just observe my daughters interacting with my husband too. They fawn over him! They want to attend all the Daddy-Daughter dances together. They draw him sweet pictures regularly. They beg him to scratch their backs to get them to sleep. When they are scared, they run to him for comfort and protection, knowing that he is strong and gentle.
Though in this flawed and sinful world many fathers don’t live up to God’s ideals, we all do have a Heavenly Father who wants to guide and protect us.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, ESV) I’ve always loved this verse. It has spoken to the depths of my soul during many tumultuous times in my life. Following these encouraging introductory verses, Psalm 46 proceeds to mention many catastrophic events – the earth gives way, mountains fall into the sea, waters roar, mountains tremble – and calls us to have no fear during these times. Verses 4 through 9 then remind us of the power and provision of our God.
“Be still and know that I am God.” This verse I have both underlined in my Bible and written in the margins so I will be sure to notice it as I read. It is a good reminder that when all the chaotic events occur (both the ones mentioned in this Psalm as well as any others that happen in my own life), I am still called to find shelter in His stillness and remember that God is on the throne and He is in control. I don’t know about you, but “be still” is a tough command for me to follow; I like to always keep my hands and mind busy. My mind, actually, does not often settle down at all; anxiety has been my constant (uninvited) companion for as long as I can remember. However, when I purposefully choose to be still, basking in the presence of God, I can feel His peace wash over me like a spring rain. It takes a lot of effort, as I am not naturally driven to “be still”, but I’ve never been disappointed following a quiet moment with God; to the contrary, I find a renewed sense of purpose and strength when I remember – rather, KNOW within the depths of my soul! – that He is God.
“‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!’ The LORD of hosts with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” God is our protector, our fortress… our Daddy who loves us so much!
-Rachel Cain
Reflections:
1. Pray this Psalm today. Think about it intently as you say each word.
2. Choose a time this week that you can “be still and know that He is God” – bask in his presence for a while as you praise and pray.
3. What in your reading today helps you KNOW that He is God? What are His qualities?
In our Old Testament reading, yesterday we finished reading Exodus, tomorrow we will begin Leviticus – here today is our
Introduction to Leviticus
Leviticus is the third book in the Old Testament, and the middle book in the Torah. Moses wrote Leviticus, which is mostly a record of God dictating His rules to Moses – while the Israelites were camped in front of Mount Sinai.
The recurring theme in Leviticus is, “Be holy, because I [God] am holy”. Leviticus 20:26 sums up the whole book pretty well, “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”
God had rescued the Israelites from slavery to belong to God. They had served the Egyptians, and now they must serve God. And in order to do that, they needed to know what God required.
As you read, you’ll be struck repeatedly by the fact that God is holy, and people aren’t. God gave all these rules because He wanted His people to be holy, and if they followed all these rules, they would be holy. The story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 is a stark reminder that misdirected zeal for God can result in death.
You will see that reconciliation is possible for those who break God’s laws in ignorance, but only punishment awaits those who defiantly break God’s laws.
You will recognize that some rules were fulfilled in Jesus. For example, Leviticus 23 describes the “Feasts of the Lord”, which have fulfillment in Jesus. For example, Jesus fulfilled the 4 Spring feasts on the exact calendar day of the feast. I suspect the 3 fall feasts will be ultimately fulfilled exactly when Jesus returns.
Passover – Jesus *was* the Passover lamb, and was killed on the date of Passover
Unleavened Bread – Just as yeast was to be removed from houses, Jesus removed sin to his grave on this date.
Firstfruits – Jesus was raised from the dead on the date of the feast of firstfruits.
Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) – The Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers on this date in Acts 2.
Feast of Trumpets – I believe this will be the date the last trumpet sounds
Day of Atonement – I suspect this may be the date of the Great White Throne Judgement
Feast of Tabernacles – I suspect this may be the date of God’s dwelling with men.
Ultimately, I suspect what you’ll recognize is that God is holy, and no matter how hard we try, we just can’t follow all His rules to be holy. You’ll acknowledge that we couldn’t please God on our own. And will appreciate all the more that God sent his one and only Son to reconcile us to Himself.
There are a month’s worth of daily devotions that fill the pages of the eighth chapter of Romans. It is my go-to chapter when I need a reminder of my definition in Christ. I have read this chapter in thanksgiving and through blurry-vision tears. I have turned here in the midst of demoralizing sin and great spiritual triumph. God has reminded me time and time again that my definition, purpose, compassions, and mercies lie here. Ultimately, the Spirit is governing me, being my guide, becoming my life and my peace (v.6) This is all breathed into every square inch of Romans 8. So I present to you four enduring truths that time and time again speak to me from these 39 verses.
1. You are chosen and adopted by God.
God created Adam and Eve. What I believe to be equally true is that he created each and every one of us since. He stitched us together in the womb of our mothers (Psalm 139:14). He counted the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). We are indeed each God’s creation. Although this makes God our Creator, we are not yet called his children. We are sons and daughters of a genealogy filled with sin and in turn, this creates a separation. It is when we cry out to Him “Abba, Father! Daddy!” (v.15), admit our guilt, and respond to His will that we receive the outpouring of his blessing and the inheritance that truly belongs to us. We trade the shackles of sin for the anticipation of adoption (v.23). We are spoken for by our Heavenly Father. Our account is paid. And in those moments when we stray, we are loved deeper by a Father desperately awaiting our return and calling for us to come back home (Luke 15:20).
2. The world is groaning for Jesus.
Is it not more apparent with each passing day? Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6). Men calling what is evil “good” (Isaiah 5:20). The rapid increase of widespread disease, famine, and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7). The hastening of the spread of the Gospel through the information age (Matthew 24:14). The physical world, the spiritual world, and our individual hearts are groaning for Christ’s return. The beat of our pulse is quickening. The contractions have begun (v.22). The Spirit of God is cuing us to the long awaited return of Christ. Hiding behind our pews and pulpits will do nothing to advance the Gospel and satisfy the aching within. It is time to share his message with the most desperate and broken who may seemingly be the furthest away (not so..see #4). The abandoned, the sickly, the tax collector, the prostitute, and everyone else on the outskirts and in between. Bring their attention to the aching they have within. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37).
3. God controls the narrative.
When asked, “How are you doing?” You might simply reply, “Good,” as a catch-all synonymous with happy, pleased, content, or a lack of present conflict. But if we are “good” and follow the will of God, we can expect our contentment to be frequently interrupted. We can expect conflict to be a recurring feature of our life. We can expect happy to be a word reserved for experiencing persecution on the behalf of Christ (1 Peter 4:13). This is why it is tough to hear, especially in the deepest, darkest moments of our life, “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (v.30)” He isn’t using your circumstance to make you happy. He is using your circumstance to further testify of his Good News. He is using the joy in your struggle, your steadfastness in conflict, and your love for those who have wronged you as a testimony for good. If you are following Christ, you no longer write the story. Sometimes you end up at the bottom of a well, falsely accused, thrown in prison, and sharing your faith with the most unsuspecting ears. (Genesis 37-40) But how sweet it is. How great is our hope. How wonderful our reward. Our story, when it becomes His story, is very, very good.
4. No matter…The cross.
What can separate us from the Love of God is Christ Jesus? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. As long as we suck air. As long as we can consciously reflect and repent, there is God. You can fail in a moment or run for decades, yet there before you He stands. No matter what. Abusing or abuse. Addiction or depression. Idolatry or simply burying your head in the sand. Murder or loss. Demons or baggage. Denial of his presence and cursing His name will never stop His knocking and will never rescind his love. He is ready to bring you into a life of adoption, that will help you understand the groaning within, and will change your narrative for good. Those who love Him understand. Those who don’t yet most certainly can. No matter where you are today, you are just one step away from the cross.
-Aaron Winner
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Have you accepted God as your Creator and your Father? What does that mean to you?
Ask God to show you who is stuck in the groanings of this world without the hope of the return of Jesus Christ. Together with God, make a rescue plan. What is His role, what is yours? Pray and proceed.
How is your story different because of God’s love for you in Christ? Throughout Romans 8 what do you find about who God created you to be and who you are in Christ? How is the cross a part of your story?
Next to the greatest story ever told, the story of Joseph is by far my favorite Bible story. There are so many valuable lessons one can learn from reading it. Some lessons that stand out to me are the sovereignty of God, the importance of trusting God even in the midst of tragedy and suffering, and the beauty and power of forgiveness.
I have often asked myself if I would have had Joseph’s attitude in the midst of a seemingly unending chain of absolutely horrific events. In spite of the terrible hand that he continued to be dealt, we don’t see him being consumed by anger, self-pity or a quest for vengeance. There’s something very powerful about Joseph’s unwavering faith in God that inspires me. He seems to possess a quiet assurance that everything is ultimately going to be okay.
In this 45th chapter of Genesis, we see Joseph revealing his true identity to his brothers. We know he had risen to a very prominent position of power as second in command of Egypt. The stage could have been set for him to get the “perfect revenge” against his brothers. We read in verse 5 right after Joseph reveals his identity to his brother: “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” I find it especially poignant that not only does Joseph not want to exact revenge in this situation, he actually chooses to comfort his brothers in this moment rather than “giving them what for.” We know from earlier scriptures that Joseph was clearly hurt by their previous actions, but he wants to spare them the hurt of being angry with themselves or beating themselves up because of their actions. He points them to an understanding of God’s sovereignty and that they were players in God’s plan.
How differently that 45th chapter of Genesis could have played out if Joseph had been bent on vengeance. Instead, we see the true beauty and power of forgiveness and a reminder that God is in control even in the midst of our darkest hours.
If we choose to be consumed with anger or self-pity, we miss the important lessons God is trying to teach us. We read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Perhaps the answer in those dark times is to focus on loving God even more deeply and purposely than ever before.
-Kristy Cisneros
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
1) When you encounter hardships and tragedies, does your attitude reflect one of unwavering faith in God? If not, how can you further nurture and strengthen that faith so that it is at the ready when life’s storms come your way?
2) What action can help us love God more deeply and purposely than ever before?
3) What other lessons can you learn from the story of Joseph?
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Here’s a bit of a set-up for the book of Ezra:
Assyria conquered Babylon, then the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
But then Assyria got conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire who went back and conquered Jerusalem.
Then Babylon got conquered by Cyrus of Persia.
Lots of leaders doing lots of conquering, making lots of decisions that affected lots of people.
Let’s talk about that a little.
This story has great implications for us today. In a world that can seem out of control, we can rest assured that God can move the hearts of leaders.
“A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses.” Proverbs 21:1
The book of Ezra begins…
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia…”
We know that Cyrus reigned from 559-530 B.C. and so can accurately date this book historically.
The book continues…
“the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:
This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Jeremiah had prophesied that Judah would be cut off from its land for 70 years (see Jeremiah 25:1-12 & 29:10), and here we see this prophecy being fulfilled.
Many people like to keep the Bible solely in the ‘religious book’ category. But today’s reading reminds us that it is far more than that. Scripture is an historically accurate account that we can rely upon. It is also an accurate prophetic tool (albeit one that we may wrestle to interpret at times.)
Trusting that God is in control brings a peace that no amount of managing things on our own can muster.
Trust doesn’t mean that we can see everything clearly. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. In his book Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning describes what I mean when he says,
“Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God…We often presume that trust will dispel the confusion, illuminate the darkness, vanquish the uncertainty, and redeem the times. But the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testifies that this is not the case.”
The youth at FUEL today are considering the idea of overcoming anxiety with peace, and focusing on Isaiah 41:10 which says,
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Do not fear…why?
Do not be dismayed…why?
No matter the circumstances of our private lives or our entire civilization, we can trust that God is with us, and that he is our God.
-Susan Landry
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Ezra 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 2
Even though King Jehoshaphat “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” He was sure stupid when it came to raising his kids. He had arranged a marriage between his son, Jehoram, and Athaliah, Israel’s evil king Ahab’s daughter. This was a stupid arrangement for two reasons. First, this would virtually guarantee Jehoram would be evil and lead Judah into evil. Second, the future of God’s plan of salvation depended on the continuation of David’s dynasty through Jehoram, and as we will see, that came into peril.
Anyway, 2 Chronicles 21 starts with Jehoshaphat’s death, and Jehoram’s ascension to the throne. Once he established himself as king, Jehoram killed all of his brothers and some of the princes of the land – basically, anyone who may challenge his authority. (Presumably, he wanted them out of the way so they couldn’t oppose his promoting the worship of Baal.) Then he proceeded to follow the evil ways of the evil King Ahab, because he had married Ahab’s daughter.
Jehoram received an astounding warning. He received a letter from Elijah pronouncing judgment on him because of his sins. This is astounding, because this is several years after Elijah was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind (as recorded in 2 Kings 2:11). This passage in 2 Chronicles 21 corresponds to events recorded in 2 Kings 8. Elijah had obviously written this prophetic letter and had directed it to be delivered at a particular future date. Anyway, this letter declared a curse on Jehoram because of all of his sins and the sins he caused Judah to commit. According to the letter, he was going to be inflicted with a disease of his bowels until his bowels came out. And two years later, that’s exactly what happened, and how he died.
As the story continues, Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, became king but only reigned one year. After his death, Athaliah (remember her from the first paragraph?) killed all her kids and grandkids so she could rule the nation. (Remember my comment in the first paragraph about David’s dynasty being in peril?). Athaliah was no descendant of David! As it turned out, her infant grandson, Joash, was whisked away while everybody else was being killed.
The main thing that jumps out at me from today’s reading is the importance of not only following the Lord ourselves wholeheartedly, but also how imperative it is to pass along a love for the Lord to our children (both physical and spiritual children). I’m convinced Jehoram could have been a great king, who loved the Lord, and had a blessed reign, if only Jehoshaphat had stressed the importance of following the Lord, and if Jehoshaphat had chosen a godly wife for Jehoram.
The second thing that jumps out to me is the importance of choosing a godly spouse. This is literally the second most important decision any of us can ever make (after the decision to follow the Lord). And this will either make it easier to live for God, or will make it harder – and the implications are eternal.
The third thing that strikes me is how God alerted Elijah in advance, so he could write a letter to be delivered to Jehoram years later, declaring his downfall. And then Elijah had to have someone deliver this letter on a specific future date, at just the right time. God really does know everything. (Maybe He knows a thing or two about how we should live, and maybe I should read His word to find that out, and maybe I should live for Him.)
The final thing that I see is that God saved exactly one descendant of David – and that was a baby – so he could continue David’s line, and fulfill His promise to David. Despite everything seeming to go wrong, God was still in control. And much later, He would ultimately fulfill His promise to David through another baby, Jesus.
I want to be on God’s side – since God can still be in control, even when everything seems to be falling apart. How about you?
–Steve Mattison
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at Bible Gateway here – 2 Chronicles 21-22 and Romans 10
The message I took out of the first four chapters of Joshua is especially timely. We are living in unprecedented times. Not unprecedented in history, but certainly within our own lifetimes. Obviously, I am speaking of the coronavirus epidemic. No one knows how long the effects of this will last, or when things will get back to “normal” But do not fear. God is still on His throne.
After forty years of wandering in the desert, God finally allows His people to enter into the promised land behind the leadership of Joshua. The pivotal moment is when the Lord held back the flood-swollen waters of the Jordan river, allowing the tribes of Israel to cross over on dry land. Of course, this bookends the forty years in the wilderness after escaping Egypt by similarly crossing the parted waters of the Red Sea on dry land.
But after this crossing, God instructs Joshua to have each tribe take a rock from the middle of the river, and stack them up on the side of the river they were crossing onto.
Joshua chapter 4, verses 20-24 say, “And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, ‘In the future when your descendants ask their parents, “What do these stones mean?” tell them, “Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.” For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.’ ”
Our Heavenly Father knows that we are a forgetful people. I am an expert at it. But certain things are worth remembering. Like when God has rescued His people, fulfilled promises, or performed miracles. God instructed people to remember certain events throughout history. Thankfully, we have the history of such events at our fingertips in His word. We know that He has fulfilled every promise that has come to pass, and so we should have confidence that the Godly promises that have not come to pass will also be fulfilled.
But what about events that are not written down in the Bible? What about events in our own lives? Has God ever demonstrated His power and love to you personally? Think about such events, and how they can serve as our own monuments for us to hold onto and recount that God is there with us. If God has delivered you through difficult times before, have confidence that He will do so again.
Finally, remember that no matter what the future holds, no one can take away the promise of the future Kingdom that we will have a part in. Nothing that ever happens on earth will take that promise away, and today, and every day going forward, God is in control.
For you parents, remember that this is a great time to model real faith to our children. It is easiest to show faith in God when everything is going great. But how will you model your faith and trust in God during these difficult times? That is what matters most.
I have added some verses of encouragement below (starting with one from today’s reading), and then after that, a link to a youtube playlist I created that has songs of encouragement.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Greg Landry
Welcome to the Books of History in our
Today’s passage, Joshua 1-4 can be read or listened to at
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We all have times when it seems nothing is going right. Many times, I have felt like all my plans were failing. The main thing I now realize, that was the problem: MY plans. When I take a step back and allow God to take the lead, things fall in place. This doesn’t mean things are easy, it just means God is in control and I am held safe. My fears and failures come most often from thinking I am in control instead of letting God have the control. Take a moment to allow God to take control of your problems. Thank Him for protecting you and keeping you safe.
Seek Grow Love 