Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

One of the greatest joys I have discovered in retirement is the free time I now have to read.  I always had a Bible and great devotionals in my office that in free moments I could pick up and read for daily inspiration; but to find time in my busy schedule to just sat down and enjoy reading was almost impossible.  But now not only do I have time to read, I also have time to go to the Goodwill store to discover great books.  One of the great discoveries I found was a book written by Dr. Lee Roberson titled The Gold Mine.  I was blessed to have spent seven wonderful years at Tennessee Temple University and had meet Dr. Lee Roberson several times.  If fact I was even an example in one of his sermons as a student who showed the peace of God in their life in time of difficulties.  So of course I had to get this book and add it to my library. 

The main purpose of this book was to give illustration to wedge into the daily thinking of a man and to drive home some great and important, vital Bible truth.  These illustrations were to help in the preaching of the gospel to drive home the main point which was to point men and women to Christ.  Now after nearly fifty years since left the campus of Tennessee Temple University I look back and see how much of my life was shaped by this man of God.  My love for God’s Word (the Bible) has been a strong influence on my daily life and has given me a closeness that only God and I know.  This closeness has made me aware of how the greatness of my Lord which I can’t even grasp a glimpse of the vastness; that the Lord that can control the events in this universe, would even have a personal relationship with me that is completely mine, as well as a personal relationship to any who invites him into their life.  As I wrote yesterday about Psalms twenty three that each and every one who works with the Lord and tell stories of how he has always been there for them.

As I opened this book I saw the on page three an insert with his life verse.

And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Lee Robinson

I am blessed to have his life verse in my Bible with his signature given me at the time I was serving in his chapel ministry for the Highland Park Baptist church,  This Bible is falling apart now, but the closeness it has brought to me with my Lord over the last fifty years has been wonderful.  The peace that passes understanding, knowing that when he that has the son has life and he that has not the son has not life.  And I have Christ so I can have as my life verse PHILIPPIANS 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”.  You might gain the whole world and might make it your goal to change the world to be a better place, you may have all your earthly desires fulfill, but if you don’t have the son at death you don’t have life.  Jesus is the only way.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 

Reading the A Year with C.S. Lewis this morning he writes about the essential vice.  This vise is pride.  After a lengthy discuss on the subject of pride he summarizes pride as a spiritual cancer that will eat up the very possibility of love or contentment, or even common sense.  This is the pride that Paul is writing about here in Romans chapter one.  God invisible attributes, his eternal power, and divine nature has been clearly seen and understood through his creation.  So since God has revealed himself clearly man is without excuse to honor or give thanks to Him.  But instead they profess themselves to be wise and exchange the glory of God to meet their lusts.  This is the pride that Satan exhibits. 

In his book Holiness by Henry Blackaby He gives six examples of demons knowing the truth in their head about Jesus.  They know he died for the sins of the world, he was the sinless son of God, he was raised again, he has given this power to everyone that believes, he is interceding for believers, and he is coming back again.  These are the same truths that those who reject Christ also know, but reject him as savior.  Why!  Because they profess themselves wise.

In Luke chapter eighteen verse ten through fourteen Christ gives us a great example of what Paul is writing about in Romans chapter one.  The parable is about a Pharisee and a tax collector.  The Pharisee saw himself as righteous (self-righteousness) whereas the tax collector saw himself as a sinner in need of mercy.  Because the tax collector saw his true nature and the need for mercy he was forgiven and justified, however the Pharisee lifted himself up like Satin not seeing the need to be forgiven or to seek mercy.  This pride is the foolish that those that reject the preaching of the cross that Paul writes about in both Romans chapter one and I Corinthians chapter one. 

Galatians 3:3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

These words took on a new meaning to me this morning as I was reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  In his devotion to he writes “God saves a man and endues him with the Holy Spirit, and then says in effect – Now work it out, be loyal to me whilst the nature of things round about you make you disloyal.”  Christ did His part on the cross, and when we believe in Him we have salvation; however, now the hard part of the believer’s walk is just getting started.  Are we going to walk in the spirit or in the flesh? 

Salvation is the free gift of John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son to believe in Him to receive eternal life.  Just as the gift of life is given to a newborn child as he comes into this world salvation is given to anyone that has believe in Christ, However, the growth process must start immediately.  This is the hard part of the believer’s walk.  Are we going to be guided by the Holy Spirit or by the ways of the flesh?  Paul was writing to warn the Galatians not to go down the path of another gospel (works verses faith).  Salvation by works is guide by a walk according to the deeds of the flesh; but salvation by faith believes in the work done by Christ on the cross that gives us salvation and then living a life by walking in the spirit.   

In Galatians 6:8 Paul gives the Galatians this warning “For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”  However, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is honorable, whatsoever is right, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is lovely, whatsoever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and if anything, worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.  So, as we take the journey of our time on earth and once, we have receive the free gift of salvation by our faith in Christ, let us take the bold step of not walking in the ways of the world and it understanding but instead walk in the Spirit by focusing on His Word and letting the Holy Spirit guide us in our daily walk with Him. 

Revelation 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.”

This is one of those verses that I love to write about. For those who hear the voice of Jesus and opens the door to the Lord has given His desire to enjoy His fellowship.  This verse reminds me of a song I learned many, many years ago in my youth.  The song There is Something Mighty Sweet about the Lord is a song about a person’s daily walk with the Lord.  The words in this song, “it really does not matter what the people said there something mighty sweet about the Lord’, reflects how simple, yet so wonderfully fulfilling our daily walk with the Lord is in the life of those that know Him as Savior.   

These words from Revelation chapter three were written to the church of Laodicea, which I consider is a reflection of the church today.  To this church Christ pictures himself as standing outside the church knocking on the door to have fellowship with anyone who will open the door.  In Philippians 3:8 Paul writes, “More than that I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ”.  In this verse Paul reveals the wonderful joy we have when we open the door of our heart and let Christ in.  This is the true purpose of a believer’s life, to open the door to Christ and turn over everything to Him.