2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28, Romans 12:1-21, Psalms 22:19-31, Proverbs 20:8-10
Today is the 29th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you as we continue our journey through this week and push ourselves into the end of the week. And obviously we’ll get there, one step at a time, day by day taking the next step forward together. And our step today leads us back into the book of second Chronicles. We’re reading from the New English Translation this week. Second Chronicles chapters 24 and 25 today.
Commentary:
Okay. Our reading for the book of Romans today, the letter to the Romans is potent. It is, at least in…to me, one of the most potent clear descriptions of what life is supposed to be looking like, what our postures and motivations are supposed to be looking. Like we’re moving through the theology of Paul and we’re understanding, like okay we’ve died to the law, we’ve been resurrected with Christ, sin doesn’t have a claim to us, all of the things that we’re discussing about the transformative nature of salvation, the things that happen because we believe. We believe leave Jesus. And often when we acknowledge…when we acknowledge to ourselves that we still struggle with plenty of things that plague us from our history or our presence, and there are times that it feels like, you know, we’re not being transformed without moving forward. Sometimes it feels like we’re moving backward and what it this supposed to look like? And, so, we can look at…at the things that are laid out in the New Testament as essentially a new law that we have to live up to and the same result happens. We realize we can’t make ourselves perfect. We have no power to do that no matter what color prescription gets laid out about how we should be living. It’s difficult for us to be perfect all the time. And yet there are postures of our hearts that we do have a say in, right? And we do have a mind and although it may play tricks on us we do have a say in what we are going to put into action. And we have all kinds of thoughts swirling in our minds, but we do have a say into what we going to then engage our body to participate in. So, we do have control we just…we just can’t keep self-control 100% of the time. Paul lays out today a picture of what this transformation process should be looking like within ourselves and within the body, the body of Christ, the followers of Jesus on this earth, what we’re supposed to be living into and what our lives are supposed to be. And there are plenty lists like this found in the Bible. So, you know, we’ll go back through this, but rather than going back through this and looking at the ways that were failing and just kind of allow the condemnation to descend upon us, so that we’re like, yeah, I can't…just I can't…I can’t keep up with all this. Let’s look at what’s described here because what’s described here will be what we want and what we’re going for. And we’ll also see that we’re failing at it, but let’s at least ask ourselves, are we even trying at these things? Because not trying, yeah that might be failing, but trying to live in this direction, beginning to move toward these things slowly, systematically, that is transformation, but we have to be participants in it. In other words, we have to collaborate with what God is doing with in us by surrendering to what He is doing within us rather than shutting it down and trying to take control and being our own sovereign, which we probably know pretty well leads us in ways we don’t want to go. So, let’s kinda look back over what Paul is saying today. He says that we should present our bodies as a sacrifice, a living one, like not one that’s, you know, gonna die and be burned up, a living sacrifice, Holy y and pleasing to God. That’s where we start. And according to Paul, that’s reasonable. So, it’s not beyond us, it’s the default, it’s the reasonable thing that we should do in response to the love of God for us. We’re told to not conform ourselves to this present world. In other words, to conform ourselves and use the tactics and convictions of the world around us. Instead of that we’re supposed to be being transformed by the renewing of our mind, renewing of our mind. Re-new. New all over again of our minds. We’re actively participating in this. We’re actively cooperating and collaborating and purging the things in our minds that lead us in all kinds of directions, whether that be in action or in stuff that we push down inside of us and hold their, bitterness and rage and anger and jealousy and envy. When these things come up into our minds and get triggered that’s when we capture them. We observe what’s going on. We see where that is leading us. We surrender it to God, which is reasonable and allow the renewing of our mind so that we are then awake and aware enough to test and approve what the will of God is, what is good and well pleasing and perfect. And that just gets us through the first two verses in Romans that we read today. Paul goes on to tell us we should think more highly of ourselves. Then well…then we should, and we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to each other. Rather, we should be sober about who we are and know that all that we have has come from God. God is…I’m quoting Paul. “God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith. For just as in one body we have many members and not all the members serve the same function. So, we who are many, are one body in Christ and individually we are members who belong to one another, and we have different gifts according to the grace given to us.” So, Paul’s saying like, yeah, this isn’t a game of comparison, this isn’t a game of being better than, this isn’t a game of even measuring up, this isn’t even a game. All you have to do is be. You have been gifted by God. Do that. Be that. So, Paul is like, if the gift you were given this prophecy then do that, if it’s serving then do that, if it’s teaching then do that, if it’s exhorting then do that, if it’s giving and contributing then do that sincerely, if its leadership than do that with diligence. If it’s being merciful, then do that with cheerfulness. There are things that are true of you that have always been true of you that need to be offered to God’s people and to the world, not so that you can be validated, not so that you can compete or be better than somebody else, or that you can be less than somebody else, so that you can be who you are. And do we not spend most of our lives in a struggle in that direction just trying to be who we are while being confronted with all of the pressures that are pulling us in a million directions and pulling us apart so that we’re not whole. Paul’s saying yeah, live…live your life as a living sacrifice. That’s a reasonable thing to do in response to God who has come for you, who has come to rescue you. Be who you are. Let the glory of the Lord shine through you as compared to no one else. And then he goes on to say, love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love showing eagerness in honoring one another. Do not lack in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, endure suffering, persists in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality, bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Consider what is good before all people if possible, so far as it depends on you. Live peaceably with all people. Is this not the life we’re invited into? Is this not where we’re trying to go? Is this not who we want to be? Because this is the description of what it looks like to be transformed. And we can look at these things and see the places that we’re failing but we have to be fair and say am I even trying? And let’s try with all of our might knowing that in our own strength we cannot sustain perfection, we cannot sustain any of this. I mean just get a bad night sleep and you can’t control your day. But can we look at these things and know that they all have action involved. Like this is a collaboration. We’re not just going to be able to sit on the couch and be sanctified. The things Paul says are actions, things that we have to participate in. Like be devoted, do not lack in zeal, rejoice, contribute, bless and do not curse, rejoice, live in harmony, do not be haughty, do not be conceited, do not repay anyone evil. You see, these things aren’t just gonna happen. We have to do them. We have to try. We have to live in this direction and read train ourselves, renew our minds, retrain the way that we react to things. So if we’re used…if our default position is to strike back when we’re struck, whether…whether physically or with words, if somebody is gonna bring some kind of thing against us with words then we’re gonna strike back and take them down with even harsher words. If that’s our default position we have to catch ourselves in it and understand that we’re supposed to bless those who persecute us. We’re supposed to bless and not curse. We have to try. We have to retrain ourselves by opening ourselves to the renewing of our minds, the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives. So, we have to catch ourselves and remind ourselves this isn’t the way I’m going. And, so, to go where I want to go I have to do this differently. We have to re-train re-new, collaborate in the renewing of our minds. And, so, there’s an awful lot here in just a few paragraphs from Paul today that really…really affects the way we live. And let’s take that into our day and ponder it.
Prayer:
And Holy Spirit we invite you into that, into that pondering. In fact come Holy Spirit and reveal to us the places that we’re not even trying, because that would explain so much, so much of the state of affairs of our lives. Help us Jesus we pray. In your mighty name, we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
Dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can check out these things by using the little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. Places like the Community section where the Prayer Wall lives. The Daily Audio Bible Shop, where there are resources for the journey through the Scriptures in a year. So, check that out.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. If this mission to bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm so that we’re not…we’re not in this alone and we begin to realize we’ve never been in this alone. If that is life-giving to you than thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.
And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or there are a number of numbers that you can use depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you’re in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.
And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Good morning Daily Audio Bible community this is Diane Olive Braun from Newburgh IN an encourager, one of many. It is 6:55 AM on July 27th 2021, and it is Tuesday and we have the story of how great great kings came against Jehoshaphat. And he had several options, but he chose the right one, he chose to stay in the presence of the Lord and to yield his will to the Lord and to say we can’t defeat this vast army, we don’t know what to do but our eyes are on You. Holy Spirit help us to remember this story of Jehoshaphat and how he went to the Lord. He did not deliver himself. He trusted himself in the hands of the Lord and that is the safest place to be. So, we trust ourselves in your hands, we are your very own children. You are our very own God, and we love You and we magnify You and we glorify You and we humble ourselves under Your mighty hand…
Hi DAB family it’s James here from the UK it’s been a long time since I’ve put in a prayer request but here I am and here I’m…this is what I’m doing. I'm…I would really appreciate prayers for my family. In particular, our family holiday is coming up. It’s been a really stressful year. And I know it’s been a stressful year for so many people. But we are just loggerheads a lot of times with our three teenagers and, you know, it goes…it moves…it changes from a relationship with our kids where you can go on a holiday and you know that people are going to be, you know, really having…having a great time to one where, you know, this is going to be putting ourselves through quite some ordeal. But I feel like this is a really important time for us to be together. And, so, I’m just asking for prayers that we would be able to humble ourselves in front of each other and allow ourselves just to be real, be natural, be normal, but also be respectful and just rekindle a sense of family. And, so, I’d really appreciate your prayers for that. Thanks. Thanks family.
Hey Brian, hey DABbers, hey happy family. I just wanted to share…Oh my name is Mary and I’ve been listening now for maybe…well just started at the beginning of the year and I just wanted to share that I had a dream last night about the Global Campfire and how it’s like this constant flame. And then I’ve thought Oh my gosh what a symbol of the Holy Spirit this Global Campfire that we share together. So, I just wanted to share that because I thought that that was a…a really nice God inspired dream that I had about just how wonderful and we’re so blessed to have this community. So, Brian I just thank you so much for doing this for all these years and for bringing us together. No matter where we are in the world, we have this eternal flame of this Global Campfire. So, I thought that was cool. Anyway, everybody have a great day and we’ll see you around the Global Campfire. Bye.
Hey faith fam it’s Holly Heart. Career of Contrite Spirit I really like the story you shared about helping someone both physically and spiritually it helped…it brings me such joy when I can help people. I’m sure it does you too. Dear Lord please watch over Jose and please let him get the help that he needs. Joe the Protector. Dear Lord please watch over my brother Joe. He needs help at his new workplace, which is full of non-believers Lord. Use him to help save some of those fellow workers or clients. You have a purpose for him in being there. Joe my husband’s also in the same kind of situation at work and it is very difficult. I am praying for you both. Cindy from California. Dear father please help Cindy heal the cause of her RSD. She cannot bear the pain and needs you to comfort and to heal her. Thankfully Overcome. Congratulations on making it an entire year. I’m glad that you have lots of people praying continually for you and now I am one of them. Dear Lord please watch over Thankfully Overcome and please help her continue on this path that she is on towards you. Zach. Dear Lord please watch over Zach’s marriage. He needs Your guidance. They both need to feel You’re loving touch so that they can treat each other the same way. Esther from Orlando. Dear Lord, please help to guide Esther in her living situation. Please help to alleviate the fear she’s having because with you Lord there is no reason to fear Anonymous. Dear Lord, please watch over the anonymous caller who said she needed a new beginning. She lost her husband brother and family dog. So much pain. She is not in this pain alone Father. Her…she has a daughter and two sons, and they also need healing and a new start. Please help bring them Your divine peace. Please help her find a good career so that she can care for her children and please help them find an exceptional living place. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Good morning this is Emily in Minnesota. High DABbers. Brian’s message today, oh, so great. Psalm 22 1 and 2. My God my God why have you abandoned me. I groan in prayer but helps seems so far away. I cry out during the day, but you do not answer and during the night my prayers don’t let up. Lord Jesus thank you so much for hearing our cries, understanding our grief and our pain and loss and suffering on…in this world. Things I’ve heard in the last few years in my story from others I cannot imagine. There are no words. You’re living out my worst nightmare. Our society is not comfortable with grief, loss, lament. Our tears are better when wiped away around others. I’ve seen this. I’ve learned to journey through my grief and lament one tear at a time at the foot of the cross with a Father that knows earthy brokenness and suffering and listens unconditionally when I know it and not. Please continue to lift up my family through our losses. As most of you know, my parents are…my families out of state and I have a brother who lost his wife to cancer with a young family in November 2020. My parents are simultaneously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia in the summer of 2019. I have another brother who is homeless and is struggling with mental health or addiction out of state. And then I lost my son, college freshman, to suicide spring of 2019. My own family is to choosing to turn away from God in this time of loss but they know His presence and I continue to pray. Thank you. Have a wonderful day.