Pride is a tricky thing. It sneaks up on us and tricks us in thinking we're strong enough to stand alone, without God, and we never see the fall coming, no matter how many times we give in to pride.
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People often tell single gals that once you’re ready, God will send a husband into your life. But, what is “ready”? I struggled with that in my single years, often thinking that maybe the reason God wasn’t giving me a husband for so long was because I wasn’t ready for marriage. Or maybe my husband wasn’t ready. Maybe neither of us was ready, and so we had to wait.
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We’ve been quite over here lately. Our editor is on maternity leave so we had to take a pause from publishing new content, and I also have a bittersweet personal announcement about some upcoming leadership changes happening with Tirzah.
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Back when we first started Tirzah Magazine, our first devotional was actually through Romans 12:9-21. We called the study “How to Live a Set Apart Life in the Modern World,” because this passage is truly one of the best summaries in the Bible on how to live a Godly life. The instructions found here are timeless and applicable across cultures and generations.
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Social media has made comparison a constant struggle, especially for women. Not only do we constantly envy other women’s looks, clothes, and homes, but we also now get to compare our accomplishments, ministries and even godliness to women all around the globe. It appears that the Roman church also had a problem with comparison, likely with people striving for the highest positions within the church, so let’s study what Paul had to say about this.
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In today’s world, the concept of presenting our lives as a living sacrifice to God can be hard to understand. Because many of us, especially those living in first world countries, have built up comfortable lives where we get along with the world yet still call ourselves Christians. Very rarely do we find ourselves paying the cost - giving something up for Christ, something valuable to us, something that will leave us with an open need. And very few have been called to give up our lives for the sake of Christ.
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Sometimes, we as Christians get comfortable in our faith. This happens especially when life is good and everything appears in order. So, we start to believe that our salvation is safe - that we can let down our guard and enjoy life. And of course, it helps when you compare yourself to people in the world or even other Christians and end up concluding that you or your church is so much more Godly.
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Have you ever seen two children squabble over a toy, and when a parent comes into the fray and sorts it out, if it turns out one of the kids actually earned the toy properly, they walk away gleefully as the winner, leaving the other child to sulk or cry? One child feels like they “got” something someone else wanted, while the other feels like something was taken away that should have been theirs.
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The gospel is beautiful in its simplicity, but for Israel, a people whose beliefs were steeped deep in the law and tradition, as we studied last week, the gospel became a stumbling block. So, Paul goes back to the teachings of Moses to make his point about where faith comes from and that the message of salvation is for all.
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Up until now, Paul has focused on God’s sovereignty, but now we shift to the responsibilities we as humans have in response to God’s mercy and sovereignty. This week, read Romans 9:30-10:4 and journal through the following questions.
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Last week, we came to the conclusion that God shows mercy to whom He wills and it is not something we can earn in our own efforts. And for some, that can be a bit disheartening, leading us to ask, “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will?” (Romans 9:19).
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Have you ever witnessed someone who seems to have it all, waste their life away? Someone who has been given every opportunity, been loved and encouraged unconditionally, and yet, they reject it all and seem to be going nowhere. That’s how Paul saw the Israelites: they were God’s chosen people, but when the Messiah came to them, they rejected Him. Why? Why did God allow it to happen? How does God choose who is saved and who isn’t? Or is salvation our choice? That’s what we’re going to study this week.
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If you’ve ever doubted your salvation or if God still loves you after you’ve sinned again or fallen away yet again, this week’s study is for you. But it is also a good reminder for all Christians that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
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Romans 8:28-30 is often used to support the doctrine of predestination, which is one of the fundamental characteristics of the Calvinist Christian view. Predestination is the belief that God does not just know all who will be saved, but ordains (decides) who will be saved. The people who will be saved are called the “elect”.
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We’ve all been in waiting seasons, when you’re somewhere you maybe no longer want to be, dreaming of someday. Or maybe you’re content with where you are, but your heart also longs for a different season, whether that’s a new job, graduating college, moving, falling in love, healing, starting a family, or becoming a mother. That feeling of longing and eagerly expecting something is what this week’s study is about.
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Being adopted into someone’s family is life changing. In the Roman times, a childless couple could adopt a son, making him their heir. This was a deliberate decision a father would make to have someone carry on his name and inherit his estate. As a result, the child’s old debts would be canceled, he would receive a new name, he would be set to inherit all of his father’s wealth, and his father would become responsible and liable for the son.
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This week’s study focuses on two parallel lives, the root of each stemming from either living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Whatever you live according to is determined by what you set your mind on: the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. To set your mind is more than just thinking about something though, but instead, it implies a deeper focus on something - to become preoccupied with it, to let your attention and imagination be captured by something.
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We’ve all experienced that sinking feeling when you’ve messed up yet again and did the thing you told God you wouldn’t do anymore. You know you shouldn’t have, and for a while, you did so good, but then a hard day or something triggers you and the flesh wins out. And in that moment, the enemy will tell you that you’re the only one like that; like everyone else has it figured out but you’re the only one constantly struggling. Yet, here we have Apostle Paul saying, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” So, if a man like that struggled with this too, where do we find the hope? Let’s study that this week.
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Up to now, Paul has repeatedly talked about how we don’t live by the law anymore. Such teaching had the same reaction back then that many Christians do today: religious rules are bad, so we don’t need the law anymore. Such thinking then leads to wanting to live however we please. So, where does the law fit into a Christian’s life? Let’s study that this week.
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This week, Paul brings in another analogy to explain our relationship to God and sin: marriage. Let’s study how Paul connects these things.
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