Coffee With The Lord

Romans 12 is one of the most wonderful and important chapters in all the Bible!  It begins by emphasizing the secret of a transformed life (vss. 1-2), then it transitions to a biblical description of what constitutes a health self-concept for a Christian (vss. 3-8), and finally it closes by presenting a wonderful picture of what an authentic Christian ought to look like in daily life (vss. 9-21).  Hey take it from me, if you haven’t taken time to read and reflect deeply on its message, do it… DO IT NOW!  In fact, I’d recommend you make it a Bible memory project… You’ll be glad you did!

I mean, can you imagine someone who lives like Romans 12:9-21 describes?  What an impact they would have on their world!  What a positive influence they would be in their community!  How unbelievers would be drawn to their Spiritual magnetism!  What a healthy, healing impact they would have within any local church (pastor’s would love ‘em!)!

Here’s a bulleted list of some of the things I saw there (some paraphrased by me)…

• Authentic, Christlike love – the real thing!
• An aversion for anything evil!
• A clinging to whatever is good and wholesome!
• Deep love and affection for fellow Christians (even those that do not share the same label)!
• People who love showing respect and honor to others!
• Never lazy… instead characterized by zeal for serving the Lord!
• Lives filled with hope – rejoicing in God’s promises and the bright future ahead for Christians!
• When things are tough… patient though their trials!
• People whose lives are filled with prayer – sustained prayer!
• Generous – they love to help other who are in need!
• Hospitable!
• When persecuted by others – they bless their persecuters instead!
• They rejoice when others rejoice!
• They share the sorrow of those who are in grief!
• They have wonderful people skills – they live in harmony with fellow Christians (and their neighbors)!
• They are never haughty and associate with common folk!
• They never act like “know-it-alls” or “smarty pants”!
• Retaliation is not the way they respond to wrongs! They NEVER try to get even – instead they respond with goodness, kindness and forgiveness!
• They are completely motivated by what is honorable!
• In any church, organization, or community, depend on it – they can be depended upon to be “peacemaker”!
• In fact, bottom line? They conquer the rampant evil around them with overwhelming goodness!

I’ll tell you… This is what I wrote in the margin of my Bible this morning… “Oh Lord, give me the grace to live this way!!!  I believe that is how God wants authentic Christians to act!!!

A healthy self-concept: It’s a big deal to those who work in the behavioral sciences. But it’s equally important in education, business, and a host of other areas as well! It can be the difference between success and failure! The broader culture has a diversity of opinions of what a healthy self-concept looks like. Sometimes those who espouse what is “healthy” value what is pretty assertive – even arrogant and abrasive at times. It’s linked to appearance, image-making, fashion, education, learned skills, and other self-improvement techniques… Some aspects of that are good, some rather artificial, others can even a bit offensive to those around them.

You’ve seen them, experienced them, and had to listen to them – hapless blowhards who think they have the answer to everything! Compare them to Almighty God, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present who truly knows the end from the beginning and whose purposes will ultimately be fulfilled!
This morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” several passages I read intersected around this theme… Here they are:

In Job 26 Job responds with stinging sarcasm to some “blowhards” who believe they have all the answers to his painful experiences… “Then Job answered and said: ‘How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! With whose help have you uttered words, and whose breath has come out from you?’ (Job 26:1-4)

Then Job sets in stark contrast the Almighty God who does know everything and whose purposes never fail…

“He [God] stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. By his power he stilled the sea… By his wind the heavens were made fair… Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (From Job 26:7–14)

And to that was added another passage of praise and worship that was part of my Bible reading this morning – an appropriate response to the God Job described…

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has ever been his counselor? Who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things! To him be glory forever! Amen!” (From Romans 11:33–36)

So when you’re exposed to the self-righteous, arrogant, bloviating of a “blowhard” who thinks he or she has all the answers to your situation; step away – excuse yourself – and find a quiet place and listen to THE VOICE OF GOD in His word and within your spirit… You’ll be glad you did!