An Open Door...

Friday, November 4, 2011 - Romans 13:11 - 14

Sometimes as we follow Jesus, we may have times when we think that we can take it easy…we can back off a bit from striving to stay faithful to him.

Today, Paul lets the Romans know that they need to wake up and understand the time in which they live. They need to get squared away, let go of the ways of darkness and put on the ‘armor of light’ that is theirs in Christ. They need to put on the ways of Christ…to dress themselves his ways.

Paul lets them know once again that in Christ they are a distinctive people, and that distinctiveness needs to show in what they do as well as in what they don’t do.

Thursday, November 3, 2011 - Romans 13:8 - 10

Finally!! A passage that I get/understand without needing extended commentary to explain it or to put it into context! This passage is a favorite of mine. (But, then again, I have as many ‘favorite’ Bible passages as I have ‘favorite’ hymns…basically, too many of both!) As I read, two things came to mind.

First, if you want to look up the Old Testament passages that Paul quotes in today’s verses, you will find the commandments in Exodus 20:13 – 15 &17; and in Deuteronomy 17 – 19 & 21. The “Love your neighbor as yourself” is from Leviticus 19:18. And, as icing on the cake, Jesus quotes this same verse from Leviticus in Mark 12:31.

Second, in verse 10, we read, “Love does no harm” which reminds me of the first of the three General Rules we have as United Methodists: 1. Do no harm; avoid evil of every kind.

As a closing FYI for today's blog, the other two General Rules are 2. Do good…of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all; 3. Attend upon all the ordinances of God. (The ordinances are worship, hearing the scriptures preached/taught, personally searching the scriptures, communion, prayer, and fasting.)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - Romans 13:1 - 7

Today I defer to Ben Witherington’s commentary, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, because he explains Paul’s context so well.

Remember that Paul writes Romans during the time the new Emperor, Nero, was still a good leader helping to bring and keep peace in Roman territories.

"Paul could in good faith exhort his audience to pay their taxes and do their civic duties and live at peace with their neighbors because there was great and widespread hope…that Nero would keep the peace and govern wisely, fairly and justly …Paul is trying to make clear that Roman officials, including Nero, are unwitting servants of the God, whether they know it or not, and so it can be part of honoring the true God to honor and cooperate with the efforts of the Roman State. (p. 306)… However, Paul would have agreed that one should not compromise one’s faith when the law demands something ungodly.” (p. 312)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - Romans 12:9 - 21

Again, this passage is the scripture passage for next Sunday’s sermon, so we’ll spend time on it then as well as in ‘after thoughts and other thoughts’ the following Monday. So today I’d like us to look at just one phrase together.

Verse 21 reads, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” I love it! On the day after Halloween, when evil is playfully depicted and costumed so well, we have words to help us face the evil we come across in our very real lives.

I don’t encounter much that seems to be evil. The evil-est things I usually come across are things like selfishness, greed, meanness, lying, cheating…things that I usually think of as more in the line of being sins. Whatever they are…to be able to respond to people and situations in terms of giving good to them rings so true and so something Jesus would do…you know…like turning the other cheek…going extra miles…giving away your coat when someone asks you for a jacket…giving good to others no matter what they give/do to you…

In texting terms, I call it being: ‘JLJ’—Just Like Jesus!