“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” – Romans 13:12

These are strange and difficult times in which we live, but they won’t last forever. As Christians, we must live in such a way that we’re always prepared to serve Christ and welcome His return. We must live lives that reveal Christ, proclaim Christ, and imitate Christ.

As Christians, this is no time to flirt with, toy with, ignore, or embrace sins in our own lives. We’re commanded to cast off, throw off, and utterly reject any and every work of darkness in our lives. There are no “small” sins that “don’t hurt anyone”. None. Those concepts are NOT biblical. Sin is sin. Every sin we practice is a work of darkness that hinders our relationship and growth in Christ while undermining our ability to serve Christ and live prepared.

Now is the time to battle that dirty habit that doesn’t please God. Now is the time to fight that addiction to _________. Now is the time to go to war against the anger the erupts, the gossip that oozes out, the greed or materialism that poisons joy, or the dishonesty that lingers at the margins of life. Now is the time to crucify the works of darkness that keep you from shining brightly for Christ!

Now is the time to put on the armor of light. To embrace a reconciled gospel life. To dig deeply into the Word of God and live in step with the Holy Spirit. To live out life-changing faith and pursue the righteousness that belongs to all who trust in Jesus. Now is the time for every follower of Jesus to reject all darkness and embrace all light!

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12:1

The “therefore” early in this verse is an extraordinarily weighty word. “Therefore”, because of everything Paul wrote in previous 11 chapters…. “Therefore”, because of the extraordinary depths and depravity of our sin, the awful price of every sin, the wondrous grace of God, the reconciling work of Christ on the cross, and the marvelous will, majesty, and goodness of God…

Therefore, there’s only one appropriate response for us as beneficiaries of God’s grace, mercy, patience, love, and faithfulness: total, sacrificial commitment to God. Because of everything God has done, is doing, and will do for us in Jesus Christ, Paul begs us to commit every aspect of our lives to God. He appeals to us – by reason, emotion, evidence, and theology – to pursue lives of holiness. Yes, we’re already holy in Christ, but now we’re called and compelled by God’s presence within us to actually live in a way that reflects who we are in Christ.

We’re called to total commitment to God. Whereas a traditional sacrifice quickly gives its life over to death, we’re called in Christ to give every aspect of our life to the Lordship of Christ on an ongoing basis. We’re called to do so voluntarily as an act of reverent worship.

In many ways, it’s much, much harder to be a living sacrifice. Traditional sacrifices only yielded their life once and had no choice in the matter. We’re called to voluntarily yield every part of our lives every moment of every day. While we’re certainly happy to give some parts of life over to God, in Christ, we’re called to yield every part: work, play, marriage, family, public, private, financial, physical, mental, emotional….

Will you do what it takes to present yourself to God as a living sacrifice? What parts of your life hold you back from a life of ongoing spiritual worship?

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” – Romans 11:22

It’s very common today to reduce God to just a single of His many attributes. For example, we may say, “God is love.” That’s certainly true, but it’s also radically incomplete. Having reduced God to that one attribute, we can proceed to rationalize away every standard and moral expectation He has for us, as many have. This whole process is dishonest, because God is more than just one of His attributes! He’s also righteous. He’s both merciful and holy. He’s both gracious and just. He’s both all-knowing and forgiving. And the list goes on…

God is all of His attributes. Even when they seem incompatible to our limited human understanding, they come together perfectly in Him. The apparent tensions between the various attributes of God are resolved at the cross of Jesus Christ. At the cross, God’s infinite love is reconciled to His perfect justice, His utter holiness is reconciled to His limitless mercy, and His kindness is reconciled to His severity. This is the testimony of Scripture.

When we reduce God to a single attribute, we no longer live as people made in His image, but instead remake God in our image. When that happens, what we call God isn’t God. Instead, what we call God is an imaginary idol Who cannot help or save. We must understand and embrace God as He is in all His perfection. Thus, as Paul writes, God is both kind and severe. He is severe to all who have sinned and fallen short of His glory (that’s everyone). He is severe toward all who reject His authority over their lives. He is severe toward those who have rejected His grace and His path of reconciliation in Jesus Christ.

However, God is also and always kind. He desires all to come to Him through faith in His beloved Son. When we do, He forgives everything and welcomes us into His eternal family. When we yield our life to Christ, the severity of God that we rightly deserve because of our rebellion is instantly and permanently transformed into kindness toward us as His beloved sons and daughters.

We must come to know God as He is, in all of His severity and His kindness. As we read, study, and pray to the true God, not the God of our imagination, our love, awe, honor, respect, and worship will rightly increase. May you continue to fall more deeply in love with the One True God!

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” – Romans 10:12

In Christ, earthly divisions and inequities based on ethnicity, nationality, and race should cease to divide us, because they already did in God’s eyes. God no longer has a chosen earthly nation or ethnic group. ALL who embrace Jesus are adopted as beloved sons and daughters of God. ALL Christians enjoy enormous spiritual treasures as they are united with Christ and the Holy Spirit lives in them. ALL Christ-followers are forgiven, freed, and granted a glorious eternal inheritance in God’s presence.

Christ’s love and favor are poured out abundantly on all who call on Him, regardless of the appearance, skin color, gender, background, prior faith, or native language of the person calling. In Christ, God is creating for Himself a new and beautiful family made up of members from EVERY earthly tribe, tongue, and nation. In Christ, our race, ethnicity, and nationality don’t disappear. These things are part of how God made us and they glorify Him. As such, there can and should be no shame, dishonor, or inequality based on them. We must love and honor each other’s differences and diversity as we simultaneously celebrate our unity in Christ. To do otherwise is to fail to understand and appreciate what God is doing in Jesus Christ.

As we come together in Christ, God is assembling a beautiful mosaic of praise and worship reflecting the diverse wonder of His creation (see for example Revelation 7:9). What a beautiful picture of our new creation in Christ!

“Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.”
– Psalm 89:15-16

Indeed, what a blessing it is to find joy and delight not in the short-lived, ever-shifting, and deceitful things of this world, but in the beauty of our unchanging God! God is holy, perfect, wise, powerful, merciful, kind, gracious, good, just, loving, all-knowing, ever present, faithful, righteous, steadfast, and patient. It’s a blessing to rejoice, celebrate, and praise God and we are blessed when we do.

When we make God our joy, delight, and exultation, our satisfaction is no longer based on temporary and fleeting emotions and circumstances. Our identity is no longer built on things that can be swept away in a heartbeat. Instead, we are able to find lasting joy, delight, significance, and identity in the divine, the eternal, the ultimate. We rejoice in God and will do so forever and ever. We delight in Him and will do so for millions and billions of years to come!