Author: mary

Romans 3:25-26 says, “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God gave His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins.

In the Old Testament, the people would bring animals to the altar to sacrifice for their sins. There were different types of offerings for different types of sins. These verses say that God passed over the people’s sins due to these offerings. When God sent His Son to the earth, His plan was to sacrifice Him as an offering. He would be the ultimate sacrifice. The word propitiation means, “the act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something : the act of propitiating,” according to Merriam Webster.

Even though it was extremely hard to sacrifice His Son, it pleased Him to give an offering for His people. He loved us so much that He gave His Son up for us that we might live!

In our world today there tends to be no fear of God. Many refuse to acknowledge the work of God. Others choose not to believe in Him at all. Romans 3:17-18 says, “and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”” These verses tell us that they do not know peace because there is no fear of God before them.

The same can be said of those who choose to fear and follow the Lord. They will experience His peace because they have a reverence for the Lord. They know the power of the Lord and how He can destroy and He can rescue. He can bring His wrath and His grace. He is God and all powerful. They have peace because they know they can trust and hope in the Lord.

God, in all of His kindness, sent His Son to the earth to die for the sins of man-kind. In His kindness, He made a way for us to be with Him forever through His salvation. His kindness lead us to repentance as Romans 2:4 says,”Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

The kindness we show others should lead them to repentance as well. Salvation should always be our motivation behind everything we do. When we do something kind for someone else in our community, it should be to lead them to the Lord. When we give to ministries around the world it should be so the people can come to know the Lord. God in all of His kindness did not give us the wrath we deserved and instead gave us grace that saves.

Take some time to pray and ask God to help give you the same kindness He imparts on His people.

There are several times in the Bible where people are compared to a harvest. In Romans 1:13, Paul says, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.” Paul longed to visit the Romans because he wanted to be a part of the harvest that was happening there.

Webster’s dictionary defines the word harvest as, “a mature crop (as of grain or fruit).” Paul wanted to see the spiritual fruit of the people there. He had planted seeds and it was time to see the fruit of his labor. He wanted to reap the harvest. Have you ever planted something and wanted to see it grow into a beautiful crop? Investing in the lives of others is very similar. Have you ever invested in someone’s life and wanted to see how everything turned out? This is what Paul was experiencing. The only difference was that in our world today, it is much easier to walk through life with the people we disciple. Paul only had his letters to rely on. Yet we still do not invest in the spiritual lives of others or we leave them to fend for themselves after salvation. It would be like saving someone from drowning without ever drawing them into the boat. We leave them to try and swim the rest of the way on their own. It is not enough to just throw them a life preserver; we must either pull them into the boat or swim the rest of the way with them! The point is, do not leave them in the middle of the raging sea!

To invest in the lives of others, you must first pour into your own spiritual life. If you begin to really spend time in prayer and God’s word, He will present you with opportunities and help you invest in the lives of those around you!

In this life, we have the ability to choose who we will serve. We can serve the world, follow its practices and beliefs. Or we can serve Jesus and follow His teachings and truth. Serving is always a choice, and a daily choice at that (sometimes even hourly).

Paul became a servant of Christ at the moment of conversion and it was never an option to serve anyone else! He thought he had been serving the Lord as a part of the Sanhedrin, but realized serving the Lord meant serving through Christ: believing Christ was the Son of God and had the authority of God. Once He submitted to Christ on that road to Damascus, his life was forever changed and he became a bondservant of the living God. When Paul writes this in Romans 1:1-4, you can see the impact that Christ had on his life: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” These scriptures tell us several things about being a servant. First, as Christians we are called and set apart as servants for the Lord. This does not mean that only some of us are called to be servants- everyone of us is called to do His work. Second, the work of God through Jesus Christ can only be accomplished when the servant understands the authority of God. If there is any motivation other than to glorify God and make His name known, the believer will not be able to focus on the purpose of serving.

Take some time today to think about why you serve and how you can be a better servant for the Lord.