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Is the Bible sexist?

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Some people reject the Bible because they believe it promotes a male-dominated worldview. “The Bible is oppressive to women. It reinforces patriarchal stereotypes that view women as inferior.” There is a measure of truth to this claim. Consider the laws of ancient Israel. Israel had laws that permitted the kidnapping of foreign women, and prescribed conditions under which a rape victim could be compelled to marry her rapist. Under the law a man could overrule his wife or daughter’s vow, and an impoverished father could sell his daughter as a concubine. By law, only men could work as priests and serve in the temple. (See Ex. 21:7, Num. 8:24, 30:3–15, Deu. 21:11–14, 22:28–29.) But to reject the Bible because it provides an accurate portrayal of patriarchal cultures is to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The Bible also champions the role of women. It honors female pioneers and leaders. The Bible empowers and elevates women many different ways. Since we’re talking about ancient laws, how about these ancient laws… The Ten Commandments given to Israel are among the world’s oldest known laws. They were utterly radical for their time because they promoted gender equality in a world of inequality. [...]

How to read the Bible

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The actor Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest and lost. True story.

Why did Charlie Chaplin go unrecognized? Surely it was because we see what we expect to see. No one expected the real Charlie Chaplin to show up, so no one saw him when he did.

Even so, it was quite an oversight. It’s not like Charlie Chaplin was unknown. At the time, he was the most recognizable person on earth. Along with the other contestants, he would have been scrutinized to see how much like Chaplin he was. Yet nobody saw him.

The same principle applies when we come to the scriptures: We see what we expect to see. Or to put it another way, what you believe determines what you see.

If you believe the Bible is full of rules we must keep to please the Lord, you will find rules whenever you read the Bible. And if you believe we must work hard or avoid sin to please God, you will find tasks to complete and sins to avoid on every page. Our beliefs filter what we see.

Me? I expect to see Jesus on every page and in every book from Genesis to Revelation.

Is this not why the Bible was written—to reveal Jesus? Is it not his story? All the histories, poems, laws, songs, and stories of the Old and New Testaments point to him. To paraphrase Augustine, “Jesus is in the old concealed; Jesus is in the new revealed.” Or to quote The Jesus Storybook Bible, every story whispers his name.

How to read scripture in context

Any preacher worth their salt will tell you that we need to read the Bible in context, but what is the proper context? Jesus is. He is the Living Word who gives meaning to the written word.

The word context means weave together. We take the words and weave a story. Try and weave a story from scripture without the central thread of Jesus Christ and you could end up with a bad story. This is why we need to wear Son-glasses when reading scripture. We don’t read the Bible to find principles for success (although it has plenty) or rules for living (ditto); we read it to connect with the Author of Life. We read it to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

This seems obvious, no? But it is not common practice, particularly when it comes to reading the letters from Jesus.

Some interpret Christ’s letters through historical, cultural, or linguistic lenses. Others prefer a prophetic or dispensational approach. A lens, or hermeneutic, to use the proper word, is a tool for constructing a story. If your lens helps you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, it’s a good lens. But if your lens distracts you from Jesus, it’s a dud.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus interpreted “all the scriptures,” from Moses to the prophets, through a Christocentric hermeneutic (Luke 24:27). He said, “This is all about me.” If the entire Old Testament, from Moses to the prophets, is all about Jesus, then so is the New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation.

With that in mind, let’s consider the first four words of the Book of Revelation:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ… (Revelation 1:1a)

What is the Book of Revelation about? It’s about Jesus. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Sure, it’s about other things as well. But like the rest of scripture, it is principally about Jesus, who has come and is coming again.

The New Testament was written by people who saw Jesus, and this is true of John’s Revelation.

“I saw one like a son of man,” said John, “and his face shone like the sun,” (Rev. 1:13, 16). The old apostle saw Jesus in all his glory and was told to “write what you see” (Rev. 1:11). When we read Revelation, we are reading what John saw. If we see what John saw—Jesus—we are reading correctly. If we see something else, such as a projection of ourselves and our shortcomings, we are reading it wrong.

It is tempting for us to study the scriptures to find stuff we must do, but a healthier approach is to see what Jesus has done and is now doing. For instance, in one of the seven letters, we find Jesus walking among the lampstands. It sounds mysterious, but it’s a powerful revelation of Christ-with-us. The lampstands, Jesus explains, are the churches. Jesus is walking among the churches.

How does this help us? It sets us free from the false image of an aloof and distant Lord. Jesus is among the lampstands meaning he is with us and for us. It’s good news for those who feel far from God.

We are changed by beholding Jesus, so my purpose in writing Letters from Jesus is to help you behold Jesus. In his letters we see aspects of Jesus that are found nowhere else in scripture. And we hear him say things that are recorded no other place.

In his letters we encounter his heart. While the Gospels record the words and actions of Jesus, his letters reveal his thoughts towards us, and they are good.

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Extracted and adapted from Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches.

“The Real You” series – Week 7: You Are Peaceful!

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You may not feel like it, look like it or sound like it, but the truth about you is that you are a peaceful person…in Christ. Being someone who is filled with peace is part of your identity. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “No way, Sandra. You don’t know me. I feel like I’m […]

“The Real You” series – Week 7: You Are Peaceful!

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You may not feel like it, look like it or sound like it, but the truth about you is that you are a peaceful person…in Christ. Being someone who is filled with peace is part of your identity. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “No way, Sandra. You don’t know me. I feel like I’m […]

“The Real You” series – Week 6: You Are The Light Of The World!

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Why are there so many Christians who aren’t shining very brightly when Jesus told us we are the light of the world? I believe this video sheds some light on why this is happening and it has everything to do with us knowing our true identity in Christ. Are we believing that we have to […]

“The Real You” series – Week 6: You Are The Light Of The World!

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Why are there so many Christians who aren’t shining very brightly when Jesus told us we are the light of the world? I believe this video sheds some light on why this is happening and it has everything to do with us knowing our true identity in Christ. Are we believing that we have to […]

Lies Religion Taught Me & The Truth That Set Me Free

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As a Believer, have you ever been told you’re going to be judged by God someday – that when you get to Heaven He’s going to display, on a big video screen, your life and all the things you’ve ever done wrong? Friends, I invite you to join in on an online Bible study that […]

The post Lies Religion Taught Me & The Truth That Set Me Free appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 16

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Here we go – the final chapter of Romans! I have thoroughly enjoyed this book of the Bible and enjoyed recording my thoughts of the treasure I discovered while reading and studying it. What an incredible book of the Bible!

Romans 16:16a says, 
Greet each other in Christian love. (NLT)

The Apostle Paul says this after 15 verses of greetings to his friends in a letter. These greetings were much more than a “hello.” As Paul was sending his greetings I noticed he was also speaking  words of affirmation over his friends. I think it’s pretty evident that he was calling them out one or two at a time, not just to greet them, but also to honor and encourage them!

Then, in verse 16a Paul encouraged them all to greet each other in Christian love. How blessed they were that he had just given them a living example of how to do this in his letter to them. There’s definitely a lesson to be learned here, by watching how Paul communicated to his friends. 

Here are some examples:

Romans 16:1-2 (NLT)
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

Romans 16:3-4 (NLT)
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.

Romans 16:6 (NLT)
6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit.

Romans 16:7 (NLT)
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.

Romans 16:8-9 (NLT)
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

I personally read though verses 1-16 three times because I was so inspired by Paul’s great leadership example. 

I’ve never understood why leaders think they’re going to get the best out of their team by yelling at them, insulting them, intimidating them and making them feel as if they are never good enough. That form of leadership is such a deception.

After reading verses 1-16, I’m sure we would all agree that there is no possible way Paul’s friends could have felt anything other than encouraged by his greeting. In addition, I’m sure we would all agree that Paul’s respectful treatment of them would only serve to make them want to work even harder because they felt valued by him. Now that’s good leadership!

25 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed His plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. 26 But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey Him. 27 All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

Verse 25 – God is able to make us strong. How can we be sure? The Good News says so!

Verse 26 – One of the most important things that I have learned on my grace journey is how important my believing is and how right believing leads to right living and wrong believing leads to wrong living; therefore, I always notice something when reading the Bible now that I never noticed before. I notice the phase believe and obey. So they too might believe and obey Him. (from verse 26) Right believing has to come first, then obedience will follow. 

For example, if I believe the Bible is a book full of rules and I believe I need to find out what rule there is in each verse for me to follow and and I also believe that I’m going to be punished by God if fail to follow those rules, I am not going to be very enthusiastic about reading it. On the other hand, if I believe the Bible to be a love letter from God to me and a book full of His amazing grace and His promises, then I will be enthusiastic about reading it and I won’t have to be talked into reading and studying it because I will want to as a result of having a right belief system.

Here’s another example. If I believe I have to accomplish a certain amount each day and I believe if I don’t, then that means I’m a failure, that wrong belief will lead me to live in anxiety and frustration. That wrong belief will result in me living in works (self-effort) much of the time instead of being free to trust in God’s grace to carry me through. On the other hand, if I understand that my worth and value come solely from the fact that I am a child of God and He loves me unconditionally, I will be able to receive His grace to help me do my best everyday and not feel better about myself on days I get more accomplished or worse about myself on days I get less accomplished. Believing this way will actually free me to get more accomplished because I’ll be working from a place of rest and peace, assured that I am already loved and valued, instead of trying to work for my worth and value!

Do you see how wrong believing leads to wrong living and right believing leads to right living? It really made a difference for me when I understood this. Now that I do, if I’m living in disobedience in a certain area of my life, I go to the throne of grace (see Hebrews 4:16) and ask God to show me what area my believing is off in so I can begin to believe correctly in that area again, according to His Word, knowing that obedience will naturally flow out of my right believing (out of my renewed mind)!

To find my other God’s Treasure Chest posts on the book of Romans, just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest – Romans!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

Freedom From Legalism

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Do you find yourself wondering if you have done enough for God? Are you looking for a to-do list to accomplish for God in order to be acceptable to Him? When you struggle with sin do you think you would be able to overcome if you would just try harder? Do you have a hard […]

The post Freedom From Legalism appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 15

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Here’s some of the treasure I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 15. I hope this brings you encouragement!

Romans 15:1-2 say, 

1 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. (NLT) 

Well, I have to admit that I failed in fulfilling this verse recently. Keep in mind, this example I’ll be giving does deal with weakness, but not specifically in regards to what one eats as Paul discussed in Romans 14.

In my situation I was ministering to a lady that a friend of mine put me in contact with purposely so I could help her. There were several areas where she was really struggling to trust God and those same areas, which had also been a struggle for me in the past, are areas where I am now enjoying freedom, BUT the ONLY reason is because of God’s grace .

She just kept making excuses for her situation and blaming others and I was thinking, “Lady, do you want help or not.”

The next day I started reading Romans 15 and verses 1&2 immediately stood out . I knew right away that it was no accident. 

It’s not what I said to her that day that was wrong. In fact, I believe I was able to offer her some genuine help. It was my attitude toward her weakness that was wrong.

This situation reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which say,

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (NASB)

This is what seeing Romans 15:1-2 did for me. It taught me, reproved me and corrected me. This is something I have no problem with now, but for many years I would have taken something like this in a condemnatory type of way, even though that was never the way God intended for me to receive it. 

I talked about this in my book, I Tried Until I Almost Died. In it I said, …after coming to a grace revelation, I started seeing and reading the Bible from a completely different perspective. Instead of seeing a book of rules, I now see a book full of promises – promises made available to us by a heavenly Father who, rather than waiting to punish us when we step out of line, invites us to step into His presence just as we are.

You see, God wasn’t saying to me through His Word, ‘Wow Sandra, you’ve really blown it royally this time. Man you are so self-centered. Come on. Get your act together girl,’ although this is exactly how I would have perceived the correction prior to understanding God’s nature of goodness, love and grace.

Here’s what I felt God was showing me through His Word this time, now that I was reading it differently. First, God brought the situation from the day before to my mind immediately when I read Romans 15, verses 1 and 2. He showed me that the conversation was frustrating to me as a result of my perspective of just wanting this girl to get over her insecurities and get on with her spiritual journey and that I really wasn’t looking out for her or looking to please her, but myself. Basically, I wanted her to stop feeling sorry for herself, stop making excuses and just listen to me so she could get the help she needed. But God reminded me once again that only He can change a person’s heart. I don’t know about you, but once in a while I still try to take matters into my own hands by attempting to do God’s job. 

This has been a great reminder for me to bear with the failings of the weak!

Romans 15:5 says, 

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (NLT)  

See, I love this. Even when we are impatient with another person’s weakness, we don’t have to go into a fix ourself up mode. This verse tells us that it is God who gives us patience and encouragement. It is Him who helps us live in complete harmony with others. And if we want His help all we have to do is ask for it!

Romans 15:7 says,

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. (NLT)  

This Biblical truth has helped me in so many areas. For many years I tried to accept others, forgive others and love others, but I didn’t have the revelation that God accepted me, had forgiven me and loved me unconditionally. It was when I got this revelation that I was able to begin to give out what I had finally received from God. 

Of course, I’m not perfect, as you saw by my example at the beginning of this blog post, but I can testify for sure that accepting, forgiving and loving other people comes so much more naturally than it did before I understood how God truly felt about me. 

Romans 15:13 says,

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.  (NLT)  

One of the most amazing things that I have discovered on my grace journey these past 4 years is how much of our Christian walk hinges on us being willing to trust God.

Jesus provided everything we will ever need to live in victory through His finished work on the cross… but we have to believe this is true in order to receive. In the New Covenant of God’s grace all of His promises are yes and amen… but we have to believe to receive. God is so amazingly good. He doesn’t just do love. He is love. But again, we have to believe in God’s goodness to receive the enormous benefits that come with right believing! 

Romans 15:14 -15a says, 

I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. (NLT) 

I simply love the Bible and I love how the Apostle Paul ministered to the church! He ministered with a gracious spirit, believing the best of them, always teaching them wisdom and reminding them (when they got off track) who they were in Christ Jesus and what was available to them through Christ Jesus. 

The apostle Paul said this in Romans 15:16:

I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. (NLT)  

I’m getting the biggest kick out of studying this chapter. I know I’ve said this before…many times, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over the difference in how I see the Bible now that I am reading it through the lens of God’s grace. It really is like a huge treasure chest to me!

It’s so cool here that Paul said bringing the Good News to them was going to make such a dynamic change in them that he would be able to present them as an acceptable offering to God. Why? Because this Good News was not just any ordinary good news. It was (and is) the Good News about Jesus and what He did for them (and us) through His death and resurrection. Paul knew they would (and we would) be made holy through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross by the power of the Holy Spirit when they chose (and we choose) to believe this Good News!

Wait a minute Sandra? I thought I had to do all these “holy acts” in order to be holy. 

Nope. All you have to do is believe the Good News about Jesus! But guess what? When you do believe in and receive Jesus as your Savior and you know you’ve been made holy because of Jesus, you will most definitely end up living a holier lifestyle than ever before because your who always affects your do.

But guess what else? You can live as a Christian for years, even decades, and not see the fruit of holiness in your life that should be there. Guess why? Because you somehow skipped getting ahold of the who you are in Christ part and went directly to the what you need to do for Christ part. Sadly, this happened to me.

and…

I believe there are a good number of Christians attempting to live out their Christianity without knowing who they are in Christ. This, my friend, is a very bad recipe for F.R.U.S.T.R.A.T.I.O.N.

But guess what? It can all be turned around when you begin to learn who you are in Christ Jesus! When you do, right doing will begin to flow naturally from your right believing about who you really, truly are in Jesus!

How do I know this? It happened to me! Thank God that He has restored everything the deceiver (satan) worked so hard to make sure I missed.

THIS is why I will be spending the rest of my life reminding others of their true identity in Christ.

Romans 15:24 says, 

I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey. (NLT) 

This is very interesting to me how the apostle Paul boldly asked for financial help from the Christians in Rome so he could continue his missionary journey. In today’s world if Paul said something like this some might accuse him by saying all Paul ever wants is our money. But it seems to me from reading some of the different verses in this chapter that this was not the mentality of the early church at all. They were in it to preach the Gospel. They were in it to spread the Good News. This is what they lived for.

Now, I realize one of the reasons there is so much suspicion out there in the area of money is because of the way some churches/ministries have mishandled money. I really do understand that. Believe me, Steve and I are very careful who we give to.

All I’m saying is that reading this chapter really made me want to see the church get back to being united for the purpose Jesus gave us – to Go Into All The World And Preach The Gospel!

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15 -NASB)

Of course, as you know, there are plenty of great churches and ministries out there that are really fulfilling The Great Commission. I’m inspired, after reading this chapter, to begin to pray that Christians worldwide will both find and get planted in a great church that is Jesus-centered and preaches the Gospel and find great ministries that do the same and begin to partner with them to fulfill the purpose Jesus gave to us, His church!  

I can’t think of any better way to invest my money than to invest it into the lives of people who don’t yet know Jesus!

My next and final God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 16.

To find my other God’s Treasure Chest posts on the book of Romans, just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest – Romans!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 14

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Here’s some treasure I discovered while reading and studying Romans 14. I hope this post brings you encouragement!

Romans 14:1 says, 

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. (NLT) 

This is such great advice the Apostle Paul gives here. I’m sure we’ve all been in conversations with other people where we didn’t quite see eye to eye. I know I have. Sadly there have been times when I have tried and tried to convince the other person to see things my way. It wasn’t wise and I’m thankful the Holy Spirit showed me how to handle these kinds of situations through love and prayer. 

I really believe that walking in love is the bottom line. I don’t believe the bottom line is being right or convincing someone else that they are wrong. It’s whether or not we handle each situation in love.

Why is love the bottom line? God is love and Jesus came to show people the Father. Everything Jesus did was done in love and we are Jesus’ disciples!

Let me encourage you about the love walk. If Jesus lives in you (if you’ve received Jesus as your Savior) you have the epitome of love living inside of you. You really do have the ability to love people – even people who aren’t acting lovely at the moment. This is 100% possible when we live our lives through the life of Christ that is in us and allow Him to live His life through us. On the contrary, a life of love is 0% possible (to live out on a consistent basis) when we’re just trying to carry out the love walk in our own ability – in our own strength. 

I hope this is giving you hope because for you and I to be world changers there has to be something different about us. I believe that us choosing to love other people with God’s love, which is unconditional love, is one of the striking differences that God intends for the world to see in us. 

Again, although we won’t walk in love with others 100% of the time simply because we’re imperfect, it is 100% possible for us to live a life where God’s love eminates from us if we are taking the time everyday, all throughout the day, to receive God’s unconditional love for ourselves and reminding ourselves that we need to stop trying to be something in our own strength that we already are in Christ Jesus. 

Often, we can shoot ourselves in the foot (so to speak) by trying to live our Christianity through our own strength and self effort. Believe me, I did it for years. Then God helped me make what seemed like a subtle change, but it was actually one of the most significant changes I had ever made in terms of me being able to really, truly live out this Christ life inside of me.

Here’s the shift that God helped me make and I continue to grow in daily:

When a situation comes up where someone else isn’t being loving toward me, yet I know I am to respond in love I don’t reach down into my own ability, my own discipline or my own self-control to help me do the right thing. I reach into the life of Christ within me to help me respond correctly. And really, more than anything, I make the choice (by His grace) to surrender right in my moment of need by allowing Jesus to live His life through me rather than trying to handle things on my own. I get out of the way (so to speak) and simply allow Jesus to shine.

I’m telling you, when you begin to live your Christian life by continually relying on and surrendering to the life of Christ that is in you… it’s game on! 

You may have heard me say in a number of my TV interviews that since I’ve been on this grace journey I feel like my spiritual life has taken off like a rocket. Well, I believe this is one of the big reasons why. It’s really just us learning to live a life of staying connected with God no matter what’s going on around us – no matter what’s going on in our circumstances. 

Now, here’s Romans 14:1 again:

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. (NLT) 

I know for me, I had to learn to trust God and am still learning to trust Him to reveal to other people the revelations He wants to give them and at the same time I have learned to purposely continue to ask that God would keep me on the right path so I don’t fall into the ditch on one side of the road or the other. This new mindset helped me stop trying to change people and instead, receive God’s grace to love people, pray for them and trust God to bring about any needed changes.

Romans 14:13 says,  

So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. (NLT)

There it is – the love walk! Thinking about others first and considering how what we’re doing is affecting them is the very best way to live. It’s taking the high road in life.

Taking the high road of love leads to a much better outcome than taking the low road!

We won’t always feel like taking the high road, but at some point we have to ask ourselves if the way we’ve been handling things all along is really working. I know I sure had to ask myself this question.

Sometimes us Christians can be guilty of living our Christian lives the same way we’ve always lived them without ever stopping to ask ourselves if we are experiencing the overcoming life that the Bible promises us. I was a classic example of this.

I went through the same motions day after day, year after year, but it wasn’t until 34 years later (as a Christian) that I stopped and realized, oh my gosh, what I’ve been doing is not working. I’m not free. I struggle with so many of the same things I did on day one. I definitely was not living the overcoming life in Christ that I could have been had I understood God’s grace as I do today.

I highly encourage you to ask yourself the same question I had to ask myself. Is what I’m doing working? Am I living the overcoming life in Christ that the Bible promises? 

And just to clarify, when I say the overcoming life I don’t mean you will be perfect or never struggle with anything. I also don’t mean you won’t have any problems or trials. I just mean that if you had a bad temper the first day you got saved 20 years ago and you still have just as bad of a temper today, then you should start questioning some things.

Ask yourself if the teaching you are listening to at church, through podcasts and through the books you read is setting your eyes on Jesus and His finished work on the cross. Is it reminding you of the person you are in Christ? Is it reminding you that your righteousness is a gift and not based on your works? Is it showing you God’s true nature – His great and unconditional love for you and the riches of His grace toward you? Is it showing you practically how you can successfully live your life through God’s grace?

My friend, it is critical that you are hearing the Gospel of Grace in every message you are listening to because it is God’s grace that will transform your heart.

Once you’re finished trying to live this life by your own efforts and you’ve come to the end of yourself, you’ll clearly see that the best thing you can do is throw yourself, full force, on the grace of God!

If you’re hearing the right teaching, it will result in you having right believing and right believing leads to right living. 

For so many years, as a Christian, I spent all day, every day, running on my treadmill of accomplishment, forever trying to do it all right. At the same time I would assess everyone around me to see if I thought they were doing it all right. I spent a fair amount of time doing what the first part of Romans 14:13 tells us not to do – condemning others.

Thankfully though, now I’ve discovered that living a life of love is far superior and that love leads me to do what the second part of verse 13 recommends which is to live in such a way that I will not cause another believer to stumble and fall!

See here what Romans 14:19 says:

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. (NLT)  

Amen. A thousand times – Amen! 

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 15

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 13

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Yay, we’re back to Romans! I love reading and studying for these blog posts! Remember though, my comments below in red are simply from what I have studied so far and/or just my own personal thoughts about these verses and my own experiences in regards to these verses. I realize that learning is progressive and I will gain more and more revelation each time I come across these same verses in the future. In other words, I don’t claim to know it all and I never will. This is not meant to be a commentary of Romans.

Romans 13:1-7 says,

1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.  2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.  3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.  5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. (NLT)

I have to admit, It has alarmed me in the last number of years to see how some Christians think it’s ok to publicly gossip about those in positions of governmental authority, including the President. Of course, It’s not ok to privately gossip about those in authority over us either, but I mentioned public gossip because of some of the things I have read on social media.

I believe this attitude stems from a lack of genuine trust in God. There are some Christians out there who are trying to do God’s job. Haven’t we all done this a time or two (or 5 or 6 hundred times) ourselves? I know I have, but the truth is that when a person really believes that God can make a difference they stop gossiping and start praying and believing God to bring the changes in our Nation that need to be brought about. And just imagine all the great results that would come if every single one of us Christians started praying for those in authority over us instead of slandering them. One of the synonyms for slander means ‘to speak evil of.’

Of course, I’m not  saying all Christians do this by any means, but I can write this with conviction because I was that person for so many years who was behind the scenes complaining instead of actually doing something that would make a difference.

I’m also not saying there are not certain actions we should take, such as exercising our right to vote, etc, but any action we take needs to be a Spirit-led action that comes from a heart of love and prayer, not an action that comes from a heart of hate and self-effort.

For instance, this gathering is a brilliant, Spirit-led idea that will actually bring about genuine change in our nation. Click here to check it out: Together 2016 – The Campaign

This is going to be historic. I can feel it in my spirit. I couldn’t even read through the website with my husband without choking back tears. Why will this be historic?

Because #JesusChangesEverything

Now that God has changed me by His grace and continues to do so, I see many things differently than I used to. Here’s the bottom line for me now – here is what I ask myself: Did Jesus sit around and complain about the Roman government of His day and gossip about and slander those in governmental authority? He did not.

In the midst of the corruption that was going on in Jesus’ day, He prayed, He loved, He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus understood that the things that were going on in the government and in individual people’s lives were symptomatic of a deeper problem; therefore, He spent His time getting to the heart of the issues at hand.

I really love this statement that I’ve heard a number of people, including my own pastor, say:

I’d Rather Light A Candle Than Curse The Darkness

This is what Jesus did!

We can’t  forget that God is still the God of the impossible and no matter what’s going on around us, His kingdom shall reign forever and ever!

Revelation 11:15 says,

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”

OH YES HE WILL!

Instead of complaining, God needs us to spend our time praying for and speaking His Word over our government system, government leaders, and our President.

After all, Proverbs 21:1 says this:

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it whichever way He wishes.

And look what the Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 regarding the power of God’s Word:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (NLT)

The Word of God is the most powerful force on the planet. This is why we need to be speaking it over our nation and over our world!

The last thing I’ll say about this is that I do believe satan has some Christians distracted from what Jesus actually asked His followers to do.

Here’s what Jesus told us to do:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:34-35 (NLT)

and

31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.- Luke 6:31-36 (NLT)

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Romans 13:8-10 says,

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. (NLT)

I’ve got great news for you regarding this last group of verses. When you make the choice to live your life under God’s grace, His grace will change you into a person who has a desire to walk in love. The key is to receive God’s grace no matter what.

I tell a story in my book about how, through the simple act of continuing to receive God’s grace, even when I didn’t feel I deserved it, I was set free from a lifelong bondage of being late almost everywhere I went. And when I say lifelong bondage, I’m not kidding. When I was in grade school I used to chase the school bus down the street in the morning because I would frequently leave my house too late to get to the bus stop. But thank God that about 3 years ago His grace changed my heart to such an extent that it gave me the desire to walk in love with people in this area by being on time!

It’s really true that a life lived by God’s grace will take you light years beyond any place that living under the law could ever take you.

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Romans 13:13-14 says, 

13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. (NLT)

If you’re reading these verses through the lens of God’s grace you’re going to see them totally different than if you read them as a rule book. As a grace girl, what immediately stood out to me is the advice that Paul gave us to clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I already know that if you and I learn to practice the presence of Jesus (which is what we were created for), the sins that Paul lists in these verses are not going to be alluring to us and even if there are things we are currently struggling with, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that as we behold Jesus we will be changed to be more and more like Him!

I’m not saying the sins don’t have to go. They gotta go, but there’s only one way they can be annihilated from any of our lives and that is by the presence of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit doing the work of change in us.

There are SO many ways that we can practice the presence of Jesus and behold Him. I go into this extensively in my book, I Tried Until I Almost Died, including giving you lots of practical examples as to what this looks like in your everyday life.

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 14

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

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