Tag: Romans

Daily Devotions

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randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 11

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

God isn’t finished with His people Israel. One day He will restore them. Today Israel has been placed on a shelf. Through Israel’s failure the Gospel came to the Gentiles. What happened to Israel was part of God’s plan. God is faithful to His people and will keep His promise. As Gentiles we are indebted to Israel and must remain humble . If we reject God we too could be placed on a shelf. Someone once gave me a commemorative pen but it stopped working. I still have the pen but it’s of no use to me. I have it stored in my desk. As believers we must so live and dedicate ourselves to God that He can use us. Our disobedience will lead to God’s judgment, but our obedience will lead to blessing.

Prayer: “Lord, thank You for bringing the Gospel to us. Help us to live in such a way that we can be used by You. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 7

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

God’s Commandments are holy, good, and pure. Our attempts to obey God’s Commandments in our flesh are futile. Religious effort to earn salvation by good works will fail. In my flesh I cannot please God. I need spiritual birth and new life in order to be set free from sin and live for God. Only God’s grace can provide the freedom and power to overcome my sin. God’s Law exposes the weakness of our flesh. Paul stated, “Nothing good dwells in me.” He came to the conclusion that in his flesh there was no way he could satisfy the Law and achieve righteousness. Paul said of himself, “Oh wretched man that I am!” It isn’t just hard to earn salvation by works, it is impossible! Who will deliver us from this sinful state and spiritual enslavement to sin since we cannot deliver ourselves? Paul said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We can only be saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Through His death, burial, and resurrection Jesus achieved our salvation. Salvation is a gift to be received not achieved. When Christ enters our hearts by faith then we are made free and enabled by the Holy Spirit to keep God’s commands.

Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, thank You for the Spirit of life who dwells in us by faith in Jesus Christ, help us to enjoy our freedom in Christ today by walking in obedience to Your commands. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 6

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Martin Luther King, Jr. made famous these words, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” What does it mean to be truly set free? In Romans chapter 6 we have a clear definition of what it means to be set free from sin. To be made free there is a clear break from our old way of life! Our baptism illustrates this break from our past. Baptism is like a funeral service. At baptism we are leaving everything we used to be behind us to become everything God wants us to be. The old man is dead and our sinful past is buried with Christ. Secondly, to be made free means a new identity. We have been set apart by God to walk in the newness of life. We have a new identity in Christ and a new power living inside of us. We are no longer slaves of sin and our flesh, but now we are children of the King. Sin no longer rules over us, we are free to live for Christ. Before we met Christ our future looked gloomy. The wages of sin is death. Since we met Jesus our future is bright. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. To God be the glory, we have been set free!

Prayer: “Dear Father, we bless Your name for the freedom we have in Christ Jesus! You are the great God of our salvation. We praise You. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 5

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Oh the blessings of knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! What are the benefits of being saved? First of all, we now have peace with God. We are no longer the enemies of God, but we’ve been made right through the blood of Jesus. The war is over and King Jesus has conquered our lives. Not only do we have the blessing of peace, but also we have access to God! The barrier is gone and now we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness and invited to approach God’s holy throne. Also, we have the blessing of rejoicing! We rejoice even in our suffering. Trials help produce character in our lives, and God uses suffering to mature our faith. Finally, God has given us the blessing of hope. Our hope assures us that we will one day enjoy an eternity in heaven, and reminds us daily how much God really loves us. His Holy Spirit comforts us and pours God’s love into our hearts.

Prayer: “Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy name, forget not all His benefits.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 3

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

The early chapters of the book of Romans feels like a courtroom setting. The entire human race is on trial. The verdict has been handed down and we’ve all been pronounced guilty. The sentence for our crimes is death. Spiritual death is separation from God, and eternal death is eternal separation from God forever in hell. How can we be saved? Can the law save us? God’s revelation shows that the law cannot save us, but that it exposes our sin. The law shows us our need for Christ. If the law cannot save us then how can we be saved? The Good News of Jesus Christ is that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, all who believe! We are justified by grace through faith. It is faith alone without works. Jesus became a sacrifice of atonement, an offering to satisfy the sin debt. Through Jesus Christ is made available the forgiveness of sins, and through faith in Christ guilty sinners become recipients of the righteousness of God. Oh what a Savior!

Prayer: “We thank You God of our salvation for the glorious Gospel! Thank You for Jesus. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

randymcpheron

Today’s Bible reading is Romans chapter 1

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Paul was called by God and set apart to preach the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was raised from the dead. Paul wrote the Roman Epistle to fully explain the Gospel so that the believers in Rome might be firmly grounded in it. The Apostle Paul was invested in the church at Rome and desired to see it flourish. His prayers, letters, visits, and tireless ministry to the Christians at Rome was the result of Paul feeling indebted to them. As Christians we are indebted to tell others about Jesus Christ! We must always be ready to share the Good News about Jesus. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” (Romans 1:16). Pray that God will bring someone into your life today that you can share Christ with.

Prayer: “Father, may we embrace the call to preach the Gospel, and may we the church realize that we are set apart by God to preach the Gospel, and may the church today have a sense of being indebted to a lost world and ready to share Christ at all times. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron