But now...

 But now

 apart from the law

 the righteousness of God has been made known,
 to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  

This righteousness 
is given
through faith in
Jesus Christ 

to all who believe.

There is no difference
between Jew and Gentile,   

             for 

             all 
    
            have  

           sinned 

and fall short of the glory of God...

Romans 3:21-23 

Who's Keeping you?

My Help Comes from the Lord

 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come? 

 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber. 

 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 

 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life. The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.  Psalm 121

 

Do not fret

 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

 Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Psalm 37:1-8

God's Children

God Disciplines His Children

 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, 

 

“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you^.   

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, ”

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

Found in Hebrews 12:1-8 and Proverbs 3:1-12

Seek Him

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. 

 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
    Tell among the nations what he has done!

Psalm 9:9-11

Look! Revelation 1:6-8

Fighting against God

How do you know if you are fighting against the plan of God?  Over time, you will find out.  Here is an excellent example.  The disciples of Jesus of Nazareth were preaching all that they had seen and heard about Jesus to crowds of people after Jesus death and resurrection. The religious were infuriated because it threatened their understanding of faith and religion.  In fact, they wanted this 'foolish talk" to stop. And they worked every angle to make it stop by putting Jesus' followers in jail and  forbidding them to even speak of the name Jesus.

"Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.  We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

  When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.  But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”  Acts 5:29-39