Welcome to Real-ity Based Blogging

Go ahead and look first at Romans 15 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Title: Plugging In

Observation: Paul tells us that he is please with the progress of the believers at Rome. His overarching treatise here in Romans, perhaps the most doctrinal book in the New Testament, was a reminder to those who already believed and were growing in faith. We need to be reminded of the basics of the faith, the source of our salvation, the nature of grace, the hope of eternity, and the humility to live with other believers in harmony.

David Sedaris is an openly gay writer who fell in with a band of Christians on one of his travels. He even prayed to accept Jesus as his savior. But his goals was to skip over the casserole bearing, kindness showing Christians he met and move directly into the power and judgment giving section of Christianity. This describes too many of us.

We need to get back to the basics of grace and faith so we can be plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit. We’ve got to get back to our power source. We too often stretch and stretch the appliance cord with sin and squabbling over the unimportant, and all of sudden we find that no longer have joy in our lives, we are critical grumpy people. We need to intentionally plug ourselves back into intimate contact with Jesus so that our lives can overflow with love and grace as we experience them daily in our walk with Jesus.

Application: It’s so easy to get separated from the experience of receiving Jesus’ love and grace. I get involved in following the tabloid like conflicts of the denomination and want to fight with others, which diminishes my experience of his goodness. I get lazy and my mind starts wandering, and I began to long to use people and cherish things, when I need to cherish people and use things. I must get back to my day of extended prayer and focus on God in order to live and lead out of the overflow of grace that Paul lived and ministered out of.

Prayer: Lord God help me to live in grace. Let me rest in you, allow myself to go slack in the arms of my Creator. Let me rest and drink in your goodness. Let me rise to serve you, not out of guilt or obligation, but with the joy and zeal of someone who has first tasted your awesome perfect love. Help me not to be shy or fearful of operating on a grace basis when everyone else in nudging for position and power. Give me the faith to sustain me and the joy to keep me ready to move at the impulse of your love.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.