WORD OF THE DAY FOR 04.24.2015, ROMANS 1:1-2
Romans 1:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
New King James Version (NKJV). Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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LORD, WHAT IS YOUR WILL?
Written 04.24.2015, Friday, 610 p.m.
Today's reading is Romans1:1-2. I am still trying to listen and see what You want me to do... what Your calling is for me today... and thereafter... And, I am not hearing anything. Is it me? Are my ears plugged and I am not really listening? Or, are you being quiet? Or, am I too busy to hear? Please help me to listen and hear. Guide me, Father.
Lord, is this twenty-five year or so Journal the Word project what I am supposed to do? Or is it something more? What is Your will? Is this how I can bring You the most glory?
Please help me hear You clearly.
I also realize, Lord, that if this was it, I would be supremely honored. To be in Your Word day and night for twenty-five years. I am only forty. My family lives a long time. I could easily do this project twice. And, if I really aimed high, I could have it done every twenty years. I could do it another two and a half times to three times in my life. How delightful will, and would, that be? My life's work... How incredible. I get gleeful at the thought.
I think this is my grand writing project and way of life. A combination of journaling, reading and pondering the Bible, blogging, turning blog posts into a book... Yeah. I could do this and want to at least two times in forty years.
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Romans 1:1 GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
1 From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW). Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
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Paul served, was called, and was to spread the Gospel and Good News. This makes me think of the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:18-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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THE GOSPEL AND GOOD NEWS: HOPE
There are two types of hope: real hope and false hope. Most of us try to find hope and keep hope in all the wrong places. We want to find and keep hope... hope that things will get better... hope we will find a job... hope our money will last through retirement... hope that the sun will rise and set tomorrow... We want to have hope in the people in our lives. We want to be optimistic, but life forever reminds us how little control we have and how it seems things always go wrong. That's because we hope in false things that do not last or cannot stand. This is false hope.
False hope is when we put our hope, our faith, in that which will not last when we die.
Real, true hope is when we can put it in something unconditional and lasts forever, beyond this earthly life. There is absolutely no one and nothing unconditional and everlasting on this earth.
Real hope is found in God. It is found in Jesus Christ. This is the Good News.
Jesus Christ lived in order to die for us, so we could be forgiven for the things in our life that keeps us separated from God. And, in doing so, we will live eternally. This is our hope. Our one true hope.
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Romans 1:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 which He promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures—
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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There are prophecies we can look back on and check in the Old Testament. We can compare them to things that have happened in the New Testament. The New Testament events fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, therefore, proving the Gospel and Good News about Jesus Christ dying so we can live eternal life is true.
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OFF TOPIC
Oh, wow. Sunday is the 20th anniversary celebration of Coor's Field... the place the Colorado Rockies baseball team plays.
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WORD OF THE DAY FOR 04.25.2015, ROMANS 1:3-4
MORNING PRAYER
Written 730 a.m.
Good morning, Lord. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day, in spite of the noise of life and the world, never mind the news. Your glory always shines through, even in the most wretched moments. Always.
Your glory is shown on earth and in the sky, in space, in the universe:
Psalm 19:1 Living Bible (TLB)
19 The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship.
Living Bible (TLB). The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Hubble Telescope is celebrating 25 years and has released an image that is out of this world (pun intended). Look at it at this link and see the visible hand, creation, and work of God:
http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-unveils-celestial-fireworks-as-official-image-for-hubble-25th-anniversary
Look at one picture of the cosmos, of space, and it proves there really is an awesome God. The universe was not formed out of chaos. It is ordered.
Your glory, Lord, is seen in space, particularly through NASA's Hubble Telescope. Your glory shines forth and does so abundantly. And, your glory still shines through tragedy... Terrible tragedy... Like the earthquake in Napal overnight. 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Nearly 800 perished so far. Link:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/04/25/nepal-earthquake/
Psalm 139:7-12 Living Bible (TLB)
7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
Living Bible (TLB). The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This is the real Hope, Lord, You offer. Not a manufactured, wishful thinking, self-made hope. But, a real hope that is beyond ourselves, this world and everything and everyone in it.
Hope cannot be grounded in things that do not last after our earthly death. Hope lasts even after this present earthly life. You alone, Lord, are this hope and You alone offer this true, real hope.
Hope in spite.
Most of the people and things we put our hope in does not last past the first trial or challenge. This is false hope. You, however, Lord, offer hope in spite of every earthly thing. You are beyond all and above all.
For, You are Creator of a universe that has required millions of scientists, engineers, and astronomers to study, but the answers they find are so limited, small, incomplete in regard to the vastness of the universe. The universe, space, has far more questions than answers, and is far larger than we know. We are finding new stars, solar systems, galaxies, etc. every single day and will always do so because the universe is so large. You are above all, beyond all, and are the Creator. This is real hope. Fathomless. Infinite. Amazing. Beautiful.
You offer hope as an anchor through every circumstance.
Hebrews 6:19 Expanded Bible (EXB)
19 We have this hope as an anchor for ·the soul [our lives], ·sure [stable; secure] and ·strong [reliable; unshifting]. It enters behind the curtain in the ·Most Holy Place in heaven [L inner place/sanctuary],
Expanded Bible (EXB). The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
There is no person, place, thing, god, or religion that offers this apart from God Almighty... The Great I AM. Jehovah. You, Lord. You offer hope in spite. You offer hope in the beginning, middle, and end of every moment of every day. You are real hope.
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WORD OF THE DAY
04.24.2015. = Romans 1:1-2.
04.25.2015. = Romans 1:3-4.
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Psalm 19:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
PJ: I pray this over my Bible reading, contemplation, and over all of my life today.
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Romans 1:1-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God's good news— 2 which He promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures—3 concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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We learn several things through this passage of scripture, starting with (1) how Jesus Christ is God's Son (verses 1 and 4).
2 The Good News is about Jesus (verses 1 and 3).
3 King David was an ancestor of Jesus (verse 3).
4 Everything in verse 4. (More on that in the next journal entry or blog post.)
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CONTEXT
Romans 1:1-7 The Message (MSG)
1 I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God's friends.
2-7 The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God's Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah.
The Message (MSG). Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.
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