Author Archives: gonelikeashadowatevening

Bible, Blessed, Blessing, Happiness, Scripture

BLESSED

ROMANS 4:8

“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

I often use an expression when I am asked how I am doing. I say, “I’m too blessed to be depressed.” That’s not original to me. You’ve probably heard or perhaps even said it yourself. But what does being blessed actually mean. Let’s take a few minutes to look at that from today’s verse.

Paul continues his quotation of Psalm 32:1-2 with verse 2 of that passage. The Hebrew word for “blessed” is esher. Strong’s Concordance says it is always used as interjection as in “How happy!” Paul uses the Greek word makarios which can be defined as “supremely blessed.” I really like that, don’t you? That’s the same word used in Matthew 5 in the Beatitudes.

APPLICATION

The word “blessed” is also used in Psalm 1:1 where it says, “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Why is he blessed? Well, that psalm goes on to say it’s because our delight is in the law of the Lord. Look at Psalm 1:2-3. “2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” What a promise!

Blessings are ours, if we are obeying and believing. I don’t mean to imply we can just name it and claim it or blab it and grab it. Nope! I mean God wants to bless His children just like earthly parents want to bless their obedient children. In Exodus 19:5 the Lord gave these words to Moses on Mount Sinai to share with the people. “‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;’” God wants to bless His children.

What does a “blessing” mean to you? It’s not just something you say before you eat. It’s a God given happiness or joy because you are walking in obedience. Blessings come in all forms. I challenge you today to look back and count all the blessings you have been given from Him. I know I can’t even begin to do that. Yet, He has more for me and you. Live obediently today and watch how He blesses you.

Lord, I thank You for the blessings that flow into my life simply because I am obedient and follow You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Confession, Evil, Forgiveness, Scripture, Sin

FORGIVEN

ROMANS 4:7

“‘BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.’”

When I think back to my life before Christ, I am so thankful for His grace and mercy. I was never evil, but my actions and deeds were. I don’t have to enumerate them here. I am sure you had similar deeds in your “Before Christ” days. Am I right? Knowing what is not good and still doing it is just evil. It’s what I used to tell my children was “willful disobedience.” I was willfully disobeying. I deserved punishment, but I got grace. Hallelujah!

In today’s verse and tomorrow’s, Paul quotes from Psalm 32:1-2, which I quoted yesterday in my blog. Most scholars agree that David wrote this Psalm after his sins involving Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah. It may have been written right after Nathan confronted him or at a later time while he was reflecting on it. Either way, it is a beautiful psalm of confession and forgiveness. You can use this as your own psalm of praise over your forgiven sins.

APPLICATION

Do you remember the story behind this psalm? David had stayed home from the war (his first mistake) and when he couldn’t sleep one evening, he took a walk on his rooftop. It was there he saw Bathsheba bathing on a nearby rooftop. Let’s be clear – that first glance was not sin. The second glance, however, is where it all began. Lust sprang up in his heart and he began to plot to “take” this woman. Lust let to the sin of adultery and then murder.

Sins have a way of multiplying quickly. I just had a thought pop into my head (dangerous, I know). Do you remember “herman” bread or maybe you called it “friendship” bread? You got a starter blob from someone or started your own. Then you watched that blog grow in the frig due to the yeast expanding. You were supposed to take part and make bread and then give part of the remaining blob away. My mom never gave any away. We had “herman” bread coming out our nose, lol.

That’s how sin spreads. Left unchecked it expands and grows and will eventually lead to death. If you have unconfessed sins today, bring them to Jesus. Maybe you’re reading this, and you are not a believer yet. Make this day your day of salvation. Say with David, “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.”

Father, I praise You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for rescuing me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Faith, Righteousness, Scripture, Works

NOTHING OF ME

ROMANS 4:6

“just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:”

I don’t know why I thought of Numbers 35:30 when I read today’s verse. I guess because Paul is calling on his second witness to prove that our works are futile in achieving righteousness. In Numbers, we read, “‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.’” More than one witness was needed. Perhaps this was on Paul’s heart as he wrote today’s verse.

If anyone knew the futility of works, it was David. Just look back at all the things he had accomplished for God. Most of David’s testimony was good until…that one night. You know the story of David and Bathsheba. Not only did he commit adultery (some say by force), but he also lied and then had her husband killed to try to cover up his sin. It’s no wonder we read in Psalm 32:1-2 these words, “1 How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the LORD does not take into account, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

APPLICATION

Let me encourage you to read the rest of Psalm 32. There are only eleven verses. You can really feel David’s heart in this psalm. He confesses and praises. He gives advice. David had learned via the School of Hard Knocks. He had trusted the Lord as a young shepherd boy to protect him from the bears and lions who came after his flock. He fled from Saul all those years he had sought to kill him. He even fled from his own son, Absalom, who tried to usurp the throne. But David’s worst enemy was himself, his flesh. He knew he couldn’t do it on his own.

Have you reached that point? I pray it doesn’t take some great moral failure to wake you up. Stop right where you are this morning and examine your motives for doing what you are doing. Are you trying to achieve some kind of spiritual high that will not last? No amount of screaming, yelling, jumping up and down or fasting will bring about righteousness. You are made holy through Jesus.

I probably sound like a broken record these past few verses, but Paul is trying to drive a point home. It’s like I’ve quoted before, “You can’t, God never said you could. He can and He always said He would.” Amen? Believe! Trust! Follow! Obey! And watch the holiness of God roll in and cover you.

O Lord, I am nothing in Your sight and could never accomplish what You can do in one blink of Your eye.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Belief, Bible, Justification, Justified, Scripture, Works

DON’T WORK, JUST BELIEVE

ROMANS 4:5

“But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Sentence structure is important for a writer. Jumble up your words and thoughts and the reader has a hard time understanding what you are trying to tell them. I have had some tough English teachers in my lifetime. I won’t call any names, but one that I had in college was the worst ever. She threatened to fail any student that had a comma splice in their final essay. I found out later that she was known as the toughest English professor there. Wish I had known that before.

Paul uses three different verbs in today’s verse. Actually, two are participles that are tied to the main verb which is “is credited.” We saw that verb in the previous verse. If there was any doubt as to what Paul has been saying about works and faith, he makes it clear here. It is not our works that justify us and bring righteousness. It is belief in Him – plain and simple.

APPLICATION

Take a look at what God does for us. I love that Paul writes that He “justifies the ungodly.” Can you raise your hand on that one? I sure can. When I think back to my position before Christ, that is exactly what I was – ungodly. That word “ungodly” is the negative of “respect.” It means to show a lack of reverence or a failure to honor what is sacred. Boy, that was me. I knew all about God but failed to live for Him. But He justified me anyway when I turned to Him.

We are not required to clean ourselves up, to do some kind of hard labor before our belief kicks in. We simply believe. We recognize Him for Who He is – Lord. And we are given that gift of faith that will lead us to a righteous lifestyle. We don’t get there overnight. It takes time for us to learn how to live godly. But through prayer and His Word, we learn what He expects from us.

Do you believe? Do you really believe? Have you accepted this gift of grace and received your justification? God loves you with an everlasting love. He reached down from heaven and has chosen you to be His child. He called your name and, if you have answered, you are forever His. He will never leave you or forsake you. Now, stop trying to work for your salvation. Trust in Him and believe. Follow Him and obey.

Father, I thank You that since I did nothing to get saved, there is nothing I can do to “unsave” myself.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Justification, Reward, Scripture, Wages

WAGES DUE

ROMANS 4:4

“Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due.” 

It seems I have been working all my life. I had my first job mowing lawns in our neighborhood with my older brother. We got paid after each job. Then I got a job at a gas station where my brother worked and was assigned car washing duties. There I got paid once a week. Later own I had other part-time jobs and received my wages either weekly or biweekly. As I got older and started my ministry career, those paychecks became monthly. But at each and every job, I got paid for my work.

In today’s verse, Paul presents a fact that those who work deserve their wage. He is not saying that this applies to our salvation. He has stated very clearly in earlier verses that our justification is strictly on faith. He is simply giving an illustration that his readers could relate to. We’ll see the contrast in tomorrow’s verse. You don’t have to complicate this verse by trying to see a hidden meaning. Sometimes Paul just states the obvious.

APPLICATION

What we can take from this, however, is that we are not to try to earn our justification by any works we accomplish. Justification is not our wage for doing works. The Greek word for “wage” is misthos and can be translated as pay or reward. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus gives us a warning about our reward. “‘Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.’” I want my reward, don’t you?

At the conclusion of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Jesus says this in verse 12, “‘Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great;…’” Isn’t that great news? But remember, it’s not for anything you’ve done. We receive a reward for trusting Him. We receive a reward for being His child. Will some receive more rewards than others? I think so. Some dear saint you have never heard of will receive that great reward for their loyalty and dedication even though they were never recognized here on earth.

Don’t think your position in church will gain you more. It won’t. Don’t think because you have more degrees than a thermometer (you’ll catch later), you will have a bigger reward. You won’t. Our wage, our reward that we will receive in glory will come only because the Father deems us worthy of it for placing our faith in Jesus and serving Him sacrificially. Let us work for Him daily but not do it to gain anything.

Father, I serve You and willingly do what You ask, knowing that You will reward me for my relationship, not my works.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Faith, Jesus, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Scripture

CREDITED

ROMANS 4:3

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”

When I was a young boy, my dad took me to the Credit Union that was part of his workplace, Coats and Clark Thread Mill, in Pelham, Ga. I took in the money I had saved and gave it to my Aunt LaGrande who was the bookkeeper there. In exchange, she gave me this little book that showed my deposit. That little book was my proof of the money that was credited to me. It was mine and no one else. I could come get it whenever I wanted.

I just love today’s verse and the quotation from Genesis 15:6. The full story is found in the previous five verses. After God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, we read that he believed God (Yahweh), and God gave him his little credit union book full of righteousness. Well, that’s not exactly what it says, but close. God credited righteousness to him. His righteousness became Abraham’s because of his faith.

APPLICATION

Barnes says this about today’s verse. “The faith which Abraham exercised was, that his posterity should be like the stars of heaven in number. This promise was made to him when he had no child, and of course when he had no prospect of such a posterity. The reason why it was counted to him for righteousness was, that it was such a strong, direct, and unwavering act of confidence in the promise of God.”

Let me ask you a question today. Has God counted you as righteous? Now, He’s probably not going to build a nation out of your descendants. But through His Son, Jesus, and your faith in Him, He counts you as righteous. It’s not because of anything you’ve done. It’s solely on your faith in Jesus. Just like Abraham had to blindly trust the Lord, we have to step out in faith and believe He will do what He says He will do.

To be counted as righteous is a supreme thing. It means we are right in His eyes. When God looks down from heaven, He doesn’t see our sinful self. He sees the blood of His Son covering those sins. Any righteousness in us is there only because of the righteousness of Christ in us. It is through our faith in Jesus that we are made righteous in the sight of God. Isn’t it time we all start living that way?

Lord, help me walk in the righteousness which You have given me through Jesus.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Boasting, Pride, Scripture, Self-righteousness, Sin

SOMETHING TO BOAST ABOUT

ROMANS 4:2

“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.”

I’m guilty as charged. I am a huge boaster – about my grandchildren. I have five with one more on the way. I am a proud Poppy and Papa. Our youngest is fifteen months old and is quite a little rounder. But boy is he affectionate. He loves to hug and snuggle. I am proud of each and every one of them whether I get to see them regularly or not.

Paul wasn’t talking about Abraham’s grandkids though. Paul is saying if anything Abraham did justified him, he would have the right to brag on himself. The phrase “something to boast about” is actually one Greek word, kauchéma. I love how the HELPS Word studies defines this word. “boasting, focusing on the results of exulting/boasting (note the –ma suffix). This boasting (exulting) is always positive when it is in the Lord, and always negative when based on self.” Pretty good, huh?

APPLICATION

While Romans 4:2 is the first time kauchéma is used in the New Testament, it is used 10 other times. 1 Corinthians 5:6 shows Paul calling out a church for their boasting. “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”  This church was actually boasting about their tolerance of a man in the church who was sleeping with his father’s wife (I assume a stepmom or a wife other than his mother). Unfortunately, today we see churches doing similar things and bragging about it.

Probably my favorite use of this word is the final one in the New Testament found in Hebrews 3:6. “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the boast of our hope.” Christ is the boast of our hope. In Him and Him only can we boast freely and loudly. God wants to hear our boasting about His Son. In fact, it thrills the Father to hear His Son’s name praised and lifted up.

Who or what are you boasting about? Yes, I boast about my grandkids (my two children also), but I save my biggest boasts for Jesus. He is the author and finisher of my faith. He is my guiding light. He is the One who rescued me from the pit of hell, so I will exhort and lift Him up wherever and whenever I can. How about you?

I lift You up, O Lord, and proclaim the majesty of Your name.


If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Abraham, Bible, Faith, Justified, Scripture, Works

WAS HE LOOKING?

ROMANS 4:1

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?”

How many times have you lost your keys lately? Mine mysteriously disappear all the time. I usually blame my wife (lol) but it’s always my fault. They are lying exactly where I put them. I just forget where I put them. I need to get one of those “clapper” thingies so I can just clap my hands and hear the beep. What do you think?

When I first read this verse, I mistakenly thought Paul was saying Abraham “found” something. The Greek word translated “has found” is heuriskó which can mean find, get or obtain. What is important is that is in the Perfect tense which means it happened in the past but has lasting results. Whatever Abraham got, it stuck. That applies to us also. When we get it, we don’t lose it.

APPLICATION

Keeping with the theme of the past couple of chapters, Paul uses Abraham to show that all men are justified through faith, not works. You need to remember that Abraham was where Jews kind of “hung their hat.” They all pointed back to him to try to prove their validity as God’s people. However, as Paul will show shortly, Abraham was counted as righteous long before any works. In fact, the topic of circumcision comes up again in later verses. I don’t want to steal my own thunder on those verses, so we will save that for later.

What have we obtained? How did we obtain it? Don’t you just love Matthew 11:28-30? “28 ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.’” In verse 29 we see we “will find rest.” That’s the same word we are looking at in Romans 4:1. We have obtained rest. How? By simply coming to Jesus.

In Philippians 3:9 we find the perfect companion verse for today’s word. “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,” There you are – our righteousness is His, not ours. And we are “found in Him.” What else do you need? Nothing! He is all we need to find or obtain. Have you found Him?

Lord God, I thank You that everything I will ever need I have found in Christ.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Faith, Law, Powerless, Scripture

NULLIFY?

ROMANS 3:31

“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? Far from it! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

I’ve told this story before, but it fits today’s verse so well. I had a little 4×4 pickup that I really loved. One afternoon as I was going into the woods to hunt, it died. One second it was running, and the next it was not. My truck got “nullified.” It was completely inoperative. I had to call a tow truck to haul it out of the woods and I wound up getting rid of the truck due to the expense of the repair which was more than the value of the truck.

Nullify is not a word we throw around a lot. The English word means to make void or cancel, but the Greek word translated in today’s verse as “nullify” has a much deeper meaning. The Greek word is katargéō “(from katá, ‘down to a point,’ intensifying argéō, ‘inactive, idle’) – properly, idle down, rendering something inert (“completely inoperative”); i.e. being of no effect (totally without force, completely brought down); done away with, cause to cease and therefore abolish; make invalid, abrogate (bring to nought); ‘to make idle or inactive’” (HELPS Word Studies). The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use this specific word here, remember that.

APPLICATION

In 25 of the 27 times katargéō is used in the New Testament, Paul used it. He understood the power of this word. So, what is Paul saying to us today? He is telling us that even though we are justified by faith alone, the moral law given to us by God still guides our daily behaviors. We are not free to do as we want. We are free to do as we should.

In 1 Corinthians 13:11 Paul uses katargéō. “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” The phrase “did away with” is our word. We had to turn from the childish things in order to mature. In Christ, we have matured in our faith to the point that we no longer rely on the law to guide us completely. We now have the Holy Spirit guiding us in faith.

Paul uses the word again in Galatians 5:4 where it is translated “have been severed.” “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.” Paul is telling us here that if we persist in seeking our justification in what we can do, we have made our relationship with Christ powerless. That is not the way it works.

As followers of Christ, we still need to obey His commands to us which are based on the moral law. We are not required to keep the Mosaic law because Christ fulfilled that law when He died on the cross. Our job today is to obey Christ which goes far and above any requirements of the law. I’ll say it again – we are not free to do as we want, but we are free to do as we should.

O Lord, You have given me freedom through Christ and I will seek to honor You in all I do. 

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Father, Holy Spirit, Scripture, Son, Trinity

THE ONE

ROMANS 3:30

“since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”

When I met my wife back in 1985, I didn’t know she would be the one I would marry just a few months later. We only dated about 2 ½ months before we tied the knot. Through almost forty years of marriage God has shown me time and time again that she is “the one” He had for me. She completes me. She supports me. She truly is my help mate.

Paul uses the Greek word for “one” in today’s verse intentionally. It is not an implied “one.” It is actually in the text. The Topical Lexicon says this about that little Greek word for “one.” “The word translated ‘one’ is woven through the New Testament to denote singularity, uniqueness, unity, or an individual item or person. Its appearances range from everyday enumeration to the loftiest theological affirmations, binding together the Bible’s testimony about God, Christ, salvation, and the church.” This “one” God includes the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no confusion about that in Paul’s mind.

APPLICATION

Back in Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses declares this often quoted phrase. “‘Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!’” This phrase meant something then, and it means something now. Our God is the only one God. Just as in the days of the Old Testament, there are hundreds of gods being worshipped around the world. But they are all false gods with no power and no truth. Never forget that.

Isaiah 43:10 tells us something similar. “‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.’”

And then we have Jesus telling us in John 10:30, “‘I and the Father are one.’” In Christian arithmetic we have 1+1+1=1. That makes no sense to our finite minds. It’s no wonder Christians were accused and still are accused of worshipping three gods (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). You can study the Trinity until you are blue in the face, but it finally comes down to faith. I believe what the Bible says – period. It says it and that settles it, whether you believe it or not. God is One. And He is God for all who will come to Him and receive His Son and allow His Holy Spirit to indwell them through repentance and faith. I pray you have done that. Encourage someone else today to do the same.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, I thank You that You are the One true God.


If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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