1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Have It Your Way

Have you noticed the shift in advertising in the past few years? For decades, the message of most commercials was you need this product! Companies would explain how their product would make your life easier, your job simpler, your life more enjoyable. It worked, and for years, our mantra was I need! I need! I need!

However, a few years ago, advertisers made a shift. You see, consumers were becoming cynical to the “need propaganda.” We stopped believing that we needed more and more things. After all, when an advertiser suggests that you need something, they are implying that your life isn’t all that it should be. In a way, they are talking down to you about your current lifestyle.

If you pay attention to many of the newer commercials in the past few years, you’ll notice that the shift is toward you deserve. In a sense, what advertisers are telling you is that “you really are an amazing person, and your life is pretty much perfect, and so, you deserve to make your own choices, enjoy luxuries, and do things for yourself. So, buy our product, not because you need it in order to be fulfilled, but because you deserve it for being so amazing.”

Next time you’re watching TV, pay attention to the commercials. Take note of how many tell you that you need something vs. how many tell you that you deserve something.

What’s that have to do with today’s passage? Well, for many, we want God on our terms. We want him to fit into our agenda. Our way of thinking. God should fit into our life, not the other way around. We refuse to do it God’s way and expect him to fit into our way.

Unfortunately, God isn’t trying to sell you something. He’s not dependent on your acceptance. He’s not a product. There’s only one option when it comes to salvation: God’s way. There’s only one option to living a life full of purpose: God’s way. There’s only one God. He’s God, I’m not. Yet, far too often, we get that confused.

Look at your life this morning. I’ll do the same with my own. Are there areas that we continue to hold on to and refuse to submit to God? Are there things that we think we deserve when it comes to God’s blessings? Having you submitted fully to the will of God? Don’t buy into the trap that suggests you’re the boss.

My prayer: Lord, I admit it. There are days when I truly believe that I deserve something. I’ll buy into the advertiser’s claim that I am king of my own world. And as a king, I should enjoy certain benefits. And yet, deep in my heart, I know it’s a lie. I’m not king. You are. I submitted my life to you many years ago. I submit my life to you again today. I need to put it all back into perspective. You are God, I am not. My choice is to live life according to that principle. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

³⁰ What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. ³¹ But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. ³² Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. ³³ God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

Background Doesn’t Matter

Are you getting the point yet? Paul’s certainly trying to make it clear. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in a “church family.” It doesn’t matter how spiritual or godly your grandmother was. What matters is what will you do with Jesus?

Our relationship with God is personal. Is all about us and God. It’s not about the nation you’re from or the denomination your church is a part of.

And yet it’s so easy to focus on all those things instead of our personal relationship. It’s natural to lean on all these other things and miss the point. In Paul’s day, many Jewish people did just that. They had always been “God’s people” and so why worry about a personal relationship. Just follow the rituals and the rules that their forefathers adhered to.

I’m sure it frustrated Paul. After all, he had once been a Pharisee. A “super-Jew” if you will. He had been a religious leader, teaching others to follow the law to the fullest. And yet, when he encountered Jesus and turned his life over to God, he realized the futility in that way of thinking. His passion was to lead others to the same freedom he now experienced. I’m sure when he encountered those who refused to listen, it would have been difficult.

My prayer: Lord, each day I need to come to you and focus on the relationship I have with you. I can’t rely on the past. I want my connection with you to be fresh. Daily. May I never become content with the idea that all that matters is the church I’m a part of, or the country I live in. Those things are not as important as staying connected to you in a very personal way. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

²⁵ Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” ²⁶ And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

²⁷ And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved. ²⁸ For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”

²⁹ And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.”

God Hasn’t Changed

A lot of people make the mistake in assuming that God had one plan under the Old Testament era and another plan in the New Testament. It’s like they think that God tried things one way, and when it was clear that people couldn’t do it according to that plan, he changed his mind and came at things from a different approach.

But nothing could be further from the truth. God hasn’t changed at all. His plan never changed. As I pointed out in last night’s Bikers’ Church talk (for those who were not there, keep an eye out on our website, it should be up within a few days), God’s plan has been the same since the beginning of creation. From the moment that Adam and Eve fell, God proclaimed the day would come when the power of sin would be broken.

Paul is making that point clear in this passage. He uses the prophecies of Hosea and Isaiah to make his point. The idea that salvation is for everyone isn’t something that was “made up” through the teachings of Jesus. Hundreds of years before the era of grace began, it was prophesied. Gentiles would be part of God’s family. And not everyone in the nation of Israel would remain faithful.

What can we take from this? I take hope in the idea that God doesn’t just come up with things on a whim. He isn’t caught off guard by the behaviour of someone and suddenly has to come up with a “plan B”. From the moment I was formed in my mother’s womb, God knew my days. He knew the choices I’d make. He purposed a plan for my life and invites me to live fully in all that he designed for me. I love that realization.

My prayer: Lord, I take delight in knowing that nothing surprises you. Nothing catches you off guard. Your plan for me, your plan for my family, my friends, my church, is known from beginning to end with you. I may not know all that is to come, but you do. And when I trust you, I have the confidence in knowing that every step I take is ordained by you. There’s a confidence that comes from that truth. So, today I trust you with my steps. Lead me along the path that you have called me to journey. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹⁷ For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” ¹⁸ So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

¹⁹ Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

²⁰ No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? ²² In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. ²³ He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. ²⁴ And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

Thinking Like God

At some point, most of us do it. Maybe all of us. At least once or twice, we’re guilty of it. We question the ways of God. When something doesn’t quite make sense, I try to reason as if I were God. If I were God … I’d do it this way. Or, we look at God’s actions and we filter them through our own way of thinking.

In today’s passage, Paul talks about God hardening the heart of Pharaoh so that he could be used for a greater purpose. In case you’re wondering what role Pharaoh plays in history, you can read his story, which begins in Exodus 5. If you were at Bikers’ Church last night, you know that The Passover, which took place in Pharaoh’s Egypt, is part of the Christmas story – the story of Jesus. But the Bible is clear that God does indeed harden the heart of Pharaoh.

Some have asked if the same was true of Judas. Did he have a choice? After all, the story needed a betrayer. One who would hand Jesus over to be crucified. (Or did it?) Some wonder if Judas gets a fair shake, since his role ultimately led to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

When we try to answer these questions fully, we find ourselves in the place of trying to think like God. And that’s a difficult, if not dangerous, place to be.

Why? Because the Bible is also clear that God’s thoughts are not like ours. His ways are far beyond anything we could imagine (Isaiah 55:8) In fact, if you were to read the entire 55th chapter of Isaiah, you’d discover that it is speaking about salvation, and the way God goes about touching the hearts of people is not the way we might do it … if we were God, that is.

Here’s what I know: God so loved the world, that he gave his only son that whoever believes might be saved. That means … whoever. Anyone. We are all given the opportunity to know God. Some will reject that opportunity. Some will turn away from God. And if God then takes those who turn away and hardens their heart and uses them in some way, it really is beyond my comprehension to understand.

You see, I’m not God. I can’t think like he does. I can only trust him that he knows best.

My prayer: Lord, I trust you. Forgive me for the times when I try to figure everything out. That’s not my job. My job is to walk by faith. There are going to be things that I can’t answer. Questions that will remain unresolved. May I continue to trust you even when I don’t have it all settled in my mind. As the Apostle Thomas prayed, “Lord, I believe! Help me with my unbelief.” Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹⁰ This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. ¹¹ But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; ¹² he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” ¹³ In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”

¹⁴ Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! ¹⁵ For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

¹⁶ So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

Is God Fair?

It is a profound question. When God uses someone in a way that we wish we were used, it’s easy to think that God is being unfair. When we see someone being blessed while we struggle, it’s easy to question God. In fact, it’s human nature to do so. People have been doing it since the beginning of time.

And yet, is it the right question to ask? I don’t believe it is. You see, we base fairness on our own understanding of what it means to be fair. We use our cultural understanding of right and wrong to decide if life is fair or not. And as soon as we ask the question is God fair? we are placing God into that box of limited understanding.

Perhaps the question we should be asking is can God be trusted? In other words, regardless of how I see things playing out in my life or in the life of another, can I trust God. Is he trustworthy? I believe he is.

You’ve likely heard this illustration before, but we see life the same way we see the road ahead of us when we’re on our bikes. We open the throttle when the road is straight. When we can’t see beyond the curve, we lean in, feel the rush of excitement of not knowing what’s ahead, and ride the curve. The fact is, we don’t know what might be waiting for us ahead. But God does. He sees the journey from the vantage point of an Eagle flying above the road. He sees what awaits beyond the next curve. He knows what is coming up in our lives. At times, he calls to us to slow down, because the road is rough beyond the next curve. At times, he invites us to open it up even more, because the road is beautiful, and he loves seeing us enjoy the thrill of the ride.

If we learn to trust him, the ride can be far more exciting than anything we could imagine. When we ask is God fair? we are focusing on the moment rather than the journey. We are basing the question of what we are experiencing at that time. And in doing so, we are really questioning if we can trust God with tomorrow.

My prayer: Lord, I want to experience the fullness of the journey that you have called me to live. Sometimes I can be guilty of looking at someone else’s journey and comparing myself to them. Forgive me for doing that. You have called me to something very unique. I choose to trust you with my journey. So, lead me, I pray. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

⁶ Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! ⁷ Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”though Abraham had other children, too. ⁸ This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. ⁹ For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Are You A Hamburger?

Back in the 70’s there was a well known Christian singer by the name of Keith Green. His music was pretty powerful (while it’s somewhat dated today, many of his songs are still very challenging). In one of his songs, he talks about those who believe they are Christians simply because they go to church. He makes the statement that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.

In a way, Paul is saying the same thing with today’s passage. He argues that being a part of God’s family isn’t something you’re born into. You can’t ride in on the coattails of your parents. It takes something more than that. It requires a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

I believe we need to be reminded of that from time to time. Sometimes, we think we are part of God’s family because we faithfully attend church each week. We give of our time, finances, and other resources to our church. We invite our neighbours and our family to attend services with us. All good things, but it’s not because of them that we are Christians.

No, we are Christ followers because we acknowledged our inability to be righteous on our own. We recognized that without the grace of God, we are lost. All is hopeless. It is only through Christ that we can be in relationship with God. It is because of him that we are part of the family.

It’s a good time of year for such a reminder.

My prayer: Lord, I realize that I am not your follower because I was born into a particular church. I am not your follower because I was born in a country that celebrates freedom. I am your follower because you first loved me. You gave your life for me. You opened the door for me to journey with you. It is completely your doing, not mine. Thank you for reminding me of that incredible truth. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹ With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. ² My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief³ for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. ⁴ They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. ⁵ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Heart For Others

I think this is one of the most convicting passages in the Bible. What? You didn’t pick up on that? Perhaps you should read it again. Only this time, watch for how much Paul cares about his people. His love for them is so deep, that he even suggests that he would be willing to sacrifice his own relationship with Christ if it would bring them to Jesus.

It reminds me of Abraham when he pleads with God to spare the city of Sodom (Genesis 18). Abraham knows that Sodom is wicked and the people have completely rejected God, and yet he cries out for their lives.

I’ve sat with parents who weep over the choices their children have made. They tell me they’d do anything to see their child turn back to God. There is nothing they would not give up. As the tears fall down their cheeks, they’d ask me for answers. How can they cause their child to surrender to God?

In all these cases, we find individuals who care so deeply for the salvation of others that they are willing to risk everything. They do anything for the sake of another. And yet, ever person must choose for themselves. Paul could not force the Jewish people to turn their lives over to Christ. Abraham could not find even ten righteous in Sodom, and children must choose to serve God on their own.

What convicts me in this passage is the heart that Paul has for others. It’s the heart that God has for me (and you). A heart that cares so deeply, he sent his only son to die on a cross. He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we might be free. And yet, even God can’t (or wont) force us to serve him. He gives us the choice to receive the love that is behind his sacrifice, or to reject it.

Do I care that deeply? Do I ever weep over those in my nation who are lost without Christ? Do I cry out to God to save them? Or do I go about my daily life hardly ever thinking about their need for God. Yes, Paul’s heart in this passage convicts me.

My prayer: Lord, I know that far too often I am caught up with my own life. I focus on the life of my family and my church. And, I do think about those you have called us to reach. But do I feel the way Paul felt? The way Abraham did? Not very often. Forgive me. I want my heart to beat with passion for the same things your heart does. And at the top of that list is a passion for the lost. Those who have yet to experience your grace. Help me to love others the way you loved me. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing Stops God’s Love

Do you ever have a good day? I mean a really good day? A day when everything is just perfect. Life seems good. It feels good. You’re happy, excited, full of energy. A day when everything just seems to fall your way. I’m sure all of us can say we’ve experienced days like that. Good days.

Do you thank God during those days? I do. I feel blessed, and I’ll tell him. Actually, I’ll often tell others how blessed I feel. On those good days, I can feel so connected to God. His love for me is evident and I feel it in ever fibre of my being. It’s awesome.

What about bad days? When nothing seems to go right. When I’m bombarded with issue after issue. Days when I just want to lock the door, close the curtains, and hide in the dark. The phone rings, and I’m afraid to answer it, because it’s likely someone else calling to complain. Ever have those days? Sure, most of us have them.

Do you thank God during those days as well? If I’m honest, it’s often difficult to connect with God during the really bad days. There’s a part of me that feels like I’m being punished for something. The guilt of my sin rises to the surface and I wonder if all the bad that is happening to me is God’s way of showing me that I’ve fallen into his bad books. In fact, sometimes, the feeling of God’s punishment can be overwhelming.

And yet, in today’s passage, Paul tells us that even in the midst of the worse kind of day, God loves us. In fact, no matter what we are experiencing – whether it’s a result of our own doing or something beyond our control – God’s absolute love for us is unrelenting. When he feels a million miles away, he’s actually right there with us in the midst of the trial.

A sign of spiritual maturity is being able to battle through the feeling of abandonment, and holding on by faith to the promise that is found in a passage like this one. Don’t allow yourself to lose sight of God’s love.

God is with you. Whatever you are facing today. Whether it’s a good day or a terrible day. God is with you. No matter what. And not only is he with you, he loves you. And nothing will ever change that. Nothing.

My prayer: Lord, forgive me when I doubt your love. When I wonder if you hate me because of what I’m facing. I know it’s not true. I know in my heart, deep down, that your love for me is unwavering. I read passages like this one and it excites me at the idea of knowing the intimacy of your love regardless of my circumstances. I make a choice today, Lord. I choose to walk by faith and not by sight. I choose to trust your promises rather than depend on my feelings. You promise that you will always be with me, and your love will never leave me. And so I believe you. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

If God Is For Us

Who can be against us? It doesn’t mean that people wont try. They will. You will face those who oppose you. Those who reject you. Those who criticize and attack you. But when you truly grasp the words of Paul in this passage, you’ll realize that your identity is not wrapped up in what they think of you. When you catch what Paul has been trying to say since chapter one of Romans, you’ll understand that the message of the Gospel is so much deeper than we realize.

Who can be against us? When you are told you’re no good. When people call you worthless. When they look down on you because you lack their status, education, level of prestige. When you are treated as no one special. When they turn their back on you, or even worse, ignore you.

At that point, remember: God is your Abba Father. He is with you. He is for you. He tells you that you are clothed in his righteousness. He tells you that you were worth everything to him, even his own son on the cross. He tells you that you have been adopted into his family and have become a heir with Christ. He tells you that your wisdom is found in trusting God. He tells you that you are the apple of his eye. Special? You are created in his image.

If God is for us, who can be against us? God invites you to stop allowing your self image to be determined by the voices of those around you. Let go of all that nonsense and cling to him. He is with you.

Paul asks, “What can we say about such wonderful things?” And to be honest, I’m speechless. They are simply too wonderful.

My prayer: Father, you are with me. YOU are with me. How on earth can I allow those against me to be my focus when you – creator of all things, including my critics – are for me. Help me to walk in the confidence that is found in that incredible truth. You are with me. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 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. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Only Good Things

We find another of those really popular, quotable verses in today’s passage. And, we discover again a verse that is often misquoted. It’s verse 28. Usually it’s quoted this way: “God causes everything to work together for good.” Or, “God causes everything to work together for good for those who love him.”

I’ll bet that 90% of the time I hear that passage quoted, it’s one of those two ways. And that’s not what the verse says. If you don’t believe me, read it again.

You see, the problem with quoting it this way, is we think that only good things happen to people who love God. Even when bad things happen, we explain away the bad one of two ways. Either the person doesn’t really love God the way they should, hence the bad things happening. Or, the bad things are going to turn into something good. Because everything becomes good for those who love God.

The biggest issue I have with quoting this verse incorrectly is that it causes people to believe that God must be angry with them when bad happens. Either they must not love God the way they thought, or they have to have more faith and patience to wait for the bad thing to turn into a good thing.

Let’s look at the verse correctly. What it actually says is God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God. Did you catch that difference.

What if bad things can work for your good? I don’t know about you, but often my character is formed through difficult times more than through good times. I learn more about myself as I endure a trial than I do in the midst of easy days. My seasons of doubt have strengthen my faith more than any other time.

I don’t believe this passage is promising that every bad experience will become good. What I believe it’s telling us is that God can cause every experience – good or bad – to draw me closer to him if I allow it. If, in the midst of any circumstance, no matter how bad it is, I choose to trust him and lean on him, then I will grow in my faith and confidence regardless of the battle I face.

Every circumstance can be used for my good if I allow God to use it.

My prayer: Lord, help me to trust you in the midst of every circumstance of life. When things are going amazing, help me to still trust you. When things are terrible, help me to never stop trusting you. Take every moment of my life and shape me through it. Let me learn from my experiences, I pray. Amen.

Until tomorrow.