DAY 47: Romans Road

Read: Romans 5:6-21

Think: The essence of faith is captured in the first seven chapters of Romans. In fact, one commentator suggests that Paul’s “tone” changes between chapters 7 and 8, after which point, he begins to talk about the experience faith—how to live out our faith. In fact, Romans has been considered one of, if not the, most impactful New Testament book by many scholars because of how Paul so masterfully shares the doctrines of faith. Even so, five verses have been pulled aside from all sixteen chapters of Romans and called Romans Road, encapsulating the Gospel message.  Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 5:8, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” And Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” 

Act: Have you ever used Romans Road to share the Gospel with anyone? Because the verses are all found in one book of the Bible and in consecutive order, they make it very easy for someone to explain the Gospel. Today, take time to mark each of these verses in your Bible (and read additional verses before and after them). Perhaps you might even list these verses in the back of your Bible or put them in your wallet so that you will have the Gospel message at your fingertips should God give you an opportunity to share it! Finally, consider memorizing Romans Road with your roommates or family members!

Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for the book of Romans! It is so full of ways and reasons to share Your love for others! Give me a renewed desire to grow in my confidence and knowledge in the Word of God. I love You, Lord. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 46: Abraham Kept Hoping

Read: Romans 4:13-5:5

Think: The word “hope” is mentioned at least 10 times in the book of Romans. When Paul discusses Abraham, he says in Romans 4:18, “Even where there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping…” In Romans 5:4-5, Paul describes hope saying, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” In Romans 12:12 he encourages the “Rejoice in confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on hoping.” Finally, in Romans 15:4, he says, “And the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Throughout the book of Romans, Paul reiterates, over and over, that hope IN GOD is an essential, non-negotiable component of faith.

Act: How can you keep hoping when you feel discouraged? How can you fight discouragement when everything looks bleak? How can you rejoice when you run into problems? One of my former pastors said that hope means, “hold on, pray expectantly.” I like that description of hope because it tells you HOW TO hope: keep talking to God, keep asking God for help, keep your eyes on God; never give up. Today, identify one prayer request for which you’ve lost hope and stopped praying. Ask God to help you to “hold on, pray expectantly” for that person or situation. 

Pray: Dear Lord, give me the confident hope I need to keep praying for Your intervention and help. Please give me courage. Help me to look to You rather than to my circumstances for hope. Fill me today with joy and peace because I trust in You. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 45: Sin, a Colossal wedge…

Read: Romans 4:1-12

Think: Paul writes in Romans 4:5, “But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” Paul often referred  to the Old Testament scriptures when explaining the Gospel message, especially to the Jews. For example, in Romans 4:6, he continues, “David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Sin puts a colossal wedge between us and God. Sin destroys faith. Sin is not passive; it chases after us. Sin is meant to ruin our lives. Paul pleads with the Romans to let go of sin and be forgiven so that they might be counted right with God!

Act: Galatians 5 is Paul’s “sin” list; Colossians 3:3-5 adds more to Paul’s list. These verses are blatant reminders of the sinful habits that will put a colossal wedge between anyone and God. Yet Paul, in Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Why do you think that Paul does not “let up” on sin during the opening chapters of the book of Romans? Take a few minutes to respond to these questions: Do you tune out as your read these chapters—if so, why? How do these verses make you feel about your current spiritual life? What do the first few chapters in Romans make you think about your culture and/or your community?

Pray: Dear Lord, I ask you to search me, know me, and test me today (Psalm 139:23, 24;). I ask Your Holy Spirit to speak to me regarding any area of my life that is separating me from You or others. I will wait in these next few moments to hear and record anything I feel or think You might be saying to me about sin in my life: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now, please forgive me, O Lord, of these very habits that separate me from You and others. Restore to me the joy that comes with forgiveness. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 44: The “sin” cycle…

Read: Romans 3:9-31

Think: Romans 3:20, 23-24 explains, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. . . . For everyone has sinned; we all for short of God’s glorious standard. Yet, God with underserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins.” Most of us tend not to talk about sin. Why? It is uncomfortable to talk about shameful things. It produces guilt. Sin exposes weakness, which most of us prefer to hide! Without acknowledging sin, we remain in a prideful, sinful, self-righteous state of mind. Only God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are righteous. But this fact—that all of us are sinners—should give us great relief! Because what do all sinners need? We need a Savior. Romans 3:26 reminds us of this Good News that God, “…declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.”

Act: During my travels to 23 college campuses across America in 40 consecutive days, I experienced a phenomenon called “confession sessions.” I never intended to travel to these campuses to take the confession of students (for hours after each meeting), but that is what happened. Instead of becoming a facilitator of 24 hour prayer rooms where Christian students might pray for revival in our nation, I ended up praying for Christian students to receive forgiveness for their hidden, overwhelming, shameful sins. Many, many students were stuck in an addiction to a substance or to an immoral habit that had made them slaves. They were paralyzed and stuck in a “sin” cycle. And they didn’t know how to get out of their pain or shame. I was sent, I believe, to remind them that they could be set free from the penalty of their sin by admitting their sin, confessing their sin and asking God to forgive them, free them, cleanse them, and give them power to turn (run) from it. Most importantly, I reminded them that this “confession session” must be a life-long, daily habit. Does anything come to mind that you must confess to God as sin? Quickly do so.

Pray: Dear Lord, show me any area of my life in which I am stuck in a “sin” cycle. Show me what I need to let go of that is keeping me from fulling surrendering my life to You. Give me to courage to confess any known sin to You (and perhaps another) today so that I might become clean. I love You. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 43: Freedom NOT to sin!

Read: Romans 2:25-3:8

Think: Paul, in Romans 3:5-8 writes, “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.” 

20th century evangelist Billy Graham spent his entire life preaching the Gospel message across the world. Like Paul, he was compelled to address “sin” at every crusade and in every book he wrote because of sin’s power over men and women. In his book, The Holy Spirit, he made a similar observation to Paul, “Today people do many forbidden things in the name of freedom. True freedom consists not in the freedom TO sin, but in the freedom NOT to sin.”

Act: Every generation, indeed every individual, struggles with the admission of sin and managing the freedom that comes with God’s forgiveness and grace. Chapter 3 in the book of Romans begins with the first premise in what is called, “Romans Road.” It is this: Everyone sins. Everyone falls short of God’s standards. But one of the greatest benefits of the Good News is when we come to God in repentance, He give us a new power—a new freedom—NOT to sin and to no longer be a slave to sin. It is then that revival is set loose in our hearts—we experience a new obedience to God!

Pray: Dear Lord, I want to be set free like Paul speaks about in Romans. I want to experience the freedom to no longer love sin, chase sin, or be tugged by sin. Start a revival in my heart. Give me a new obedience to You. Dear Jesus, set me free to love and obey You more and more. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 42: It is God’s Kindness…

Read: Romans 2:1-24

Think: Romans 2:4 is a very unexpected Bible verse because Paul surprises the reader when he suggests, “… that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” In any culture, if a father allowed his son to die in the place of someone who actually deserved the penalty of death, that father would have done something no one expected! And anyone who received such kindness would surely be indebted to that man and his son for the rest of his or her life. This is what Paul is trying to say! The Gospel message is powerful because God’s kindness is both undeserved and unexpected! When we truly understand the cost Jesus paid for our lives to be made right with God, His Father, Paul is confident that God’s kindness will cause us to abruptly and gratefully turn from anything or many things that separate us from Him. 

Act: If you’ve been forgiven when you didn’t deserve it, or released from a penalty because someone simply “let you off the hook,” you have undoubtedly felt the huge sense of relief that follows. Early in the book of Romans, Paul is trying to express how easy it is to take for granted the cost that was paid by God and Jesus for us to experience eternal life (rather than what we deserve—eternal judgment). Repentance and forgiveness are major themes of the Gospel message. As we consider how God, in His great kindness, forgives us, we must also consider how to offer forgiveness—that sense of relief—to others who don’t deserve it. Identify someone in your life that God is asking you to forgive with the same kindness that He has shown you: ________________.

Pray: Dear Jesus, thank you for forgiving me so completely, so often, and with such kindness. Help me to be known as a truly forgiving person. Help me let go of my need to be right. Help me to release others from any unforgiveness. Give me an extra measure of Your kindness, dear Lord. I love You. Amen.

Be full of faith today!

DAY 41: Exchanging truths for lies…

Read: Romans 1:18-32

Think: Just imagine, you live in Rome, you’ve never met Paul, and you open this letter from him and start to read it. He gets right into “hot topics” (for any culture) such as righteousness, ungodliness, creation, impurity, and dishonorable passions. He tells you that he wants to come to Rome to talk to you about these issues. And it doesn’t take long before what Paul is conveying to you is that the gospel is counter-cultural to the world’s ways. He doesn’t mince words saying, “although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened . . .Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie…” And these words were written in the first century!

Act: What do you think about when you read Romans 1:18-32 in light of the current affairs and news stories across the world or in our nation today? Does the book of Romans make you feel more empowered or more uncertain, discouraged, infuriated, or clueless? One way you can take a step toward understanding your faith more clearly is to make a list of the lies our culture believes in contrast to the truths listed in Romans 1:18-32. 

Pray: Dear Lord, I want to become more confident in my faith and to clearly articulate what I believe compared to the beliefs of the culture in which I live. Help me to grow in my knowledge of the Gospel with a determined heart to love Your Word and hold onto Your truths. I love You. Amen.

Be full of faith today!