Christmas decorations are out in the stores, so perhaps it is not too early to think about buying gifts for people.

Have you ever struggled with what to get someone who made a special contribution to your life? For those who have been most meaningful in our lives, no gift seems to really express the depth of our love, yet we want to appropriately demonstrate how we feel.

If you have ever wrestled with this challenge, you can understand Romans 12. The Apostle Paul helps us consider what an appropriate response to God looks like.
    
The first word in the chapter, “therefore,” summarizes all Paul has said to this point in the book. Considering the depth of human sinfulness and the even greater depths of God’s mercy, what is the appropriate way to respond to God? What would you give to God who has given so much for you?

Paul tells us that the only appropriate response to God is to offer our entire selves as an act of worship. I think it is important to note that Paul actually uses the word “bodies” (v. 1) here. He is not talking about a spirituality that is merely intellectual, and he is not speaking solely about the emotions of worship. He is talking about offering our selves to God in a way that includes not only our minds (v. 2), but also our physicality.

God wants our hands active in helping others. He wants our feet moving to go and make disciples. He wants our knees bending in prayer and service. He wants our shoulders helping others bear their burdens. To offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices is to offer the part of ourselves that experiences and influences the world around us. This is not privatized, internal religion. This is a continuation of the incarnational work of Christ.
    
In describing our appropriate response to God, it is no accident that he provides the illustration of a body (vv. 4-5). As Jesus was the embodied revelation of God, so we who are saved by grace through faith become the body of Christ on earth.

Worship is more than what happens in a sanctuary on Sunday morning. Worship occurs daily through the humble submission and faithful use of our physical bodies in obedience to God’s will.
    
Developing the body of Christ image, Paul reminds us that collectively we form the body, and individually we each have a part to play in it.

Consider first the role of the individual. In God’s graciousness, he has given to every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that Spirit manifests itself in us in a variety of ways as God accomplishes his purposes through us (see also 1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

Every believer has a gift. The gifts will not all look the same, yet every gift is important to the work of the body. Here is a natural question that arises from this passage: How do I discover my spiritual gift?
    
In response to this question, it is important to remember that  while God gives gifts to individuals, the gifts benefit the larger body. Consequently, the body of Christ may see how the Spirit is at work in you before you are aware of it. They will recognize the potential to teach. They will appreciate your acts of service. They will receive your words of encouragement, and they will praise God for them before you are aware of how God is working through you. If you want to know your spiritual gift, ask someone who is spiritually wise how they see the Spirit of God at work in you.
    
A second point to remember about spiritual gifts is that a discussion of gifts arises from a teaching about worship and obedience. We do not discover our spiritual gifts in a vacuum but in the arena of life where we are seeking to be faithful to the will of God. The best possible way to find how the Spirit of God regularly is shining forth from your life is to get busy offering your body to God. In so doing, you and those around you will have ample opportunity to observe the Spirit's work.

This last observation leads us to the last half of Romans 12, a section packed with numerous short commands, each of which could be commented upon. In the interest of time, though, consider how the whole of 12:9-21 emphasizes community.

Our appropriate response to God may be personal, but it is not private. Offering our bodies to God in worship requires us to love those around us with a sincere love. It requires us to work in hope and to be patient. It requires humility and forgiveness and forbearance.

None of these virtues come naturally to us. We would much rather act with impatient selfishness, dismissing those who are unimportant to us, revenging ourselves on those who hurt us, and generally ordering our lives for our pleasure.

But a godly community requires godly virtues, and those virtues are not learned in isolation. Through the Spirit, God draws believers together into a body, and in that body the individually gifted members have the opportunity to learn and practice Christ-like virtues.
    
In response to the great mercy of God, have you surrendered your body in worship, committing yourself to a Spirit-directed life and to the community of Christ?

John 20:30-31 tells us the signs in the Gospel “… are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, and believing, you may have life.”  
    
Salvation comes through receiving the person of Jesus Christ. The blessings of salvation become ours as we understand who Jesus is and as we appropriate what is provided in him for our daily lives.
    
In Jesus’ fourth recorded miracle, John says the Lord fed 5,000 men. Matthew tells us he fed 5,000 men plus women and children.

In this story, the disciples find themselves in what they think is a hopeless situation. Before them are thousands of people they can’t feed, and the only food available is the lunch of a little boy. The disciples, obviously, feel a sense of responsibility, but they are overwhelmed by the inadequacy of their limited resources.
    
Only Jesus could meet the need, and he did. He took a little lunch, brought by a small boy, and made it more than adequate.

He does the same thing today. When we surrender our limited resources to his limitless source, He takes what we are and what we have and multiplies it to meet the need. Jesus is the answer to any shortages we face in life.
    
Let’s first look at the shortage that prompted the miracle. A great crowd had followed Jesus into an area where no food was available. Always alert to any situation of human need, Jesus waited for the response of his disciples, and he then used the opportunity to show them human answers are not sufficient for human need.

Philip looked at the multitude, measured their meager resources and concluded, “We don’t have enough.” It would have been unreasonable for him to think otherwise—that they could feed so many people.
    
We must understand that Philip was being tested and proven by Jesus. He had to be taught the futility of human reasoning apart from faith. Our natural instinct is to mistrust faith when we are in need, but the shortages in life teach us we can’t always figure out and plan things ourselves. Some things in life require a limitless faith.

After we discover human reason is insufficient, we also will discover human resources are insufficient. When Andrew took inventory of the resources, he discovered only two fishes and five barley loaves, the bread of the poor.

This child from a poor family giving his lunch to Jesus teaches many beautiful lessons about giving. God doesn’t just look at the size of your gift. He looks at whether it’s truly a sacrifice on your part and at your willingness and intent in giving it.

Andrew posed the question many of us would have asked about the fish and bread: “What are they among so many?”

We in ourselves never are assured of meeting the needs that could arise. Paul warns us to not trust in uncertain riches. We are to thank God for the little or much entrusted to us, but we must never put our trust in things.

The third thing we note in this passage is the supply provided by the miracle. This miracle symbolizes beautifully God’s grace and power in the supply of salvation.

For example, in such a vast world, how can we ever hope to reach and feed so many? When we consider our responsibility as Christians, our reasoning and resources just don’t measure up. However, from the details of this miracle we learn of God’s plan to get the Bread of Life out to others. And, by providing spiritual meaning to mathematical functions, you can understand God’s principles of supply.

From a mathematical standpoint there was subtraction. First, the boy had to give up what he had. That same principle applies to us. We must be willing to let God subtract from us the resources needed for a miracle of supply. God can, obviously, turn stone into bread, but he doesn’t relieve us of our responsibility to give and serve. He chooses to take from us what we’re willing to give, and he then uses it for his glory.
    
From a mathematical standpoint, there was also multiplication. Isn’t it amazing how small things multiply when placed in God’s hands? In this miracle five loaves and two fish fed thousands of people. There’s a great principle here. God multiplies back to us what He subtracts from us.
    
From a mathematical standpoint there also was division. Don’t miss the truth here that many overlook.  Jesus only multiplies to us what we’re willing to divide with others. He gave to the disciples, they divided it among the men, and the men divided it among their families. What God gives us, we must give to others. This is how we can share the gospel with vast multitudes of people.
    
Last, from a mathematical standpoint there was addition. Jesus gave each disciple a basket filled with food, which they gave to the men. After all were well fed and the excess food was gathered, their baskets still were filled and overflowing.
    
Jesus shared a great truth of addition in Matthew 6:33, when he said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

When we see an individual who, to say the least is different than us, the opinion we form of them often is not good. For example, how would we have perceived the demoniac of Gadara? It’s doubtful that we would have seen him in a positive light.

Jesus, on the other hand, saw him as a man—a human being in desperate condition, but still a man. It’s sometimes hard for us to see people who act or dress differently than we do in that light—people who aren’t even close to being in the dire shape of the demoniac of Gadara.

And, there’s another point to be made here. How many of us would have even gone into a place like Gadara if it wasn’t forced on us? This is the land on the east side of the Jordan River that was given to the tribe of Gad. Gad actually chose to be on the wrong side of the Jordan, and the Gadarenes had eventually gone into the pig business. The message here is that when you start going away from God, chances are pretty good you will keep going away from him unless something turns you around.

While most of us would have steered clear of Gadara, Jesus chose to go there. He chose to go many places we would avoid, and he chose to have contact with many types of people that we would avoid. We find him in wedding parties and at dinners with the elite of society, and here we find him in a graveyard. Mark wants us to see Jesus in one of the worst possible environments, and he wants us to feel the pain and compassion Jesus felt for this man possessed with an unclean spirit.
    
There are two things Jesus never shied away from; compassion for those in need and contact with them. Mercy and contact are the elements of evangelism.
    
The demoniac lived in a graveyard. He didn’t have friends. In fact, many people probably didn’t come to the graveyard because of him. And, there was no place he could go, and no one he could go to for help with his affliction. He was living a miserable demon-plagued life and was the kind of scary character about whom Hollywood makes movies. For him every day was Halloween.
    
The man has superhuman power, but God didn’t give it to him. He was uncontrollable, a wild man who couldn’t be confined, and he inflicted great physical harm on himself. He was a creature of pathos and pity, inarticulate and crying out because of demon possession.

If you ever have witnessed certain patients in a mental institution, or in the psychiatric ward of a hospital, you may have come away shaken by the experience and wondered how someone could be in such a condition.  Chaplains in a number of entities serving mental patients are subjected to behavior that most of us never see or experience. There are many people who suffer from severe mental disorders unleashed in various ways on loved ones, friends and the general public.

The aforementioned people often receive help via medication and therapy, but the demoniac of Gadara had no help for demon possession. It was all over him and in him, and there was nothing he could do until Jesus came by.

It was the man who asked Jesus for help, not the demon. It was the man who worshipped Jesus, not the demon. There’s a great evangelistic message here that tells us no matter what our condition, Jesus can save us. After all, how many people come to Jesus in the shape this man was in?

Yet we constantly hear people say, “Because of what I’ve done in my life, I don’t think Jesus can save me.” That’s pure folly. Jesus can save anyone, no matter what their condition.

When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, he tried to tell him, saying “My name is …,” but the demons took over and said “We are many.”

When the demons asked to be sent into the swine, Jesus obliged them, and about 2,000 ran down a steep place into the sea and drowned. This bothers a lot of liberal theologians who want to make this story fictional, because it doesn’t coincide with their view of Jesus.

The Bible is not fiction, not any part of it. And, if you accept the authority of Scripture, you have to accept the reality of demons. In fact, there is today a resurgence and manifestation of demonism in America and throughout the world. They seek to manifest their evil nature through human beings. In Luke 11:24, Jesus said, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’”

Demons only can possess the unsaved. The saved are possessed by the Holy Spirit.

There’s no reason for any believer to be afraid of demons, or to adopt some superstitious or spooky notion about them. If you’re a Christian and fear demons, it’s because of a lack of faith in Jesus. Scripture tells us in 1 John 4:4, “He that is in you (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in the world (Satan).”

The demoniac of Gadara was made whole by his faith in Christ, and in Christ alone.

Have you ever been accused of something you did not do? The accusation involved your character, so what you were accused of doing was not just something you did wrong, but your perceived action revealed a flaw in your life. How should you react to such a situation?

The Apostle Paul was involved in just such a situation in his relationship with the church at Corinth. Believers in the church held views about Paul that were negative and erroneous. In 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:13, Paul went about setting the record, his record, straight.

Evidently, some in Corinth accused Paul of being double-minded. He had told the church in Corinth of his travel plans to visit, but then he did not follow through with his plans. In fact, his change in plans ultimately did involve a visit, but Paul described that trip as a “painful visit” which further strained his relationship with the church.

Paul began defending himself with boasting. That comes across as odd, but Paul would show the Corinthians how God kept his pride in check in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. Paul’s boast was that his conscious was clear. In the matters at hand, he believed he was innocent of all charges. In fact, he had acted with the utmost holiness and sincerity in devotion to God, and it was God who enabled him to do so. Ultimately, Paul told the Corinthians he looked forward to the day when they could boast about him the way he boasted about the Corinthians.

Next, Paul explained how his travel plans had changed after writing 1 Corinthians. Such an explanation was necessary, since the Corinthians must have thought Paul had broken his promise to them. In verse 17, he noted his plans were not made lightly or as a person saying “yes” and “no” at the same time. His confidence in his attitude led Paul to swear by God that his word was consistent.

With verses 19-22, Paul did not give the reason for his changed plans. Instead, his reference to God’s faithfulness led him to describe how God faithfully fulfilled his promises. Paul implied that God’s ministers also were faithful to keep their promises, and he was just such a minister. He was faithful to keep his promises. These verses advanced Paul’s defense in that even if his travel plans changed, God’s faithfulness did not, and the message of Christ proclaimed to the Corinthians was true (v. 19).

In 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4, Paul gave the reason for changing his travel plans. He wanted to avoid another “painful visit” to the church. Such a visit would have necessitated some form of apostolic judgment upon the church, so Paul wanted to give the Corinthians time to change their attitudes toward him.

At this point (2 Corinthians 2:5-11), the reader of 2 Corinthians sees some partial reason for the trouble at Corinth and for Paul’s painful visit. A member of the church evidently has stirred up opposition against Paul. This person’s actions have hurt Paul, and these actions have hurt the church. The strained relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church served as solid evidence to the harm this individual’s actions caused.

In Paul’s absence, the church had punished the man for his actions. This unidentified punishment was sufficient for Paul to tell the church to forgive the man and restore him. Failure to do so could result in this person’s “excessive sorrow.” Paul knew Satan would target such a sorrowful individual for his devilish schemes.

The issue Paul faced with the Corinthian church concerned his travel plans. In verses 12-13, he resumed his line of thought from verse 4 and continued to speak about his travels. The purpose for the travels was “to preach the gospel of Christ.” Here, Paul continued his defense of his travels by reminding the Corinthians of his purpose, spreading the gospel. While in Troas, he was so concerned about the situation in Corinth that he cut short his visit; even though, the Lord had opened a door for him to proclaim Christ.

How should believers handle strained relations with others? The starting point is to live with a clear conscious, as Paul did. Make sure your walk with the Lord is where it should be. A strong walk with the Lord provides confidence in life, especially when having to handle a strained relationship.

Next, take the initiative to contact the other party. When initiating conversation, simply describe how you see the relationship and how it shows signs of strain. Explain your viewpoint as clearly and concisely as possible, all the while being fair in what you say.

You should be sure to allow the other party an opportunity to explain the other side of the story. Conflicts can be quickly diffused when all of the parties involved feel they have been heard. Paul certainly had heard from the Corinthian church. That is why he was addressing the issue.

Also, be gracious and forgiving to those who have admitted their errors and shown repentance. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone desires to be treated with grace and forgiveness.

If the strained relationship does not improve, continue to seek reconciliation. Paul did not give up on the Corinthians. Notice he gave them time to change their attitudes. Sometimes seeking reconciliation involves giving time for the other party to change and for healing to occur.

Finally, the goal for everyone in all situations is the spread of the gospel. Seek restoration in strained relationships, so you can get back to telling others about salvation in Jesus Christ.

Do you like strategy games? Such games require you to plan ahead, anticipate your opponent's moves and envision a future you will guide into being.

Chess is a classic strategy game. Some consider it to be the supreme strategy game. Consider the chess match that came to be known as “The Game of the Century.” The year was 1956. It was October, and an invitation-only chess tournament was underway at the Marshall Chess Club in Manhattan.

Thirteen year-old Bobby Fisher had been invited to play with the world’s elite chess masters. In his first match on the big stage, he faced Donald Byrne, a much older and more experienced player. From the beginning, it looked like Fisher was outclassed completely. In the eighteenth move of the match, Fisher allowed Byrne to take his queen.

Even if you don't play chess, you probably know the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. It is very, very difficult to win a match without the queen, and Fisher left his queen exposed.

It looked like the match would soon be over. But four moves later, Fisher began checking Byrne's king. He chased him and pursued him and 20 moves later, he checkmated him. The game was over. Thirteen year-old Bobby Fisher had won. When students of the game began really studying the match itself, they realized Fisher’s strategy had been so profound and forceful that Byrne already had lost the match before he took Fisher’s queen. He just didn't know it yet.
    
I mention this story because Romans 9 through 11 give us some insight into the strategies of God. I also mention it because God is a much better strategist than even the legendary Bobby Fisher. God has been working out his strategy of redemption for thousands of years. The match is won, even though there still are some moves to be made. Our passage today helps us understand some of God’s moves along the way, and it helps us communicate that plan to others.
    
One of God’s essential moves in history was to use a covenant with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants as the vehicle of salvation for the entire world. The Savior came as a descendant of Abraham, inviting the faith of Abraham. One of God’s curious moves, akin to sacrificing one's queen during a chess match, is that Abraham’s physical descendants rejected the long-awaited Savior. Why?

In chapter 9, the Apostle Paul explains this was necessary so God’s salvation could spread to the Gentiles who, though not Abraham’s descendants according to the flesh, nevertheless responded to God’s grace with the faith of Abraham.
 
But Paul had not given up on his own people. He prayed for them from the heart (10:1), and he prayed the true knowledge of God would inform their zeal so they would come to understand that God’s righteousness was not something a person can earn but rather a gift from God.

In Romans 10:9-15, Paul gives us one of the great salvation and missionary texts in Scripture. Without regard to ethnicity, God’s salvation is available to all who confess and believe. But how will people know about this great gift if someone does not tell them? “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (v. 17). The obvious implication for those of us who have responded to God in faith is: are we giving others the opportunity to respond to God through our telling of God’s message?
    
But not all accept the good news about Jesus (v. 16). Paul uses his ethnic family of Israel as an example. So does this mean God rejected his people?

“By no means,” says Paul (11:1). Rather, in the strategy of God, it was necessary that they reject Jesus as Messiah so that salvation could come to the Gentiles (v. 11). The glory of God’s strategy is hinted at in the next verse, however: “if (Israel’s) transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fulfillment bring?” (v. 12).

In other words, if God used Israel’s stumble to open the door of redemption for the Gentiles, imagine the glorious outcome that will occur when Israel finally walks in the truth. In the sometimes inscrutable strategy of God, “God has bound all men over to disobedience, so that he may have mercy on them all” (v. 32).

This causes Paul to offer the doxology of praise: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out! … For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (vv. 33, 36).
    
We are part of a movement of redemption much greater than we often realize. God is working in ways we cannot fathom. His strategy is deep and forceful, yet we have been given a role to play. We are called to trust as Abraham trusted. We are called to share the message of Christ with all that we can. And in God’s time, we will realize the fullness of God’s victory as we share in the glory of our Savior Jesus. Now we walk in faithfulness and hope, and we await God’s announcement: “Checkmate!”

I Saw Him in Your Eyes by Ace Collins (Zondervan)

This collection of brief stories looks at the lives of 20 influential Christians, from entertainers like Larry Gatlin and Pat Boone to business leaders like Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-A. But rather than focus on the rich and famous, author Ace Collins asked one simple question: "In whose eyes did you first see Jesus?"

The result is a series of moving stories about people behind the scenes—parents, grandparents, spouses, teachers, pastors and neighbors whose charitable acts, positive words, prayerful habits and steadfast examples made an extraordinary impact on others. This easy-to-read, uplifting book emphasizes the importance of simple deeds of kindness, encouraging words, unconditional love and consistent faith.

Not everyone will be an award-winning recording artist, a bestselling author, a successful entrepreneur or the coach of a national championship football team. But every Christian every day has the opportunity to affect the life of someone else, and nobody knows in advance how God may use that person's life. Collins makes that point convincingly.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

Dallas

Red Ink: A Novel by Kathi Macias (New Hope, 2011)

In Red Ink, Kathy Macias pens a powerful story of two women on opposite sides of the world, connected only by Yesu/Jesus.

Zhen-Li, whose name means truth, grew up as the only child of Communist faithful. When a friend introduces her to the True One, the Chinese woman falls in love with Christ and a peasant Christian. Her parents refuse to accept her marriage or acknowledge their grandson.

Zhen-Li becomes pregnant again, and her father orders her kidnapped and the baby aborted. Instead of "learning her lesson," her witness grows. Torn from her husband and son for her faith, Zhen-Li suffers harsh imprisonment under cruel guards.

Meanwhile in River View Manor, Julia spends hours in intercessory prayer. After serving several months in China, she carries the people in her heart. She begins waking impressed to pray for a Chinese Christian woman in deep distress. Julia doesn't know who, but she clearly hears God's call and obeys.

The author skillfully moves the reader between two countries and the lives of two extremely devoted women. The well-written, fast-moving novel is not for the faint-hearted but offers a realistic picture of religious persecution while painting a portrait of grace and hope.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Woman's Missionary Union of Texas

Waco

From Throwing in the Towel to Staying in the Fight by Harry Strauss (CreateSpace)

This book will bless and encourage the new servant of Christ, as well as the seasoned veteran servant. Based on personal experiences, Harry Strauss shares out of hurts and victories of his 30-plus years of pulpit ministry.

Strauss memorized 2 Timothy shortly after God called him into ministry, and it gave him the foundation upon which he fleshed out his calling. He states 80 percent of pastors have or will experience burnout, and 85 percent of all pastors' wives are depressed or burned out. He lists 25 reasons for this alarming statistic and walks the reader through 2 Timothy, giving help and hope. Strauss concludes each chapter with discussion questions for use in a group format or for your own use to help anchor the truths set forth. Cartoons put a humorous exclamation point to the message of most chapters.

From Throwing in the Towel to Staying in the Fight is a must for pastors or ministerial students. The wisdom of a ministry of years based on scriptural foundations will bless and encourage any reader to stay in the fight.

Leo Smith, retired executive director

Texas Baptist Men

Alvin

As a pastor, hospital visitation is a part of my vocation. When entering the hospital lobby, I may greet the volunteer behind the desk with a “Hi. How are you doing?” That is a common greeting. When I arrive at the patient’s room, I no longer have to ask, “How are you doing?” I assume the patient in bed has a physical problem that has led them to being in the hospital.

The Apostle Paul did not have to ask the Christians in Corinth how they were doing. He knew they were facing troubles. He knew everyone in this life faces problems and hardships. The letter of 2 Corinthians begins with Paul’s usual greeting of “grace and peace” (v. 2). He combined the Hebrew idea of “peace” and the Greek concept of “grace” into one greeting. More than that, Paul genuinely wanted the Corinthians to experience God’s grace and peace.

The character of God (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
God’s grace and peace bless life. God blesses the lives of believers by acting with compassion and extending comfort. This comfort should not be misidentified with the idea of being comfortable. God does not seek to bless everyone with a recliner or a chaise lounge. Instead, God brings comfort or encouragement to those facing troubles.

Who faces troubles? Everyone. It is unrealistic to believe life’s troubles can be avoided. A brand-new car will one day break down. A new washing machine will at some time fail to wash. A new computer will malfunction at some point in time.

God does not act in such a way as to supernaturally protect us from all of life’s troubles. Many believers have this expectation from God. It is incorrect that if a believer lives obediently to God and his word, then he should protect them.

I call this attitude a Road Runner mentality. Road Runner always was being chased by Wile E. Coyote. Nothing ever happened to Road Runner. He never fell off of a cliff. He never was snared by a trap. He never was caught in a bomb explosion. He lived a blissful, even blessed, life.

What every believer must realize is that Road Runner is not real. He is a cartoon character. Life is not a cartoon.

God knows the troubles life brings and extends comfort. This comfort is not an end in itself, but should motivate those who receive his divine comfort into comforting others.

Here, life’s troubles take on purpose. They open an avenue for God to comfort, and the one receiving God’s comfort can extend that comfort through ministry to others in need (v. 4).

Paul explained the encouragement he received from God enabled him to minster to the Corinthians (vv. 5-7). Thus, a by-product of the cross of Christ was comfort for those who suffer.

We have a savior who understands our sufferings and brings comfort and encouragement to us. When we suffer, we share the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17). We also can experience his comfort, and this comfort we are to pass along to others who are suffering.

The character of suffering (2 Corinthians 1:8-11)
Paul knew suffering is real. He had faced hardships in the province of Asia (v. 8) along with his companions. These hardships are not described in the passage, but it is known Paul already had experienced being imprisoned, beaten, whipped, stoned and left for dead. The experience Paul described in verse 8 left him on the brink of death.

It was at the point of death that Paul and his companions realized they could not help themselves. They needed God to work, and God raises the dead (v. 9).

God’s ability to raise the dead brings hope to all who suffer and face troubles. If God can deliver someone from one problem, then he will be able to raise that same person out of the next hardship.

Everyone faces hardships. These hardships enable you to minister to others facing hardships. If you are facing a hardship now, persevere with patience (v. 6) knowing God is at work. He will redeem your situation to the point where in the future you can comfort others facing problems.

Do not fall into the temptation that suffering presents. Suffering tells us to focus on our pain, our troubles, and our anguish. It wants us to think only of ourselves.  Instead, let your suffering be of benefit to others. Pray for those who are facing hardships, and let them know that you praying for them. What an encouragement it is to know another person is praying for you (v. 11). In turn, you need to encourage others through your prayers.

In these verses, Paul did not explain the problem of suffering in life. He did, however, show how suffering can be redeemed by Christ and be used for the mutual benefit of the body of Christ which is the church.

I long have considered Romans 8 to be one of the most encouraging chapters in the Bible. It begins and ends with incredibly good news, and in between, some of the implications of this good news are explained.
    
The chapter begins with the word “therefore,” which calls our attention back to the preceding chapters. That “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” is a direct result of having died with Christ through faith and thus having been drawn into God’s kingdom where the law and power of the Holy Spirit is at work.

Often as we begin our faith journey of following Jesus, Satan will tempt us and distract us by calling to our minds all our past sins and mistakes. When Satan wants to beat you up with memories of past sins, remember Romans 8:1. When the Bible says “no condemnation,” it means precisely that. God does not condemn you. Don’t condemn yourself. That’s part of what it means to receive God’s grace.
    
With this grace of forgiveness comes the grace of new identity. No longer do we belong to any kingdom in the world, nor do we answer to the values of our sinful natures. Now, the very presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit is available to us, helping us know the divine will, equipping us for the divine work and empowering us for God’s glory. We belong to God. The Apostle Paul tells us plainly what that means: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit” (v. 9).  

I believe that when we think about God's gift to us in Christ Jesus, often times, we think too small. We limit the work of God to the work of forgiveness. But forgiveness is only one part of God’s gift to us. It is a necessary first step, but it is a first step toward something even greater.

God forgives us and then sets his Spirit within us. How amazing is this? We do not have to wait for heaven to taste God’s greatness and presence. We do not have to travel to some sacred space hoping we can encounter the presence of God there. Instead, God freely gives his Spirit to those who respond in faith to the grace he has offered through Jesus.

Are you unintentionally limiting the gift of God’s grace to you? Do you think all God desires is that you be saved? Then let the message of Romans 8 find a place in your heart that you might understand the amazing depth of God’s grace to you.
    
As we all grow in our understanding of God’s grace gift to us, we should recognize that with this gift comes an “obligation” (v. 12). The forgiveness of sin, the new identity as a child of God and citizen of God’s kingdom, the purposes of God and the presence of God all obligate us to live according to our new identity and new values.

It is not unlike a promotion at work. The boss gives us a promotion, not simply so we can enjoy the perks of a better office and a bigger paycheck, but so we can handle the responsibility that comes with that new position. Unlike our earthly boss, our Heavenly King ensures we can handle our new responsibilities by giving us more of himself. His Spirit will lead us. His Spirit will gift us. His Spirit will equip us. His Spirit will empower us.

Remember, this is “the Spirit of him who raised raised Jesus from the dead” (v. 11). If we suffer, the Spirit will redeem those sufferings so they work for our good and God’s glory (v. 28). If we are frustrated, the Spirit will redeem our frustrations (v. 20). If we struggle with weakness in the face of strong temptation and opposition, the Spirit will help us (v. 26). Should we die, the Spirit shall raise us up (vv. 13, 22). In other words, we have been so well equipped for the work of God not even death can stop God’s plan in us.
    
With this kind of backing, what is hindering you from fulfilling God’s will for your life? Is it that you are seeking God’s blessings for your own will and have not yet surrendered your entire self to Jesus as Lord? Is it that you are listening to the lies of the adversary who wants to condemn you and tear you down? Is it that you have taken counsel of your fears and do not really believe God is able to redeem the circumstances of your life?
    
In the face of such questions, verses 31 to 39 make their mark upon us. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul asks (v. 31). No one can bring charges against those God has justified (v. 33). No one can condemn those for whom the risen Jesus is making intercession (v. 34). In fact, the more we think about it, the more we must become “convinced” (v. 38) nothing “in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39).

Does your life reflect such conviction? Let us pray each of us will prove the sufficiency of God’s Spirit through our faithful surrender to the Spirit’s leading.

Even though Americans have much more than most other peoples on earth, we don’t exactly go out of our way to express gratitude to God for what we have. To the contrary, we have, to a large extent, become a nation of whiners, lamenting about never having enough.

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus tells us we should feel gratitude for having been forgiven of our sins, but how many of us think that’s owed to us, too? How many of us actually believe God owes us a means of escape from our sins, which is why he sent Jesus to die for them? And how many of us actually believe that when we choose sin over God, he’s still duty-bound to save us?

Many people feel and think that way. So if you feel no need to be forgiven, why is it necessary to show gratitude for something you don’t need? The gratitude we feel is a good index as to how much of God’s forgiveness we have experienced.

There’s a striking contrast of gratitude and ingratitude at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Simon may have invited Jesus because there was a lot of talk among Simon’s peers about this highly unusual prophet, so Jesus may have been invited to be the entertainment for Simon’s friends and colleagues.

The reason doesn’t matter; it’s what happened and what Jesus said that does.

The banquet was interrupted by a woman known to be a notorious sinner, setting the stage for Jesus’ teaching about gratitude as it relates to forgiveness, which is that, as a rule, those who have received the most in terms of forgiveness express the most gratitude.

It’s obvious Simon the Pharisee felt no need for the grace of God. His attitudes toward Jesus present a timeless portrait of ingratitude, one we’ve seen to the point we don’t even notice it anymore. Ingratitude always reacts to Christ with an incorrect motivation, approaching Christianity with an “It’s-all-about-me” attitude.  

Simon’s mind probably was churning with curiosity about Jesus, but curiosity without commitment never results in gratitude toward Christ. At best, Simon had invited Jesus to this banquet out of curiosity, and at worse to entrap him theologically in front of his peers and colleagues. Absolutely nothing about Simon’s reaction to Jesus reveals any sense of personal need for Christ’s message of forgiveness.

If we have the gift of discernment, one of the first things we sense in people alleged to be Christians is whether they have a forgiving spirit or whether they enjoy meting out condemnation.  Condemnation, obviously, is a much easier career path than forgiveness. It requires little or no effort on our part.

Think about how much harder it is to forgive than to condemn. Even Jesus had a hard time getting that across to folks.

Simon based his perceptions of Christ on man-made religious views that credited men with having more knowledge and wisdom than God, but it’s impossible for a cold, calculating self-righteousness to evaluate the mission and message of Jesus.  Salvation is not based on something like a mathematical equation. Man’s logic is not God’s logic.  

Simon calculated Jesus could not be God’s prophet because he let a sinner touch him. Like other Pharisees, he did not see himself as a sinner; rather as a man who had transcended sin, so he looked down his nose at those who were not like him.  

Jesus was radically different than a religionist. He not only let sinners touch him, he seemed oblivious to the rules of the game played by religionists.

Because the customs of that day enabled uninvited guests to do what she did, the sinful woman came into the banquet room to express her gratitude in a spontaneous manner. For Simon and his entourage, it had to be shocking, because I’m sure none of them had ever felt the need to express gratitude to God. They just followed the man-made rules for religion that were a part of their culture.

The woman was so overcome with emotion, she began to weep at the feet of Jesus.  This indicates she was not ashamed to demonstrate the depth of her thanksgiving. Authentic gratitude expresses itself humbly, and a true sense of lowliness marks authentic thanksgiving.

It’s obvious this woman had a deeper understanding of God than did Simon and all his cronies, although they probably had committed to memory all the Scripture available in that day and time.

Authentic gratitude also expresses itself sacrificially, and the woman was showing that when she used the alabaster container of perfume on Jesus’ feet. I believe this was the best she had, and it probably had been earned from her life of sin. So, symbolically, she was giving up her life of sin for Jesus, and she probably became one of his followers, whereas Simon and his bunch simply went on being religious for the sake of being religious.

When we deeply feel our need for Jesus’ grace, we will openly express our gratitude for that grace. And, when our needs are met in Christ gratitude will mark that discovery.

The person who shows no gratitude shows no evidence of experiencing God’s grace. The result of great grace is great gratitude.

I suspect that, like me, you know some people who feel they have no need for church or religion because they view themselves as “good people.” They see no need for a Savior because they have done nothing from which they need to be saved. They are moral people, good neighbors, patriotic citizens, hard-working, tax-paying Americans. They assume that because they are good, God must be on their side.

If you try to talk to them about church, religion or salvation, you quickly find they feel strongly that salvation is what other people need. If you know such people, or ever have been tempted to be such a person yourself, then the passage this week is for you.

In it, the Apostle Paul reveals the frightening danger of thinking ourselves good even as he hints at the glorious and undeserved salvation God offers through Jesus.
    
Romans 7 begins with a discussion about the Old Testament law. Continuing his theme from chapter 6, Paul reminds us we have died in Christ, and one of the implications of that death is we have died to the law (v. 4). He then makes the curious comment that “when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies” (v. 5). That the law would arouse sinful passions in a person is not the way most Jews in the first century would have understood the law.

Such a statement also challenges the modern assumption that the purpose of the law was to bring salvation by means of obedience. I imagine a quick poll of your class members will reveal that when they think about the Old Testament law, this is not the function they associate with it!
    
On the contrary, that the law would somehow arouse sinful passions within a person raises the question of verse 7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin?” But Paul is emphatic that it is not. Instead, the law is “holy, righteous, and good” (v. 12). It has fulfilled its God-given purpose of helping us recognize sin as sin (v. 13).

In other words, the law is a corrective to the very human problem of viewing ourselves as good and, therefore, as without need for God or his salvation. We may think ourselves good, but if we honestly compare ourselves to God’s standard, we will find we have failed. Even worse, we will find we cannot help ourselves.

Knowing the law, we agree it is ideal (v. 16), but we still find ourselves doing unlawful things (v. 15), and so our sinful nature is revealed (vv. 17-18). “What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul asks (v. 24).
    
Before we answer that question, let us allow this truth to place our lives under its sometimes uncomfortable spotlight. Many people assume all God desires is that people be good, and the law simply is a tool to help us be good. Yet here we find the the law was not designed to help us be good, but to help us belong to God in such a way that we might live for God’s purposes.

Have you ever considered God might have a plan for you that involves more than simply being good? Have you ever considered the commands of the Bible might have some deeper purpose than simply helping us be nice or kind or moral? Have you ever considered that morality might be a means to some end and not an end in itself?

If this is true, then we might be moral, but still miss the mark. We might live a good life, but for the wrong reason. We might be nice people, and then discover there is more to life than nice. Romans 7 forces us to wrestle with the idea of a purpose larger than law-abiding morality even as it points out our inability to attain God’s ideal.
    
Such an agonizing position of knowing the good we want to do but being unable to do it throws us upon God’s grace. The law was meant for salvation—just not the way so many assume. The law does not lead us to salvation through our perfect obedience. Instead, the law leads us to salvation by illuminating our sinful natures and our desperate need for God. By naming wrongs and providing the opportunity for sin to awaken sinful passions within us, the law fulfills its divine purpose, proving itself to be holy, righteous, and good. It is an instrument for salvation, but it is not the ultimate means of salvation.

Salvation does not come through any law-abiding righteousness on our part but “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 25). In his death and resurrection, he has atoned for the penalty of our law-breaking sinfulness and has further broken the power of that system over us (v. 4).

Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we belong not to sin and the law that helps us recognize it, but to God. By this grace we are united to a goodness greater than morality, and by this grace alone do we find victory over our sinful and rebellious natures. Have you experienced the victory of Christ that leads to a life that bears fruit to God?

The future holds a special fascination for many people. Not the end-time future, but the near future. Who will win today’s ball game? How will this weekend’s party turn out? Did the boss like my work? How did I do on the test?

The answer to each of these questions usually brings an element of hope. We hope our team wins, the party is a success, the boss likes our work and we pass our test. Hope helps to make the future exciting.

When there is no basis for genuine hope, disappointment results. Do you remember the show It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown? Linus, Charlie Brown’s best friend, waited in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Charlie Brown’s younger sister, Sally, had a crush on Linus and waited with him for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. They waited all night. Of course, the Great Pumpkin never came. Sally was crushed.

How often do we wait without any true hope? God gives Christian’s genuine hope in this life, and that hope centers on the resurrection.

A resurrection means the coming to life from death. A resurrection means change. An extreme change. An unbelievable change. A desirable and needed change.

Christianity offers the hope of change in one’s life. So many live with hurts, heartaches and pain that truly have a negative impact on their lives. Christianity says change can happen.

Since resurrection involves a revival to life from death, it will involve a new beginning. Many people in our communities have made some poor choices and bad decisions in their lives. Of course, we all have made poor decisions, but some poor choices have devastating consequences on our lives.

These individuals look to the future with no hope. For them, a new life will not necessarily be a good thing. It might be more of the same. With resurrection, there is a new beginning and a new start. A chance exists the cycle of poor choices can be stopped, even eradicated from a person’s life. Resurrection means life, abundant life and eternal life.

What is the basis for  hope in life? What is the basis for experiencing resurrection? The answer is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was crucified. He died on a cross and was buried. From a human perspective, that should have been the end. God, however, was totally in control of the situation. Jesus rose from the dead. He was resurrected, physically and bodily.

The Apostle Thomas was one who saw no hope when Jesus was crucified. He refused to believe the early reports from women and his fellow apostles that Jesus was alive.

In John 20:27, Jesus offered proof of his resurrection to Thomas. He revealed his hands had the scars from nails being driven into them. He offered his side for Thomas to place his hand where a Roman soldier’s spear had been thrust. He told Thomas to “stop doubting and believe.”

For Christianity, the resurrection is the single historical event without which the faith collapses. Without the resurrection, Christians believe a fantasy. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then Christians should be pitied above all other people. Why? Because we would believe such an incredible falsehood.

How can we believe such an incredible assertion that Jesus rose from the dead? The best evidence is given by Scripture. Look at the disciples. They truly had believed Jesus was the messiah. In no way were they prepared for his death by crucifixion. Certainly, Jesus had told them on many occasions the Son of Man must suffer and die (Mark 8:31). Evidently, the disciples did not hear what Jesus was saying. Not hearing what is said is an every day occurrence. Just ask any school teacher or college professor.

When the disciples gathered in the upper room, they were defeated and devastated by the fact that the one in whom they had placed their faith was dead. In no way were they looking for a messiah who would die.

Days later, these defeated disciples were joyously proclaiming the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. The opening chapters of the book of Acts testify to their changed attitudes. The mere existence of the Christian faith shows something happened to the disciples to convince them to proclaim Jesus as Lord. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the only thing that makes logical sense.

Because Jesus was resurrected bodily, his followers have the hope they, too, will be bodily resurrected one day. This means no believer needs to fear death. It is not final. It is not the end. Jesus defeated death, so fear is unnecessary.

Because Jesus was resurrected bodily, believers have a genuine hope for the future in this life. A spiritual resurrection would not have the same impact a bodily resurrection has. Everyone has the opportunity to have a new life in Jesus Christ by accepting him as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ, the risen Lord of all, gives lasting hope.

Does it annoy you when someone showboats in the end zone after making a touchdown? It’s as if he’s saying, “Look at me … see what I’ve done.” Seemingly forgotten in such exhibitionism is the person who threw the ball, those who blocked and those who served as decoys. It took an entire team—each fulfilling their assignment—to score a touchdown, so why should one showboating individual take all the credit?

The same is true of a church. It takes every member fulfilling his or her assignment, and what’s at stake is much more important than a touchdown.

In Romans 12:3-8, the Apostle Paul tells us Christ ministers to the world through us. We’re his hands, his feet and his voice. Paul says that because of what God did for us— his mercy shown to us—we should present our bodies as living sacrifices, which would be the proper spiritual act of worship for such mercy. So guided by the Holy Spirit, we have an obligation to completely surrender our lives to the Lord.

In fact, God won’t fully use us in the body of Christ until we make a complete surrender of our gifts to him. Such surrender involves total dedication.

In 2 Timothy 4:6, Paul tells his protégé, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering … .” Old Testament priests would make a certain mixture as a drink offering and then pour it upon the altar. It was symbolic of what each of us is to do with our life; to pour it out upon the altar of service to God. This pouring out involves a radical separation from the world.

Our inner transformation, or salvation, begins as an inside job. We never outwardly change until we inwardly change. Our behavior isn’t altered until our thinking is altered.

“Talk is cheap.” We can talk about total dedication, radical separation and inner transformation, but the proof is in the pudding. We all have spiritual gifts, given to us at salvation, but we can’t be sure of what ours are until we’ve poured our life out on the altar, until we’ve surrendered our life to use those gifts in his service.

In his Roman letter, Paul completely destroys the idea a person can be committed to Christ but not active in Christ’s church or that a person can love the Lord but not obey him. God made it abundantly clear we’re all under the same obligation. No one is excluded from serving with the gifts he has given them. Serving with humility, not by showboating in the end zone.

Some people suffer from low self-esteem, but a greater problem is thinking too highly of oneself. Some people tend to want to magnify the gift God gave them, to feel valuable and indispensible, as if they deserve special recognition. When a person gets in that mode, they feel as if they don’t need the other parts of the body.

Paul had a lot to say about this, including a passage found in 1 Corinthians 12:20-26: “As it is, there are many parts but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensible, and the parts that are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its part should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Paul isn’t giving us a lesson on anatomy; he’s talking about the church. He continues by saying, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

There are no unimportant parts in the body of Christ.  Every part is needed for the body to function properly, so don’t magnify your gift above that of others. We need each other, and if we get to thinking the church can’t function without our gift, God will find someone without such pride to replace us.

There’s a fine line here, because you also shouldn’t minimize your gift. Some people constantly belittle themselves because they’re fishing for compliments, and they exhibit a false sense of modesty to elicit those compliments. That’s a form of pride, too. And, of course, some people minimize their gift in an effort to get out of using it, and other people genuinely think they can’t be used.

You may not be the pretty eyes, lovely voice or flowing hair in the body of Christ. Maybe you’re just the big toe, but without your big toe the church would have no balance. Its equilibrium would be out of whack.

Humility keeps us from misplacing our gift.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be used in an area where you’re not gifted. So, somewhere along the line, decide whether you’re working for the glory of God or for the praise of men.