“Something has always come up and prevented it.” ~Apostle Paul

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Goals, Jesus, Obedience, Paul, Planning, Romans 1, Rome

Paul knew how to plan. Fortunately, he listened to God and so sometimes was unwilling to follow what he planned so he could do what God wanted.

It would have given him personal pleasure to do what he wanted. It didn’t mean that God didn’t want him to see his plans through at some point. It just had to be in God’s good timing and not Paul’s.

The thing to pursue is what God wants on any given day. Jesus has ultimate goals for us and tasks to accomplish every day. That is all that really counts at any given point in time.

Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities. But something has always come up and prevented it.  Romans 1:13-15

Am I worshiping the wrong thing?

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Apostle Paul, Apostle Paul Sayings, Romans 1, Worship

Wave arms in worship

We worship everything but God. I trust in my 401k. When I am in financial trouble, I have a credit card (or 2).

And when I think about it, what sense does it make? How can I compare, for example, the creator of the universe with some cheap imitation?

I know, at my core, who to worship. The enemy seduces me into not paying attention and worshiping something else. God is God. God has no equal.

May I know who God is.

May I worship Him and not some cheap imitation.

They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:23 The Message)

“But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!” ~Apostle Paul

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Anger, Jesus, Lying, Mistrust, Reality, Romans 1, Truth, Wrongdoing

There are many mysteries with God. But His reality is plain enough. All anyone has to do is open their eyes. The reality is right in front of us.

You can’t hide the truth. God is and God is love. God is and God is light. Plain enough to see that. Jesus came as an act of God’s love and showed us the truth. Jesus is the Messiah, the one anointed by God to restore us in right standing with God.

But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! Romans 1:18-23

“It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him.” ~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul Sayings, Faith, Jesus, Messiah, Right Standing, Romans 1, Scripture

There are some things to be embarrassed by. There are some  things to be proud of. We have an extraordinary message. It is a powerful message. It is a message to be proud of.

God has plans to rescue everyone (not just religious people).  All we have to do is trust Him. Anyone can do it. The religious don’t have a lock on this deal.

It may not seem like it but we have good news. It isn’t limited to the religious. It isn’t going to church or leading bible studies that get’s us right with God. It is faith pure and simple. When we believe that King Jesus is the Messiah that came to rescue us from a life of missing God’s goal for our life, we have right standing before God.

AND that is a very good deal for sure.

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with the religious and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” ~~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:16-17)

“They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.” ~~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul Sayings, Illiterate, Life, Pretending, Romans 1

We all know some “know it alls”. We also pretend to know things we really don’t.

There are some things we should know and be able to speak about. We should know life, how we get it and keep it, and how serving the Messiah makes it possible. There should be no pretending about that. We serve a “real” God. We have “real” life. Let’s talk about that. That is what we know. We are literate on what God has done for us through the sacrifice of his son Jesus, the Messiah (anointed King).

“They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.” ~~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:21 The Message)

“It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out.” ~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul Sayings, God's Goal, Romans 1, Sin

Jesus is in control

Something happens when we choose not to follow God’s goal for our life (sin). There is a downward spiral. It is, in fact, a slippery slope. We deny God. We choose not to obey God. We relish in thinking we are in control. On and on it goes. We move further and further away from our Master, Jesus the Messiah (anointed King).

The other path is one of hypocrisy in living a religious life, appearing to “be good”.

Jesus challenges us to live the real life he has given us. Jesus wants us, through his power, to follow God’s goal. Jesus wants us to have the peace that he offers.

“It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out.” ~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:24 The Message)

“They trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives.” ~~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul, Apostle Paul Sayings, Atheism, Confusion, Direction, God's existence, Jesus, Mission, Romans 1, Trivial

There are some “real” atheists. There are also many who believe there is a God but don’t believe in God. This is sad, because it is clear they don’t worship the creator of the universe and our loving Father.

First it starts with the refusal to worship God. This is s choice that is made. Defiance is at the core of this choice. God is God. Refusing to acknowledge that is a core problem in missing God’s goal for us.

What happens as a result? They follow all kinds of silly thoughts and this world’s (Not God’s world) culture. They try to find meaning in mission statements and success philosophies. It gets worse from there. Having their own mission they don’t have God’s and they don’t have true direction.

Of course, there is the opposite of this. I choose this way. I will worship God, the creator of the universe. I will not be trivialized into silliness and confusion. I will be God’s child and love Him as my Father. I will have His direction in my life.

“Refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives.” ~~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:20 The Message)

What do I learn from the rude?

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Apostle Paul Sayings, Good News, Interdependence, Romans 1, Rome, Rude, Rudeness, Smart

What do I learn from the rude? Jesus challenges us to love everyone. The Apostle Paul learned to live this way.

The way of the world is to want to hang out with the cool people. They can help us for sure. We all understand that.

Paul hung with the cool people AND he also hung with the uncool. He found value and fulfillment from those who were rude to him. He learned a lot from those who were so smart. In GOD’s world that makes sense.

God’s goal for us is that we learn to love and appreciate everyone, whether they love us or are rude to us.

Everyone I meet—it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple—deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God. Romans 1:13-15

"What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God…." ~~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul, Apostle Paul Sayings, Atheist, Faith, God, Jesus, Romans 1

God is God

We all know GOD exists. Sure, there are some atheist but they are really kidding themselves. So lets not think about that. We know there is a GOD. Here is the big question. Do we treat Him like GOD?

Think about it. GOD is GOD. GOD is great. GOD is good. We “know it”. Do we believe Him?

If we don’t treat him like GOD, GOD says, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” This is a case of be careful what you ask for.

“What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God….” ~~Apostle Paul (Romans 1:18 The Message)

” So nobody has a good excuse.” ~Apostle Paul

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Apostle Paul Sayings, Excuses, God is God, Idolitry, Romans 1

No excuse

Oh how we all love excuses. God doesn’t and we don’t have any. The Apostle Paul knew that at his core. We should as well.

And if anyone thought he had some, Paul probably did. He was raised as a very good religous person. He did all the right things. But one day Jesus confronted him.

None of it mattered. Jesus brilliance blinded him. Why was Paul persecuting  Jesus? That was the question. Silence. No EXCUSE. And then God healed him.

No excuses. Period.  End of story. We all need to see that we are falling short of God’s goal for our life. We all need to accept Jesus and follow what He wants, His goal.

God is God. He can’t be trivialized. He must be worshiped. There is no excuse for not bowing down to our creator.

 So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. Romans 1:19

The raw power of God

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Creation, God is God, Mystery, Power, Romans 1

Power of God – God is God

There is a time to think long and hard. That of course would be about what God has created. Just think about it. Think about it long and hard. It is amazing. The raw power of it all. Imagine, then think, about what it took to create all that we enjoy and take for granted everyday. Come on, think about it. NOW, think about it some more.

And, how mysterious is it that God could do all of this. We can’t imagine it. It is beyond us. And, that God, lives in side of us. He can do anything in His World. He is in control of it all. God is God.

By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. Romans 1

Do we know our assignment?

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Generosity, Jesus, Resurrection, Romans 1, Urgent

We have been given an assignment. God has things he wants us to do. Some of that got started with the prophets. That was all preliminary to what we need to focus on right now to achieve His goals for the world. We received the gift and we need, urgently so, to pass it on to those God has called to be a part of His mission.

And so, we must devote our self as someone who is completely owned by our Master. He is our Master. We must do all that He asks of us. And we must be urgent about. There is not time to sit around eating bon bons. Souls are at stake. This is God’s goal for us.

May I trust Him every step of the way. May I get on with it urgently.

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus the Messiah, 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. 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 the Messiah! And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah. Romans 1:1-7