Is God Truly Faithful and Reliable?

“Is God Truly Faithful and Reliable?”- Romans 9:1-24

How could God have mercy on me? I have a hard and angry heart. How could God love me? I have lived such a sinful life. How could God be gracious towards me? I have always done things on my own.

These and many other questions are posed by both the unbeliever and believer at many times in our lives. Paul addresses all these questions and concerns in Romans 9, and even though he was speaking to the nation of Israel, we can see ourselves reflected in this passage and in the words he has written. He speaks to the Jewish people telling them that he needs to tell them some things, but to not believe that he (or God) are anti-Jewish because God loves everyone; Paul also reminds them that were is not for the Jewish people, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, would not have come to be. Many times we think that because of our background or because of our culture that we are not worthy of the saving grace and mercy of God, but Paul shows us that God loves EVERYONE, not just the gentile or just the Jewish person. God may have to change some things in us when we become believers, things that have come to be a part of us as a result of our society, culture, upbringing, or other circumstances, but none of that keeps us from being loved and embraced by the Father.


Many times our logic and society try to tell us that God’s word must have failed; they also say we do not need to be faithful to this God because we have come this far on “our own.” The fact of the matter is that we are never outside of the hand and will of God! God’s sovereignty is absolute, and we must realize that the faithfulness and reliability of God is not hindered by man’s unfaithfulness. One prime example is that of Pharaoh not letting Moses and his people leave Egypt. We are told that Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, but regardless of how hard his heart was, Moses and his people were released in the end. God was completely, unquestionably, in control. He knew what Pharaoh would say, but He also knew they would leave!


It is an awesome thing to see the sovereignty of God, but we must not become so arrogant to believe that we must not stay humble before the will of God. Paul speaks of not questioning the Lord and His plan, but also knowing that we have a personal responsibility to walk out the Lord’s plan for our lives. Paul speaks saying in Romans 9:20, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” God is completely in control, knowing exactly for what intent and purpose we have been created, but even if we try to walk outside of His will, His plans will still be accomplished regardless of what we may say or do. Even though this is all true, we must still remember that God’s sovereignty NEVER negates man’s responsibility. To look at it from a different angle, we should feel great allegiance and responsibility toward the will and plans of God when we would not be here were it not for Him! His mercy, grace, and love is the reason we are here, and as believers, we should not take God’s faithfulness and reliability for granted.

The God of History and the Future

“The God of History and the Future”- Romans 9:1-9, 23-29

Do you ever think to yourself, “What in the world is God doing,” “What in the world is God doing with me,” or the epic question “How is it all going to end?” These are different questions that people who are lost in the world will ask, but many of us, as believers, find ourselves asking these very questions but we are able to see it all from a different view of time. Our society’s view of time is pictured negatively because there is a belief that life is nothing and one becomes nothing; we, as believers, have a biblical view of time, which includes the following: God is at the beginning and has taken charge of it, Jesus Christ is at the center of history, and Jesus Christ will bring about a triumphant conclusion- total restoration! There is HOPE!


When we take the time to look at the three distinct points of a biblical view of time, we come to realize that having faith in God is NOT a leap into the dark. As new believers, (and sometimes as old believers), we find ourselves wondering why it is that we do not understand a particular aspect of our walk with God, such as not understanding why God would allow something to happen in our lives at a particular time, but what we must realize is that as believers we have faith seeking understanding. We will not automatically understand all of God or make sense of certain things right away, but we begin to understand as we move along trusting God and His word.


It may seem as if we must do something to bring ourselves to a place in which we are worthy of acquiring this understanding, but God is the one who initiates a relationship! Let us consider the life and story of Abraham. Abraham (who was called Abram at the time when God calls him) is living in a land of pagans and idol worship; God comes down and initiates a relationship regardless of who Abram was, the life he was living, and what he may have done! God actually, in His great love, calls this man, Abram, changes his name, and speaks over him saying that He will bless ALL the nations of the earth through him. Imagine what He is calling each and every one of us to do and be. God is the pursuer because He loves us even though there is absolutely no merit in us!


God calls Abram, now Abraham, and speaks that amazing prophecy over him and his seed, but sadly Israel forgets time and time again about Jesus Christ who will come through Israel. How many times have we heard God speak over our lives, tell us the great plans He has for our lives, and we negate them because we believe there is no way it can be accomplished; maybe it is that we do not feel He has told us anything about our future. Why would we stop so short when we, as believers, serve the God who knows the beginning, middle, and end?!? We have a place in the will of God; He has a plan for each and every one who comes into His family. Our place in the world is in Christ, and we have become a part of His story… what greater place to be and to do as we are told!


In the end, God is going to wrap up the story and then there will be judgment, but running parallel to this judgment is His faithfulness to His people. We should have hope in being His people and doing and being in His will. This should also lead us to a sense of soberness, to ask ourselves whether we are doing all we have been asked to do as per the Lord’s calling on our lives. He has called us to reach outward, and we must make sure that we are accomplishing His will and purposes, not only in our lives, but also in helping those in the world. He knows all that was, is, and will be, and He has a plan for each and every one of His children! Embrace your plan and place in His will!

Is God in Control of Everything?

“Is God in Control of Everything?”- Romans 8:28-39

In Romans 8, Paul begins by speaking about there being no condemnation, he ends with there being no separation, and throughout the middle he writes about the person who is in Christ there is no defeat.  All can be summed up in one word- Assurance.  In this particular chapter, Paul shows us how Christ does change our lives, and he gives us an assurance that we are His; as believers, we are the children of the Most High King.  Some of us may wonder how it can be that we, believers, could be children of God; how can we be certain He loves us as His own when we are more wicked than we could have ever imagined.  Our assurance can be found in that even though we are more terrible than we could imagine, we are in fact more loved than we can conceive, loved because He loves us.  Such a simple answer, and yet so difficult for many of us to truly imbed these words into our hearts, to trust and have faith that God could love us because He loves us!

Towards the end of Romans 8, Paul addresses what many of us question: what happens when we sin or fail and others point fingers?  In verses 33-34 Paul says the following, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”  God does not turn His back the second we sin; instead, Jesus, Himself, stands as our intercessor because we, believers, cannot be brought into condemnation because the price has been paid by Jesus Christ, Himself.  Paul goes on to say in verse 35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”  Nothing can impede what God has done for us and the love He has for us!

Things may seem beyond understanding, with us standing in our situations trying to come to a semblance of understanding at what is happening or even why it is happening, but God sees it ALL.  Think of a tapestry.  When one looks at it from the backside, it is difficult to make out what the design could possibly be on the other side, but all the time we spend looking at the backside because that is where we find ourselves, God sees the other side, and He knows exactly what He is designing.  We must not look directly at our situation, instead, we must keep our eyes fixed on the One who is in control of the design, who knows exactly what design we were created to make. 

Some of us may then ask why we cannot just sit back and relax because God is in control, but the fact of the matter is that God says He will carry it all but we must take the steps.  David says in Psalm 37:23, “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.”  In this, we can understand that we must take the steps, but as believers, when we seek the Lord, our steps are ordered by the Lord; we need only walk them out.  God is completely in control because He is a sovereign God, but our choices do matter.  It can put much pressure on us as individuals in this world, but as children of Christ we must have faith the He loves us because He loves us, and there is no greater assurance than that.  No matter what bad stuff is going on in us or around us, we cannot be separated from God’s love.  As believers, we are ASSURED!