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Category Archives: Romans

Romans 15:5-7

20 May

Romans 15:5-7
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

Dear God, last night, as our church group wrapped up, we started talking about dissension within our church. There is apparently a vocal segment of our church (I have zero idea how large) that has started a letter writing campaign to the diocese complaining about the local congregation’ leadership. Assuming that there are some complaints that are legitimate, some that are frivolous, and some that are ridiculous, it has left me wondering what is the proper way to handle this tension. I’m pretty sure that all of us, including me, are not living up to Paul’s admonition here in Romans 15.

Obviously, the trickiest situation right now is for the lead reverend. I want to pray for him this morning that he will really hear you and receive your guidance. Whether it is the decisions he is making about how things should be done or how he is selling and implementing those changes, he needs you. He needs to completely feel your love and acceptance. And he needs to hear your call on how to love this congregation.

Then there are those in lay leadership. They need to work honestly with him and help to guide the relationship between him and the church. They need to help him find his footing and he needs to allow them to do it.

Of course, there is the bishop. He needs to make some hard decisions. He needs your wisdom and discernment. Please be with him and guide him. Give him the wisdom you gave to Solomon.

And finally there is the rest of us. Help us to love our leadership as ourselves. Help us to want the best for him and to help him grow in his relationship with you. And help us to Major in the majors and only care about what you consider important.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2019 in Romans

 

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Romans 11:33

18 May

Romans 11:33
Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

Dear God, you must be really trying to teach me something because I’m getting this recurring theme in our times together–that I don’t know what the future holds. And during this time of year, what with all of the graduations and anniversaries, I am constantly reminded that life always, and I mean always, brings us surprises.

Yesterday, I saw a picture on Facebook that a friend posted. It was a montage of 9 pictures from their previous 31 years of marriage. If any couple I know has lived the life of Job, it is this couple. I like that they didn’t arrange the pictures in chronological order, but scattered them. Still, looking at those early pictures, helped me to really appreciate what life had thrown at them over the last 31 years. Here is the picture for reference.

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The pictures that run diagonally from the top left to the bottom right are the early pictures. Life was completely ahead of them. They were an active couple. Hiking and biking. He was my high school youth minister.

The pictures in the top and bottom middle look more like their early adult lives. They ended up with some surprise pregnancies and had four children ages four and under. She started to have a severe health issue that was pretty debilitating, but they managed. They were starting churches and serving you.

The top right and bottom left show the kids growing up. As with all of us who raise children, there were unexpected challenges too. Especially when his health issues crept up and then slammed the family, driving him to not even be able to be an associate pastor of a church, much less lead churches and hundreds of people into closer fellowship with you. I won’t go into all of the details here, but their story is absolutely remarkable. And through it all, through some VERY rough times, they remained faithful and committed to each other. I cannot tell you how much I admire them.

My daughter gave a brilliant, wise speech her senior year of high school. She talked about all of the plans we make and we ask our young people to make. We make a big deal about their college major. We make a big deal about their career plans. I wonder if they wouldn’t be better served if we focused more on asking them about their peace now, and what they are feeling called to do with today. Yes, we need to put some goals out there to keep us pushing forward (or else we will never move from where we are), but there are a lot more questions to ask a young person beyond what their chosen college or career path is.

Father, my daughter’s thesis on her talk was “prepare to be surprised.” Help me to do that with my own life. Help me to, first, be willing to accept the path you have for me regardless of what it means for me. I have been blessed with good health for my entire family and I know I take that for granted. But if that worm should turn and the health for any of us should go away, help me to embrace that. Help me to let go of my expectations of you and to seek to sink deeper and deeper into your presence. Even today, with what I have planned for this day, help me to not see it as obligation but as opportunity. Help me to be your presence. Radiate through me and love through me. Help me to give my utmost for your highest. And do it all for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 18, 2019 in Romans

 

Romans 14:10-14

23 Apr

Romans 14:10-14 [NLT]
10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”

12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

 

Dear God, to answer Paul’s questions in verse 10, it’s so that we can feel better about ourselves. I love to judge others because it make me feel smarter than I am, holier than I am–just better than I am. But Paul reminds us in verse 12 that one day I will be standing before you and you won’t be grading on a curve. You won’t put us on a scale of how I compared with this person or that person. No, it will be you and me and I will have to give you an account of my life and my actions.

If all of that is true, then why do so many of us live our lives comparing ourselves to others? I still remember being at a retreat in the late 90’s and hearing a man give his life story. My dad did his introduction, and I was fooled a little. My dad talked about everything this guy had accomplished by the time he was the age I happened to be at that moment. Before the man even talked, I felt like a loser. Then within five minutes the man explained how he had been in federal prison for embezzlement, had lost his wife and his kids, and now he was trying to rebuild his life. I immediately repented to you for looking at the outside of a man instead of looking deeper and considering what else might be a reality in his life.

Of course, now we all get to see each other’s best parts on social media. And we get to judge each other as well. We judge people if we see them posting pictures of partying too much. We judge them if we see them with the new family for which they left their first family. We allow ourselves to feel inferior to the person who seems to have it all.

Father, help me to take my eyes off of the world and to turn them to you. Help me to stop trying to make my own case through comparison to others, and to simply live faithfully. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. And please forgive me for failing you so often. I am sorry.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on April 23, 2019 in Romans

 

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Romans 1:18

22 Apr

Romans 1:18
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Dear God, when I read this scripture this morning the question that came to my mind is, What makes you angry? I get it that this passage says that it’s “wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness,” but what does that look like? And what do you do with that anger?

After I read this scripture this morning, I turned my attention to the news. I didn’t read much yesterday, but I had heard about the attacks in Sri Lanka. There was more information about it today. Tragic. I am sure this attack made you angry. What do you do with that anger? What do you call me to do?

It seems that I am coming up with more questions than answers this morning. I suppose the first thing you are calling me to do is pray. Pray for the survivors who are affected by this crime. That includes the families of the attackers as well as the victims. I pray for the Christian church there as well as the Islamic church. Let this attack backfire on the organizers. Take your own anger and let it burn into love between people. Let there be love that flows between Christians and Muslims in Sri Lanka and around the world. Let there be reconciliation. Yes, some amount of justice needs to be done, and I pray for that justice for those who organized this, but even for them, I pray that someone will find them in prison and reveal your holy anger and simultaneous love for them.

Father, as I go through my own day, help me to know how to handle anger and love. Help me to see each situation with your eyes and offer your presence to it through my life. Help me to completely absorb you. As I’ve said many times before, 1 Corinthians 13 does not say that love does not get angry, but it says that love is not easily angered. Let me not be easily angered as well, but to experience healthy anger and have healthy responses to it.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2019 in Romans

 

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Romans 15:13

18 Mar

Romans 15:13 [NLT]
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, what a great thing for me to pray for others. To pray for my children that you would completely fill them with joy and peace because they trust you. That they will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s also a great thing to pray for my wife, my extended family, the significant others of my children, my coworkers, my friends, etc.

And how about myself? Do I trust you so much that you completely fill me with joy and peace? Sometimes. Do I overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit? Occasionally I get there. How can I be a better example of this?

I guess it starts by deciding in what or whom I put my trust. I confess that it is usually me. I usually look to my own solutions. My own ideas. My own skills. But guess what—that method never leads me to joy and peace. Even if it all works out, there is an emptiness to it.

Right now, I am facing a couple of significant challenges at work. I know I have brought one of them to you in prayer and you seem to be moving, but as I sit here and type this, I realize that I have been trying to do the others in my own strength. I have not brought them to you in prayer. I have not put my hope and trust in you to get them resolved. And guess what. About one of my challenges I am feeling peace and joy and about the other two I am not.

Father, help me to surrender my whole life to you so that I might experience your peace and joy. Please guide me in my challenges. Please provide for the needs I have and the needs for which I am responsible at work, in my home, and in my community. Help me to turn it all over to you so that you might use my life to ripple through time as you need it to.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 18, 2019 in Romans

 

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Romans 8:28

13 Mar

Romans 8:28
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

 

Dear God, this verse actually works today. I’ve got something difficult happening today. It’s not as much about me as it is a friend of mine. She is very discouraged and tired. A lot of bad has happened for everyone involved. My simple prayer is that you will be in this entire situation today and make this count. Make the pain everyone is experiencing count. The fear, the hurt, the anger–everything. Make it all count for your glory and for your plan in all of our lives.

Help me to be an instrument of your peace. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 13, 2019 in Psalms, Romans

 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

05 Mar

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

 

Dear God, I think it’s impossible to be a good parent. Well, I take that back. I think there are some people out there who are good parents. I’ll rephrase. I really tried, but as I look back on my parenting all I see is failure and mistakes. I wasn’t strict enough here. I was too strict there. I didn’t pray enough here. I was too spiritual there.

I was talking to a woman yesterday who adores her father and talked about all of the lessons and wisdom he imparted to her. I was sitting there admiring the heck out of the guy and wishing I was more like him, but then I remembered something. This woman, who is in her late 20s now, ended up leaving home and moving in with her boyfriend while she was still in high school. She is married to the boyfriend now, but I am sure that that felt like tremendous failure to that father in the moment. Of course, now, the woman is one of the most admirable people I know. I admire both her and her husband greatly. But I’m sure her life and how things were going didn’t always look that promising to her parents.

One thing that I tend to get from you more and more the closer I get to you is that you have made room in your plan for my failures. While I can do some damage, to be sure, in the broad scheme of things, your overall plan has allowed for my mistakes. You are always working for the good for those who love you (Romans 8:28), whether we can see it or not. In the case of this woman, she talked about the struggles she experienced through her choices and how they made her stronger. Her father is very pleased with her now. I’m sure he couldn’t see it at the time, but you were working all things together for the good of those who love you.

Father, I have a lot of work today, and I have a lot of opportunities to really blow it, but I am going to trust you that this path is ordained. Whether it has struggle waiting for me, or even failure, I trust that you will use my work–my life–for your glory. I submit it all to you. To paraphrase an “invitation hymn” from my Baptist days, all to you I surrender. All to you I freely give. I will ever love and trust you. In your presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to thee my blessed savior, I surrender all.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 5, 2019 in Deuteronomy, Hymns and Songs, Romans

 

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Romans 12:14-20

17 Dec

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Romans 12:14-20

Dear God, I’m not sure I’ve ever spent much time with is passage. Romans has never been one of my go-to books, but I came into contact with this passage recently so I wanted to think about it a bit.

My first inclination in reading it is to wonder about motivation. I love the first part of this passage, but then the part where Paul seems to intimate that being nice to them is like heaping burning coals of shame on their heads gives me pause. But if your go back to verse 9, it says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.” At the end of the day, if you really love others, those who you only THINK are your enemies will become your legitimate allies, and those who are truly your enemies will likely experience the confusion and shame that Paul describes here.

I can say that my own hate has never been productive, and has always worked to destroy me probably more than the person I hate. It’s one of those great mysteries of grace—it offers freedom to both the forgiver and the forgiven.

Father, make me an instrument of your peace and help me to decrease as you increase. Help me to see others as more important than myself and to live in your love. I have specific things in my heart that are too personal to mention in this open prayer, but you know what I’m thinking. Be God for us all.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2018 in Romans

 

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Romans 1:16-17

17 Jul

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17

Dear God, I think 98% of Christians need training in how to share the Gospel. I’m included in that group. We either don’t know or over time we forget what we are “selling.” In fact, I know there are people in church every Sunday who are there because they’ve heard about this hope, but they still leave having never heard the message: There is hope! There is peace! There is freedom! All you have to do is let go of yourself, accept this wonderful gift of Jesus and then begin a life of discipleship.

I’ve been asked to preach at this one church every month for the last few, and now I’ll be there twice in August. Up until now, I’ve been following the passages the national church assigns for the day and then preaching from that—usually the Old Testament lesson. But now I’m really feeling led to take the second one in August and do an old fashioned Gospel message.

There’s a son by Dennis where the chorus says, “And I wish I could take your heart into my heart. I wish I could show you just how good it feels to let go of the pain you know is killing you and cling to the only one who can heal. But I know if I did then it wouldn’t be you. Because you, you’re the only one choosing for you. It’s true.”

Father, teach me to share the Gospel and make me your messenger. Remind me of the need that you met in my life over 30 years ago and guide me deeper into your presence.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2018 in Romans

 

Romans 12:3-5

13 Jul

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Romans 12:3-5

Dear God, I have some confessions this morning. I was given a really great award this last week—one of which I’m really proud. A couple of years ago I would never have imagined that they would choose me for it, but my first confession is that this year, with some of the things with which I’ve been involved in the community, I thought I might have a shot at it and I wanted it. So that’s my first confession. I wanted the award I got and I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t gotten it.

Second, I confess that I like the attention. You know me well, and you know that I love to be admired. It is a huge vice for me. I’m getting better—I can feel myself getting better about needing it—but it’s still an issue for me.

Third, there’s a part of me that is tired and nervous that I will allow myself to slump after receiving the recognition. Or worse, that I will make my activities about the recognition instead of about giving you the glory and honor for everything I do, and following your lead and seeking your blessing.

Father, I’m a mess, but you provided me one really gracious thing in this. The award was actually awarded to another person in addition to me, and he is such a great guy. If I put pen to paper, I would say that he is more deserving than I am. I just appreciate and respect him so much. So it is humbling to be honored in this way for doing things that I’ve done out of obedience to you. It is humbling to be put in the same category and league as this other man. My trick is to embrace everyone around me and the vision you have given to all of us as your body. I cannot do everything. I am certainly not good at everything. I need you. I need my wife. I need my children. I need my parents, in-laws, and siblings. I need my friends, my church, and my community. I am just a part, and one unfortunate thing about the role I usually play is that it often gets recognition that other parts don’t get. So help me to be mindful of all of this and to always remember that it’s all about you.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 13, 2018 in Romans

 
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