As believers in the Lord Jesus, we need to know what the scripture has to say about homosexuality. God is very clear on this topic & He is not okay with it. God loves us sinners, but will not tolerate on-going refusal to turn from our own desires that keep us in sin.
Romans 8:6 "So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace."
Romans 1:26-27 “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Proverbs 5:22-23 “An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.”
Yet God has a plan for every one of us sinners to get to heaven through the death of His Son, our acceptance of His gift of grace and our repentant hearts to turn from sin. Homosexuality is a choice just like lying, cheating, stealing, and murder. A sin is a sin. God tells us to use self control and live in the Spirit abiding in Him, not by our old sin nature. Continual sin only leads to more sorrow and separation from the peace we can have with the Lord.
John 3:16-17 "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."
Since we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, let us extend grace to others struggling with this issue and help people realize their need for Jesus as their Savior too.
Romans 3:22-24 “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
May we live a life that is devoted to His Glory.
Attitude is Everything
Have you ever heard this phrase before; “Attitude is everything?” After reading Romans 13 today I was reminded that my attitude counts a lot. Ouch! This leads me to think about the actions I do without a great attitude. In the song “Amazing Grace,” it says “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” I know that I sin each day but thankfully God continues to forgive me, as I turn to Him with a sincere heart.
In Romans, Paul talks about our attitudes being important because they lead to actions. If we have an attitude of frustration, bitterness, defeat, or envy? It could lead to unkind words, a lack of love, failure or isolation. What if I have the attitude of honor, respect and love for others? The attitude of love, patience, contentment, & victory in Christ can lead to fruitfulness and can produce peace and fulfillment as by-products.
Romans 13:7-8 “Give to everyone what you owe them… and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law.”
Romans 13:14 “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
Abiding in the Spirit means making an effort to remain in the presence of God, obeying Him, and enduring life as we trust Him and wait for His timing. All of these actions start with an attitude of loving God first and living life with a grateful heart for all that Christ did for us.
Lord I pray that my life would be less about me and more about you. I pray for a heart of gratitude that leads to less concern for my own desires. Father thank you so much for Your Grace.
In Romans, Paul talks about our attitudes being important because they lead to actions. If we have an attitude of frustration, bitterness, defeat, or envy? It could lead to unkind words, a lack of love, failure or isolation. What if I have the attitude of honor, respect and love for others? The attitude of love, patience, contentment, & victory in Christ can lead to fruitfulness and can produce peace and fulfillment as by-products.
Romans 13:7-8 “Give to everyone what you owe them… and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law.”
Romans 13:14 “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
Abiding in the Spirit means making an effort to remain in the presence of God, obeying Him, and enduring life as we trust Him and wait for His timing. All of these actions start with an attitude of loving God first and living life with a grateful heart for all that Christ did for us.
Lord I pray that my life would be less about me and more about you. I pray for a heart of gratitude that leads to less concern for my own desires. Father thank you so much for Your Grace.
Chris Sligh - One
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
John 13:35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples."
Trust God & His Plans
Do you ever find yourself working at doing good deeds in order to please God, only to face trials in life? We can go to church, be a volunteer, tithe and be kind, but none of this will ever change the course of Gods plans. The good news is that even though we may not like trials, we serve a God that is using all things for our good.
To God, our faith is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:7 “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Romans 3:28 “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”
Hebrew 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”
We may have many blessings in life, but some days we might not understand why we got dealt the deck of cards we hold. This can cause discouragement and make us forget how loved we really are by God. God proved His great love for us on the cross.
Romans 5:8 “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
So if we doubt God’s plans or have a lack of faith, we have a choice to make. Will we believe what the Bible says about God’s love for us and all the richness that He gives us through compassion, patience, provision, friendship, trustworthiness, unfailing love and goodness? Or will we develop our own ways and timing to work out problems?
Our faith in God is what we rest in, not what we see…no matter the cards we have been dealt this moment. God wants our humble obedient hearts to believe in His love for us. So by faith we can rise above the ups and downs we face because we know the motive of the One who determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”
Here is what David had to say about trusting the Lord:
Psalm 52:8-9 “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love. I will praise You forever, O God, for what You have done. I will trust in Your good name in the presence of Your faithful people.”
May we all trust in the Lord by faith and find peace.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
To God, our faith is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:7 “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Romans 3:28 “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”
Hebrew 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”
We may have many blessings in life, but some days we might not understand why we got dealt the deck of cards we hold. This can cause discouragement and make us forget how loved we really are by God. God proved His great love for us on the cross.
Romans 5:8 “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
So if we doubt God’s plans or have a lack of faith, we have a choice to make. Will we believe what the Bible says about God’s love for us and all the richness that He gives us through compassion, patience, provision, friendship, trustworthiness, unfailing love and goodness? Or will we develop our own ways and timing to work out problems?
Our faith in God is what we rest in, not what we see…no matter the cards we have been dealt this moment. God wants our humble obedient hearts to believe in His love for us. So by faith we can rise above the ups and downs we face because we know the motive of the One who determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”
Here is what David had to say about trusting the Lord:
Psalm 52:8-9 “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love. I will praise You forever, O God, for what You have done. I will trust in Your good name in the presence of Your faithful people.”
May we all trust in the Lord by faith and find peace.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
A Gracious Heart
As I think about how I work with people, sometimes I get frustrated & impatient inside. The stresses of life can make me overwhelmed and it can be hard to have the right heart attitude when speaking with others. But God is full of grace towards me.
2 Timothy 1:9 “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”
As a parent, there are days when my kids don’t work so well together. This can make my heart jump into “fix it quick mode”, which basically means speak loud or yell to get the wanted response. After I mess up, my heart tells me and I am reminded of all that God is doing to be patient with me.
Romans 6:1-4 “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
God is working at transforming us through people and circumstances. Satan wants hardship to make us cave in to despair or sin. God wants trials to help us grow as followers in Christ.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!"
Sometimes just taking a break, a deep breath, or a time out to think can help. Other times just remembering how blessed we are to be forgiven daily can help us be more gracious at heart. God might not have the same plans or timing in mind that we do. So our job is to surrender to the Lord’s plans, just as Christ did. I want to be thankful for all of God’s gifts, as I strive to be slow to anger, gentle in spirit and filled with the compassion that I receive.
Hebrews 4:15-16 “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Psalms 116:5 “The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”
Ephesians 4:2 "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."
Having a gracious heart means being kind even when its not deserved, just as we receive unmerited favor through Christ.
2 Timothy 1:9 “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”
As a parent, there are days when my kids don’t work so well together. This can make my heart jump into “fix it quick mode”, which basically means speak loud or yell to get the wanted response. After I mess up, my heart tells me and I am reminded of all that God is doing to be patient with me.
Romans 6:1-4 “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
God is working at transforming us through people and circumstances. Satan wants hardship to make us cave in to despair or sin. God wants trials to help us grow as followers in Christ.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!"
Sometimes just taking a break, a deep breath, or a time out to think can help. Other times just remembering how blessed we are to be forgiven daily can help us be more gracious at heart. God might not have the same plans or timing in mind that we do. So our job is to surrender to the Lord’s plans, just as Christ did. I want to be thankful for all of God’s gifts, as I strive to be slow to anger, gentle in spirit and filled with the compassion that I receive.
Hebrews 4:15-16 “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Psalms 116:5 “The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”
Ephesians 4:2 "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."
Having a gracious heart means being kind even when its not deserved, just as we receive unmerited favor through Christ.
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