Great one Another

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, ² that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.³ Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, ⁴ who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. ⁵ Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles and were in Christ before me. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹² Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. ¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

What a blessing it is to have a family among my fellow believers and to develop a long-term friendship and love. Sometimes, it can be hurtful or discouraging when we want to be at their side when a friend in Christ goes through trials and cannot understand, do anything about it, or let a loved one go when they are slipping away from the truth.

Oh, Jesus, you taught us the importance of seeking a closer relationship with the Father so that we may discern all things. You have also shown us in Your love for others the importance of gracefully forgiving, comforting and rebuking.

We are beloved by the Holy Spirit when we desire to do His will. He directed us to live a godly life for Jesus Christ, and our lives should reflect the work of the Spirit in us: doing what is good, perfect, and profitable to others.

Avoid Flatterers

¹⁷ I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. ¹⁹ For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. ²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you.²¹ Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.²² I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.²³ Gaius, who hosts me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

Holy Spirit, guide our hearts from succumbing to the flatteries of deceivers, liars, evil schemers, and haters of the implanted word of truth. Let not our hearts be naive and unconsciously disobey your moral laws, which are all good for us.

Oh, Father, forgive us when we stray from the truth; instead, we should love this world and obey Your word. Strengthen our faith and allow your discipline to benefit our souls, minds, and bodies. We may preserve through our suffering (trials), making our character humble and always set our hope on Your promises. Let Your word comfort us when evil news sets our hearts in shamble, crushing our hearts to despair, crying for justice and your return.

Obedience of Faith

²⁵ Now to him who can strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶ but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

My great Eternal God, bring about the obedience of faith and let Your glory shine forever. Oh Sav,ior of my soul, Jesus Christ, my Redeemer and lover of my soul, let Your life be my perfect and complete model to live my life. For there is none as powerful, holy, merciful as You.

When I read the pending Bill-367, I learned that their intention of exempting the Bible and prayer is unlawful because of the pretense of ‘hate speech.’ Oh God, I’m comforted, knowing that You see and know all things and that judgment is upon our land. My hope rests in Your promises and Your return.

Give me the strength to endure the impossible. Always seeking Your wisdom in all things.

Let’s Go Pray!

Resources

• BibleGateway:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+16&version=ESV
• https://slaynews.com/news/canadian-government-moves-criminalize-christianity/

 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” ⁴ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵ May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

O God, let me bear without reproach my obligation toward You first. Let me be rooted and build up in Christ. Let Your word give me hope, instruction, and encouragement to live in such harmony with others. Build in me an endurance that will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ as I desire to follow Him. My Beloved Jesus, keep your arms open for only to you will I plea in supplication.

God’s Truthfulness

⁸ For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹ and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”¹⁰ And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
 and let all the peoples extol him.”¹² And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Oh God, you’ve sent Your only Son Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, to endure Your wrath of God. To atone for our sins. Oh God of mercy, you’ve given us plenty of time to repent for our disobedience toward You. Let my lips praise you forever. Oh, your beautiful promises will all come to pass, and you’ve forgiven your people again and again. How wonderful is your grace!

A Minister to the Gentiles

¹⁴ I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵ But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God ¹⁶ to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. ¹⁸ For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ²⁰ and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, ²¹ but as it is written,“Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Your grace, oh God, was given to us so that we may be able to minister the message of salvation to all people.

Sometimes, our prayers to the Lord our God are short and sweet. Bring all your pleas and worries to Him with confidence that your soul may be comforted, renewed, and set on the path of truth.

Let’s go Pray!

Weak in Faith

4 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

O Jesus, my beloved friend, You know my strengths and weaknesses, and through trials, you’ve taught me to endure so that my faith stood steadfast in You. Through Jesus, I will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make me stand firm, courageous, and faithful to all His ways. O glorious Savior, let me not esteem one person above the other, more important or less important, for in your eyes, we are all equal in value.

Conviction of the Mind

⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. ¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”¹² So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

In my convictions, I shouldn’t oppress my fellow Christians, but in love, direct them if they’re wandering off His way. In my desire to please my heavenly Father, I should praise and sing hymns to Him in honour and thanksgiving. For I want to live to the Lord and satisfy His will.

Accountable to God

¹³ Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Holy Spirit, teach me to be gracious and not hinder those who are weak in their faith. Believers that have a love for you but haven’t yet tasted a deep understanding of your Word. Teach me to be patient with them and clarify any unsound teachings if they’ve embraced them. With love, as you did with us, let me guide them back to You. It is for Your kingdom that my heart seeks righteousness, grace, and joy.

²⁰ Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ²² The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

O Father, let me live for Him, my Jesus, who I love and want to learn more of Him through your Word. “The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.”

Prayer written in journal April 14/23

Let’s Go Pray!

Resource

BibleGateway:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014&version=esv

Living For God

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Oh, living God, through your mercies, I shall present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You. Let my mind not be conformed to this world but transformed to Your will, testing my heart and mind so that all is well with my soul. May my mind be renewed by what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Gifts of Grace

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

By grace, you’ve given us gifts assigned to each one of us. Working together in the unity of the body of Christ, we put those gifts in service. Many of us are not aware of our own gifts that may be helpful to our brothers and sisters. Not to boast in our gifts but to share and help others in their need.

Oh God, even so, today, I regard myself as one who doesn’t have great talents but knows that your steadfast love and compassion for me surpassed my lowest esteem of myself. Whatever gifts you’ve assigned to me, let me use them with confidence.

True Christian

 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance

Let my genuine love be truthful, grow for Your word, and abhor evil. Give my heart to hold fast to what is good, perfect, and profitable for my spiritual growth. Forgive you, servant, for not seeking your wisdom in all except of my life, and teach me how to be a fervent prayer warrior.

Oh Lord, let the joy of hope of all Your promises come to pass soon. Teach me how to live in harmony with other believers and my neighbours. To set my mind on things that are honourable and guided through your word.

Prayer written in journal: April 13/23

Let’s Go Pray!

Resource

• BibleGateway:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012&version=ESV

A Remnant, Chosen by grace

1I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,a a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.7What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8as it is written,“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,down to this very day.”9And David says,“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,and bend their backs forever.”

O God, You foreknew us and set in motion the perfect plan of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Your promises abound through Your words. The power of Your holiness to save us is unbelievably superior to any gods of this world. Your grace rests solely on Your Sovereignty. I’m blessed that You saved me and grafted me in Christ.

Salvation to the Gentiles

11So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusionb mean!

13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing rootc of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

All my transgressions have been forgiven through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial blood atonement. My reconciliation with God has cost Jesus Christ’s life. A debt I could never repay Him. How wonderful and gracious are You, my God. You’ve provided me with the certainty of my salvation through Your trustword and by faith, I believe.

I’m thankful for His severity of condemning all my sinful habits that will lead me away from Him. I’m grateful for the warnings from His word that provided plenty of grace and mercy to come to Him in a preventive heart. He forgives all my debts! God’s kindness poured on me, shooting and comforting my heart, mind, and soul while I was faced with trials of various kinds.

O God, forgive me when I failed to be:

• Read Your word
• Meditate on Your law and precepts
• Pray everyday
• Seek the heavenly things
• Live as an example of a like-Christ
• Bear no fruit of the Spirit
• To let temptation rule over me
• To compromise my faith.

God’s Calling

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,  he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now[e] receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Your calling is irrevocable! In You shall I trust and obey, for there is no other God before me. Forgive my iniquities of actions and minds. Let the Holy Spirit search my heart and call me to You.

God Unsearchable

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

Oh the beauty of God. Your ways are inscrutable, and your judgments are unsearchable. The depth of your riches, wisdom, and knowledge are superior to any man and woman. From Him comes my salvation.

Prayer written in journal April 12/23

This week, I prayed over Psalms 70-76, and it has been a real test of my heart not to be emotionally disturbed by those prayers of the psalmist. How they prayed for divine intervention and trust in Him in difficult situations. To wait upon God’s perfect timing for His righteous judgment to come upon all people, the righteous and the wicked.

Let’s Go Pray!

Resource

• BibleGateway:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+11&version=ES

Righteousness by Faith (Romans 9:30- 10:4)

“30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.- Romans 9″30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness failed in reaching that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.- Romans 9

1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the right and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. -Romans 10

If we ask ourselves, “Must I pursue righteousness by work?” O God, Your Righteousness is holy and just. Teach us through a spirit of humility not to develop a boastful, prideful, or sinful righteousness based on our own merits. Let our mouths confess our sins, repenting to a righteous God who loved us and gave Himself for us. Thank you, Lord, for your saving grace.

Ignorance and Disobedience

5For Moses writes about righteousness based on the law that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

O Jesus Christ, your perfect salvation saved our souls, and our faith isn’t based on our merits or works but on believing in the Son of God. Forgive us, Lord, when we are prideful and take credit for things you’ve done for us. To be grateful for all the blessings you’ve generously given to us. Almighty Father, save our sons and daughters. Give us the wisdom to reach them with the gospel and love them patiently.

Beautiful Feet!

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?^c And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The feet of those who proclaimed the salvation of hope and God’s righteousness by faith are blessed. Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. O God, give us the boldness to spread the good news to those around us and not be afraid of ridicule or persecution. I pray You give me the wisdom to pray efficiently over Your Word in the next coming year so that others may learn and want to spend time in Your Word and pray over it.

Let’s Go Pray!

Prayer written on April 13, 2023

Resource

• Bible Hub:https://biblehub.com/esv/romans/10.htm

God’s Sovereign Choice

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Almighty and Merciful God, you choose a people for yourself according to your saving grace. You’ve raised a nation and called them to salvation. The Israelites received your blessings: adoption, glory, the covenant, the law, worship, and the promises.

Be patient and gentle with your servant who is learning to live according to Your will. Forgive us when we seek other means of worship that are not glorifying you. We are like sheep without a good Sherperd, lost and wondering because there are none who dare tell the truth and teach us Your ways. The wolves are killing the sheep all day long, unyielding and unafraid of their consequences.

O God, protect us from such evil and misleading people. Let us take refuge and strengthen by following Jesus Christ’s perfect example.

Children of the Promise

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year, I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

O Jesus, Let us count our blessings when we’are favoured as a child of God. You’ve called us to repent and believe. You’ve redeemed, reconciled, and restored us to the kingdom of God. Let our hearts rejoice at the fact that our salvation is a gift of God, who was nailed to the cross for all our sins and forgave us.

God’s Mercy and Compassion

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose, I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So Then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is moulded say to its moulder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honourable use and another for dishonourable use? 22What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 Indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”26“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israelc be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”

Our gratitude in knowing Your mercy and compassion doesn’t depend on human will or exertion but upon the work of the Son of God. Oh Lord, in your glory and power, you hold us firm in your hands and nothing or nobody can snatch us from your presence. In your promises, we hold fast, awaiting your return.

This prayer was written on April 13/30.

Teach Us How to Pray

“Blessed Lord Jesus! I come again to Thee. Every lesson You. Every lessons You
convinces me more deeply how little I know to pray correctly. But every lesson also
inspires me with hope that You are going to teach me, and that You are teaching me not
only to know what prayer should be, but also to actually to pray as I should. O my Lord! I
look with courage to You, the Great Intercessor. Your alone pray and hear prayer for the purpose of
glorifying the Father. Teach me to live and to pray to the glory of
God.
Saviour, to this end I yield myself to you again. I would be nothing. I have
given self, as already crucified with You. Through the Spirit its workings of self
are mortified and made dead. Your life and Your love of the Father are taking possession
of me. A new longing fills my soul, that every day, every hour, that in every
prayer, the glory of the Father may be everything to me. O my Lord, I am in Your
school to learn this: teach it to me.
My God and Father of glory, accept the desire of a child who has seen that Your glory is worth living
for. Oh Lord, show me Your glory. Let it overshadow me. Let it fill the temple of my
heart. Let me dwell in it as revealed in Christ. Fulfil in me Your good pleasure, that Your child should find his glory in seeking the glory of his
Father. Amen.”

With Chist in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray

Let’s God Pray!

Resource

• Bible Hub:https://biblehub.com/esv/romans/9.htm
• With Christ in the School of Prayer: https://biblesnet.com/amprayer.pdf

Spirit of Life

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,c he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

O God, law Giver and Sustainer of our life, You’ve judged our soul according to Your righteous and good law and therefore condemned those who are not children of God to be children wrath. Through Jesus Christ, our Savio, we are redeemed, reconciled, and restored to the Father. By Your grace, we no longer walk in the flesh by the spirit of faith in the Son of God. Let the Spirit give us a new life and zeal to understand God’s will.

Spirit of Peace

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Holy Spirit, you’ve taught us how to set our minds on the things that please God. For once we were hostile with God through our transgressions. God’s law is holy, which is all good, profitable, and perfect. Let us follow His word by faith and not by our good works. We pray, O Lord, that your teachings will expand our understanding of your word and develop wisdom from it. Crush our spirit of fleshly and earthly desires that please the eyes and instead seek your heavenly ones.

Spirit of God dwells in You

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10, But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

What a beautiful gift of freedom we have in Jesus Christ our Saviour. He provided us with a Helper so that all His teachings would be us. Your promises, steadfast love, care, goodness, and righteousness are imputed into our hearts.

Lead by the Spirit

12 Then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

O God, the Spirit revealed and made us understand we are children of God. Daughters and sons of the Beloved Son, in the hope of eternal life that is found in Jesus. Spirit of truth, you bear witness and glorify Him so that we may sing hymns and songs to the Almighty.

Glory Revealed

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Oh God, we groaned inwardly as we waited eagerly and prayed for our lost sons or daughters. Their unfaithfulness, rebellion, austerity, and asceticism against You have grieved us as parents. Our hope of their redemption rests in Your promises, and we shall wait through our prayers that one day, they also will be saved and glorify Your name. Our distress and pain not being able to pull them out of their misery and suffering at times take their toll on our weak spirit. Forgive us, Lord, when we doubt your divine intervention.

The Spirit Helps

26Likewise the Spirit helps us in weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know, that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed that of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

We’re thankful our prayers are heard and the Spirit helped us in our weaknesses. Forgive us when we pray for things we do not need. Let your servant be humble in prayer to do Your will in all things. Spirit, lover of our souls, make our simple prayer a sweet aroma to God. We’re in your merciful hands. Oh that all things will work together for the glory of God.

The Love of Christ

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.j 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36, As it is written, “For your sake, we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaugh tired.”37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Spirit revealed Jesus Christ through His work of saving grace and redemption, and now He’s sitting at the right hand of God. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.

This prayer was longer than I remembered, but it was worth reading. It was written on February 26, 2003. That’s what I love about recording my thoughts in a journal. It’s a record of my heart and mind’s willingness to learn from God.

Let’s Go Pray!

Resources

• BibleHub:https://biblehub.com/esv/romans/8.htm

Romans 7: Released from the Law

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.

Almighty God, if we live by the law, we’re bound to follow it entirely to please You. In truth, we cannot attain our righteousness on our own accord but only through Jesus Christ, who imputed His righteousness into us by His death. His righteousness provides us with wisdom and understanding of God’s will.

Savior of my soul, teach us how to live according to your word so that we can glorify Your name on high in everything I do.

I Belong to Him

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Father, if You didn’t give us the law, we would not understand our iniquities against a holy God. Even if our conscience dictated to us it was simply “wrong” or””good” we did. Until Christ was proclaimed and revealed, the law guarded and convicted us of our wrongs or goods. Also, our conscience dictated to us it was simply “wrong” or “good” what we did.

In Christ, we’re released from the righteous law of legalism and given righteousness by faith. By this, we know that we’re children of God when we bear good fruit by the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Law is Holy

“7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said,”“You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced all kinds of covetousness in me. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced all kinds of covetousness in me. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

In Your merciful grace, You provided a way for us to be whole and righteous in Your presence. We’re no longer children of wrath but children of God. By the law, we were condemned, and through Christ, we are saved and redeemed. Oh, Father, forgive us when we forget about the importance of the law given to us for our own protection, but also teach us through it what is good, acceptable and perfect.

All your rules, precepts, and statutes are holy and pleasing by Your grace and holiness. In Your merciful grace, You’ve provided a way for us to be righteous in Your presence. We’re no longer children of wrath but children of God. By the law, we were condemned, and through Christ, we are saved and redeemed.

Oh, Father, forgive us when we forget about the importance of the law given to us for our own protection, but also teach us what is suitable for us through it.

The Law is Spiritual

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, so that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Holy Spirit, You’ve shown us our wrongs and how our fleshly desires have broken God’s law. By our sinful nature, we’re weak in faith and would rather give up on the passions of the flesh than trust in Your word to overcome our struggles. Forgive us when sins dwell in our hearts, ready to act on them, rather than fight back in prayer and supplication, with a loud voice and tears to the One who hears and cares for us.

Delight in the Law

So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin.

Holy Spirit, teach us how to delight in the law of God by trusting in His word, that all is good, profitable, and perfect. Purify our hearts from all the unrighteousness we’ve cultivated in our minds and hearts this week or this year. Let our life be servable to a holy God who loves us.

Let’s Go Pray

RESOURCES

• Bible hub