Hey ya'll....
I'm excited about this week's passage!! It has been something I keep going back to a lot. I hope you get something from it!!
If you don't have your Bible in front of you, you can visit this website: www.bible.com There you can put the passage into the search box, and it will find it for you. You can also switch to different translations there!!
When you call someone a "loser" what do you mean? What if someone calls you a loser? Does that give you a wonderful feeling? Do you ever feel like a loser? What does it take to get you out of this 'slump'? Let's look today and see if we really are losers... then, let's see what that does to our thinking!!
Find Romans 8:28-39.
This whole chapter has become one of my favorites over the past several years. I keep going back to different parts of it pretty often!! The passage we are looking at now is basically a big pep talk from our Heavenly Father.
~The first verse we're looking at will probably sound familiar to some of you. Many times, we use this when there is a situation that looks kind of bad, or grim... "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (v28). What does this mean to you? Does it mean that no matter what, everything is good? Explain your thoughts, please!!
~Following v 28, Paul explains that those of us God foreknew (knew before), he predestined to be conformed into the likeness of His Son. That is COOL... you know why?? He 'foreknew' EVERYONE!! Psalms 139 talks about how well, intimately He knows us!! He knew me before I was ever 'knit together' in my mother's womb. Who is it He wants to conform to the image of Jesus? EVERYONE... John 3:16 also says it.... "Whosoever will" WHO EVER!!! That is YOU!!! So, if God knew you before you were created, and chose you.... what does that say to you?
~Verse 31 asks, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? IF God is for us, who can be against us?" So.... if God loves you enough to know you so well even before you are created.... and he chose us.... then... what IS your response? Do you believe it? What about those days when everything is going wrong? Do you FEEL like God is for you on those days? What about when you have a disagreement with someone you love? What about when life is throwing things at you like never before? If God... the God of the universe; the God who created the sunset; the God who made ice cream; the God who created fire flies; THAT God is for you? WHO (bigger than that) can be against you? What do you think about that?
~The other verse I'd like to examine a little bit is verse 37. Between v 31 and 37, Paul talks about God being the one who chooses, justifies and condemns. Then, he asks the question, "Who can separate us from the love of Christ?" But, strangely, doesn't list people, but 'things'.... trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword... those are the things that he asks about. That just about covers it, doesn't it? When you are going through any of these things, don't you feel pretty much like a loser? Do you feel separated from God during these times? Do you feel like He is a million miles away? Do you feel that sometimes you bring these things upon yourself and you don't deserve to be close to God? Or that He doesn't want to be close to you?? Read on, my friend.... v 37 is the coolest... it says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
THAT says a LOT.... what are we? why are we? Not only do we win, we conquer. Not only that we are MORE than a conqueror!! Have you ever seen an unhappy, unsettled, insecure conqueror? YOU are more than that if Jesus lives within you!!! How does that make you feel? How does that change your thinking? Does it speak to you? Respond, please!!!
If you continue reading, Paul lists the things that cannot separate us from the love of Christ.....
Now that we've walked thru this passage a little, think about it: When you feel like a loser, are you really? Is there anything that can 'make' you a loser? Are there any losers in this world? If so, who? Talk to us about your thoughts on this passage.....
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I love you guys.... I am better for knowing you and I appreciate what you mean to me!!
Live your life like a conqueror this week!! Walk tall and confident in the Father's love for you!!!!
v. 28
ReplyDeleteGod will always be with whoever he calls. it does not matter what the calling is. It could be to smile at someone that is walking past you, or to talk to the person that is walking alone, or it could be to start a bible study at your school. God will be there!!!
v.31
I have been listening to Chris Tomlin's Our God is Greater and it always hits me just like the first time i heard it, because it reminds me of how God really is there and what can stop God???
all this is hard to comprehend. More than a conqueror..... how can one achieve more than victory? i know through Him but its hard to imagine more than a win.
Well to start off, I am late. Lol But This verse has become particularly meaning full in my life. I think before I was saved, I believed that everything that happened was for a reason. It was a phrase I heard my mom say all the time, and for a reason yet unknown to me, I found great comfort in it. After being saved and reading this verse, I gained a much better understanding for that phrase. Last Sunday I was listening to the sermon and the pastor said that often times when life starts getting tough and things start going wrong, we question God about why he is putting us through all the stuff. My answer, we are all like Job in that aspect. God lets Satan test our faith because he knows we will not break down and our faith will only grow stronger. As believers, we all have been called to some sort of purpose, whether or not we know what that is. God has our lives all planned out for us, and no matter how crummy life can be at times, he knows those are lessons, experiences, and exercises of our faith in him.
ReplyDeleteAs Robbi would say, “I’m Special!!” haha It is incredible to think that God created me specifically in the image of Jesus and knows every little thing about me. Every characteristic of me is meant for a specific function. God blesses us with the individuality we have so we can use it as a tool in our lives to reach out to those around us. He could have made all replicas of each other with the exact same emotions and everything. I am glad he didn’t because 1. That would be super boring 2. Our uniqueness is all part of that bigger plan God has for us.
If God is for us, who can be against us? I say no one can be against us with God being for us! It doesn’t matter the situation going on in our lives God is always on our side. I do however think that there are many occasions where we let ourselves forget this. When we forget that no one can be against us, it is almost as if we are being against ourselves. If that makes any sense whatsoever. We forget God is with us always, and take our burdens completely on our shoulders. Generally, when we try to control our lives or “fix” the crummy things that happen, it doesn’t do anything but stress us out more. No one bigger than the illusion of ourselves can be against us. No one can get in the way of God, but ourselves.
Like I was trying to explain earlier, those things that separate us from Christ make us bring our lives upon our shoulders and try to deal with everything. I am pretty good at this. I am very independent, and it gets me into trouble a lot because when things in my life go sour, instead of looking to God for guidance and help I try to take it all on myself. On top of that, I take on many of the burdens of the people I care about, and try to do anything in MY power to help them. I get so overwhelmed and yea I do feel like a loser. I have been trying really hard lately to relinquish my control over things to God, because I am getting in his way when I take that control for myself, I am actually furthering myself from God, and worsening the loseresque feeling.
When I feel like a loser, it is mostly because I look back on how I handled situations, and how I got in God’s way of my life. I look at these things and think to myself, “Well stupid, if you just let him take those burdens to begin with it would have saved you a whole lot of stressing.” But I also tend to forget that God knows I am going to take those on for myself. He is letting me learn the hard way, no matter how many times it takes for me to actually learn. Being a loser is a concept we as humans use to mask the feeling of stupidity in my opinion. No one is a loser in this world.