A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:77 The things that endure a lifetime are seldom acquired by the young, even in the middle of life many have no endurance or assurance. Hope deferred makes the heart sick...! Proverbs 13:12 The tender mercies of the Law of the LORD changes the heart. Psalm 19:8

Good Morning

“Take all you want, but consume all you take.” We have all heard these words in one way or another. Also we have heard the words. &ldquoo not walk across the street without looking both ways first” The blessing of both of these statements is found in parental love, no explanation required. Take this a step further. “Thy shall not kill” or “Blessed are those who call upon the name of the LORD for they shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 and Romans 13:9. But when it comes to this love that originates in the heart of God we fail to understand. The explanation is that God in His Laws, Precepts, Statutes and Judgments is covering us in His parental love. He knows the dangers of living a lawless lifestyle, thus the Ten Commandments. He knows the disappointments of not looking both ways and believing in systems like evolution, thus His Statutes, He also understand that our perception is flawed because of our sinful nature, thus His Precepts give us direction in life. All of this is visible in the very next verse in Romans 13:10. God loves us, He has made every provision for us to be filled with joy, “continually” the opportunity to live in His daily Plan is a challenge because we like to live in the flesh and not in Christ. Notice what the remaining verses in Romans clearly challenge us to do. Romans 13:11-14. When you are wearing Christ, your outer clothing will not be of the flesh, but of the Spirit.

Acts 24

Acts 24:22-24 Procrastination, oh I've been there, haven't you? Many of us think that by holding off on one issue or another there will never come a time to cross that bridge. We hold off so long that the end of a matter is never attained and we suffer loss. The worst of this is when we hear the threat of losing a friend and we never do anything to reconcile. Felix understood the gospel, even his wife Drusilla who being a Jew clearly understood Paul, but the motive of the heart will reap what it sows.

Acts 24:25-26 Religion and secular humanism always expects profit. I have heard all sorts of things about Felix and men in his position. My most basic thought is that these men do not get in these positions by lacking normal intelligence. Liberal or conservative thinkers are intelligent, in addition they are privy to the ways that govern the spiritual and natural realms of life. All of this wisdom though is of the world, therefore it is wisdom used for self-gratification. Felix and his conversations with Paul never proved to be spiritually beneficial because the heart of Felix was bathed (baptized) in greed.

Acts 24:27 Waiting to long always carries a penalty – After two years pass Porcius Festus succeeds Felix. The freedoms that Paul enjoyed with Felix are replaced by bondage as Festus decides to find favor with the Jews under his command. Paul fully understands that he will not be released under the authority of Festus and he will seek favor from Caesar.

As we wind down the book of Acts, take time to enjoy the book of Romans. Read as you have time the entire book. Keep in focus that Romans is an exposition of living in Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. Salvation is not a once in a lifetime experience as some would suggest. Salvation is a once in an eternity experience that when it is first experienced it becomes a daily rebirth of justification by faith, sanctification by the washing of the water with the Word and a blessed hope for eternity.