Genesis 28:10-19, Romans 8:12-25 Our Old Testament reading is the famous story of Jacob’s ladder. It tells of the dream Jacob has of a ladder ascending into heaven with angels. This shows God’s presence in a time of Jacob’s suffering. He is on the run from his brother Esau. God speaks to him and lists the promises given to Abraham saying that now Jacob is the heir to these covenant promises. The Lord assures him that God is with him and will not leave until God has done what the Lord has promised. Jacob is comforted by the realization of surely the Lord is in this place. Seeing God and hearing these promises gives Jacob great faith and hope. In Romans we are told how we have been adopted by God. We are not only children of God but due to this we are God’s heirs also. Due to this we can cry, “Abba Father.” The word “abba” represents a deeply personal trusting relationship with God. Jesus as our brother is a joint heir and if we suffer with him we may also be glorified with him....

Psalm 119:105-112, Romans 8:1-11 In Psalm 119 the psalmist talks about following God’s word like a lamp to his feet. He swears to observe righteous ordinances and to not forget God’s law. God’s decrees are considered his heritage and joy of his heart. He inclines his heart to perform God’s statues forever. The word incline means leaning and having a tendency toward a specific thought or action. The psalmist action here is to live up to God’s law. Romans, however, tells how difficult it was to live by the law since it is weakened by the flesh. Paul says God dealt with this problem by sending Jesus, God’s only son to die for our sinful natures. In this way the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us if we walk according to the Spirit, therefore setting their minds not on the sinful flesh but on the things of the Spirit. When we belong to God we have the Spirit which is life because of righteousness. Having the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead live in you, G...

 Matthew 11:16-19,25-30; Romans 7:15-25 Jesus in Matthew 11 is bemoaning the Jews – especially the Pharisees who would not believe in him. They said that John the Baptist must have a demon. Jesus, the Son of Man, who did what they cried for – dance but when he came eating and drinking he was seen as a glutton, drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus then gives thanks to God that the uneducated saw Christ for who he was – a reflection of God – while the “wise” Pharisees has it hidden from them. Then comes a familiar verse: “Come to me those who are weary and carrying the heavy yoke of the law.” Yoke here is a metaphor for the law. But Christ’s grace is an easy yoke and his burden is light. Paul in Romans 7 talks about the inner conflict he has between wanting to do what is right yet doing what he hates. He talks about the sin that lies in him in his flesh. When he wants to do good, evil lies close at hand making him do what he does not want. He tells about t...

 Matthew 10: 24-32, Romans 6: 12-23 Matthew 10 has Jesus talking about a slave being like its master. He mentions those whose master is Beelzebul who is a demonic presence attributed to Satan, the ruler of all sin and evil. They are told not to fear those who can only do damage to the body and not the soul. They are to fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. In contrast to being a slave to sin and Satan, we are to have Christ as our master. Everyone who acknowledges Christ, he will acknowledge them to God the Father. Yet if you deny him and have sin and evil as your master, Jesus will deny you to the Father. In Romans Paul tells us about the freedom we have from the law and how grace has forgiven our sins. However, some took this as a “Get Out of Hell” card and continued to live in sin. Paul after stating how we are now under grace raises the question, “Shall we sin so that grace may abound?” To which he gives a very bold answer, “By no means!” He tells how the...

Psalm 116, Romans 5:1-8 My Bible records Psalm 116 as “Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness.” The Psalmist here gives thanks how the Lord has healed him from death, distress, and anguish. He says that God has delivered his eyes from tears and his feet from stumbling. Even though he was greatly afflicted he kept the faith. Paul in Romans 5 talks about boasting in hope during suffering. While the Psalmist boasts in God’s deliverance from his illness, Paul boasts in God’s character and love shown in the achievement of the sacrificial death of Christ to bring salvation. Paul tells of the peace we have due to this. Paul goes beyond just remembering God’s deliverance in the past like the Psalmist, but he tells of the good things to come out our of suffering. He even boasts about them. Affliction brings endurance which produces character to which we receive our hope. This is not just an empty wish but is hope that does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured in our hear...

 Genesis 12:1-9, Romans 4:13-25 In Genesis, the Lord gives a command to Abram, who becomes Abraham, to go from his country to a land God will show him. He is promised that God will make of him a great nation where God will bless them. So, Abram went. This was not an easy task. He had a wife, a nephew, workers, and livestock to bring, yet he went. When God talks to him again at Canaan the Lord promises to give this land to his offspring. So, in response Abram builds an altar to the Lord and continues his journey. “So, Abram went,” is an extraordinary statement. It is free of indecision, self-doubt, or stubbornness and shows radical dependence on God’s word. Paul acknowledges this in our Romans passage where he praises Abraham’s faith saying it was reckoned – made to him as righteousness. He tells of all the factors which would have kept Abraham from believing and following God’s directive. Abram’s age being 100 and the barrenness of Sara’s body did not cause him to doubt. He h...