We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. —Romans 12:6 “You can be anything you want to be.” “You can do anything you want to do.” Neither of these overused statements is true. Some things are beyond the reach of your knowledge and skills. But […]
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought. —Romans 12:3 Political campaigns bring out the worst in people. Truth is abandoned. Slander is routine. Reputations are demolished. Families are fractured. Win at any cost—that’s the way the game is played. The campaign trail is elbow-to-elbow with little
We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. —Romans 8:37 According to a well-worn story, a member of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet said at the beginning of the Civil War, “I hope, Mr. President that the Lord is on our side.” Lincoln allegedly replied, “My concern is to make sure that
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Who is he that condemns? —Romans 8:34 The first and last verses of Romans 8 bracket the chapter with two breath-taking promises: 1) there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ; 2) nothing can separate us from the love of God. No condemnation! No separation! The chapter peppers its reader
If God is for us, who can be against us? —Romans 8:31 The battleground where the War Between Good and Evil is fought isn’t a place, it’s a person. On this battleground Paul identifies two forces … The enemy. This terrorist’s weapons are trouble,
In all things God works for the good of those who love him. —Romans 8:28 Many of us first learned this verse in King James language: “all things work together for good to them that love God.” That’s quite a statement coming from a man who had been frequently and
The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. —Romans 8:6 Your financial circumstances may be bleak, your schedule demanding, and your health dubious. Even so, you may be at peace. On the other hand, you may have
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 You are a sinner, but you won’t be convicted because Jesus assumed your guilt and took your punishment. Justice demands that you pay the price for your transgressions. But in an act of
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8 Canadian drilling company employee Edward Leonard was kidnapped by ransom-seeking Colombian Marxist guerrillas in 1998. Norbert Reinhart, Leonard’s boss—whom he had never met—paid his ransom. Then he did something
Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. —Romans 5:4 From the standpoint of human injustice, the day that Jesus died could easily be labeled the worst day in history. Yet it was the day God’s greatest gift of grace
