December 6: Cutting, Ripping and Straightening...

Suggested reading: Romans 1:1-3:21

Romans 1:16

Amplified Bible (AMP)

16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,

Romans 2:6-11

Amplified Bible (AMP)

6 For He will render to every man according to his works [justly, as his deeds deserve]:

7 To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life.

8 But for those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and wrath.

9 [And] there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).

10 But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).

11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].

God doesn't play favorites and neither should we.

Romans 2:25-29

The Message (MSG)

25-29 Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.

Circumcision of the heart is what I desire. God, please make your mark on my heart! 

Romans 3:1-6

The Message (MSG)

3 1-2 So what difference does it make who’s a Jew and who isn’t, who has been trained in God’s ways and who hasn’t? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed.

2-6 First, there’s the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God’s revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn’t abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth. Scripture says the same:

Your words stand fast and true;
Rejection doesn’t faze you.

But if our wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God’s rightdoing, shouldn’t we be commended for helping out? Since our bad words don’t even make a dent in his good words, isn’t it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most emphatic No! How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn’t do the straightening? (the Message Bible)

"God, in the past it has been very hard to turn my life over to You and say, "If something's not right in my life, please rip it out!" But, through the years I have learned the hard way. If I tightly hold on to something, it usually gets taken away from me. And I'd rather be tightly holding to YOU when painful stuff happens. And can I be real here, God? This morning I woke up feeling a little discouraged. I know this discouragement didn't come from You. It never does. I hand You this negativity, O God. I don't want it.  So, I'm saying it again. I want YOU to do the ripping out and straightening out in my life! YOU do all things perfectly. I give You the stuff I can't do anything about. Wait. I can do something. I can fast more and pray more. I vow to take my fasting and prayer up a notch, O God. Because then, I WILL get either answers, or the peace that passes all understanding. I don't even care which one I get. You choose. And I will forever give You ALL the praise and ALL the glory. In Your precious name, the name of Jesus I pray, AMEN."

Philippians 4:7

The Message (MSG)

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.