45Rom011.mp3
Commentary
Lord, You are exceedingly and abundantly more than I could hope for or imagine. Please open up my eyes to see the thing that I had indulged in, so that I can see it for what it really is. I need to be separate from this unclean thing. It had effectively caused me to miss church, behave unseemly, and I had sown some very bad seed. I am sad in my heart because You deserve more from me, and I can do so much better than I had done. I am sad because I let You down, Lord and I let myself down.
You are the lifter of my head. I will not take this lightly, and I will also not allow this thing to weigh on me insomuch that I would be hindered. A phrase comes to my recall that says, "in a Tango, if you get tangled, Tango on". With You, my Lord, I will Tango on. I broke it, You fixed it, and I am better for it, instead of it, in spite of it. I noticed how this thing could not draw nigh my dwelling, but had my attention when I drew nigh to it.
I am encouraged in Your Word, oh Lord. You said that no weapons formed against me shall prosper. I remember the exceeding abundance of mess I had in my life when I was without armor, without You, oh God. Now, I am much better than I was in that other man. I am a new creature. I will not entertain any thoughts of sowing into that unclean thing again. It cannot prosper. I receive Your Word now, as I read and comment about Romans 11. Open my eyes, oh God. I want to see You. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Your Word resonates within me. I see Your "now" message already, in only the first few verses. Its not by works that we are made whole, just as it is not by works that we are broken. It is by Grace alone. The very Grace of God. It is because of this Grace that we can come boldly to Your thrown and be not ashamed of the sin shell of a human. I will not claim that sin to be mine. I will not take ownership of that unclean thing. I acknowledge my shortcoming and I step onward still. I am NOT greatly moved!
It is truly amazing that today's chapter is exactly what I need for my heart. As we need everything we learn, and can ALWAYS put practical application to that which we learn, it is a very refreshing feeling when the chapter is totally relevant to current involvements.
Paul wants us to know that because we are made holy by the Salvation of God, from the death and resurrection of Jesus, that holiness makes our whole selves whole. I am still cradled in the arms of God. I had not ruined anything. My salvation is made whole by those bad decisions, only because of the holiness that God grafted in me upon my spiritual birth. I need only say, "I accept You as my savior, Jesus". Then we are the branches, grafted into the body of Christ. This being so, I am made holy. If there were no sin, there would be no need for Jesus' sacrifice. My shortcoming did validate the perfect love of God into my life, to make me whole. I proclaim it now, in Jesus' name!
I will not take for granted Your mercy, oh God. I will continue now, in Your goodness, that I be not cut off. I produce life giving fruit, not the spoils of weeds and bramble. In verse 23, Paul is telling us that even if we put ourselves into the unfruitful, and/or producing bad fruit, and even if we should be cut off, God will graft us in yet again.
You, oh God are my deliverer. I don't need to feel as though I need to overcome that which efforts to overcome me. I will continue in Your goodness, and YOU will remove the sin from me, as you had said about Jacob. In verse 29, Paul wrote about the gifts and calling. These are ours, even if we choose not to acknowledge it. It is without repentance. This means that it will not be taken away from me, no matter what I do badly, or how ungodly I was or am. I have my gifts and I have my calling. I need only continue in that, for the goodness of God, and I am still in the life of the Lord.
Monday, June 4th, 2012 - 9:47am
