And So, I Continue . . . . . .That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 26:7 KJV
Romans 12:13-14 ~ 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. KJV
The Grace of Giving. There is no greater gift a person can receive than the gift Jesus GAVE US WHEN He died on the cross! In the previous chapters of Romans, Paul's main emphasis is why we need a Savior and how we can accept Him. And now in Chapter 12 he begins to deal with how a Christian ought to live out his salvation. There are many practical points that he identified in Romans 12 on how a Christian should live. It would do us all well to read this chapter regularly and the entire book of Romans often. Make it always fresh in your mind as you go out and mingle among the lost that you might be able to use its verses to bring the lost to the Lord.
As you study through the book of Romans, and particularly chapter 12 and following, it is important to note that salvation is through God’s grace and not our works. A natural result of this salvation is to live a life pleasing to God. This is exactly where Paul means in Romans 12:1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul says that because of the message that has been presented up to this point, he tells us that it is reasonable that we would be completely sold out to God to be used in whatever manner God chooses. How can we show our gratitude to the Lord for His sacrifice for us? Our salvation has no strings attached and we are not obligated to live any particular way because our salvation does not depend on that. Our salvation was complete when by faith, we accepted Jesus as our Saviour BUT, our desire to be more like Jesus and live a Godlier life will evolve because of our gratefulness to the Lord.
Thank God for your salvation by turning your life over to Him. There are many people who have made a profession of salvation by faith, yet they never have learned how to live for God. When we as soul winners lead a person to the Lord, we must be careful to disciple them for Christ. As my husband always says, "It is one thing to come to Christ, it is an entirely different thing to follow after Him!" We need to point them to a good church who will teach them from the Bible how to live for Christ. If you do not have assurance of your salvation. . .today could be your day. There is so much value in the book of Romans for all people, the lost soul will see the way to the cross and salvation, and the saved soul is clearly dealt with when it comes to righteous Christian living.
Verses 13 and 14 are Paul's way of showing us that we can share the love of Christ by giving, with joy, and if others do not treat you properly, pray for them, ask God to bless them. We cannot be stingy in what God has given us nor should we be angry when some may treat us badly. It is hard, I am human just like you. Sometimes I want to grab some folks, shake some sense in their heads, and MAKE them do right. Never gonna happen. That is the Holy Spirit's job. I have seen men turn completely away from all that is Holy, because someone did that. We must pray! Leave it alone and LET GOD! One of the wisest men ever recorded, Solomon, says it like this: Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Paul is showing us in verse 14, we can do more for our enemy by praying for them, as difficult as it may be.
How can we do our part? Trust in the Lord, be saved, then serve the Lord and work daily on your Christian Walk and Character. It will go a lot further than you think in building your Christian Character and for winning souls!
Have a wonderful, blessed day! May God be your every blessing.
Tom and Linda Milam
Missionaries to America
and around the world
Lord, help us to be worthy of your sacrifice, may we be the ultimate givers, giving from the heart and hope that others might see Jesus in us. Please, save the lost and help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You, giving YOU all of our best with an open loving heart for the ministry and people. Amen.
May we be faithful to be your Philippians 2:16 Missionaries.
Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
No comments:
Post a Comment