PUT GOD FIRST

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

Romans 3:1-4

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God is perfect in every way.

We on the other hand…not so much.

Given this, why in the world would we ever place our trust in ourselves or other mere human beings more than we trust in God?

It’s completely baffling that we even consider this let alone do it but we do.

All.the.time.

Have you ever wondered how God feels when we do this, when we behave as if we can operate on our own without Him?

I mean, could anything be more disrespectful than this?

Friends, we need to put God first. We need to always let Him take the wheel and drive us through life, content with being the passenger. When you ride with someone, you are placing all your trust in the one is in the driver’s seat. Your safety and well being are in their hands. I don’t know about you but when I am traveling through life, there’s no other person I want driving than the Lord. It’s the only way I know the right course will be steered so that I can reach the right destination.

As we turn to the third chapter of Romans, we find Paul concerned about the direction the people of Rome were going. Look again at his words here:

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”  Romans 3:1-4

In Romans 2, we found Paul talking about the matter of circumcision and how it wouldn’t necessarily tell the whole picture about a Jewish man’s spiritual status. In other words, a Jew might be circumcised, externally showing they have opted to be obedient to the Law’s call to do so and honor the covenant between God and His people, but live in ways that are sinful and contrary to God’s commands and expectations. In the end translation, it wasn’t the external appearance that mattered as much as the internal spiritual state of one’s heart and mind.

With this, maybe a Jewish man might wonder if circumcision was even really needed. In other words, was circumcision really necessary if it’s really the internal spiritual state that counted the most?

Paul quickly addresses that potential question by saying that there was still absolute value found in being circumcised if you were a Jew and remaining obedient to the Law.

Why?

Because no other subset of mankind had been given that privilege, the privilege to be God’s holy people except the people of Israel. They had been chosen by God and entrusted with His very words. In other words, the Holy Scriptures were authorized to be the keepers and teachers of the Word of God. It was a tremendous honor bestowed on the Israelites by God and therefore circumcision was not just a sign but a reminder of the great privilege God had granted.

Indeed, God had a special relationship with His chosen people but He still was over them. No one, Israelite or otherwise, could ever nullify any part of God’s perfect nature because they failed and sinned.

If a Jew or anyone else was unfaithful, it only made that person unfaithful. God would remain perfect in faithfulness just as He is perfect in every other way. He was perfectly true in all that He did and so no trust should be placed anywhere else instead in Him.

No one should place faith anywhere else except with the Lord.

No one should place their trust in anyone else except the Lord.

No one should place their hope anywhere else except in the Lord.

And certainly, no one should seek truth in any other place except through the Lord.

The old saying goes like this:

“Put God first so you can finish in first place.”

All we need to do is put this wisdom into practice.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT'S ON THE OUTSIDE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.”

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”

Romans 2:25-29

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I’ve got a confession to make.

I don’t have a tattoo. Not one.

I served in the United States Navy for twenty eight and a half years and it seemed like the en vogue thing to do was to have a tattoo…and this is before everybody decided to get them. But I never did it. I saw my shipmates doing it but I never wanted to do it myself.

What makes this worse is that I have developed a dislike for the prevalence of tattoos on people. They have gone from a person just having one that was obscure and hidden to having them all over the body. Some have more tattoos on their body than skin that is unblemished. For me, it’s hard to look at.

But I’m glad that I am a man of the Lord and invested in His holy Word. Because when I do read the scriptures, I find passages that help me in processing through my feelings and views on the things of the world. Today, I am blessed with one such excerpt from the closing verses of Romans 2, one that helps me get by the tattoo issue because these words written by the Apostle Paul to the people in Rome carry one important message:

It’s not about what’s on the outside.

Look again at these verses again here:

“Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.”

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” Romans 2:25-29

Throughout chapter 2, we find Paul talking about the righteous judgment of God and how it can fall on anyone who lives sinfully in His sight. This applied equally to the Jew and the Gentile (anyone not a Jew).

In regard to the latter, one of the main ways you could tell a Jewish male from a Gentile male was through examining their bodies externally, particularly in the genital area. In accordance with the Law, Jewish men would be circumcised as a sign of the Old Testament covenant between God and the Israelite people. Of course, this would mean that Gentile men would be uncircumcised.

But note that this outward differential was only a physical one. In other words, you can’t believe everything your eyes tell you.

If a circumcised Jew sinned against God, the circumcision lost its meaning and value. The Jew would be just as bad as the Gentiles they thought were unholy and godless. By breaking the Law, they had made themselves as if they weren’t circumcised at all.

You see, God cares most about who we are on the inside. It’s not about what’s on the outside.

Paul goes onto talk about the Gentiles as well. For if an uncircumcised Gentile man, keeps the Law that the Jewish man broke, then the uncircumcised man becomes as if he was circumcised which means that he stood in good favor with God through living in righteousness.

Again, God would find delight with the Gentile through the way his heart and mind were obedient to God’s will and way. He cares most about what’s on the inside because it’s not about what’s on the outside.

In the end translation, the state of one’s heart will show either their allegiance or opposition to the Lord, not a tattoo or any other outward appearance.

Show that you’re led by the Holy Spirit through the way you live, displaying righteousness as you are obedient to the will of the Lord, and you will receive the praise and blessing of God.

Choose to live otherwise, committing yourself to the world’s ways or the selfish desires of your own heart, and you can expect to receive God’s punishment and judgment.

When He looks inside of you, which person does He see?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE!

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?”

“As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Romans 2:17-24

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If there’s anything just as bad as being judgmental, it’s a Christian believer who is a hypocrite.

Maybe you’ve met one or two of these in your lifetime.

The Christian hypocrite will always spend more time telling you how you should live than they do self examining their own lives. They’re eager to shine a spotlight on your sin when they keep their own from being seen, hiding them in the dark recesses of their hearts and minds. In some twisted way, they think it’s okay to do the things they tell others not to do. This is why the word of the Lord is clear when it comes to the following exhortation:

“Don’t be a hypocrite!”

In Jesus’ day, you could find examples of hypocrisy within the Jewish religious leadership, mostly by the Pharisees and Sadducees. It was so prevalent that Jesus often railed against the way they legalistically went about their business, quick to criticize their Jewish followers for violating the Law while breaking it regularly themselves. In Matthew 23, we find Him speaking these words of admonishment:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:1-36

I think Jesus makes the point very clear that any hypocritical behavior by those serving God is unacceptable. Paul underscores this point in our scripture passage today as he addresses the people in Rome. He writes addressing the Jews in Rome:

“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?”

“As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”  Romans 2:17-24

Here Paul follows Jesus’ blueprint, first pointing out how prideful Jews within that community rely on the Law, boast in God, and carry themselves as if they have some elevated status in the Lord’s sight. Empowered by the Law and the “embodiment of knowledge and truth” within it, these puffed up leaders in the Jewish religious society tout themselves as a “guide for the blind”, “a light for those who are in the dark”, “an instructor for the foolish”, and “a teacher of little children”. Note they see others as in need of spiritual wisdom and education but neglect to take the very scriptures they share to heart and this leads to them not practicing what they preach.

Some would preach against stealing and yet steal themselves, even going as far as robbing temples. .

Others would teach against adulterous behavior but freely engage in adultery when given the opportunity.  

In both of these instances and more, Jewish leaders would dishonor God by being hypocritical lawbreakers and we know Jesus sent wishes of woe to anyone who behaved this way for the judgment of God would be coming upon them.

I heard someone say a long time ago that you shouldn’t try and run someone else’s business when your business is failing. It was an analogy drenched in the matter of being hypocritical. Rather than simply tell others what they should do as Christians, maybe we should spend just as much time teaching by the way we behave, instructing by doing. For not only are others observing us to make sure we live life in the ways of the Lord, validating the things we say should be done, but God is watching as well and not only sees our outward actions but our most inward thoughts and motivations.

Friends, we should never feel it’s okay to be a hypocrite. For God despises this and Jesus teaches against it...and that should be all we need to know to steer away from the sinful behavior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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THE KEY IS OBEDIENCE

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.”

Romans 2:12-16

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Our English dictionaries are full of words and their associated meanings. If we really want to know the meaning of something, we can always trust the dictionary. As we look at today’s lesson from our continuing study of Romans 2, we find the theme is obedience and when we turn to understand what it means from a dictionary, this is what we learn:

O·be·di·ence: əˈbēdēəns,ōˈbēdēəns (noun): compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.

Now, while this word speaks in general about authority figures, there is only one supreme authority over all things, the One who sets the standards that all people are required to comply to. That supreme authority is the Lord Almighty. He is the One who puts orders, requests, and laws in place for His people so that they might live a life that is pleasing in His sight.

Where do we find these orders, requests, and laws?

In the Bible, the very Word of God.

Through the scriptures, God makes it very clear as to what He expects from His people. There is no excuse for not knowing Him or that He reigns supreme over all mankind. And so He totally anticipates that everyone will be compliant and submit to His will and way.

Did this happen in Biblical days?

Not exactly.

In our passage today, we read where it was no guarantee that the Jews, God’s chosen people, would be obedient to the very law He gave them to follow. Many Israelites chose to “sin under the law” and therefore position themselves to be “judged by the law”. To be seen as righteous before God, it wasn’t enough to just hear the law. The hearer had to show they heard and understood it through their behavior for it would reveal whether or not the person was living in righteousness or not.

In other words, it was all about obedience. Putting God’s commands into action showed a person was being compliant to those expectations.

Okay, but what about the Gentiles who were essentially the non-Jews in Biblical times? Would they automatically perish because they are not counted in the number of God’s chosen ones of Israel?

No, because some of the Gentiles actually lived more righteously than the Jews who chose to chase after sin. Although they didn’t have the Mosaic law, the law God gave His people, there were Gentiles who lived in righteousness as God expected.

How did they do this?

The scriptures tell us they had “the requirements of the law…written on their hearts”. The Spirit of God was at work in their lives within “their consciences…sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them”.

Salvation was no longer just a Jewish privilege. When Jesus paid the sin penalty for all mankind on Calvary’s cross, He did it for all people because that’s what God desired. For God so loved the world, all the world, that He sent His only Son so that whoever chooses to believe in Him, whether Jew of Gentile, wouldn’t perish but rather gain eternal life (John 3:16).

Death will not be the end for anyone who is obedient to God’s command to live in righteousness and part of this process is believing in His Son and committing to live as He lived. This kind of life, the Christian life, will lead a person to pardon “on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ”.

Want peace with God, placing yourself in good favor with Him and on the road to everlasting life through Jesus, His Son?

The key is obedience.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com