The Roman Road (and other devotionals)

The Roman Road     

                          

“Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one." - Isaiah 44:8

Christians seem to have a lot of difficulty witnessing to unbelievers. It is easier to talk about the church we attend than to talk about Christ. The most common excuse that I have heard from Christians is that they do not know enough Scripture verses. This misconception is a lie from hell itself. From personal experience, I have not led anyone to Christ because of my Scripture knowledge, but I have led many to Christ because of my passion.  Sharing the gospel is a verbal expression of your heart. If I am absolutely convinced that Jesus Christ is real and has changed my life, I will reflect that in my words and it will be evident in my actions. No one can challenge my own personal experience and testimony because it is mine. People hear with their eyes but no one comes to faith in Jesus Christ without hearing about Him. The Holy Spirit only needs a willing heart and an open mouth. His words will not return void because witnessing pleases the Lord and witnessing is God's will for our lives. Just say it.

However, with that being said, there are four scripture verses in the Book of Romans that have been very helpful to me while witnessing. These verses have been called the "Romans Road" implying that All Roads lead to Rome! And the "Romans Road" leads to God. These are great verses to become familiar with and to memorize:

Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 10:9-10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Oh Lord, give me an opportunity to share Your love with someone today. Open the doors for me to witness and give me the boldness to open my mouth to share about You

~Daily Disciples Devotional~

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Believe ye that I am able to do this? (Matt. 9:28).

God deals with impossibilities. It is never too late for Him to do so, when the impossible is brought to Him, in full faith, by the one in whose life and circumstances the impossible must be accomplished if God is to be glorified. If in our own life there have been rebellion, unbelief, sin, and disaster, it is never too late for God to deal triumphantly with these tragic facts if brought to Him in full surrender and trust.

It has often been said, and with truth, that Christianity is the onlyreligion that can deal with man's past. God can "restore the years that the locust hath eaten" (Joel 2:25); and He will do this when we put the whole situation and ourselves unreservedly and  believingly into His hands. Not because of what we are but because of what He is. God forgives and heals and restores. He is "the God of all grace." Let us praise Him and trust Him.

"Nothing is too hard for Jesus
No man can work like Him."

We have a God who delights in impossibilities and who asks, "Is anything too hard for me?"
--Andrew Murray

~L. B. Cowman~

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BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great.” Luke 6:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I’ve seen bumper stickers that exhort us to “show random acts of kindness.”  I think that’s a good thing. And what is kindness?  It’s love in the little things. 

A woman came down the aisle of a church to give her heart to Christ, and the preacher wanted to know what had impacted her life for Christ. 

She said, “You did.”

The pastor said, “Well, I’d be interested to know what it was that I said that brought you to Christ.” 

She said, “It was nothing you said. It was something you did. I was standing nearby when somebody criticized you very unfairly. I saw the kindness with which you responded, and I knew that your faith was real.”

ACTION POINT:
What random act of kindness can you do today that will demonstrate that your faith is real?

~Adrian Rogers~

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Peace with God

Romans 5:1-2

One day I posed a question to the waitress at my table: “If you could ask God for anything, what would your request be?” Her answer was immediate. “I want to feel at peace.” She tearfully explained that her grandmother had died and emotional turmoil resulted.

Many in our world are like this young woman, in that they desire inner calmness but have no relationship with the Lord. People often seek contentment by trying to improve their appearance, physical fitness, financial situation, or social status—or by abusing substances. But such things can’t bring tranquility of heart or mind. Only a relationship with Jesus leads to true peace.

Prior to salvation, we were slaves to sin and living in opposition to God (Col. 1:21). Our transgressions had formed a barrier of hostility between Him and us, which we were helpless to cross on our own. Without God’s intervention, we could not have found the way of peace. But our heavenly Father provided the perfect solution to our sin problem. He sent His Son to pay for our iniquities and remove the separation that existed between us and Him.

When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were reconciled to the Lord (Rom. 5:10) and no longer at odds with Him. In Christ, we have peace with the Father.

Our triune God has provided everything we need for inner tranquility. The Father opened the way for us to be in His family. Jesus continually offers His peace so we can experience serenity of mind and heart (John 14:27). And the Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of peace in our lives (Gal. 5:22).

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

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I must work the works of him that sent me - John 9:4

Is not this exceedingly tender and beautiful? The Lord does not hesitate to describe Himself as specially designated to do a certain work. In every part of this Gospel He speaks of Himself as the sent One; but He graciously conjoins His disciples and friends in it, saying, We must work. It is as though He said, "I have a designated work which must needs be done; but I cannot do it alone. We must do it, you and I, together."

Fellowship with God the Father is the law of all industry. - Every crop that goldens in the summer wind is due to the summons of the God of Nature to the husbandman, "Come and let us work together, thou and I." Every achievement in factory or mill of textile fabrics is due to the combination of the Divine laws and the human agency. We must work, is God's constant appeal.

Fellowship with the Son is the law of the Kingdom. - We have been called into the fellowship or partnership of the Son of God. He does not say, Go, but come; not, Do this, but, Let us do it. He has set His heart on the glory of the Father, and He calls us to cooperate with Him in bringing back men to God. In some way we must contribute to the final result on which Christ has set His heart.

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is the law of all successful service. - The closing words of the benediction that refer to the communion of the Holy Spirit are specially significant. "We are witnesses, and so is also the Holy Ghost." The Spirit and the Bride say Come. As Peter began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell. Oh for pure hands and a clean heart, that we may be worthy of this Divine confederacy!

~F. B. Meyer~

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Facing Our Fears

We are fragile mortals, given to fears of every sort. We have a built-in insecurity that no amount of whistling in the dark can mollify. We seek assurance concerning the things that frighten us the most.

The prohibition uttered more frequently than any other by our Lord is the command "Fear not." He said this so often to His disciples and others He encountered that it almost came to sound like a greeting. Where most people greet others by saying "Hi" or "Hello," the first words of Jesus very often were "Fear not."

Why? Perhaps Jesus' predilection for those words grew out of His acute sense of the fear that grips all who approach the living God. We fear His power; we fear His wrath; and most of all we fear His ultimate rejection.

The assurance we need the most is the assurance of salvation. Though we are loath to think much about it or contemplate it deeply, we know—if only intuitively—that the worst catastrophe that could befall us is to be visited by God's final punitive wrath. Our insecurity is worsened by the certainty that we deserve it.

Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God

Listen to God's Word to you today: Fear not!

For Further Study

Isaiah 41:10: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Luke 12:32: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Hebrews 13:6: "So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'"

~R. C. Sproul~