Friday, February 11, 2011
END TIMES READING PLAN: Revelation 17-18
SCRIPTURE READING
Romans 5:1-2 (NIV); Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Paul describes a confident Christian: one who has been justified, has peace, has faith which allows him to stand confidently in grace, and who rejoices in hope! Think about what that entails! The believer has been justified – declared righteous and right before God because of the Son’s own righteousness. This justification makes peace between God and man, and allows for the Spirit of peace to indwell the believer. And if righteousness and peace were not enough, we also have access to God’s grace. Like a VIP holds special status that allows him access into the VIP lounge, the believer’s faith in Jesus gives him entrance into God’s grace. We can stand confidently knowing that Christ has taken us from the muck and called us His own. Finally, the believer has hope for the future and is filled with the joy of the Lord as he delights in what is to come. God, who we see now in part, will one day be seen in whole!
Many of us take these gifts for granted, dismissing them as “great but irrelevant for today’s agenda.” Justification, peace, grace… that’s great, but what about my kid who is throwing a tantrum in the grocery store?, or the neighbor who is so hard to deal with?, or my spouse who will not listen?, or that coworker who does not stop talking?, or my mother in the hospital?... There are a hundred different possibilities, and yet God’s Word is universal and true. We can actually experience the tangible effects of this verse in our lives every day.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1) Meditate on these verses, and really seek to understand each of the benefits that Paul mentions.
a. Ask the Lord to show you how you may have taken these things for granted? Confess as necessary.
b. Listen in prayer and ask the Lord to show you the true joy of these things. How can these things surpass any annoyances, frustrations or struggles today?
c. Take time to worship Jesus for the unsurpassable greatness of His work on the cross.
