Down an Unfamiliar Road

GOD’S “SPECIAL DELIVERY!”

In my 54 years of ministry, I’ve been blessed to experience God’s special guidance on occasions that, in one case, saved my life. So when I read this story, I could say with assurance that such things do happen to people when they are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The writer of this story withheld his name in order to give God all the glory.

He had just come out of church after the Wednesday night Bible Study, where the Pastor taught on “Listening to God and obeying His voice.” The young man couldn’t help but wonder, “Does God still speak to people?”

As was their custom, he and several of his friends went to a nearby cafe for some coffee and pie, where they discussed the lesson. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o’clock PM when the young man started for home. While driving, he began to pray, “O Lord, if You still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.”

As he drove along the route he always took from church, he suddenly had the strangest urge to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out to himself, “Where did that idea come from?” As he drove on, once again the same urge came into his mind like a voice speaking to him, stop and buy a gallon of milk.

Then young gentleman remembered how the Pastor has talked about young Samuel in the Bible and how he didn’t recognize the voice of God, and how he ran to the high priest Eli thinking it was him. At that moment, the young fellow said. “Okay, God, just in case that’s You talking to me, I’ll stop and buy the milk.” It didn’t seem like too bad of an idea. After all, he could always use the milk. So, he stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and then continued toward home, thinking he would learn soon why he had been led to buy the milk.

As he passed Seventh Street, he suddenly felt the urge to turn and go down Seventh Street. He had never been down that street before, so it didn’t make any sense. He drove on, but the urging in his mind would not stop prodding him. So, he decided to take a chance because if this was God speaking to him, he wanted to obey. So he turned around and went back to Seventh Street. As he turned on to a very dark and unfriendly looking street, he half-jokingly said to himself, “Okay Lord, I’m doing this just for You.”

It was not one of the most upscale parts of their small city. There were lots of small business and some apartment buildings and small houses. He drove on slowly for several blocks when all at once, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. I was eerily dark in that spot, there were no street lights on, and he didn’t see any lights on in any building. He was pretty sure that everyone who lived there was already in bed.

He was beginning to feel some anxiety about where he was. As he looked around one more time before he decided to get out of there, he was hoping he’d see something that might help him understand why he had been led there. His eyes fell on the front door of a small house right across the street from him, and he felt a strong urge to take the gallon of milk to that door. As he stared at the door, there was nothing that told him it would be a friendly place to go. But he gritted his teeth, quickly got out of his car, grabbed the gallon of milk and ran over to deposit the milk at the front of the door.

As he ran up to the door of this small, somewhat shabby house, he went to place the milk at the front door when he suddenly heard voices inside. Now, this whole thing didn’t seem so insane as it appeared to be at first. So pressed the doorbell button just once. The voices inside stopped. He waited for a moment and was about to put the milk down and hurry back to his car when He could hear a man’s voice inside yelling out in an agitated tone, “Who is it? What do you want?” That did it, he was going to drop the milk and get out of there as quickly as he could.

But just as he turned to leave, the door flew open and there was a young man standing in jeans and a T-shirt. He looked like he just gotten out of bed. He stood looking at this stranger with a bewildered look on his face, and he didn’t seem too happy to have somebody ring the doorbell that late at night. The man asked again, “What do you want?” But this time his voice sounded more like a desperate person looking for help. The young man thrust out the gallon of milk and said, “Here, something told me to bring this to you.”

What happened next caught him by surprise. The man grabbed the milk, whirled around and rushed down the hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. He opened a door to a room and shouting to the person inside. Out rushed a young woman holding a tiny baby. Together they hurried to the kitchen. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face as he turned around and came back to the front door. He was sobbing as he tried to explain that he and his wife had been praying all day. Through tears, he told the young man that they had some big bills to pay this month and ran out of money. Wiping away the tears, he told the young gentleman, “We didn’t have any milk for our baby. We were asking God to show us some way we could get some milk for our baby.” His wife then called out from the kitchen, “I asked God to send an angel with some milk. Are you an Angel?”

Now everyone had tears in their eyes and a joyful smile on their faces. The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put it in the man’s hand. The young man and his wife thanked him over and over again, praising God for answering their prayer. After hugging and praising the Lord, the young man turned and walked back toward his car with tears were streaming down his face. He knew he had just experienced how God speaks to people. It was a lesson he would never forget.

I can tell you from personal experience that when you let God use you like this, those to whom he sends you do think that you are an angel. Well, you are! Not in the physical sense of having wings and flying down from heaven, but in the sense that the word “angel” means “messenger.” So the next time God urges you to visit or call or take something to someone, just consider yourself as a divine messenger with a special delivery. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson V)

Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards agrees that the more knowledge you have the greater will be the pressure to conduct yourself in a discreet and discretionary manner in your Christian life. To do so will bring more honor and glory to God and establish faith in Christ as the better way of living. There are many who mean well, and they are full of good intentions, yet, for the lack of discernment, they behave in such a way as to give Christianity a bad reputation. Although they say they are on fire for God, they do more harm than good. That’s because so many fall short of the glory of God in their daily lives and ministry. It’s not so much that they need more grace, they need more wisdom and spiritual perception. And such insight comes only from God’s Word and through the counsel of the Holy Spirit.¹

Adam Clarke finds the Jews’ treatment of the law repulsive. Although they believe that the law came directly from God to Moses, oddly enough they became somewhat jealous of how it was glorified because of its excellence. While they conscientiously observed its rites, rituals, and ceremonies, they did not consider the real purpose of such acts of worship. Not necessarily because they consciously did so, but out of Ignorance more than with Intent. They use this as a convenient excuse when they are confronted by the Gospel. It may have seemed like an appropriate apology for them, but Paul is getting them ready for the harsh reality he is about to deliver.

It all came down to the fact that their so-called misunderstanding of God’s righteousness came from not knowing enough about God’s method for saving sinners. That’s why they went so far out on the limb to try to establish their own righteousness. Since they didn’t know how to obtain salvation from God, they decided to acquire salvation through their own efforts. With or without knowing it, they were refusing to bow to the will of the Most High. Even when told, they rejected God’s mode of saving mankind through faith in Jesus Christ. If they had decided to do things God’s way, it would have required them to acknowledge that Christ’s death on the cross was, in fact, the only available, acceptable, and God-approved sacrifice for sin. What seemed to hurt them the most was that this would also pronounce the law dead as it pertained to having any power to save.

Robert Haldane was convinced that the Apostle Paul acknowledged that his fellow Jews had great zeal for God and His Word. However, because of their attachment to the legal system of the Law, rather than having any joy for salvation in Christ, Paul was dismayed because there is no salvation by works. Not only was it an eyeopener to the Jews, but it serves as an important lesson to thousands who profess Christianity. Believe it or not, there are some that say if you are sincere in what you believe, it doesn’t matter if you understand what you believe. It is also incredulous, but some Christians will tell you what you should believe, but they really don’t believe what they are telling you. God did not set up His plan of salvation with leniency for those who claim ignorance or misunderstanding of what it really means.

It is one thing to have a faith full of works, but it is another to have a faith that really works. How can you be acceptable to God if you don’t know what you are doing? This will neither assure you of salvation nor will it serve as an excuse when you come up short of God’s glory. If you really want to know what God’s Word says about salvation, you must open your mind and be ready to believe what it tells you. The one big error made by the Jews was that they rejected out of pure ignorance the teaching of Christ and the Gospel preached by the Apostles. Had they only listened and tried to understood they would have given up their foolish attempt at establishing their own righteousness and plan of salvation. Just as John told us, Jesus came to His own, but His own would not accept Him.² And by not accepting Jesus and His message, they rejected the plan of salvation sent to them by God³

Albert Barnes tells us there is another factor to consider in this proposed ignorance by the Jews in recognizing God’s way as opposed to their way. First of all, such ignorance was voluntarily on their part. That then made it more than just an error, it was a major felony. Paul does not excuse their actions because they really didn’t know what God’s plan of salvation was. He will clearly point that out later on in this chapter, verses 18-21. They were given enough information to know about God’s plan. The problem was, they didn’t give enough time to the attentive study of their own Scriptures that would have led them to the true knowledge of the Messiah and His righteousness such as what they would have read in the prophet Isaiah.⁴

Remember what Jesus told His critics? “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.”⁵ Jesus clearly indicates that there is power in God’s Word.⁶ So when Paul brought up the fact that they had either misread or not completely read what the Scriptures had to say about it, he did so in a way that they would not think he was chiding them for it, but simply trying to take some of the sting out of what he was about to say on the fact that ignorance is no excuse for sin and guilt. It was another way of Paul saying you can’t get into heaven by mistake.⁷

H. A. Ironside agrees that some Jews were filled with a mistaken zeal for God, marked by an outward adherence to Judaism as a divinely-established system and that they were earnestly trying to serve the God of their fathers but without really knowing God as their Father. That means, they refused the opportunity to gain a fuller revelation of who He really is. They were unable to see that God gave Himself, His plan, and His will through Christ Jesus His Son. Unfortunately, the same is true of many today who call themselves Christians, but their actions are anything but Christian.

Ironside touched on another subject that Paul was dealing with. The term “God’s righteousness,” as it’s used here, is somewhat different than “the righteousness of God.” We can see how the term “the righteousness of God” has been interpreted two ways. First, it indicates that God is consistent with His character. As such, He becomes an anchor for our souls, someone we know who will never treat us wrongly or do things to us out of spite or anger. The Scriptures reveal how He can be both just and the Justifier of those who put faith in Christ. All questions concerning sin have been settled by Him in the right way. That’s how God demanded it to be because that’s His divine nature. That’s how He conceived all along to deal with guilty sinners, and it is called Grace.

Secondly, is how this righteousness of God is imputed to those who believe in His Son. This is done when Christ His Son takes up His dwelling in the believer’s heart through the Holy Spirit. So with Christ inside, the believer then is capable of doing what is right in God’s eyes. In other words, with Christ’s help, believers can always do what is right before God and his fellowman without hesitation. This is how believers are made in the likeness of Christ by exhibiting His characteristics which are the same as God’s. This is how it was expressed by the prophet Jeremiah: “And this will be His name: ‘The LORD who does everything right and good.’⁸”⁹

Pastor Octavius Winslow preached on the subject of man’s own righteousness. In his sermon, he asked the question: Is digging out a self-made cistern to replace the infinite fountain of God righteousness the best that man can do to provide for his own righteousness?¹⁰ Of course, this comes from what God said about the children of Israel: “My people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me – the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”¹¹ Not only is this cistern of self-righteousness shallow and narrow, but it has leaks. That means it cannot hold this man-made righteousness for very long. It constantly needs replacing. But there’s more because this cistern is cracked it means that it is fractured by guilt, anxiety, and fear. And in spite of man’s attempt at repairs, they last only for a short while.

This only causes more frustration and stress knowing that danger lies ahead and beyond that certain punishment no matter what this individual may do can fix the problem. They may decide to start attending church every Sunday, read their Bible and have devotions every day, say a prayer before every meal, listen to religious music on the radio, even attend various rites, rituals, and ceremonies at their local church. But none of it will count because it is all good works done out of fear and dread. Even though they have done their best, it’s not enough. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can replace the righteousness of God through Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Charles Hodge feels that we need not be apologetic and excuse the ignorance of the Jews about the difference between their righteousness and God’s righteousness. After all, their understanding of God and how He works were neither enlightened nor wise. They put too much emphasis on their perceptions of God and not enough on His personality. The Jews were very zealous about the law, the traditions of their fathers, and always trying to find new ways to build a bigger barn to house their growing sum of merit accrued through good works. It is no secret then, that being so overzealous would naturally cause them to put their faith in man-made objects of veneration and in the observance of external rites. It would be more a matter of pride in what they are able to do than trusting in what God can do. So when you ask them about their zeal for God and His Word, they will look at you as though that doesn’t matter. In other words, that’s not something they really need to worry about because of what the Church has promised them for their adherence to its rites, rituals, and ceremonies.

It’s obvious the Jews didn’t know that all of what’s done in the name of their religion should be to and for God. This is what bothered the Apostle Paul so much, and why he continued to cautioned them about it. His greatest fear was they would think that their self-righteousness would serve as justification. But that is not the basis on which the sentence of justification is founded. No amount of righteousness, either personal and inherent, can justify us in the eyes of God. As we have no righteousness of our own, nothing that we have done or experienced, nothing personal or subjective, can answer the demands of the law, we can be justified only through the righteousness of God, imputed to us by the Holy Spirit and received by faith in the work Christ did on the cross.¹²

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson IV)

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he shared with them how, as a Pharisee, he thought that keeping the feasts and sacrifices gave him an advantage over others. But now, he tells them: “It was because of Him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust.”¹ So we can see why Christ told John to write this in a letter to the church in Laodicea He said to them: “You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”²

In looking at this statement by Paul, one of the earliest church scholars, Origen, saw Paul addressing the need that those who say they know about God must do more than that to really understand Him. For instance, if someone says that they love God, do they know that loving Him means loving others as yourself and that requires patience, kindness, not being envious, not acting in wrong ways, not puffed up with pride, not seeking one’s own instead of God’s will? Anyone lacking these virtues only loves God with their emotions, not their heart, soul, mind, and strength and others must get by on their own. It’s another way of saying: they feel that they love God, but the truth is they don’t really love Him because they don’t know Him personally.³ We see this today when people express their love for God but direct it to pictures of saints and images, thinking that God will be pleased with their devotion.

Ambrose, early church bishop of Milan, Italy, and mentor of St. Augustine, wrote a letter to Constantius, a newly appointed bishop. In the letter, Ambrose reminds him that accepting this office like being named captain of a ship. He now stands at the helm on the bridge from which he guides and directs the ship to its destination. There will be times when he does so into the teeth of the oncoming waves. So he is to hold fast to the wheel so that the rudder remains steady and on course. He must resist being shaken by the heavy storms of persecution by this world. Yes, the sea may be vast and deep. But he is not to fear because the one who controls the seas is the same one who constructed the ship and prepared it to weather the storms and hold up against the waves⁴.⁵

Then Ambrose also wrote a letter to Roman Emperor Theodosius I. In that letter he complimented him on his devotion to treat everyone with mercy, gentleness, with a heart full of faith and reverence of the Lord. But in spite of his dedication, there will be times when mistakes will be made, some of which will escape everyone else’s notice. That’s because there are some who have great zeal for God, but without understanding what God really wants. So it was incumbent upon those in charge to be keenly aware of the fact that many of those over whom they have been given responsibility have that same ignorance in their devotion to God.⁶ It would be constructive if Bishops today were to write all those who minister under them to be aware of this same issue.

For Augustine, what Ambrose described was just another way people sought to be right with God but not in the way God wanted them to be right. Paul had his own description of such people. When he looked at many of the Jews, he saw individuals who, because of their own self-confidence and position with God, thought they had achieved all this through good works. So they rejected any offer of free grace as being unnecessary because they had earned it. Why should they trade all they had accomplished in pleasing God on their own just by accepting Christ as their Savior?

Even though they had nothing to do with establishing the law, still they trusted it to do the job for them as long as they were able to fulfill its demands. Sad thing was, none of them had ever accomplished such a feat. So they needed to throw themselves on the altar of God’s mercy. It all came about because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and depended instead on their righteousness. It gave them more pride to say that they did it through their strength instead of depending on Christ’s strength.⁷

Constantius, another early church scholar, was also troubled because what he saw in the Jews was something he was seeing in some Christians. When Paul talked about “their own righteousness,” it was clear that he was calling out the Pharisees. Little did they know, that all the sacrifices required by the law and the other things they did were only shadows of the truth that would be fulfilled in Christ’s work on the cross which ceased to function once He rose from the grave. But when they were told, they refused to believe it. Why would God change something that had been in effect for thousands of years? They didn’t realize that all of what came before was only an introduction to what was coming. So Paul had every right to point out that self-righteousness was not what God wanted but what they wanted.⁸

Later on, Pelagius was troubled by the same thing. Because the Jews did not really know that God justifies by faith alone they continued relying on their self-righteousness to get them to heaven. So they saw no reason to submit themselves to God for forgiveness of sins based on the sacrifice of Christ. The main reason was that it would force them to admit that they were still sinners. We are told that this is something that happened when they heard John the Baptizer preach repentance: “But the Pharisees, rejecting God’s purpose for themselves, refused to be baptized with John’s baptism.⁹”¹⁰ Both Constantius and Pelagius no doubt saw the same attitude among those who called themselves church members who believed that by doing whatever the church told them to do, they did not need to seek a personal relationship with God through Christ.

Martin Luther quotes an old German saying that goes: Die Absicht ist gut, und der Zweck ist wahr, aber die Mittel werden mißbraucht.¹¹ When translated, it reads: The intention is good, and the purpose is true, but the means are misused. This certainly illustrates the goal which the Jews were seeking. They had every intention of being righteous before God but it was the incorrect way to get it accomplished. Luther confessed that he saw that same arrogant zeal of good intentions among church members in his day. I dare say, it has continued until our day. Luther feels that Paul is being overly kind when he says they are doing all this for lack of knowledge. It’s another way of saying that they set about to accomplish their goal with blind zeal, unwise urgency, and foolish purpose. That is the greatest danger and it should serve us as an example that we may deal with the faults of others with mildness.

Luther goes on to say that when such an attitude is developed where people are consumed with zeal but without proper training or understanding, it is a terrible thing. It may seem appropriate, but it resists faith, opposes obedience to God’s Word, and makes people stiff-necked and unreformable. This is the attitude we see in heretics and dividers.¹² Luther says that they insist upon their “good intentions” with bullheadedness and obstinate opposition, just as though they could not be mistaken. They believe that their salvation is altogether based upon the fact that it serves a good purpose in their zeal for God. Such people, says Luther, are described in the Bible as contrary in heart and corrupt in mind. Therefore, we must note that to have a zeal for God according to knowledge means to regard nothing else as greater than always to be ready with fear and trembling to be guided, led, and instructed by His Spirit in all that is good, no matter how easy it may seem for us.

John Calvin sees a subliminal thought squeezed between the lines of what Paul is saying here about the good intentions of the Jews to follow God’s path to salvation and what they actually accomplished. That not only involves having good intentions, but knowing where such good intentions will lead. All too often, those who end up being disappointed, or even admonished, use the handy excuse: I didn’t mean to harm anyone. The same mindset exists among Christians, who think that whether they are a success or failure in their efforts; whether someone is helped or ends up getting hurt, they still excuse the fact that they did not seek God’s will because they really were only trying to do what was right. And certainly God, and everyone else will understand, they did it with good intentions. By using that same logic, we can then accept the excuse the Jews may have for crucifying Christ, or for going after and martyring the Apostles, or for attempting to dismiss the true story of Jesus’ virgin birth, His death, and certainly His resurrection, with lies and misinformation. Such excuses are a waste of time. Before we go off on a tangent thinking we are going to get credit for doing something good, we should sincerely seek God’s will and follow what He says, and only what He says.¹³

But there’s more that caused Calvin grief when he spots something else going on in the church. It involves misinterpreting energy for enlightenment. For instance, when we see how the Jews, especially the Pharisees, plunged ahead with thoughtless eagerness to create their own definition of righteousness. They did so with foolish confidence because of their ignorance of God’s righteousness, so we can see how dangerous that can be. Dangerous in the sense that what they were creating would not stand up to God’s judgment. So the very punishment they tried to avoid would be given to them. We can understand this better when we compare God’s righteousness with man’s righteousness. The first thing we observe is they are actually in conflict with one another.

There are so many things that are contrary to each other and, therefore, cannot work together. Just like oil and water. So it goes without saying that when people try to institute their own understanding of right living, it automatically subverts what God has said. Furthermore, the rules for right living that people compose are made up with faulty and incomplete thinking. This is another way of telling God He doesn’t know what He’s doing. And anyone who seeks to justified themselves as being exempt from eternal punishment because of what they’re trying to do, is a slap in the face of the One who gave His life for them on the cross. The first step in obtaining the righteousness approved by God is to renounce one’s own righteousness. There’s no reason to search for any other way to God when the only One who could make a way, has made that way for us on the cross. When we do that, God is pleased.¹⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson III)

Verses 2-3: I can say this about them: They really try hard to follow God, but they don’t know the right way. They did not know the way that God makes people right with Him. And they tried to make themselves right in their own way. So they did not accept God’s way of making people right.

I want to borrow some thoughts from John Gill who sees this chapter containing an account of the two types of righteousness – one of faith and one of works. He also finds in these verses a summary of the Gospel of Christ, a description of grace by faith, its nature, use, and how it was applied, and several testimonies concerning the calling of the Gentiles. Also, that the Apostle knew the Jews had not attained any righteous standing with God by way of the law but tripped over the stumbling-block of the Gospel because they took it to be offensive.

It is clear that Paul did not say this out of dislike or ill-will toward his fellow Jews. He expresses his sincere regard for them and the great respect he had for them, by calling them “brethren,” and by conveying his sincere feelings for their plight, by praying for their salvation. He also acknowledges their zeal for God, although he clearly points out that it was a misguided zeal. It was combined with their lack of understanding of God’s righteousness that resulted in all their misconduct in religious things, especially in the doctrine of justification. Nevertheless, to his regret, they continued to seek justification by their own good deeds and rejected the work of Christ on their behalf.

Paul’s revelation to his fellow Jews is like a two-edged sword. On the one hand, he will describe the joys and benefits of freely receiving salvation by grace, and on the other the futility and despair of attempting to earn salvation by works. After all, he was just like they are now at one time. His zeal for Pharisaical Judaism was so strong that he persecuted the new Christian movement, called The Way, in radical fashion.¹ During his missionary journeys, there were many occasions when his fellow Jews would attack and attempt to harm him in a similar manner now that he was on the Christians’ side. But even more troublesome were those Jews who had converted to Christianity, yet insisted on keeping all the Jewish rites, rituals, and ceremonies as a supplement to their faith.

In fact, when Paul was in Jerusalem visiting with James and the Church elders, Paul told them all about his success among the Gentiles. But not to be outdone, they told Paul: “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also become believers, yet they are all very insistent that Jewish believers must continue to follow the Jewish traditions and customs.”² A Jewish translation puts it this way: “…they are all zealots for the Torah.”³ But bragging rights was not their main point. The leaders of the Jerusalem church were under pressure to make it a requirement for all new converts, including Gentiles. Paul would have none of it. This is what got him arrested and caused a riot.⁴

So in talking to these Jewish members of the Church in Rome, Paul shared his personal experience of being a zealot for what he thought was the truth, only to find out later he was way off course. He told the Philippians: “If anyone ever had reason to hope that he could save himself, it would be I. If others could be saved by what they are, certainly I could! I was a real Jew if there ever was one! What’s more, I was a member of the Pharisees who demand the strictest obedience to every Jewish law and custom. And sincere? Yes, so much so that I greatly persecuted the Church; and I tried to obey every Jewish rule and regulation right down to the very last point. But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile—now I’ve thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone.”⁵

So with that background and experience, Paul was trying to persuade any of those who still held onto such misbeliefs to do the same thing he did. As he told the Philippians: “I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ, and become one with Him, no longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying God’s laws, but by trusting Christ to save me; for God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith—counting on Christ alone. Now I have given up everything else—I have found it to be the only way to really know Christ and to experience the mighty power that brought Him back to life again, and to find out what it means to suffer and to die with Him. So whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead.”⁶

Paul knew it would not be the first or last time that they, even he, might meet Solomon’s definition of foolishness: “To act without knowing how you function is not good; and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal.”⁷ But, as Paul told the Corinthians, he had seen the light: “God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made us understand that it is the brightness of His glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”⁸ The Jews were still covering their eyes from the glory that shone on Moses’ face when he came down off Mt. Horeb, now Paul wanted them to see the glory of Jesus’ face now that He came down from Mt. Calvary. In the words of the song by country western singer Alan Jackson: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

But Paul is not out to condemn them without cause. He recognized that they, just as he, were doing all these things in ignorance. They were looking for righteousness in all the wrong places. They kept looking down instead of looking up. Archbishop William Newcome (1729-1800) of the Church of Ireland decided that the King James Version of 1611 needed some updating. So in 1796, he published what he called the “Improved Version” of the NT. The KJV translated verse 3 this way: “…have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” But Bishop Newcome rendered it: “…they have not submitted themselves to the justification appointed of God.”⁹ Archbishop Newcome felt that the reader needed to know that Paul was comparing man’s method of sinner’s saved with God’s method of saving sinners.

Paul goes on to mention that even though these people depended on their own good deeds to help them find favor with God, they really didn’t understand what deeds counted for righteousness. The Psalmist was very proud to extol the righteousness of God: “But I, I will always hope and keep adding to your praise. All day long my mouth will tell of your righteous deeds and acts of salvation, though their number is beyond my knowledge.”¹⁰ The Psalmist goes on to say that he depends on the power of the LORD God to help him as he tries to emulate the righteous character of God. Paul shared this same sentiment with the Corinthians when he told them: “In your eating, drinking, or anything else you do, do it for the glory of God.”¹¹ And to the Colossians, he wrote: “And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with Him into the presence of God the Father to give Him your thanks.”¹² The problem with these self-righteousness people was that all of their good deeds for others were done to bring them honor and glory, not God.

No doubt Paul remembered what was said in Isaiah about the mission of the Messiah: “The time is coming, says the Lord, when I will place a righteous Branch upon King David’s throne. He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom and justice and cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the earth. And this is his name: The Lord Our Righteousness.”¹³ So it is not our righteous deeds that count, it’s the righteous works of God that we are to carry out for His honor and praise because the Lord of Righteousness is living within us. Paul explained this to the Corinthians: “God made this sinless man [Christ] to be a sin offering on our behalf.¹⁴ I like the way the Lexham English Bible renders it: “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, ”

I’m sure the Apostle Paul was acutely aware of what God said to the Israelites about their pretending to be righteous in order to be seen as pious and be revered for their works: “I myself will expose your [so-called] righteousness because what you have done won’t benefit you.”¹⁵ Later on, Isaiah confessed this on behalf of the Israelites: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of self-righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags.”¹⁶

This condition was illustrated so clearly by the expert on Moses’ laws who came to Jesus and asked Him what must a person do to obtain eternal life. First of all, this lawyer was asking the question to test Jesus, not because he really wanted to find out the truth. So when Jesus told Him that in addition to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, he must love his neighbor as himself.¹⁷ The NIV translates verse 29: “But he wanted to justify himself…” The Living Bible renders it this way: “The man wanted to justify his lack of love for some kinds of people…”

On another occasion, Jesus was teaching about seeking worldly wealth instead of heavenly riches. So the Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, laughed at Him. Then Jesus looked at them and said this: “You wear a noble, pious expression in public, but God knows your evil hearts. Your pretense brings you honor from the people, but it is an abomination in the sight of God.”¹⁸ Perhaps Paul heard that some of the Jewish leaders in the Roman church wanted to be treated special because they not only confessed Christ but made a public spectacle out of their prayers and good deeds. Paul no doubt was reminded of what he told the Galatians: “Anyone trying to find favor with God by being circumcised must always obey every other Jewish law or perish. Christ is useless to you if you are counting on clearing your debt to God by keeping those laws; you are lost from God’s grace.”¹⁹ We can make this admonition relevant for today by simply substituting the word, “baptism” for “circumcision,” and the words, “Jewish law” with “Church ritual,” and come to the same conclusion about lost grace.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson II)

We should never become upset when others we pray for reject our love. That would only eliminate one more intercessor before God on their behalf. It also might give them a false sense of eternal security. God gave us patience through the Fruit of the Spirit for just that reason. That’s why we should count it all joy to have such a powerful tool as patience to remain faithful to God for any who reject the Gospel. Knowing what you are and what God has made you to be in Christ should be enough to convince you that it’s by the grace of God that you are what you are and to be thankful that you are not what you used to be. Instead of this making you proud, it should make you even more humble and gentle. To know that you are one of God’s elect should give you peace of mind about your salvation. In turn, this should release you from worrying about yourself and give you more time and energy to care for others. No doubt this is what was on Paul’s mind when he said to the young Timothy: “I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen¹.²

Albert Barnes is impressed with how the Apostle Paul begins this chapter in such a tender and caring manner. This was no doubt necessary because he had just gotten through outlining and defending what most Jews would find offensive and belittling, and that was their being rejected by God in favor of the heathen Gentiles. So the best thing to do was show that this in no way diminishes God’s love and affection for them. Paul did not do this just to take heat off himself, but because he was always under pressure, to tell the truth. Paul was not fooled. Many Jews considered him a traitor to the Jewish faith. After all, wasn’t he on his way to Damascus to persecute the new sect in Judaism announcing that Jesus was the Messiah? Did he not return to Jerusalem preaching the very message he tried to stamp out? Then he had the gall to claim that this Jesus met him on the way and commissioned him to take this news to the Gentiles. Yes, this Jesus they had crucified, was now being proclaimed as the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles.

So how could they trust Paul? But perhaps more than anything, Paul was driven to get the news of salvation to them because he was fully aware of the painful and dreadful condemnation that was on them. That’s what broke his heart and caused him to have such tender compassion and concern for their welfare. That’s why he earnestly prayed to God for their eventual salvation. Everyone should see in Paul’s actions the proper feelings of a minister of the Gospel when declaring the most upsetting truths from the Bible. Paul was tender, affectionate, kind, and convincing. He was not harsh when stating the obvious truth. He also poured out his earnest desire to God that they would avert the impending doom. So shouldn’t these awesome doctrines be preached by all the ambassadors of God?³

This was also the opinion of Bible scholar Adam Clarke, especially when he saw the compassion in Paul’s prayer for their salvation. It wasn’t something Paul said or did out of feeling sorry for his fellow Jews, but something he cherished deeply in his heart. And that’s how he expressed it to God in prayer. Paul did not want to see his countrymen destroyed that way. In fact, he did not preach about their rejection with any joy or excitement. To him, it was one of the most dismaying doctrines he had to defend. It wasn’t his decision to call the Gentiles to take the Jew’s place, that was God’s decision. But that still didn’t keep him from praying for their spiritual welfare and yearning for them to return to God by accepting Jesus as the Messiah. I agree with Clarke that all ministers should take no pleasure when proclaiming the truth that some people may never be saved. They know that the preaching of the Gospel will not be accepted by everyone. No matter how bad it may make the evangelist feel, just knowing that some who hear them will never come to salvation. But it should not inhibit any preacher from declaring the love and mercy of God to everyone who believes. Not only that, but they should also not be excluded from our prayers that all may come to know the truth and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. After all, it’s not our decision, but God’s.

Bible teacher H. A. Ironside also admires what the Apostle Paul is attempting to do here. He wants to make it clear that even though he supported the fact that God was morally right in setting Israel aside as a nation, the Lord did not do so arbitrarily but because of their unbelief. Paul also saw the value in this because now it opened the door to the Gentiles during the new dispensation of grace. No more salvation by works, but by faith. That’s why Paul was anxious for the Jews to know that God’s deflection away from Israel as a nation did not mean He was ruling out or rejecting individual Jews or Israelites from coming to Him for salvation. Israel, as a nation, had long ago ceased to have a true covenant relationship with God. The prayers of the Pharisees where the prayers of hypocrites. The sacrifices in the Temple had been abused to the point God no longer accepted them.⁴ And spoken laws of the Rabbis had replaced the written law of Moses. And this ill-standing would continue until they came under the Last Covenant. And according to prophecy, that would not take place until the beginning of the millennium when “a nation will be born in a day.”⁵ So although Paul sees Israel as a lost state, he still expresses his burning desire and prayer that they may yet be saved, like the lost sheep Jesus told about in His parable.⁶

For Charles Hodge, what Paul says here was meant to assure the Jews that he had no pleasure in foretelling the trials and tribulations that were coming down upon their heads. He wants them to know that his earnest prayer is that in spite of all they’ve done and their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, eventually they will be saved. Paul knew that many of them, and Israel as a nation, would not turn to Jesus as their Messiah in his lifetime, so he was looking toward the future with his prayer.⁷

Charles Spurgeon sees Paul’s prayer here as one we can adopt as our own. In fact, he encourages that Christians pray for Israel’s coming to God. It is well known, that in the last couple of centuries, much pain, sorrow, persecution, and destruction have visited God’s ancient people even down to the present day. No matter where they were scattered, they were treated as an unwanted minority. And now that they are back in their homeland, they are still the targets of hate and murder on a daily basis. Anyone with a heart must be touched by their grief and sorrow. So let it be everyone’s deepest desire and daily devotion for Israel to finally accept Jesus, whom they rejected long ago, as Messiah. But just as Paul was teaching here, it must be done by faith. We must remember, that for Paul it was even more than that. They had persecuted him in the most severe and humiliating ways. The very ones he prayed for were opposed to him and would be happy to see him die a horrible death. No matter what city he visited, some of these paid agitators would follow him and try to turn the Jews living there against him. Whenever and wherever they could, they tried to tear down whatever he built in honor of Christ.

So what was Paul’s response? He openly shared his heart’s desire and prayed that they might be saved. This should serve all of us as an example to never grow tired or cold in our hope to see those among us we love turn to Christ as their Savior. It is blatantly unchristian to wish bad things upon people who do not share our faith and beliefs. If we do so, how can we then try to witness to them and tell them of our desire to see them born-again? So instead of looking for ways to get back at them for their mean words, criticism, and gossip, we should be looking for ways to show them the love, mercy, and grace of God that lives in our hearts.⁸

Professor F. F. Bruce also likes what he sees in Paul’s heart. Here was a man who knew that his own people, the Jews, were bound for destruction, but yet he prayed fervently for their salvation. And of all people, he was the most qualified to do so because he understood their state of mind more than most. He confessed to having had the same “unenlightened zeal for God” they were dealing with that caused them to so fanatically oppose him. But Paul also knew about the change that comes to anyone who meets the risen Christ and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior. No one needed to tell Paul what it was like to have such dedication for Jewish traditions, customs, and manners that it compels them to go out and hunt them down in order to bring an end to their heresy and infidelity.⁹ A true Jew gave themselves to the constant practice of the Jewish religion at all cost. And that is the very reason why Paul could understand that the steppingstone put in position by God for salvation had indeed become a stumbling-block. That was until the scales fell from his eyes and his life was re-orientated.¹⁰

Now that same consuming ambition caused him to travel the world to magnify Christ and bring others to know Him. So, if it could happen to him as a Jew, why couldn’t it happen to other Jews. But everywhere he went, he ran into their blind commitment to earn salvation by works so that they could establish a righteousness of their own making. Nevertheless, after Christ found Paul and he accepted the work of Christ on the cross it brought an end to such a senseless pursuit. The authority of the law died to him. And as a follower of Jesus, he had all the authority given to him through grace to live according to the will and word of God. This was the way of faith, not the way of works.¹¹

English evangelical preacher Charles Simeon of the late 1700s makes the point that Paul was very much aware of his Jewish brethren’s zeal to serve God. But he assessed it as “misguided zeal.” There were three things that led them astray. First, they really did understand God’s plan devised for justifying sinners – they were trying to do it all on their own. Secondly, in doing so, they discarded the unmatchable work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Thirdly, when the true way to become right with God was shown to them they would not accept or trust in it because they felt being saved that way was humiliating and beneath their dignity.

These were their errors although they professed to be following the Law. They couldn’t grasp that Christ was the fulfillment of the law in becoming right with God. All of the Jewish rites, rituals, and ceremonies were pointing to Christ but they couldn’t see Him in the details. This required that they accept it by faith.¹² They were more interested in approaching their salvation on a lower moral level than a higher spiritual level. How true this is of our fellow believers stuck in nominal churches today. As long as they go by the church rules they feel safe in their salvation. Their one biggest error is that the Church cannot save them nor guarantee their salvation. It still takes faith in Jesus Christ as the only Lord, Savior, and Master for a sinner to become right and stay right with God.¹³

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson I)

Verse 1:  Brothers and sisters, what I want most of all is for the people of Israel to be saved. That is my prayer to God.

After presenting his case and laying down his reasons why his fellow Jews are in such a dilemma for having rejected the Messiah, Paul announces his great concern for his fellow Jews and their tendency to stumble over the Rock Christ Jesus that was laid in Zion. This could well be emulated today by our own compassion for those among us who have a form of Christianity, but not according to a full and accurate knowledge of God’s Word. People who adhere to a moral standard, and practice a code of self-righteousness, but that is not enough to meet God’s requirements for salvation. They build their own little kingdoms and set up their own private rewards for adhering to the stringent and unrealistic rules that have become stumbling blocks instead of stepping stones to a greater knowledge of Christ and becoming more Christ-like. Christ is our righteousness, it cannot be improved upon. It is He whom we should glorify and imitate, not any human who see themselves as holier-than-thou idols, to be copied. They spend so much time trying to impress and gain favor with each other that they have little time for the One they should try to please, Christ Jesus.

No doubt this compassion and willingness to consider self-sacrifice on Paul’s part was born within his heart and soul, but it does bear a close resemblance to what happened with Moses when he came down off Mt. Horeb in Sinai only to find the people worshiping their handmade idol, a golden calf. Moses pleaded with God not to destroy His people in haste and out of anger, to remember from where He brought them and where He intended to take them. So in the name of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses pleaded with God for mercy and forgiveness. Willing even to have his name blotted out of the book of life for their sake.¹

The prophet Samuel also went through a similar heart-rending experience after he felt rejected by the people of Israel who wanted a king like the other nations. Somewhat out of desperation, Samuel asked them if they could remember any time that he stole from them or defrauded them; could they recall any time when he oppressed them or took a bribe. They could find none. Yet, Samuel told them when they finally got their king, “As for me, far be it from me to sin against Adonai by ceasing to pray for you! Rather, I will continue instructing you in the good and right way.”² When God eventually told Samuel that He regretted making Saul king, Samuel did not respond with amusement as though it was some type of vindication. Scripture tells us: “Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard what God was saying, that he cried to the Lord all night.”³

And who can forget the scene where Jesus was told by some Pharisees that He needed to get out of Jerusalem because King Herod was after Him in the same way that he had gone after John the Baptizer. But instead of responding in anger or fear, our Lord cried out: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! The city that murders the prophets. The city that stones those sent to help her. How often I have wanted to gather your children together even as a hen protects her brood under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”⁴ So this was not the first time God had sent one of His servants to the children of Israel and they came away brokenhearted because of their spoiled attitudes and misperceived special place with God so that they did not need a savior. But what Jesus knew that they didn’t know was that in about 35 years after they crucified Him, the entire city of Jerusalem would be destroyed, its inhabitants killed or carried away, and the House of God be torn down, never to be rebuilt. That should have been enough to make anyone cry.

Some early church scholars added their comments to what they felt Paul was trying to say here. For instance, Ambrosiaster sees no hatred for Judaism by Paul. All Paul wanted was for the Jews who were still tied to the Law expecting salvation, to be freed so they could follow Christ who came to offer them salvation. As far as Paul was concerned, the law was like a veil over their faces. He wants them to take it off so they can see Jesus, the One who came to give them everlasting life. In fact, Paul speaks affectionately of the Jews and has many good things to say about the law. But they needed to know that time for trying to fulfill every demand of the law in order to earn salvation was over. What more could he do to show his love and concern for his fellow countrymen? If only they would listen to him and not assume that he was their enemy.⁵

Another early church scholar, Chrysostom, is also struck by Paul expressing this as his heart’s desire and prayer. He admired the fact that Paul continues to demonstrate his deep-seated compassion and goodwill toward the Jews. He does not harshly criticize them for their being lost and wandering aimlessly in search of salvation. In fact, he compliments them for what they already knew about God, the law, and the Messiah. But in the end, he is forced to tell them the facts and how things really were.

That was something he couldn’t change.⁶ Early church theologian Augustine also sees Paul making an appeal to them by speaking of his hopes and prayers for his fellow Jews. Especially in the church in Rome because he didn’t want the Gentiles to misunderstand and turn backs on the Jewish believers in any condescending way. He knew that just as the pride of the Jews had to be dealt with because they thought so highly of their good works, so the Gentiles would need to curb their pride in having been preferred over the Jews as God’s new Israel.⁷ Pelagius likens what Paul does here as being so burdened for his fellow Jews that he not only prays for them with his tongue but also with his heart.⁸

Reformer Martin Luther agrees with Augustine’s assessment in that Paul is here speaking of the hope that still remains for the Jews in order to dampen the possibility that the Gentiles in the church at Rome might think of themselves more highly than they should. And just as Paul had to reject the arrogance of the Jews based on their good works he must likewise oppose the Gentiles so that they don’t become overbearing. God may have opened the door for them to hear the Gospel, but this is no reason for them to think they are more loved or preferred by God over the Jews.⁹

Fellow Reformer John Calvin views the same thing, but from a different perspective. He sees Paul going out of his way being as unoffensive as he could so that his soft words could help cushion the sharpness of his mannerism that might offend his fellow Jews and less harmful to the cause of winning them over to Christ. He wants them to know that this is not a last minute apology he has come up with to keep them from treating him so badly. This burden has been on his heart since the day he was converted because he personally understood what a dilemma they were in. The only thing Paul wanted for his efforts and appeal was their salvation. Such feelings arise only from genuine love. No doubt Paul had other reasons why he felt it necessary to appeal to their sense of fairness in accepting what he had to say. If they ever concluded that he was out to destroy them or make it hard for them to survive, like he did to Christians before his conversion, it would have eliminated any opportunity for him to try and explain to them the Gospel of Christ. Not only that, but such a reputation would have caused the Gentiles to become suspicious of his love for them. In addition, it’s one thing to explain what you now understand to be the errors of your former religion, but to turn your back on it and trash it just because they won’t agree with you would suggest that you are acting out of hatred, not love.¹⁰

Adam Clarke sees Paul expressing his heart’s desire for reconciliation between the Jews and God over their rejection of Jesus the Messiah. Although Paul knew that the Jews were now in a state of rejection, yet he also knew they had fallen into this state out of their own stubbornness. Nevertheless, God is still a gracious God, slow to anger, and full of mercy. So he hoped and prayed that they still might come to their senses and repent and turn back to God. And what more evidence could he offer than what he said about his willingness to become a sacrifice, even a curse, for their salvation and reconciliation with their Father in heaven.¹¹

Robert Haldane points out that whenever the Apostle Paul refers to others as his brethren, he rightly talks about his fellow Jews and fellow Christians. In fact, Paul felt compassion for both and sought their salvation through Christ by faith. This is truly expressed in his prayer to God. Many of his Jewish brethren were enemies, yet he earnestly prayed for them. For Haldane, while the salvation of his countrymen was the greatest desire of Paul’s heart, and while he exerted every effort that he could to call their attention to the Gospel, he never neglected taking time to bring them and their need before God in prayer. This is a wonderful example for us all. We should never pass up any opportunity or become weary in our prayers for those we earnestly desire to accept Christ as their Savior. Even when we may lose contact with them, or they indicate no desire to see us, just remember we always have access to God in prayer. Not only that, but we have been given to Holy Spirit to help us express our heart’s desire for their salvation.

That’s why Haldane encourages every believer to never cease praying for those they love and want to see saved by God’s grace. Even when they tell us to leave them alone and have no interest in hearing the Scriptures we want to read them or form some untrue opinions about our efforts. So never give up on them by not giving up on God’s ability to reach them through the Holy Spirit. Remember, there are things God knows about them that we don’t know. He knows whether or not they are already on His “Call List” list.

Just look at Paul. There was no one among the Jews that was more opposed to the Gospel than Paul. And every believer who remembers their own feelings about being witnessed to back when they were rebellious against God and His Word, knows just what they may be up against. But there is another side to this. There are those among our acquaintances and friends who claim to be believers but are not. If we feel that we must lighten up on them because it wouldn’t look good, and we might be accused of attacking another Christian, we ought not be fooled into thinking that God would understand and take them off our prayer list.

Jim Rohn (1930-2009) was one of America’s top entrepreneurs, authors, and motivational speakers. In most of his books, you will find the word “goal.” In fact, Rohn’s overall philosophy was, If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plans, your plans will go to work on you.”

Setting goals in our lives are one of our most important duties. Setting goals will give you something to aim at, it will awaken your ambition. Since we don’t know how long any of us will live, we need to think regarding the end coming while we’re still planning and innovating. There are at least five good reasons for setting goals.

One of them is that having goals means you’ll have focused on where you want to go. What sense does it make to shoot an arrow if you have no target? Not only is this a sign of sheer perplexity, but a total waste of time and energy. Having no goal and focus means that all of you abilities, talents, and gifts are meaningless. Another reason to set goals is that it helps you measure forward progress. Without setting a goal, you won’t know if you are any closer to what you really want to accomplish in life. Why do you think books have page numbers? Why do races have fixed distances and time are kept?

Then there is the fact that having goals helps keep you locked in and undistracted, helping you to complete your task. If you know your plane leaves at 2:30 PM and you need to be there two hours ahead of time, and it takes you 30 minutes to reach the airport, you begin building a time-frame. Then you calculate an hour for checking-in, going through security, and arriving at your gate. You look at the clock, know you must leave NLT 11:00 AM to be on time, and it is 8:30 AM now, you only have 2 and a half hours to get packed and ready to go. Without setting any such goal, chances are you’ll never make in time for any flight you need to take.

Another reason for setting goals is that it helps you avoid procrastination. If we live day-to-day merely doing things on a whim or impulse and without any urgency, we will hear ourselves saying over and over, “Oh shoot! I was supposed to do so and so at such and such a time!” With no way to remind ourselves, we are like a message in a bottle, floating with the tide, never knowing when or if it will ever reach shore. Where would you be if you had such an attitude with your education, your job training, your getting to work, etc? And finally, setting goals gives you a reason for doing something.

When we were kids, every time our father would announce that we were going to grandma’s house, we were not in the car for even an hour before he heard that famous line, “Daddy, are we there yet?” None of us could figure out how far we’d have to go or how long it took to get there. Our father could have easily quieted down our anxiousness if he would have started the trip by saying, “Okay, kids, it takes three hours to get to grandma’s house. Right now the little hand on our dashboard clock is at 9, when you see it get to 12 you’ll know we’ll be near grandma’s house. That way, all of us would have had a goal by which to calculate how close we were.

King Solomon was not known as the wisest monarch in the world without a reason. In one of his Proverbs he says that if we share our goals with the Lord, He will make our plans will work out for the best.¹ Then he goes on to say that people come up with a lot of plans, but the Lord will help them select the right one.² Later Solomon says that careful planning helps you get ahead, but getting into a hurry will only make you fall further and further behind.³

Jesus knew all about setting goals and making plans. He explained it to His disciples this way: “Is there anyone planning to build a new house, who doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so they’ll know if they can complete it? If they only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, they’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at them: ‘They started something they couldn’t finish.’”

And the Apostle Paul was sure of where he came from and where he was going. He told his friends back in Philippi what his goal was. He told them that he kept moving toward the goal which God set for him. That his eyes were fixed on a crown. He wanted to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.⁴ So if the pastor stopped you one Sunday as you are leaving church and asked you, “Do you know where you stand in your Christian life and your walk with God,” what would your answer be? – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Jim Rohn (1930-2009) was one of America’s top entrepreneurs, authors, and motivational speakers. In most of his books, you will find the word “goal.” In fact, Rohn’s overall philosophy was, If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plans, your plans will go to work on you.”

Setting goals in our lives are one of our most important duties. Setting goals will give you something to aim at, it will awaken your ambition. Since we don’t know how long any of us will live, we need to think regarding the end coming while we’re still planning and innovating. There are at least five good reasons for setting goals.

One of them is that having goals means you’ll have focused on where you want to go. What sense does it make to shoot an arrow if you have no target? Not only is this a sign of sheer perplexity, but a total waste of time and energy. Having no goal and focus means that all of you abilities, talents, and gifts are meaningless. Another reason to set goals is that it helps you measure forward progress. Without setting a goal, you won’t know if you are any closer to what you really want to accomplish in life. Why do you think books have page numbers? Why do races have fixed distances and time are kept?

Then there is the fact that having goals helps keep you locked in and undistracted, helping you to complete your task. If you know your plane leaves at 2:30 PM and you need to be there two hours ahead of time, and it takes you 30 minutes to reach the airport, you begin building a time-frame. Then you calculate an hour for checking-in, going through security, and arriving at your gate. You look at the clock, know you must leave NLT 11:00 AM to be on time, and it is 8:30 AM now, you only have 2 and a half hours to get packed and ready to go. Without setting any such goal, chances are you’ll never make in time for any flight you need to take.

Another reason for setting goals is that it helps you avoid procrastination. If we live day-to-day merely doing things on a whim or impulse and without any urgency, we will hear ourselves saying over and over, “Oh shoot! I was supposed to do so and so at such and such a time!” With no way to remind ourselves, we are like a message in a bottle, floating with the tide, never knowing when or if it will ever reach shore. Where would you be if you had such an attitude with your education, your job training, your getting to work, etc? And finally, setting goals gives you a reason for doing something.

When we were kids, every time our father would announce that we were going to grandma’s house, we were not in the car for even an hour before he heard that famous line, “Daddy, are we there yet?” None of us could figure out how far we’d have to go or how long it took to get there. Our father could have easily quieted down our anxiousness if he would have started the trip by saying, “Okay, kids, it takes three hours to get to grandma’s house. Right now the little hand on our dashboard clock it is 9, when you see it get the 12 you’ll know we’ll be near grandma’s house. That way, all of us would have had a goal by which to calculate how close we were.

King Solomon was not known as the wisest monarch in the world without a reason. In one of his Proverbs he says that if we share our goals with the Lord, He will make our plans will work out for the best.¹ Then he goes on to say that people come up with a lot of plans, but the Lord will help them select the right one.² Later Solomon says that careful planning helps you get ahead, but getting into a hurry will only make you fall further and further behind.³

Jesus knew all about setting goals and making plans. He explained it to His disciples this way: “Is there anyone planning to build a new house, who doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so they’ll know if they can complete it? If they only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, they’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at them: ‘They started something they couldn’t finish.’”

And the Apostle Paul was sure of where he came from and where he was going. He told his friends back in Philippi what his goal was. He told them that he kept moving toward the goal which God set for him. That his eyes were fixed on a crown. He wanted to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.⁴ So if the pastor stopped you one Sunday as you are leaving church and asked you, “Do you know where you stand in your Christian life and your walk with God,” what would your answer be? – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Two weeks ago, my youngest daughter kissed and said goodnight to her fiancee. The next morning, when he did not show up for breakfast, she went to wake him up. When she entered the bedroom he was laying in his usual position. But as soon as she got close to him, things didn’t seem just right. And when she tried to wake him up, she knew something terrible was wrong.

She called 911 and the ET’s came to see what was wrong. In her heart, she didn’t want to believe what her mind was suggesting. She asked a friend who was a policeman to call someone because she was so stressed. So he called her next oldest sister, and her heart fragmented when she heard him say, “he’s gone.”

It was like the sky suddenly collapsed, shattering her whole world. They had known each other for over 15 years. We’re deeply in love. She wore a beautiful engagement ring on her finger. But now the one who put it there was gone! I had the privilege of talking with her on the phone and sharing what I had learned from my training as a grief counselor.

When she called the other day, my second oldest daughter, who is with her asked if I could fly there for the memorial service and interment. But my age, health, and other problems would not allow me to go. So she then asked if I could write something to be read at the memorial service. I agreed, and here is what I shared with her.

FOR MICHELLE ON HER FAREWELL TO STEVE

Grief is one of the most painful things a human being can be asked to endure. It is trying to cope with the sudden loss of someone or something you dearly love. Even more agonizing, is when the loss is unexpected and for which there seems to be no explanation.

Grief is made so very real when you turn to talk to someone or reach out to hug someone or expect to see someone, and they are not there anymore. They’re gone! Michelle, I can only imagine how you must feel. This is a personal thing, something that only you can explain because this one is unique to you.

But God is also aware of how His children feel when dealing with grief. The Psalmist David tells us that the Lord is always very near to those whose hearts have been broken, He’s always nearby to those whose spirits are crushed.¹ But the Psalmist also said that when his body and heart grew weak because of sorrow, God was right there to give him strength in his heart, and that was all he needed.² In fact, the Psalmist said that God loves to mend a wounded heart and sooth its pain.³

But I also want to be your Psalmist today. So I’ve written the following just for you on this occasion.

LOVING WHAT DEATH CAN TOUCH

It is a frightful thing

to love what death can touch and hold.

A frightful thing to love, to hope, to dream,

but then to lose what means the most.

Oh, the thought of losing,

must be a thing only for those who cannot dream

but then again to lose can be a holy thing.

A holy thing to love what death can touch,

someone that lived in your heart,

someone that lifted you with laughter

someone you took as God’s gift to you.

To remember them can also be a painful thing.

But it’s a human thing to love,

it’s also a holy thing to love,

it is a blessed thing to love what death can touch,

but cannot hold forever.

By Dad for his Michelle on Steve’s farewell

Inspired by the poetry of Yehuda HaLevi.

To all my precious readers, students, followers, and friends. I’m so thrilled that you have been part of our journey through the Book of Romans. We will be starting our examination of Chapter 10 on Monday, March 5, 2018. I hope and pray that you will come along on this exciting trek through the pages of Holy Scripture.

There are two relevant topics that we will examine in order to learn more about the importance of combining our zeal for God with our desire to know more about of Him. We put a lot of effort into finding out what opportunities the Holy Spirit gave to Israel for them to really appreciate the Gospel of Christ and how those opportunities are also available to the world today. Then we will see the consequences or Israel’s rejection of Christ and His Gospel and how it applies to us today.

So I invite you, with a passionate heart, to show God how much you love Him by loving His Word. You have to fill your time and mind with something each day to help you deal with the reality of living in this world as a Christian. You have many options from watching TV to listening to music to being socially active. Why not make studying God’s Word as one of your top priorities. You won’t be disappointed.

God bless you, I love and appreciate all of you. – Dr. Robert R Seyda