Romans 3:10-12

 
Snapdragons by Kathy

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12

 No one. Not one person. Nowhere on planet earth is there anyone good enough to get into heaven.

Somebody told you about Jesus. You may have heard of Him from your parents, a sibling, a co-worker, a church service, the radio, or any other number of ways, but you heard about Him.

Ruth Chou Simons, in her book, “Emmanuel,” writes: “We will not recognize the birth of Christ as a miraculous gift of promise until we realize the miserable condition of desperation we would all know otherwise . . . But what if, by some miracle, someone loved you enough to come into your impossible mess and not only help you with the problem, but take it on in its entirety?

“As harsh as Romans 3 may sound to us, the apostle Paul tells the truth we need to hear about our condition without Christ . . . This is the very gift of Christmas—God coming into our impossible mess and making a way out of our despair . . . There is no repair for our despair apart from our wonderful Savior, Jesus, the Messiah.”

Knowing the truth and what Christ has done for us, should stir our souls to tell others. Shouldn’t we find some way to tell others what we are thankful for?

It’s hard to accept that you are not good enough. People don’t like to be put down. But if they don’t realize they live in sin, they will never find Jesus.

Although it may have hurt, aren’t you glad someone told you? Aren’t you glad that you accepted Jesus into your heart and live in peace with Him and God? Your eyes were open to God’s world, and you were enabled to see His good and perfect way.

Just singing a hymn in the presence of one who does not know the Lord will plant a seed. Just praying before a meal in a restaurant or at your home, will linger in someone’s mind. Just going to church each Sunday morning before joining friends will make an impression.

No one does good, no not one. Consider it your heart’s joy to tell someone about Christ. Because we’re all not good enough. Without the blood of Christ covering you, you would be miserable.

By His Grace . . . 

Psalm 130:5-6

 

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Psalm 130:5-6

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in His word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    More than watchmen wait for the morning,
    More than watchmen wait for the morning.”

Do we wait on God with our whole being? Just what does “more than watchmen wait for the morning” mean?

We find ourselves waiting on God many times during the course of our life. Especially when we don’t know what to do and want Him to guide us in the direction we should go. Sometimes it does feel like we are waiting all night, wondering when we’ll hear from Him.

We do hear from Him. His timing involves preparing our hearts to accept whatever He tells us. During our waiting time we should be reading in His Word, listening to messages that encourage and inspire, and seeking Godly counsel from trusted brothers and sisters in Christ.

Enduringword.com: “The poet used a vivid image to express his patient anticipation in waiting on God. We see a watchman in the darkness of the early morning, scanning the horizon for the first sign of the dawn. The watchman doesn’t doubt that morning will come, but only wonders when, and watches for it diligently. So it was for the singer who watched for God and the help God promised to bring.”

We know that God will answer. And, yes, sometime that waiting period is difficult to go through. The longer we live for God, the more we understand His desire to bring us to the right decision in His time.

Godsbless.ing: “This verse from Psalms beautifully expresses a deep sense of anticipation and yearning for spiritual connection. Just like watchmen eagerly anticipate the break of dawn to signal the end of their night shift and the dawning of a new day, the psalmist’s soul yearns for the presence of the Lord. It speaks to a profound longing and hope for divine guidance, protection, and comfort . . . Psalm 130:6 illuminates the importance of waiting on the Lord with unwavering faith and hopeful anticipation. As we reflect on this verse, may we embrace the practice of waiting with patience and confidence, knowing that God’s plans are perfect and His timing is always right. Let us hold fast to the assurance that in our waiting, God is at work, shaping our hearts and leading us towards His ultimate good.”

We wait for the Lord with our whole being and we put our hope in Him. No matter how long. Even if it’s as long as the watchmen waiting for morning.

By His Grace . . . 

Psalm 107:2

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.”

Psalm 107:2

We are the redeemed. We have been redeemed by Jesus and owe Him our life. We have benefited from God’s plan and have an eternal home with Him.

Christianity.com: “Psalm 107:2 is not merely a call to give a preacher an ‘amen.’ But it is a call to respond to the mighty acts of God. If God has redeemed you then you are called to declare His mighty works.”

This verse is a reference to God’s people who were delivered from Egypt, and perhaps from Babylon also. He redeemed His people, bringing them out of bondage into freedom.

We, also, have been delivered from the bondage of sin and delivered into the Hands of Almighty God. Our home is now with Him. We are secure and can never be taken from Him. We are redeemed.

Garycombs.org: “If we have been redeemed (bought back, ransomed, delivered from the penalty of sin) by the Lord, the Word encourages us to ‘say so!’ We can never repay the One who gave His life as a ransom for us, but we can certainly give Him thanks and praise. We were sinful, separated and spiritually dead, but Christ has redeemed us, granting us His righteousness, sonship, and life.”

We are to proclaim God’s goodness and mercy. We are to shout it out to the world so all may know what our God and Savior has done for us.

You have a story. At some point in your life, you turned to Jesus and became His. You may have a simple story of being raised in a Christian home and led to Christ as a child. You may have experienced the dangers of sin as a young adult and shown the way home to Jesus. You may be an older, retired person who listened to the story of redemption and gave your life to God. No matter what your story is, tell it.

As God’s redeemed people, we need to do our best in telling His story. If our words are rejected, those words have still been heard by the rejector. They have been pushed into a back corner of their mind. God’s Word says: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, So is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

Say it! Tell it! Sing it! You have been redeemed!

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story!

By His Grace . . . 

Psalm 147:10-11

 
My friend sent me this picture of the beautiful lilac bush in their yard.

The sun coming up is a bonus!

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor His delight in the legs of the warrior;
The Lord delights in those who fear Him,
     Who put their hope in His unfailing love.”

Psalm 147:10-11

The end of the book of Psalms, from Psalm 145 to 150, is filled with rich and solid words of praise for our God. My Bible is filled with yellow because I’ve highlighted so many verses. 

God delights. Delight: a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture; something that gives great pleasure.

To think that God feels that way about us! Our reverence of Him and our hope because of Him brings joy to His being. It’s almost too good to be true. But it’s as true as He is.

Enduringword.com: “What God takes pleasure in is the reverence and trust of His people. Those who find their hope in His mercy delight God, because they honor Him with their trust.”

What do we delight in because of Him? His love. His forgiveness. His truth. His joy. His Creation. His mercy. And it never ends. He continually gives and delights our hearts.

Godsbless.ing: “'The Lord delights in those who fear Him' speaks to the concept of 'fear' in this context as reverence, awe, and deep respect for God. It is not about trembling in fright but rather acknowledging God’s majesty and authority with profound reverence. This reverence stems from recognizing God’s greatness and responding with humility and adoration.

'Who put their hope in His unfailing love' emphasizes the significance of anchoring our hope and trust in God’s unfailing love. This love is described as steadfast, enduring, and unconditional, never wavering or faltering. Placing our hope in God’s love means relying on His faithfulness and goodness, even in the face of uncertainty and challenges.”

Take a moment and read through these last 6 psalms. You may not get through them without shedding a tear. I can guarantee you your heart will be full to overflowing when you finish. There’s just something about praising God with a full heart, knowing He is your God and He cares for you.

By His Grace . . .