TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 7:24-8:17
Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:1–2
TODAY IN THE WORD
It might have surprised some observers to know that John Wesley felt “cold” spiritually. Raised in a Christ-centered home, he was surrounded by the love of the Lord, his parents, and his eighteen siblings. When he was five, he was miraculously saved from his family’s burning house. Later he went to Oxford to prepare for ministry. There he and his brother Charles formed “The Holy Club,” whose dedication to living out the Christian life earned the group’s nickname, the “Methodists.”

Yet despite Wesley’s sincere desires for God, he was spiritually restless. When his ministry failed in England, he went to colonial Georgia as a missionary. But this ministry also ended poorly. While sailing home, Wesley was profoundly impressed by the deep faith of some Moravian believers. During a fearsome storm, they were singing hymns!

Back in London, he attended one of their Aldersgate Street meetings, on May 24, 1738. As the preacher taught on Romans 8 (using Luther’s commentary!), Wesley was transformed. Later he wrote: “While [the preacher] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ; Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8 follows a long section describing Paul’s agony between his desire to do what is right and his inability to do so. At the height of this internal struggle, Paul cried out: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (7:24) Immediately came the only answer possible: “Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If you’re keeping track, John Wesley is the third person in our study whose life was transformed by the book of Romans (see Sept. 4 and 6)–and he won’t be the last!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 6:35-40; 7:37-40
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” - John 7:37
TODAY IN THE WORD
Without water, a normal person will begin to feel dehydrated in only several hours. After a few days, this individual will experience trouble breathing, dizziness, and, eventually will fall into a coma. Humans must have water to live. In fact, experts say that thirst is an even stronger drive than hunger.

This important fact about our physical make-up helps us understand the power of Jesus’ invitation to drink from Him the “water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Using the analogy of our physical need for water, Jesus showed how much greater is our spiritual need for “water,” which is the Spirit dwelling within us (John 7:38–39).

This thirst analogy is also helpful for understanding the depth of the burden that God placed within one man for the Native Americans of New England. Some people even called David Brainerd a “zealot” because of the great passion he had to reach the Indian tribes that were becoming increasingly more scattered. Brainerd was influenced by the pioneering missionary to Native Ame-icans, John Eliot (see Sept. 10).

Today’s verse from John 7 greatly challenged Brainerd. At first he felt frustrated-- he couldn’t understand how someone could have such faith that they could thirst for Christ like this. Eventually his anguish led him to a profound encounter with the Lord, and he felt the Lord’s presence as he never had before.

Brainerd’s thirst to know Christ became a thirst for others to know Him–the Source of “streams of living water” (v. 38). Here Brainerd was inspired by Isaiah 55:1, which says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” Because of the universal human need for water, this link between physical water and spiritual life in Christ no doubt made it easier to present the gospel even in the midst of great language barriers.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You may be thirsty right now as you read this! Why not turn this common experience into reminder of your need for Jesus? Write out one of the following verses on a 3-by-5 card: Isaiah 55:1; John 4:14; John 7:37–38; or Revelation 21:6. Now place the card near your water faucet, or perhaps on a pitcher of water in your refrigerator. Each time you pour yourself a glass of water, pray that your thirst for the Living Water, Jesus Christ, might grow deeper and deeper.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 7:36-50
He who has been forgiven little loves little. - Luke 7:47b
TODAY IN THE WORD
No respectable women would ever dream of being caught in a place that was filled with so much indecency and filth. Most “respectable” people probably had little idea that such places existed–and if they did, they knew enough to stay as far away from them as possible. What were these despicable establishments? Pubs? Brothels? No--they were nineteenth-century prisons for women. Some women were jailed simply because they couldn’t pay their debts. But these “petty” criminals were often locked up with murderers. Few people seemed bothered by the deplorable prison system.

But one very well-bred woman felt passionately that the prison system was wrong and had to be changed. And even though she had 11 children of her own to care for, that’s exactly what Elizabeth Fry did. Since her rededication to Christ at age 18, Elizabeth Fry had always been drawn to the less fortunate. But at 33, she visited one of London’s prisons for women and could hardly believe what she saw. The reality of these prisons horrified Elizabeth and compelled her to take action.

Her first step was to teach the women from Scripture, and she often started with Luke 7. Like many of the women prisoners, the woman in this passage had lived a sinful life and was shunned by “respectable” society. But this woman also knew her need for forgiveness. Touched by Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation, she anointed his feet with costly perfume. This act showed her humility and gratitude. A Pharisee who observed this scoffed at her (v. 39). To help him understand God’s forgiveness, Jesus told him a story about two debtors. It was obvious that the one who had been forgiven more would love the one who forgave him more (vv. 42–43). So it is with a person whose great sin has been forgiven (v. 47).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Reading about the lives of other believers often prompts us to think about things we might not have considered otherwise.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Proverbs 3:5-10
See what God has done! - Numbers 23:23b
TODAY IN THE WORD
Most of us are not amazed to see someone walking along talking on a cell phone. If we’re visiting someone and need to make a phone call, we naturally assume that our host will have a phone.

Today we take phones, faxes, and e-mails for granted. It’s hard to think of a time when these things didn’t exist. Some people might even have forgotten the name of the individual who launched the age of telecommunications by inventing the telegraph, Samuel F. B. Morse. Even more people may not realize that the first message communicated electronically was a verse from Scripture!

After a series of set-backs, both personally and professionally, Morse stumbled upon the idea of using electromagnetism to transmit human communication. At first many people laughed. At last he was able to secure some money from Congress to build a telegraph line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. And the first message that Morse sent, in Morse Code, was the following: “What hath God wrought!” (Num. 23:23).

Morse chose this verse because he wanted all the glory for his new invention to go to God. Throughout his life, Morse seemed to have been directed by the truths contained in Proverbs 3. Centuries before Morse was born, King Solomon urged, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (v. 5). If one would acknowledge the Lord in everything, God would provide direction is life. The truth of this was well-illustrated by the content of Samuel Morse’s first telegraph!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The book 101 Bible Verses That Changed the World (see Sept. 9) contains this from Morse’s journal about using Numbers 23:23 for the first telegraphic message: “No words could have been selected more expressive of the disposition of my own mind at that time than these: to ascribe all the honor to whom it truly belongs.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Jeremiah 29:10-14
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
The whole town was buzzing. Store-owners closed early. Strangers came in from all parts. And, even though the town’s size doubled in a day, crime seemed to be “on hold”! No one wanted to miss the big event . . . revivalist Charles Finney was preaching that night!

It’s hard to imagine the stir that this one individual caused. One historian wrote that Finney had as much impact on mid-nineteenth century America as did President Andrew Jackson. Amazingly, Finney didn’t accept Christ until he was almost thirty.

As a young lawyer, Finney bought a Bible because so many lawyers quoted from it. He also began attending the local church that “all the right people” attended. When he was twenty-nine, however, going through the motions of being a Christian began to trouble Finney. Finally, one day he decided to “settle the question of his salvation.” As he prayed, he became profoundly aware of his own sin, and the words of Jeremiah 29:12–13 seemed to echo within him.

It’s not surprising that the Spirit would use these words to quicken Finney’s heart. Jeremiah cried out the Israelites to repent of their sin and to return to the Lord during one of the most difficult times in Israel’s history--the Exile. Today’s passage was written in 597 B.C. to encourage the exiles in Babylon that the Lord promised to return and bring them back to their land (v. 10). Verse 11 boldly declares God’s sovereignty and mercy, highlighting His redemptive nature. Despite terrible sin, God is not a god who remains hidden from those who cry out to Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s verse (Jer. 29:13) brought a nonbeliever like Charles Finney to faith. This verse was originally addressed to those who already had a relationship with God, but who were far away Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Acts 2:1-21
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. - Joel 2:28a
TODAY IN THE WORD
An “awakening” is a widespread movement of the Spirit in which many people dedicate their lives to the Lord. Under Jonathan Edwards’s preaching, America experienced what was called the Great Awakening (see Sept. 16). Later, people referred to Charles Finney’s revivals (yesterday’s study) as America’s “Second Great Awakening.” Today, we’ll look at what some have called the “Third Awakening,” this time led by a remarkable woman, Phoebe Palmer.

Phoebe Palmer was raised in a strong Christian home. At twenty, she married a minister, Walter Palmer. Sadly, only three of the couple’s six children survived infancy. These tragedies deepened Phoebe’s commitment to the Lord and desire for holiness. During this time, she and her sister began a weekly group called the “Tuesday Meeting for the Promotion of Holiness.” The Lord evidently prepared the way for this gathering–soon two hundred women were attending!

Palmer’s teaching gift was apparent to all. Much of her conviction came from Acts 2. The first disciples were instructed to wait in Jerusalem following Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1). While gathered, the group was praying when suddenly the Holy Spirit descended upon them, like a rushing wind of flaming fire (Acts 2:2–3). When Peter preached the first sermon of the early church (beginning in v. 14), he quoted the prophet Joel to help describe this miraculous event. Following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the early church understood that these events were a direct fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.

Acts 2 also records one of the most significant revivals ever--3,000 people put their faith in Christ at the same time (v. 41)! Based on this passage, Palmer felt that God was calling both men and women to exhibit a burden for holiness and for the unsaved.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today might be a good time to read about the exciting and inspiring first years of the early church. Acts 2–9 record some of the key events of this time. In just a few years, numerous individuals put their faith in the risen Christ, including the apostle Paul. As you read these chapters, pay attention to power of God’s Word. For example, how many people put their faith in Christ soon after Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:41)? Or, what was the Ethiopian official reading when Philip came running up to his chariot (Acts ?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 3:20-30
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. - Mark 3:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
One of the most traumatic events of American history was the Civil War. The issues surrounding this tragedy are complex and much debated, including many of President Abraham Lincoln’s decisions. What’s not often discussed, however, is the impact of the Bible upon Lincoln’s life.

Lincoln’s few childhood books included the Bible, The Pilgrim’s Progress (see Sept. 13), and a few historical volumes. Even without much education, he grew up reading Scripture and was significantly influenced by it.

With this early grounding in God’s Word, it’s not surprising that biblical themes would shape Lincoln’s adult thinking. As the slavery issue threatened to divide the Union, Lincoln wrote, “I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.” Lincoln often used this allusion to Mark 3 in his political campaigns, including his 1860 campaign for the presidency.

In Mark 3, Jesus used the image of a divided house to describe what His coming meant for Satan and his demons. Jesus’ enemies accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the Evil One, or Beelzebub (v. 22). But Jesus rightly showed that if Beelzebub cast out demons by his own power, then the end must be at hand (v. 26). Now the end was indeed at hand, but it was because One stronger than the Evil One had finally entered his “house” (the world) and had plundered his “spoils” (lost souls). Satan’s end was assured because of the victory of Christ. Jesus went further to show that those who ascribed the works of the Holy Spirit to the Evil One were placing themselves in grave danger (v. 29).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Lincoln wrote that the Civil War was key to his becoming a Christian: “When I left Springfield, I asked the people to pray for me; I was not a Christian . . . But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the grave of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.” As we reflect upon historical events, we don’t always see how God was working, both directly and thought the impact of His Word. But we should be encouraged that biblical truths and themes do indeed influence our world in ways that aren’t always obvious.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 15:1-17
I no longer call you servants . . . Instead, I have called you friends. - John 15:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Author Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” This certainly describes Harriet Beecher Stowe. With the publication of her famous novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this one woman advanced the cause against slavery.

Young Harriet was born into a well-known family. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a noted preacher who worked with revivalist Charles Finney (see Sept. 21). From her youth, Harriet was surrounded by God’s Word. As her mother lay dying, her father read from Hebrews 12:22–23: “But you have come to Mount Zion . . . to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.” These verses impressed upon Harriet the worth of every human being. Other Scriptures made her begin to ask how any human could be sold on an auction block. Perhaps the greatest catalyst to her thinking was one of her father’s sermons from the text of John 15.

In this passage, Jesus addressed His disciples for the last time. He began by exhorting them to remain steadfast in their relationship with Him, so that they might bear fruit and bring glory to the Father (v. . He then commanded them to love one another just as He had loved them. The basis of this command lay on the very nature of His relationship with His disciples. Because He had revealed the Father’s plans to them, they were no longer “servants,” but rather were friends whom He trusted (v. 15) and had chosen. What a tremendous honor!

After her mother’s death, Harriet’s family moved to Cincinnati, where her father became the president of Lane Seminary. Because of its location on the border between Kentucky (a slave state) and Ohio (a free state), Cincinnati was a key destination for escaping slaves. One person who helped to rescue escaped slaves was Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor of biblical literature, whom Harriet married.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It’s hard to overestimate the power of the written word. The most important written word is the Bible, but the impact of the pen extends into many other types of writing.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 15:1-21
I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. - Exodus 15:1b
TODAY IN THE WORD
They say that truth is stranger than fiction. And real-life accounts of God’s actions in history are more gripping that any drama ever produced! One example of this is the Exodus, the account of God leading His people out of Egypt to the land He had promised them. As you read this account, you can feel the suspense as the people hurriedly prepare their final “passover” meal (Ex. 12:22). You can almost feel their wonder as they finally begin to follow Moses out of Egypt (Ex. 12:37). And it’s hard not to hold your breath as over one million Israelites find themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea! How would God provide this time?

We may be quite familiar with this account, but it’s always inspiring to read one of the greatest stories of liberation in all history. Today we’ll look at how this part of God’s Word impacted a freed slave, Harriet Tubman, who was involved in another liberation story.

In the early 1800s, escaping slaves seemed to “disappear” once they crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky. One slave owner said it was as if the slave had run down an “underground road”--later, this system of escape routes was called the Underground Railroad and homes that offered shelter along the way were called “depots.”

Perhaps the most famous “conductor” of this railroad was Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery in 1849, from eastern Maryland. Following her freedom, Tubman returned nineteen times to slave states and helped to liberate over 300 slaves. Each return trip was extremely risky, but Tubman’s record of never losing anyone entrusted to her care earned her the nickname “Moses.” Like Moses, Tubman was completely confident that God would protect her and her charges. She herself looked to the account of Moses crossing the Red Sea, especially his praise song in Exodus 15.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The greatest account human liberation is even more dramatic than the account of Moses crossing the Red Sea or Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. That’s because the greatest story of human liberation is an individual’s redemption from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ! As believers, we each have our own account of how God liberated us from the darkness of life without him and brought us into the kingdom. Take some time today to reflect back on your journey of liberation with the Lord.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 28:16-20
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. - Jude 24
TODAY IN THE WORD
Amy Carmichael’s life seems to have been directed by a series of specific verses from the Bible. We can see how Scripture influenced her life since she had the habit of noting in her Bible the lesson learned and the date it occurred.

When her father died when she was 18, her mother frequently quoted Nahum 1:7: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” This strengthened Amy’s already deep faith. A few years later, as Amy was involved in evangelism and preparing for missionary work, a sermon based on Jude 24 riveted her attention. This verse was to become in many ways a life verse.

Soon after this, Amy was eating with several others who had also heard the same sermon. When some of them began to complain about the food, Amy was convicted with the thought: “What does it matter about mutton chops? O Lord, we know that Thou art able to keep us from falling.” Amy recorded September 23, 1886 as the “mutton-chop, keep-us-from-falling” day in her Bible next to Jude 24.

But the verse that had perhaps the greatest influence on Amy Carmichael was Matthew 28:19–20, the Great Commis-sion. For Amy, this pivotal passage crystallized into a two-word command: Go ye! Like the disciples waiting to be sent out, Amy understood that these two verses were God’s call for her life. In 1893, at age twenty-five, Amy heeded the call “Go ye,” by going Japan. Once she set forth, she never turned back.

She eventually established the Dohnavur Fellowship in southern India, which ministered to young children rescued from temple prostitution and to young widows who otherwise would be killed following their husbands’ deaths.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One of the best biographies of Amy Carmichael, A Chance to Die, was written by someone who was no stranger to missions herself. Elisabeth Elliot and her husband, Jim Elliot, began their life together as missionaries in Ecuador. In 1956, her husband was martyred while ministering to the Auca Indians. We recommend either Carmichael’s biography, or the one that Elliot wrote about her husband, Shadow of the Almighty. Both are inspiring examples of what it means to follow the Lord and to live life completely for Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 3:1-21
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
A job as a shoe salesman seems an unlikely way to come to Christ, but God can use any situation to draw an individual to Himself!

In the 1850s, a poor teenager named Dwight Lyman Moody left his family for his first job in his uncle’s shoe store. At age eighteen, Moody became a Christian through the influence of Edward Kimball and the YMCA. At nineteen, Moody left Boston for Chicago, to make his fortune selling shoes. By all accounts, Moody had the disposition and energy to become a millionaire. Yet despite his early success in business, the desire to amass wealth was replaced by a passionate desire to share the gospel. At the Sunday School where he taught, weekly attendance had grown to 1,500 within four years. In 1861, Moody began full-time ministry, including tract distribution, daily prayer meetings, and social work. It wasn’t until 1871 that Moody became convinced that his primary call was preaching and the “evangelization of the world in this generation.”

Later, Moody and his wife traveled to England. While there he was impressed by a converted pickpocket named Henry Moorehouse, who used John 3:16 for most of his sermons. The power of Moorehouse’s sermons lay in his conviction to preach only God’s words, never his own. Moody quickly saw the wisdom of this approach and adopted it as his own. Moody also began to focus his sermons on the love of God revealed in John 3.

The gospel of John records a series of encounters between Jesus and spiritual seekers. One such individual was Nicodemus. Jesus was very direct with this religious leader, and told him pointedly that the kingdom of God was only for those who were born again (v. 3). Even though Nicodemus came to Jesus with troubling questions, the greatest need of his heart was to hear about the love of the Father and to place his faith in the Son (v. 16).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
“If this world is going to be reached, I am convinced that it must be done by men and women of average talent,” wrote D. L. Moody.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. -
TODAY IN THE WORD
For a number of years it wasn’t evident that the Lord had a worldwide ministry prepared for a quiet, forty-something watchmaker in the Dutch city of Haarlem. It’s true that Corrie ten Boom was the first officially licensed Dutch woman watchmaker, but apart from that, her life seemed fairly routine. But events brewing in nearby Germany were about to change her life forever; she, in turn, would be used by the Lord to change many lives for eternity.

Family devotions were a routine part of the Ten Boom household. When the Nazis occupied Holland, this spiritual focus intensified. Like many Dutch people, the Ten Boom family struggled to know how to obey the occupying government and to respond to the plight of the Dutch Jews. When the Nazis destroyed a neighboring Jewish store, the Ten Boom family hid the merchant and his family in their own home. They knew that this was dangerous, but they could not ignore their neighbor’s tragedy. Eventually they began to harbor other families.

One source of the encouragement for their bravery was Psalm 91. The first part of the psalm records the psalmist’s persistent trust in the Lord even in the face of terrifying threats, including disease (v. 6), war (v. 7), and deadly beasts (v. 13). The psalm shifts to the voice of the Lord in verses 14–16, where the psalmist receives direct assurance of the Lord’s faithfulness and protection.

The Ten Boom family was eventually arrested for sheltering Jews. While awaiting their fate in the local police station, Corrie’s brother read Psalm 91. This was the last time the family would ever be all together this side of heaven. Within days, Corrie’s father died. Her beloved sister, Betsie, died in a concentration camp, the same one from which Corrie was released due to an administrative “error.” Later she wrote that the memory of her brother reading Psalm 91 years before had comforted her a great deal during her imprisonment.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Corrie ten Boom wrote a number of inspirational books about her experiences under Nazi occupation and her walk with the Lord. If you’ve never read any of Corrie ten Boom’s books, you’re in for a blessing! Her writings reflect her deep faith and the power of God’s Word in her life, as well as her endearing humor.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 5:1-12
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8b
TODAY IN THE WORD
God delights in taking very “ordinary” people and using them for very “extraordinary” purposes!

At sixteen, Billy Graham was not particularly interested in spiritual things; in fact, he preferred baseball. Only reluctantly did he go to a revival meeting at the invitation of his neighbor. But the meeting began to stir Graham’s heart. Finally, Romans 5:8 convicted Graham and caused him to give his life fully to the Lord.

At his graduation from the Florida Bible Institute, the valedictorian’s speech was almost prophetic. She said that through-out the church’s history, God had “chosen a human instrument to shine forth His light in the darkness. . . . The time is ripe for another Luther, Wesley, Moody. There is room for another name in this list.”

Initially, Billy Graham didn’t believe that he was gifted to preach, but eventually obeyed “the inner call.” As he later wrote, “I didn’t have a passion to be a great preacher. I had a passion to win souls.”

After several years preaching for Youth for Christ, Graham launched his first city-wide crusade in Los Angeles in 1949. By the 1990s, Graham had preached “in person” to over one hundred million people, and had impacted countless others through television and radio.

Although Graham uses many biblical texts in his preaching, Romans 5 contains many of the core truths for an evangelistic message. True peace can only be experienced when a person has been made right before God, or has been justified, through faith in Jesus Christ (v. 1). This new standing before God enables a believer to experience hope, even in the face of great trials.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Billy Graham’s “methods” for evangelism are helpful for our own efforts to share Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 8:18-39
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -
TODAY IN THE WORD
Joni Eareckson was a teenager when she dove into the Chesapeake Bay a healthy, athletic girl, and was pulled out of the water a quadriplegic. Already a Christian, Joni spent months praying for healing. But as time passed, her hope turned to despair, anger, and depression. During this time, one verse kept coming back to her–Romans 8:28. Finally, she saw that her dive was really no accident at all, and that God could use her situation for His greater glory. This single verse helped Joni to focus on God’s plan for her life and eased her despair.

It’s fitting for us to close our study this month with another person impacted by the book of Romans. One of the first people we looked at, Augustine, was changed forever by Romans 13. For Martin Luther, Romans 1:17 had this same effect; and for Billy Graham, it was Romans 5:8. John Wesley found his heart was “strangely warmed” by the first part of Romans 8. Later, a young paralyzed woman was profoundly encouraged by that second half of Romans 8. You may recall from our study of John Wesley that Romans 8 begins with the wonderful declaration that believers in Jesus Christ have been freed from condemnation. The chapter continues with promises of life in the Spirit for those who have become children of God.

Today’s passage continues by showing that the eternal glory of God at work within us far outweighs any trial that we experience this side of heaven (v. 18). And we are not alone in our trials--all of God’s creation suffers because of the effects of sin and longs for that time when things will be restored to God’s original intention (v. 21). Seeing life from this eternal perspective gives us confidence that God is working all things for good in His glorious purposes (v. 28). Because God Himself is for us, nothing can possibly separate us from His love (vv. 38–39).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It should be evident from our study that God’s Word goes out of His mouth and accomplishes exactly what He intends (Isa. 55:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Micah 7:14-20
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. - Micah 7:18b
TODAY IN THE WORD
While pleading for a man’s life in William Shakespeare’s drama, The Merchant of Venice, one of the characters says:

“The quality of mercy is not strain’d.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:

It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.

Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown. . . .

It is an attribute of God Himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God’s

When mercy seasons justice.”

These classic lines make a good introduction to our month’s study of forgiveness and more specifically, to our discussion today of God’s pleasure in extending forgiveness. Our God is a God who delights to show mercy and to forgive sin. According to today’s reading, part of His greatness lies in the very fact that He forgives!

That’s where we’ll begin this month–with God and how forgiving love is part of His character. Then we’ll take a brief look at the biblical foundations of forgiveness, such as Old Testament sacrifices and the Cross. Thirdly, we’ll examine how to seek forgiveness, including the spiritual discipline of confession. Finally, we’ll discuss when and how to offer forgiveness to others. Though our topic is quite practical, we want to stress that this is a biblical study, not a psychological one.

In our reading today, the prophet Micah asked, “Who is a God like you?” (v. 18). None–He’s incomparable! The proof is that He pardons and forgives. His anger is replaced by compassion. He rejoices to show mercy. He doesn’t forgive grudgingly or even matter-of-factly. Rather, it’s something He loves to do, something that gives Him great pleasure.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Spend some time today meditating on the perfection and mystery of God’s forgiveness. When He forgives, sin is gone–as far as the east is from the west. The Lord puts it behind His back and tramples it underfoot. He hurls it into the depths of the sea. You can search the whole world, but you won’t find it. It’s not lurking somewhere, waiting to pounce. It’s gone. When God forgives, it’s 100 percent! Not only is His forgiveness perfect in erasing any trace of our sin, it’s a joyous act of mercy by God who delights to forgive His people.