The Importance of Reading the Bible – Part 2
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. As we continue to look at the importance of reading the Bible let’s outline what this passages states scripture is useful for in verse 16. If you missed part 1, you can find it HERE All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for: Teaching Rebuking Correcting Training in Righteousness So that we (as servants of God) make be equipped to do good work! There’s another point in this passage, in verse 15, that states what the scriptures can do. The Bible is also able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus! We need all these things in our lives as we seek to be more Christ-like and grow in faith and knowledge of Jesus! I need Jesus to teach me! I need Jesus to rebuke me when I’m wrong! I need Jesus to correct me when I’ve gone off course! I need Jesus to continually train me in righteousness that I may most clearly reflect Him to everyone around me. I need wisdom to keep my eyes focused on Jesus that I might obtain salvation through faith in Jesus alone! All these things that I need come from the scripture, the Bible! It’s vitally important that I read my Bible for myself daily so that Jesus can continue His good work in me! It’s important to note that the scriptures Paul is referencing here in his letter to Timothy are of course only our Old Testament scriptures. The New Testament of our Bible hadn’t been assembled yet, as Paul was unknowingly writing some of it! How blessed we are to have such free access to the scriptures! With free bible apps and webpages, it has never been easier to read the Bible. But it’s still a decision we must make. It’s still a choice and an action that we must do. Make a decision today that you will get in the word of God a bit more than you currently do. If you never read the Bible, make a commitment to yourself that you’ll start reading once per week. If you read it once per week choose to increase that to twice a week. Wherever you are, take a tiny step to pursue Him just a tiny bit more! He will reward you by molding you a tiny bit more into His likeness! And that’s the greatest reward of all. To following Him and being unwilling to remain the same! Be Blessed! ~A.E. If you find you need some help understanding what you read or knowing where to start reading, consider checking out my 40 Day independent study! It’s specifically designed to help you understand what you’re reading with thought provoking questions to make you think. You can check it out HERE
Paul Was Prevented From Visiting Rome But God Used It!
Romans 1: 8-13 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. This is a passage from the Book of Romans, a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome. Paul traveled far and wide but he had not been to Rome yet. Paul tells us in verse 13 he had planned to visit the Romans many times but it hasn’t worked out. Paul is hoping to finally get to travel to Rome and is sending this letter in advance. Actually Paul says he’s been prevented from traveling to see them- not that he has changed his mind, not that he was feeling lazy, his plans didn’t change, he didn’t decide to do something else instead, ect. No, he’s been prevented from doing so – some sort of a roadblock. I’m going to put myself in Paul’s shoes for a moment and assume it has been really frustrating for him. I think of myself – I’m trying to make plans for a noble purpose, and for some reason the pieces just won’t come together. It’s infinitely frustrating! “Why??”, I would ask God. “I don’t understand!”, I would tell Him! But consider this: if Paul hadn’t been prevented from traveling to see them in person, this book of Romans may never have been formed the way it was. If Paul was there in person he wouldn’t have needed to write them a letter. God used this frustrating situation in Paul’s life to give millions of people, over the span of a couple thousand years, the wealth of knowledge and learning that comes from this letter. AMAZING!! God used this roadblock in Paul’s plans to formulate this letter that would continue to be read for the remainder of time! God is still at work doing things like this! God is still working for the good of those that love Him! The frustrating things in your life may be the very things that God uses to help others, to bless others, to make His name great in some big or small way. Romans 8:28 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. Another quick observation: Paul had no idea his letter would be preserved for thousands of years. He didn’t know the scope of its influence. We may never see the things God does through us in our lifetime either- but we walk by faith believing that if we are faithful to follow Him He will take care of the rest! It puts me in the mind of all the giants of faith referenced in the faith chapter – Hebrews 11. All those people were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what was promised – they didn’t see the reward but they believed God’s word anyway (v39)! Are you facing frustrating roadblocks in your life? Commit to walking by faith; commit to trusting that God is working for good right now! He’s not finished! Hold on tight to Him!
Paul Follows God- Part 2
Today, let’s continue to look at the life of Paul. If you haven’t read Part 1 you can find it here: God Follows Paul- Part 1 You may also be interested in reading how it all started for Paul. You can find his conversion here: A Look At The Conversion of Saul When we left Paul he was getting ready to travel to Jerusalem. He is well aware that trouble and hardship await him. He has been told through the Holy Spirit, friends, and a prophet that he will be persecuted but he knows that God has called him to preach in Jerusalem. He doesn’t have all the details but he has chosen to follow God’s direction, so off to Jerusalem he will go. When Paul first gets to Jerusalem things are going quite well. Paul is received warmly! How wonderful! But there are some rumors floating around about him so to contradict the rumors Paul participates in the 7 day purification rites, all seem pretty peaceful! Acts 21: 17-26 Acts 21:27-40 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?” 39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” 40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: … Paul goes on to give his testimony in front of all his accusers. You can read it in Acts 22: 1-21. The crowd listens intently to Paul’s story until he says God sent him to the Gentiles, then this happens: Acts 22: 21-29 21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” 23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered.28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. 29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. To recap the whole thing: Paul is dragged out of the temple and beaten – they were trying to kill him (v.31) not just give him a beating to remember. Paul is falsely accused of bringing an Ephesian into the temple Then it’s falsely assumed that Paul is an Egyptian terrorist I can’t imagine the pain Paul would have been in after a beating like that yet Paul asks to speak to the crowd, he’s going to share his testimony and preach Jesus! He’s not going to miss an opportunity. But when Paul says God sent him to the Gentiles the Jews will have none of it! The commander is totally confused so he’s going to use what is probably his normal tactic: beat and question in order to figure it out. But Paul throws the commander a curve ball: Paul is a Roman citizen. Romans have certain rights as citizens. One being how they are to be treated before being found guilty. So Paul escapes a second beating and the commander is a bit concerned about having arrested Paul and how close he came to having him flogged. There’s A LOT that happens in the following chapters! Feel free to read it all for yourself, it’s so interesting and who knows what the Lord may speak to you through it. But I’ll recap! The next day the commander assembles the chief priests and the Sanhedrin (a Jewish council) to try to figure out what exactly they’re accusing Paul
Paul Follows God – Part 1
Let’s take another look at the life of Paul! A few days ago I shared about Paul’s conversion- what an incredible story! If you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can find it here: A Look At the Conversion of Paul Paul’s ministry is broken down into 4 main chunks of travel: 1st missionary journey, 2nd missionary journey, 3rd missionary journey Trip to Rome. Your Bible may have a map of these journeys. Much of the life of Paul is recorded in the book of Acts. Acts was written by Luke who was a doctor and a historian. He traveled with Paul, so a good portion of Acts is first hand. Luke, being a historian, would have thoroughly researched what he didn’t personally witness. This is the same Luke that wrote the book of Luke. Today, we’re going to be primarily in Acts, we will jump in the second half of Paul’s 3rd missionary journey. But to set the stage let’s start in Romans. Romans was written by Paul, to the church in Rome. If you read this letter, you’d think he knew these people well, but he hadn’t yet been to Rome when he wrote it. If you’re interested in studying the book of Romans, consider checking out the 40 day independent study I put together titled A Walk Through Romans Toward the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans he outlines his plans. Let’s look together: Romans 15: 23-28 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. Let’s recap: Paul has wanted to visit the Roman church for a long time. Paul finally has a plan to do so Paul has a gift for the saints in Jerusalem from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia Paul is going to Jerusalem and then on to Spain and hopes to visit the Romans on the way Now we’re going to hop to Acts 20. This is Paul’s 3rd Missionary journey. We are picking up at Miletus (in case you want to look it up on the map in your Bible or online.) Acts 20:17-25 17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. 25 Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Acts 20: 36-38 36When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Acts 21:1-15 1After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. 7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready
A Look At The Conversion of Saul
Paul is hands down my favorite Bible character! His background and story are amazing! The way he lived his life is astounding. The impact he had on the gospel of Jesus being spread cannot be measured! Paul wrote 13 or 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament. He of course didn’t know he was writing books of the Bible. As far as he was concerned, he was writing letters to various individuals and groups of Christians. The 13 books Paul wrote are: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, & Titus. The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown and Bible scholars cannot agree if Paul wrote it or not. The first reference of Paul is Acts 7:58. Please feel free to read the full account in Acts chapters 6 and 7. What we see in Acts 6 is a man named Stephen, who was full of faith and power, the Lord was using him to perform wonderous signs. As was so often the case with these early Christians, some religious people didn’t like Stephen teaching Jesus, so they made up lies about him and said that he was speaking blasphemy. So they grabbed him and brought him before the High Priest. In chapter 7 we see Stephen has an opportunity to speak and uses it to preach! He calls them out for rejecting Jesus, the very Savior they have been waiting for. This makes them irately angry! They grab him and drag him out of the city where they stone him to death. This brings us to our first glimpse of Paul, or as he was known at the time Saul. (I will be using Saul and Paul interchangeably for a bit, so please understand they are the same person.) Acts 7:58-58 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Paul was there at the stoning death of Stephen, giving his approval. Not the introduction we would expect for such a mighty man of God, is it? Acts 13:9 is where we see Saul’s name changed to Paul and from that point on he is called Paul. Let me share a few facts about Saul: Saul was a Jew. He was born in Tarsus of Cilicia which was a Roman province. Saul was trained as a Pharisee (a Jewish Religious group) which meant he was well trained on the Jewish law and knew the Old Testament very well. Saul was very zealous for God. Jesus and the rising of Christianity were a significant threat to his belief system as a Jew. These details about Saul and many more can be found in the book of Acts. Much of Paul’s life is recorded in the book of Acts. Paul didn’t write the book of Acts though. Acts was written by Luke who was a doctor and historian. Saul loved God and he wanted to please God. He didn’t believe Jesus was the messiah and Saul felt a responsibility to stop those who were saying He was. But Saul has an incredible encounter with Jesus that changes everything! The full story is recorded in Acts 9. Acts 9: 1-9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Starting in verse 1, Saul is still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples. He goes to the high priest and asks for letters giving him authority to arrest anyone who follows the teachings of Jesus in Damascus and bring them to Jerusalem. He was given those letters, so a small group sets off for Damascus. When he’s almost to Damascus something happens that changes everything. He’s walking along and suddenly a bright light flashed around him! He instantly falls to the ground and he hears a voice calling him by name “Saul Saul why do you persecute me?” Saul asks who is speaking. The answer must shock him beyond anything I can imagine. The voice says “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting go into the city and you will be told what to do.” What was probably equally as shocking, when he opens his eyes he can’t see, he’s blind! As we continue on in the chapter, Jesus uses a man named Ananias to meet Saul in the city. As you can imagine Ananias was a reluctant; he knew about Paul and why he was coming to Damascus. As Ananias is sharing his concerns with the Lord, this is Jesus’ reply to him: But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16 Ananias is obedient and he meets with
Who Am I?
There are a lot of influences in this life that tell us who we are. From the time we’re born until the time we die, we are defined by many things. Take a moment to think about that. What are some things that you have been defined by? It’s vitally important that we know who we are in Christ, who God says we are. The world. Our background. Our successes. Our failures. Do not get to define us! God gets to say who we are! Galatians 4:4-7 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. There’s some foundational truth here: God sent His son (Jesus), so that we could be adopted by God! Now that we’ve been adopted, we’re children of God. Since we are His children, we are heirs! Wow. It’s amazing, isn’t it?! It’s amazing that Jesus coming would not only bring us salvation but also a perfect father and an inheritance! Look at these 3 definitions from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heir for heir: one who receives property from an ancestor : one who is entitled to inherit property one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office one who receives or is entitled to receive something other than property from a parent or predecessor As a heir, we will receive something from God! Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Most of us will never share the full sufferings of Jesus, but we all have struggles and challenges in this life. But what a hope that we will share in His Glory! Why do we get to share in the glory of Jesus? Just because God adopted us and made us heirs! Titus 3: 3-8 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. When God’s kindness and love appeared, He saved us! Not because of how perfect we were or all the good things we’d done but because of God’s great mercy on us and the redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus! And now, we are also heirs of eternal life! As flawed and broken as you are, as flawed and broken as I am, God has saved us because of His great mercy and has given me, given you, the hope of eternal life! It’s quite amazing. Why. Why would God do this? Who am I that He would do this great thing for me? Let’s go all the way back to the beginning. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Check out this note from the Zondervan NASB Study Bible: Man is the climax of God’s creative activity and God has crowned him with “glory and majesty” and made him “to rule” over the rest of His creation (Ps 8:5-8). Since Man was created in the image of the divine King, delegated sovereignty was bestowed on him. Wow! Psalm 139: 13-14, 16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Ephesians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will Why? Why would God do this? This is why: He created us! We are the peak of His creative activity! We were created in the very image of GOD! And He loves His creation. It’s quite remarkable, but it’s true. He knit us together. All the days He’s giving us to live were written in His book before we were ever born! (He has a book about us?! A topic for another day!) God loves His creation so much that He is aware when sparrows (dirt cheap sparrows) fall from the sky. He loves us so much that He even knows the exact number of hairs on our heads! So weird! Who cares the number of hairs?! (I’ll admit, when it
Well… Here we are, my first blog post.
I’ve heard it said, “when you see a need, fill it.” That’s what I set out to do with my book A Walk Through Romans. I had several friends mention how little they know about the Bible. They didn’t grow up in church and they were unaware of Bible stories that many of us a grew up learning or maybe they did grow up in church but what they learned then is all they know. They referenced that it’s hard to read the Bible for themselves; they don’t understand what they’re reading. They want more but don’t know how to get it. I thought, “I think I can help with that!” And that was the beginning of A Walk Through Romans! It’s nothing complex. It’s a simple walk-through of the book of Romans. It’s broken down into small chunks; you read a little and then answer questions. The goal is to help you understand what you read by answering simple questions based on the exact wording of the Bible text. This brings up a significant point, the book is written for the New International Version (NIV) version. To help you understand what you’re reading the questions are not formatted generally what the scripture is references but specifically what it is saying. The intent is that you see the scripture at face value and what it is literally saying. Although the meaning is the same in different versions the questions may not be understandable if you use a different version, so please use NIV. It will make your study more complete. There are online Bibles and Bible apps that make using a version that may not be your normal achievable. I like the NIV version. I find it to be a good balance of accuracy and readability. Other versions may be easier to understand but some accuracy may be lost. Some versions may have more precise accuracy but may be more challenging to understand. As such, I find NIV to be a great place to start. It’s a 40 Day independent study. I didn’t set out for it to be a certain length, but I was pleased when it ended up as a neat 40 days. Those that have worked through the study have stated that I’ve achieved my goals: the study is simple, easy to understand and complete, and it does help them understand what they’ve read. At the end of each day there’s a thought to ponder and space provided to journal your thoughts. These moments with the Lord can be transformative if you let them. Although the study is very simple in nature there are many parts of Paul’s writing that are very compelling. There are tough issues in the book of Romans and working through those will draw you to a deeper place with God. It will encourage you to live as Christ and to live a life pleasing to God. There are some tough challenges in the study. An honest assessment of your heart and your life will transform you. I pray this simple book will impact many. I believe God is calling us to something more than where we are. He’s calling us to a life set apart, a life of godliness, and holiness. But that’s a topic for another blog post. Perhaps someday it’ll be linked here. I have a lot to learn about blogging, but I think I’m supposed to do that. Hahaha. The same need that I set out to fill with writing this book is the same need I’m seeking to fill with this blog. Perhaps some will be called deeper through my simple writings. Perhaps someone’s foundation will be just a little stronger because of a post here. Perhaps someone will choose to live a bit more like Jesus because of words typed. That’s my prayer and I pray that for you: that you will go deeper, that you will build your life on the Firm Foundation, and that you will seek to live like He did! I dedicate this all to Him: the author and finisher of my faith. May it be for His glory, may His name be made great, and may the gospel of Jesus be spread as a result. Yes and Amen! If you’re interested in ordering the book, you can do so HERE
