God's Sovereignty...

“For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” ~ Romans 9:15-16, NKJV

As part of a larger line of reasoning, Paul makes a point about God's sovereignty here in the above verses. How do you "get" God's mercy and compassion? Why do you get it? Why are you called out as a child of promise? The answer is straightforward: God willed it. It has nothing to do you with you. You can't will it, you can't earn it, you can't win it, and you can't qualify for it through biological or ritual means. This is good news! It is impossible for any of us to earn even the least of God's gifts. We are sinners who deserve only His wrath, not His mercy or compassion. But because He gave me grace anyway, based on His merit and not mine, I have more than I can even imagine. I have salvation. I have life. I have hope. I have peace. I have joy. I have love. I have all my needs supplied. I have blessings upon blessings (material and spiritual) heaped upon me. I have God Himself as my Father. I enter His presence as His beloved daughter and as Christ's little sister. These are goodnesses given to me by God, in His sovereign grace, and guaranteed to me by Him - they're not dependent on my performance, my heritage, my position, my anything. What incredible relief! I have utter rest because I abide in Him who performs all things for me.

by Rebecca

Blessed of the Lord

“Then Abimelech came to him [Isaac] from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, ‘Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?’

But they said, ‘We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, “Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.”’” ~ Genesis 26:26-29, NKJV

The Lord confirmed to Isaac His previous promises to Abraham, and made Isaac prosper. Isaac prospered so much, in fact, that Abimelech (king of the Philistines) sent Isaac away from Gerar because Isaac was mightier than they. In the passage above he came again to Isaac in Beersheba, seeking a covenant of peace with him. They wanted his word that he would not harm them, because they saw clearly that he had inherited the favor God set on his father Abraham. Believers share that same favor as the Lord's beloved sons and daughters. This is something for me to remember when I am afraid, when I feel alone, or when I am overwhelmed. The fear of my Father God is my protection and my shield.

By Rebecca

"Abba, Father!"

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” ~ Romans 8:15, NKJV

Earlier Paul dealt with the dichotomy that exists in all believers. Our bodies follow the law of sin and death, but we, with our minds, serve God. Though a believer sins and must fight his flesh constantly, seeking to obey the Spirit instead, he does not walk according to the flesh anymore. The direction of his life is toward God. He has been set free from the law of sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ, and now, in Christ, he has the liberty to say "No," to sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who, because they are in Christ Jesus, do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit! (Romans 8:1) The Spirit of God is not the spirit of bondage that we are used to, which brings us terror and leads us into death and more terror. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of adoption, who gives us the right to cry out to God, "Abba, Father!" God's perfect love for us casts out fear and builds for us an unassailable fortress of security. If the living God and creator of all things treats us as and calls us His beloved sons and daughters, how are we going to come to any harm? He works all things together for good for us. (Romans 8:28) Paul takes the truth of the Spirit of adoption and follows his line of reasoning right into the glorious finale of Romans 8:31-39: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

'For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I do not have the spirit of bondage. I am no longer under any condemnation. I have no reason to be afraid with any terror. I have received the Spirit of adoption by whom I cry out to the Sovereign God, "Abba, Father!"

by Rebecca

Despising God's Gifts...

“And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’

Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” ~ Genesis 25:32-34, NKJV

Esau sold his birthright (which entitled him to a double portion of inheritance and established him as spiritual leader in the household) for some bread and a bowl of stew, because he was hungry and weary after being in the field. Esau's oath was binding. Though the Lord had already chosen Jacob and told Rebekah that her elder son would serve her younger son, the birthright was still Esau's. It was a God-given gift to him that had eternal value and consequence. Esau despised it, preferring the temporary satisfaction of stew and bread to the never-ending satisfaction of fulfilling God's calling on his life. The author of Hebrews writes of Esau's actions, “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” (Hebrews 12:17, NKJV) Esau realized too late what he had sacrificed, and he suffered the consequences of his contempt for God's gift. May that never be the case for us. I want eyes that perceive and esteem eternal value, and I want a heart that treasures the gifts of God, be they circumstances, positions, talents, relationships, or opportunities. To make a practice of despising God's gifts and the calling He has placed on our lives is to end up like Esau - empty, remorseful, and bitterly disappointed.

by Rebecca

Thanking God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” ~ Romans 7:22-24, NKJV

In chapter seven of his epistle, Paul focuses on the law and the role it plays in our lives. Human beings are born slaves to sin. The law exposes our true natures, making our sin "exceedingly sinful," (vs. 13) through the commandment, because the very fact that we are told something is wrong awakens our desire to do that very thing. The law is good. We are not. But in Christ, we died to the law that condemns us and are born again under grace. At salvation, we are given a new nature, an "inward man," who delights in the law of God and desires to do good. Paul recognized the dichotomy that existed between his inward man and his flesh (his physical body). One wills to do the will of God. The other wills to do the will of the flesh, that is, sin. For the believer, life is a continuous battle between these two natures! No wonder Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" As believers fight their flesh and seek to let God's Spirit take control of their lives, we cling to the hope of verse twenty-four: "I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Our salvation is not yet complete. There is a day coming when my body and not just my spirit will be resurrected into new life, wholly free from the old law of sin. Jesus took my old nature with Him to the cross. Soon He's coming again, and He will deliver me from my body of death and bring me into the fullness of life.

by Rebecca...

Waiting and Letting Him Take the Lead

“And the man, wondering at her [Rebekah], remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” ~ Genesis 24:21, NKJV

Abraham sent his oldest servant to his former country in order to find a bride for his son Isaac. As one reads Genesis 24, one can't help but be impressed by the quality of this servant, and by his obvious faith and love for the God of his master Abraham. When he arrived in Abraham's old country (by the city wells, about the time when the women of the city came out to draw water), he prayed for the Lord to direct him to the woman He had chosen for Isaac: “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” (vs. 14) The servant had hardly finished speaking when Rebekah came to the well. She gave the servant a drink and volunteered to water all ten his camels - no quick or easy undertaking. Verse 21 records that as Rebekah worked, the servant watched her silently. He was waiting to see whether or not she would finish the task and thereby demonstrate that she was the one whom God had chosen.

God wills to prosper all His children, always. He prospered Abraham, He prospered Isaac, and He prospered this faithful servant on his mission to find a bride for his master's son. I love how the servant responded to the Lord in verse 21. He didn't leap to inject himself into the situation as soon as Rebekah spoke; he didn't immediately begin to question her or decide she was the right choice; he waited. Even better, he waited silently. He let the Lord show him what to do before he did anything. It's so easy for us to leap ahead of the Lord, seeking to take control of the situation ourselves rather than wait (quietly!) for the Lord's guidance. Abraham's faithful servant, who was also a faithful servant of God, is an example to all God's children. He is willing to prosper us. But we are best prospered when we are willing to wait and let Him take the lead.

--by Rebecca