In Romans chapter 1, Paul speaks of how people went away from God. In this passage of scripture Paul shows that mankind chose to go it's own way. The human race disobeyed God and just did what it wanted. God could've done something about this disobedience, he could've stopped mankind and changed the way we live so easily. However, God is not a dictator, he allows us freedom. We all have free will, and so God didn't stop us he allowed us to choose the way we live.
There is a problem with this kind of living though. If we choose to go our own way and shut God out of our lives then there will be consequences. There are always consequences to every action in life, and this way of living has the greatest of consequences. When we choose to live without God in our lives, then we are also choosing to spend eternity without God too. When we deny God into our earthly lives, then our eternal lives are spent separated from God also. Let's make sure that we make the right decisions. Let's make sure that we follow God's plan and purpose for our lives. I know that I don't want to live without God in my life now, and that goes for eternity too! What about you?
Paul begins his letter to the Romans telling them of how he'd longed to visit them for such a long time but had been prevented. Even though Paul wanted to go to Rome and tell them about Jesus, he didn't go. He didn't do what he longed to do, he did what God wanted him to do. He followed God's lead and not his own ambitions.
We can learn a lot from the first part of this initial chapter. So often we want to do something and just go headlong into it without a thought of the consequences. We sometimes even forget to seek God about the situation we find ourselves drawn into, and just get so caught up into what 'we' want or what 'I' want that we forget to involve God at all.
I know that Paul had other reasons for not going straight to Rome, like the fact that he just happened to be under arrest and then he got shipwrecked while he was on his way. However, he still only did what God wanted him to do. He still listened to the instructions given by the Holy Spirit to go at the right time - God's time.
Let's seek God always, His timing is never too early or too late - its perfect.
Today I finished off the book of Acts. Paul has finally got to Rome and is living under house arrest. On the way to Rome he has been ship wrecked, bitten by a viper, amongst other things, and all for the sake of the gospel.
How far would I go to share the gospel? How far would any of us go to share the good news of Jesus. Paul was willing to go through anything to show the love of Jesus to everyone. He was willing to be subjected to anything for the sake of the gospel.
The early church went through such persecution for the Kingdom, and around the world today many are suffering for the name of Jesus. However we moan and groan about our situations, and to be honest the problems that we have are nothing in comparison to those in other countries.
We need to thank God and praise God that we live in a country that allows us to worship freely, and even share our faith openly, especially when others don't have that freedom.
My prayer is for those that do not have that freedom that God will be with them and that they will be strengthened in the Lord.
I've missed doing my blog for a few days due to my work being so busy. However I'm back now and continuing in the book of Acts. Over the past few days I've been reading about how Paul stood trial before Festus and Agrippa and even though they find nothing to charge him with he insists that he wants to go before Caesar. In chapter 27 Paul is being transported by ship to Rome, although things are not going well as the boat he is aboard has just been ship wrecked!
This is a weird situation to be in. Paul is the prisoner but even so he is the one with all the answers. The centurion with him follows his instructions even though Paul is his captive. The centurion sees that Paul is different. He sees Jesus in Paul even though he doesn't believe in him.
This really encourages me, as we have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within us as Paul did. When others look at us and see that we are different, they too see Jesus just like the centurion saw Jesus in Paul.
I've been thinking this week about how even we as Christians can have heroes. We follow other Christians like others follow actors and footballers. We envy them and look up to them and even try our hardest to go and see them in action. I'm not saying that we shouldn't listen to these famous Christians, or even go and see them. However be encouraged today, that you have the same Holy Spirit within you as they do!
We have the Power and the ability to speak into peoples lives, whether they are Christian or non Christian alike! Just like the Centurion saw something different in Paul, let your light shine before men so that they will see your Father in heaven.
I've decided today not to write about my bible study but instead to write about what the Lord has done today.
This week we are going into the local primary schools to do an hour long assembly. We call this the Kidzone roadshow and the children always look forward to the mayhem and fun that we bring with us.
Yesterday one of the team hurt himself playing football, and I can imagine he felt really terrible knowing what we were doing today. I also felt bad and couldn't sleep worrying about what was going to happen. In fact I woke up and prayed on and off all night.
When I finally gave in and got up before my alarm, I went and prayed some more. I prayed that the Lord would give me a word as I needed to know that everything was going to be OK. He lead me to John chapter 10.
Verse 10, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full, has been quoted to me many times over the years although today it wasn't that verse that jumped out at me.
It was in fact verse 4, When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. This verse really spoke to me this morning. I really believe that God was telling me that no matter what happens He has gone before me. The shepherd goes ahead of the sheep and the sheep follow. We are those sheep. Jesus paves the way and we follow where he is going.
This verse really encouraged me this morning. I hope it will encourage you if you are going through something difficult. Jesus is in control and He won't let us go.
I want to Praise God for going before us this morning and making a way where there seemed to be no way. The Roadshow went into 2 schools today and our injured man joined it too! We are in another 7 schools and I know that God will pave the way for each one. Thank you Lord!
In this chapter Paul has been arrested, for his own good, and is now in front of the Sanhedrin. They want rid of Paul and accuse him of insulting God's high priest. However Paul plays a blinder - he plays the resurrection card and causes the Pharisees and Sadducee's to start a fight! These two have been fighting forever about their belief or non belief of the resurrection, and so he takes the heat off himself by throwing what seems to be an off the cuff comment.
So often we too can be incensed by an off the cuff comment. It makes me realise that the one thing I don't want to do, I can so easily be drawn into doing. We can be religious about things without even trying! We get our selves in a pickle over what version of the bible to read, what songs or hymns to sing, what colour the carpet should be, whether we should be an hour long or more the list could go on. We worry about these things more than our relationship with God. Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could argue about stuff! He didn't come to earth so that we could get ourselves in a tizwaz about what version of the bible is the best one!
We need to get a grip! If we are arguing about stuff then we need to STOP! Let's just get on with the job in hand - SAVING THE LOST - and forget about the trivialities of religion!
In this chapter of Acts, Paul goes to Jerusalem. In the previous chapter Paul is warned a number of times not to go. In fact Paul is told by the Holy Spirit that he will go to prison if he goes to Jerusalem. However, he goes nevertheless. He knows that God is guiding him to go regardless of the consequences.
This made me think, if I knew that I was going into a dangerous situation would I go? Paul knew that he had to go, he knew the voice of the Shepherd. So often we forget the voice of the Shepherd when we have difficult situations to go through.
Jesus never said it would be easy. He never promised a bed of roses. He promised that there would be times of persecution, where families would be split, where we would be brought before the temple etc... We need to realise that when hard times come, that God is with us. When we are weak then He is strong.
