Author: Christine Wyrtzen

THERE IS A ‘BECAUSE’

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Romans 5:3-4

            One of my frustrations with the church, in the past, has been the misuse of scripture.  It’s as if snippets of the Bible were memorized, categorized internally on a 3×5 card, then spit out again in what was considered an appropriate situation.  I can’t count how many sermons I’ve heard over the course of my lifetime on ‘rejoicing in suffering.’  It was a command by rote, completely void of the scriptural context of intimate relationship with God.  Add to that the fact that the command to rejoice was followed up with an important ‘because’. 

            I don’t rejoice in suffering because I enjoy hurting.  I know this is ludicrous and if I’m told that God expects that of me, that He enjoys hurting me, this creates such a crack in our relationship that only truth can fix it.  Continue reading “There Is A ‘Because’” →

FINALLY AT PEACE

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1

            When I function, daily, in a world of frantic activity, I dream of peace.  When I work in an atmosphere where there is conflict and negativity, I dream of peace.  When there is tension between me and those close to me, I dream of peace. When I’m plagued by all my foolish choices, I dream of peace.  When I feel others’ judgment, I dream of peace.  When I worry about those I love, I dream of peace.

            When I was younger, I would dream of sitting by a lake to listen to the water lap up on the shore.  But, ironically, when I finally got there and though the atmosphere was peaceful, I found myself rehearsing all the things that made me feel stressful.  There was not really any way to drown out the inner turmoil. 

            Paul nails the greatest need of my heart.  It is to know peace with God.  Since Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf has made me right with God, I can immediately eradicate some of the most important reasons I fail to have peace. 

            My failures have been washed away by the blood of my Savior and He has put them behind His back, never to take them out again and say to me, viciously, “Remember what you did?”  I am forgiven and that brings peace.

            Condemning comments from others, even though spoken long ago, can ring in my ears.  I can be plagued by a sense of being flawed and inadequate.  But, I am accepted by God and feel the warmth of His favor on my shoulders.  That brings peace and silences my accusers.

            Fears that I rehearse, even in peaceful surroundings, can still threaten to undo me.  Perfect love, given to me by God, casts out fear as I rehearse His love letters full of promises.  The power of prayer is mine and that brings peace.

            If you find yourself wound up tight, stop, take a minute and exhale.  Be at rest.  Be at peace.  Breathe this prayer.  Strength will be yours for this day. 

Oh Father, I am loved by You and that love is never threatened!  I am forgiven for everything I’ve ever done and I’m free of Your condemnation!  I can cast away fear because You are in control of my life.  You turn all things for my good and I rest completely in Your sovereignty.  My circumstances can often be tumultuous but deep in my spirit, my heart abides in You.  The current of Your peace carries me through the storm.  How can I ever thank you!  Amen

Good morning,

I wanted to write a note to all of you this morning in lieu of the devotional.  Next week, we begin chapter 5 of Romans.  I can’t believe we’ve come this far.  I was so skittish as I began this book, knowing it was a heavyweight spiritual challenge.  Each morning, throughout the first two chapters, I was a nervous wreck, praying that God would be faithful to help and teach me.  That’s a redundant prayer because He is faithful.  Nonetheless, that’s where I was. Perhaps you’ll be glad to know that I’ve settled in, confident that what God has started, He will complete.  (I can’t wait for chapter 8!)

Satan lied to our first set of parents, Adam and Eve, about the importance of taking God’s words seriously. He encouraged them to question. “Did God really say that?” In doing their own thing, which was really Satan’s thing, they were filled with shame and went to hide. Shame destroys our confidence with God. We no longer have the guts to stand before Him, look Him in the face, and engage in the relationship. Sin clogs the line of openness and what was once free and easy is full of cobwebs.

Today, I examine my heart again and prepare for this next leg of the journey.  I want to thank you for really digging into Romans with me.  Though I haven’t sat down with you, face to face, I hear from many of you each day.  Some of you are printing out the devotionals and compiling your own books.  Others of you are tearful; grateful for the life-giving words that are changing your life.  I am reminded, every day, that none of us live in a vacuum.  As we let the Word and the Spirit change us, and as we tell our stories of grace to others, we impact the whole body of Christ. 

Thank you for listening.  I love you and pray for you each day.  Once a week, I scroll through all the names of the subscribers and lift you up before the Father.  May the rest of Romans give us the ride of a lifetime. 

Yours because of Jesus,

Christine

FAITH AND DISTRUST

No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  Romans 4:20-21

It’s impossible to have faith in God if distrust is part of my heart’s makeup.  Satan knows that and introduces pain and betrayal into my story.  I close off my heart, live in fear and never fully trust people again.  With that in place, the enemy knows what will be next; a distrust of God. Continue reading “Faith and Distrust” →

BECAUSE GOD SAID SO. PERIOD!

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18

If anyone could have floundered in their faith, it was Abraham.  All he had were the words God spoke to him.  He had no church to fan the flame of his faith.  No bible.  No bible studies.  No fellow Christians.  He was all alone and the only one in his world to hear God speak.  He clung to God’s words in a vacuum.

God calls us to Himself and, through His Word and the voice of His Spirit, calls us to live against the grain of our world too.  Continue reading “Because God Said So. Period!” →

SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Romans 4:17b

Our God is so powerful.  Though our hands are often empty and we’re driven to despair, He can create something out of nothing. Continue reading “Something Out Of Nothing” →

RESTING ON THE CUSHION OF GRACE

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring – not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.  Romans 4:16

            I can be so terribly inconsistent.  I know that I came to Christ through faith in Christ, that I contributed nothing to the equation, but from then on I am tempted everyday to live my life trying to please God.  The Christian life becomes all about my efforts and going back to the law.  Grace is shut out.

            What will please God today?  I can make a list and try to live up to it.  Continue reading “Resting On The Cushion Of Grace” →

LIFE WITHOUT A MIRROR

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.  Romans 4:15

            When I come into contact with the law, I become of aware of what sin is.  I learn what is right and what is wrong.  Without exposure to it, I am like a child who has had poor parenting.  The neighbors say of his poor manners and bad behavior, “Poor kid.  He doesn’t know any better.”  Continue reading “Life Without A Mirror” →

WAY TO WRECK A GIFT

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.  Romans 4:13-14

Talk about a gift.  Because of Abraham’s faith, God justified him and then made a covenant promise to him.  He would be the father of many nations and through his seed the earth would be blessed.  This promise was not made because Abraham had done anything to deserve it.  It was a gift with no strings.

Many today are trying to earn their way to heaven.  They believe they can generate enough moral goodness to get in God’s good graces.  If their good outweighs their bad, perhaps God will save them from the fires of hell.  The story of Abraham, and Paul’s review of his story in Romans, strongly reminds us of the error of this kind of belief.  It’s ludicrous (and arrogant) to believe that I can do anything good enough to appease the wrath of a holy God. I am sinful, by birth, by nature.  Any good that I do does not wash away guilt.  Only the blood of the atoning Savior can do that – and that blood offering is a gift.  No strings attached other than fully casting my hope upon Him.

I got to thinking this morning about how I can easily wreck a gift.  Continue reading “Way To Wreck A Gift” →

MY SPIRITUAL FATHER

The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Romans 4:11-12

            If our father were a distinguished man, well-known and well-loved, we would tell everyone about him.  Like the kid in grade school who brags to his friends, “My daddy is stronger than your daddy,” we would probably brag about who we were related to. 

            I don’t know how you feel about your family tree.  Perhaps your line of descendants is the cause of much embarrassment.  Continue reading “My Spiritual Father” →