"Word of God Speak"

May 28, 2012 (Proverbs 7-9; Romans 9)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.” Romans 9:16 NLT

Observation: God shows mercy and compassion to anyone He chooses. The level of mercy or compassion God gives is not based or measured on an individual’s merit. God makes the choice and His choice is just. He chooses to open the heart and mind of some, while His will is to close the mind and harden the heart of others. God is not bound in any capacity. He is free to use His creation in anyway He pleases. His mercy cannot be purchased and to receive it is not a matter of our will, but His. He knows all about us, every thought, every action, every need, every desire, every intention that is within our heart, and yet He still chooses to give of His mercy.

Application: I once thought if I could just be good enough or keep God’s law well enough, then surely God would show mercy to me. Surely I could earn God’s favor if I strived to keep His commandments and was successful. Surely He would smile down on me and reward me for my efforts of holiness. But the harder I tried, the more discouraged I became. I worked so hard at doing everything right, only to become discouraged when I didn’t receive the mercy and favor I felt I had earned from the Lord. Then God taught me a lesson through a close friend. This friend of mine was covered in God’s mercy and very well favored of the Lord. Yet this person struggled with an addictive hidden sin. This person is fighting hard to overcome this sin through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and I pray they will be successful. However, in spite of this persons struggle with sin, they are still covered in God’s mercy and His favor is on all they do. Truly, it is God who decides to show mercy, and His decisions are just.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for the mercy and favor You have chosen to give to me. I know I don’t deserve it and I certainly could never earn it, yet in Your compassion, You have chosen to give it to me anyway. Thank You! Help me be content with the favor and mercy You give and trust completely in Your grace, for I know it is sufficient, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 27, 2012 (Proverbs 4-6; Romans 8 )

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:2 NLT

Observation: Those who walk not after the flesh, and submit not to its sinful passions, but rather walk after the Spirit and surrender to His power are free from condemnation. When Christ died on the cross He paid the price for your soul. He purchased you with His own blood. When a person receives Christ they have been purchased from sin and sold to holiness. They become free from the power of sin that leads to death by the power of the life-giving Spirit of God. They are under new ownership; they have passed from death unto life. Set free to serve a new master, the Master of the universe.

Application: Those that are under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God; it never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. But those who have been purchased by Jesus Christ are not controlled by their sinful nature. They are controlled by the perfect and Holy Spirit of God. He directs our hearts and actions. What pleases Him is what matters most. He is put first, even above our personal feelings. We no longer have any obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do, only an obligation to submit to the Spirit of the Lord completely. Through the power of the Spirit of the Lord we put to death the deeds of our sinful nature, and we live!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day, bless it and keep it. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for Jesus and the blood He purchased my soul with. Help me understand how to be subject to the Spirit and obedient to Your word. Crucify the sinful nature within me daily and grant me the ability to walk in a way that is pleasing to You, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 26, 2012 (Proverbs 1-3; Romans 7)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point. You died to the power of the Law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.” Romans 7:4 NLT

Observation: When a person dies to the old life and accepts Christ as Savior, a new life begins. While an unbeliever’s life is centered on their own personal gratification, a Christian’s life is centered on Christ. The point is this, when you were an unbeliever the only power you had to live by was the power that was produced from natural abilities. This power failed to provide the strength to succeed. But now that you have received Christ you have been given the supernatural power of Christ to live by. All who trust and live according to the supernatural power of Christ will live triumphantly over sin in this present life. Because our old life has died with Christ, and our new life has been raised and united with Christ, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for our God.

Application: When people are offered salvation without commitment, we are essentially saying, ‘here have Christ, but don’t worry about any of that dying stuff.’ Unfortunately, this evil practice has crept into the church and infiltrated the clergy. Now days salvation is offered free of cost or commitment. We have produced a culture that believes they can accept Christ as Savior, but reject Him as Lord. As a result we see massive numbers of the Christian population living defeated and powerless lives. They are trying to mix a worldly lifestyle with Christ and force God to accept it. Far too many are trying to live double lives. In one breath they profess Christ as Savior, while the actions of their life deny Him as Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for being my Savior and Lord! Thank You for changing my life completely. I praise You for the supernatural power of Jesus Christ that You provide me to live by. You are the awesome God of heaven and above You there is no other! Victory is mine because of You, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 25, 2012 (1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Romans 6:16 NLT

Observation: In chapter 6 Paul begins laying out the responsibility that comes with accepting Christ as Savior and Lord. He clearly explains that when we come to Christ for salvation we die to ourselves. Our old life passes away and a whole new life begins in Christ Jesus. Our old life was lived in the power of our own strength, but our new life is lived in the power of Jesus Christ. He overcame the world and the power of sin. He showed us by example; it is possible to deny sin a place in your life if you will only put God first. We are slaves to what we choose to obey. We can choose to be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or we can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. We can easily tell what a person is a slave to, by the fruit they produce.

Application: Obedience does not come automatically or haphazardly, it is a choice that must be made. It is a commitment that cannot be adulterated by anything else. We all make the choice each day, the choice to serve sin, or the choice to serve God. The choice is ours. This choice comes with great responsibility and extends to us great benefits or terrible consequences. Success in serving God can never be obtained outside of a right relationship with Christ. Many have tied to serve God through other means, but Christ is the only way to the Father. Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. To make the choice to serve God, we must first make the choice to become a slave of Christ. There is no other way. We must choose to die to sin and become a slave to Christ, if we ever intend to live righteously in this life and reign with Christ in the life to come.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. You are the awesome God of heaven and above You there is no other! Thank You for the power to overcome sin that You provide through Your Son Jesus. Thank You for the opportunity to be His slave! I am blessed beyond what words can express for the privilege. Jesus, You are my choice. I choose to be Your slave and strive to live a life of righteousness for the rest of my days, help me be successful, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 24, 2012 (1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8; Psalm 136; Romans 5)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:11 NLT

Observation: Paul makes it clear there is nothing more joyful than knowing you are in a right relationship with God. The only way to have this right relationship is through faith in Jesus Christ. We can rejoice because of the price Jesus paid on our behalf. We owed a debt we couldn’t pay, and yet He paid the price He didn’t owe. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand. For all who receive the gift of God’s grace will live in triumph over sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ. When we receive the gift of God’s grace we are filled with His Holy Spirit that empowers us to surrender our own will and live according to God’s perfect will.

Application: We like to be called friends of God. But are we a friend to Him? Are we the kind of friend that always takes and never gives? Are we the kind of friend that uses and abuses His kindness? God teaches us by example how to be a real friend. Faithfulness and commitment are essential traits of real friends. He is faithful no doubt, but what about us? Do we even have a responsibility to be faithful to Him as a friend? After all isn’t our salvation based on Christ and Him alone? Must we really forsake sin when we receive Christ? Are we still sinners after we have committed ourselves to faith in Christ? Is salvation a one-sided commitment, only to be honored by God? To be called His friend, we must learn to be a friend to Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank You and praise You for who You are! Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for the price Jesus paid for me. Teach me how to be Your friend. Place the desire to be faithful within me. As I rejoice in our wonderful relationship help me to never take You for granted or become boastful and act as if You owe me salvation. I thank You for the gift You have given and I’m eternally grateful, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 23, 2012 (2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalm 135; Romans 4)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.” Romans 4:16 NLT

Observation: The promise of salvation is received by faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned or worked for; it is given by God Himself to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It will not be granted based on the amount of works we perform. It is not reserved only for those who are wealthy and successful. Salvation is freely given by God the Father based solely on the choice to believe and receive God’s Son Jesus the Christ. Whether Jew or Gentile, no one will be saved by keeping the Law of Moses. Yet all who have the faith of Abraham can and will receive the gift.

Application: Salvation is received by faith in Jesus Christ according to God’s grace. Yet His word teaches us that faith without works is dead. Saving faith is a faith so vitally important that it cannot avoid the expressions of love and obedience toward the Savior. Faith that merely trusts God to forgive our sins but does not include sincere repentance from sin and an active commitment to Christ as Lord falls short of saving faith. It is unbiblical to emphasize faith and ignore the broader picture of salvation and what it really means. Salvation by faith includes not only being saved “from” condemnation but also saved “for” fellowship with God. Paul said, “Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” (Romans 3:31)

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy that provide and protect me every day. I thank You for the gift of salvation that You give by faith in Jesus Christ. Help me learn and understand what it means to be saved by faith. Help me remember that I’m not only saved from condemnation but I’m saved for fellowship with You. Teach me Your ways oh Lord and fill me with Your thoughts, in Jesus name, Amen!

May 22, 2012 (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalm 99; Romans 3)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.” Romans 3:27 NLT

Observation: Paul is making the point that whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile their nationality does not make them right with God. Nor is a person made right with God by simply obeying the written law. People are made right with God when they believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and place faith in Him. We cannot even boast about placing our faith in Christ, because Christ is the one that gave us the faith to place in Him. He has chosen us, we have not chosen Him. We are the one that was lost, He has never been lost. Our acquittal of sin is not because of our obedience, but rather we become obedient because Christ has acquitted us. Grace is not a means of justifying sin, but rather the power of God to overcome sin. His grace is sufficient.

Application: I hear a lot of people boast these days about what all they do for the Lord. They will even make such erroneous claims like, “if it wasn’t for me, so and so would have never accepted Christ as Savior”. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? Can we boast, then, that we have had anything to do with a person accepting Christ as Savior? No. If a person comes to Christ it is because Christ drew that person to Himself and in spite of our high opinion of ourselves, Christ really didn’t need our help. He has been saving people long before we existed. Yet in His grace and mercy, He allows us to work along side Him and see the miracle of salvation performed right before us. However, we should be careful to give Him all the praise and glory and never boast as if we had a thing to do with it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for Jesus Christ that made the way for me to be made right with God. Help me to always lift Him up and proclaim His marvelous works and give Him the praise and credit for all He does. For even my faith in Him is a gift from You. Thank You for the measure of faith You have given me, in Jesus name, Amen!