Category Archives: Family

Bible, Companions, Enemies, Family, Friends, Romans, Scripture

GOD IS FOR US

ROMANS 8:31

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Psalm 118:6 says, “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” What better way to start this blog than to remind us that God is for us? Let me ask you – who is on your side? Family? Friends? Co-workers? They will all let you down sometimes. No one on earth has the ability to always be there for you. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been married or how long you have been friends with someone, there will come a point when they will let you down.

But…God is for us…always and for eternity. Paul has spent the last several verses explaining what we have in Christ and how His Spirit works in our lives. He ends this discussion with this simple, yet powerful verse. Paul is speechless. “What then shall we say to these things?” Paul knows he has done nothing to deserve such a response from God. In fact, he had done some terrible things in the name of God, but God was still for him.

APPLICATION

Albert Barnes says this about this passage. “Be on outside, or is our friend, as He has shown Himself to be by adopting us (Romans 8:15), by granting to us his Spirit (Romans 8:16-17, Romans 8:26-27), and by his gracious purpose to save us, (Romans 8:29-30).” That kind of wraps it up, doesn’t it?

I have this little Precious Memory figurine in my office which I have owned for over 40 years. I have used a picture of in this blog. It shows someone standing behind a pulpit that has been pummeled with tomatoes, eggs, tin cans and other assorted items. Today’s verse is the name of this figurine. The point is this – no matter what or who we face in this life, we must stand behind the Word of God and the truths therein. God expects us to stand firm in the face of our enemy.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are told over and over to stand firm. How is the possible? Because God is for us. Who can stand against us? They are outmatched and will never win. Therefore, beloved, stand firm today knowing that God has your back.

I can face uncertain times because I know You are for 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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Adoption, Bible, Family, Holy Spirit, Redemption, Scripture

THE PRIVILEGE OF ADOPTION

ROMANS 8:23

“And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”

I worked for over three decades in the field of Child Welfare. This ministry included working with Foster and Adoption programs in the Southeast United States. Adoption is a beautiful thing. It gives a child who needs a permanent, loving home a place to call home and the opportunity to become part of a family. But even after the court papers are signed and all the legal hoops are jumped through, that child does not receive the full benefits of being adopted until they go home with their new parent(s). Then they get their new home and family.

Paul explains the same is true for us as believers. Yes, we are adopted as children of God at salvation. We become His child, but we do not receive the full benefit of adoption until our arrival in heaven when our old mortal bodies are glorified and where we will live eternally. Nothing can change the fact of our adoption while we are here. We know exactly where we are going when our “number” is called. We will receive that full adoption.

APPLICATION

The phrase “adoption as sons” is the Greek word huiothesia, which is only used five times in the New Testament, all my Paul, and three of those times appear here in Romans (8:15, 23; 9:4). The words “and daughters” are not in the Greek text, thus the use of italics. Paul is not excluding females. Their inclusion as children of God is implied in the Greek word huiothesia. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are in His family through this adoption.

Through my years working with children, I saw a number of failed adoptions. Children were placed with a family, but due to the child’s behavior or other circumstances, the adoption fell apart. The rejection this child feels is enormous and has lasting impacts on their life. Our spiritual adoption as sons and daughters of God can never be rejected. God knows all our sins, all the dirt on us and still loves us as His own. Isn’t that comforting?

While these verses may never be brought up in a discussion about eternal security, they most certainly apply. God’s adoption of us can never and will never be broken. Paul even writes in Ephesians 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,…” If God decided before the foundation of the world to adopt us into His family, I don’t think He’s going to change His mind, do you? Live like you belong.

Father, You are my Father! You have made me Your child through adoption through Your Son.

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, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Romans, Scripture, Son

TEAMMATES

ROMANS 8:16

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

Two is always stronger than one. The combined strength of two individuals has proven to be stronger than the sum of each person’s individual strength. We call that synergy. I have worked with team for most, if not all, of my ministry career. Some teams were stronger than others. Do you know why? Because in those weaker teams we had some members who didn’t give their all. You have heard it said a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So true.

Paul reminds us in today’s verse that we are not on this journey alone. The Spirit is front and center in our lives. It is He Who empowers us to live our lives for Christ. It is He through Christ Who guides our thoughts and minds. And it is He Who, if we will allow Him, will keep us from those sinful behaviors that so easily entangle us. We are a team, a heavenly team.

APPLICATION

It’s interesting to me that the only three times the Greek verb summartureó is used in the New Testament, they are used by Paul in this letter to the Romans (2:15; 8:16; 9:1). Check out this one commentary’s remarks on this phrase. “The testimony of our own spirit is borne in that cry of conscious sonship, ‘Abba, Father’; but we are not therein alone; for the Holy Ghost within us, yea, even in that very cry which it is His to draw forth, sets His own distinct seal to ours; and thus, ‘in the mouth of two witnesses’ the thing is established. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

It is always good to have corroborating witnesses to prove a point. Here we have our spirit and God’s Spirit agreeing that we are children of God. Now, it would be one thing for us to say that on our own. I could claim to be the President of the United States. That claim wouldn’t go very far. If, however, that claim was backed up by the Supreme Court, I may very well be the President (don’t worry, I’m not, lol). Agreement with others carries weight.

This is why we should never, never doubt our sonship with the Father. The Spirit of God says we are. All we have to do is agree with Him. He knows it’s true. Jesus knows it’s true. The Father knows it’s true. Celebrate the fact that you are one with them. As Jesus said, “I am in you.” Believe that and receive it. What a promise. I am given the privilege to call on my Father in heaven whenever I need Him. And He hears. 1 John 5:14 says, “And we have this confidence before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Praise the Lord.

I am forever grateful, Lord, that You have given me the Holy Spirit to corroborate my testimony of being Your son.

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, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Relationships, Romans, Scripture

ABBA! FATHER!

Yesterday when I visited my daughter’s home, my little 18 month old grandson saw me when I came in the back door and came running. He is not calling my name yet, but his excitement and energy coming to me screamed, “Papa, Papa!” I can’t wait to hear him say that to me. And when he got to me, he practically dove into my arms. Here’s a pic to prove it (pardon the Band-Aid on the nose).

Paul’s use of “Abba! Father!” in today’s verse isn’t just a flippant use of Hebrew and Greek. No, this use of two words from two different languages was intentional and meant to convey a deep personal relationship. The phrase is used two other times in the New Testament which we will look at. Think of my illustration above. That’s the picture I want you to have in your mind when you hear “Abba! Father!”

APPLICATION

In Mark 14:36 we find Jesus using that phrase when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying. “And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’” Jesus was crying out to His Heavenly Father during a time of deep pain and torment. He knew He was destined for this moment, but in this moment, He turns to the most intimate relationship He had, His Father. We must do the same.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Here in this usage of the phrase, it is the Spirit crying out to the Father for us. Again, The Spirit and the Father are intimately connected. The Spirit only speaks what the Father tells Him to speak. He only moves as the Father tells Him. Shouldn’t we be the same?

Abba! Father! Daddy, daddy! Hear my cry! That is what we are saying when we use those words. We need to realize that the closet relationship we should have as followers of Christ is with the Father through the Spirit because of the Son. It’s a family thing. Remember, we are sons and daughters of the King. We have the right to call out “Abba! Father!” and to know He hears us. Amen!

I cry out to You today, Abba Father. Hear my cry!

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, Christ, Death, Eternity, Family, Scripture, Sin

YOU TOO

ROMANS 6:11

“So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Have you ever been with a group of people who you just met and they said, “Hey, why don’t you join us this weekend for a roadtrip?”? I mean, you had just met them and were already being invited to be a part of the group. The weekend promised to allow you to get to know them better and develop some deeper friendships. What fun!

Similarly, we are invited, through our decision to follow Christ, to join Him for eternity. Now, that’s fun! Look at the verse. Paul says, “So you too…” The Greek literally reads, “So also you.” In other words, you are included in all that Paul has been talking about for the past several verses (go back and read verses 1-10). All that Christ did was to allow us to be a part of His family. What a great promise from the Father.

APPLICATION

The Expositor’s Greek Testament says this about today’s verse, “In this verse the application is made of all that precedes. The death with Christ, the life with Christ, are real, yet to be realised. The truth of being a Christian is contained in them, yet the calling of the Christian is to live up to them. We may forget what we should be; we may also (and this is how Paul puts it) forget what we are. We are dead to sin in Christ’s death; we are alive to God in Christ’s resurrection; let us regard ourselves as such in Christ Jesus.”

Don’t you just love that? I love the last phrase above that says, “let us regard ourselves as such in Christ Jesus.” All that we are promised is only possible because of Jesus. He paid the ultimate price for our sins. He was sinless but gave His blood to pay the ransom for our sins. Can you ever truly ever get over the fact that He has invited you to come along with Him? I sure can’t.

The Greek word translated as “alive” is zao which means “to live, experience God’s gift of life.” (HELPS Word-studies) It is actually better translated as “living.” We should be living to God, as we talked about in yesterday’s blog. We are to be constantly striving to be more and more like Him. I want my life to be a shining example of my walk with Jesus. Don’t you? Then walk with Him daily. You are dead to sin and alive in Him. Celebrate that.

O Lord, I give You thanks for “bringing me along” on a journey with 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, Family, Love, Mercy, Scripture, Understanding, Untrustworthy

THE POWER OF THE NEGATIVE

ROMANS 1:31

“without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful;”

Negative comments and behaviors can be very hurtful. Have you ever experienced that? I sure have. I will never forget some of the ones I have received in my life. Unfortunately, some of those were delivered by “Christians” who thought they had the right to put me in my place. There is never an excuse for that. We, as believers, cannot be part of that. I hope you agree.

In today’s verse, we have four words that could be good but are turned into a negative by one little prefix. It’s the Greek letter alpha. Just one letter turns these words into the negative. Paul was led by the Spirit to use these four words with this little negative prefix. I truly believe God wants us to see how easy it is to move a good thing to a bad thing. Let’s look at these four words.

APPLICATION

The first word is asýnetos which “describes a person failing to structure information in a meaningful way, and therefore unable to reach necessary conclusions. This person is illogical because unwilling to use good reason.” The good part of this word means to have understanding. Don’t we all want that?

Next is asunthetos which is the negative of a convenant keeper. What is that? A covenant breaker. This person cannot be trusted to keep a covenant with you. They are relationship destroyers. They only care about themselves. No covenants for them. No sir! They are in charge.

The third word Paul uses is astorgos. Now, look closely at this word. It takes a good word storge and makes it ugly. Storge is the Greek word that is normally used to describe familial love. It’s the love a parent has for a child. In that culture, children were often sacrificed to pagan gods. We can see all through Rome the intentional termination of children if they were deformed or even unwanted. This is a horrible word only used here and 2 Timothy 3:3.

The last word we see in today’s verse is aneleemon which goes against the very character of God. It’s the negative of merciful. These people were merciless. They didn’t care about others’ hurts or condition. As long as they came out on top, that’s all that mattered.

Do you see how one little letter, the letter alpha, can turn good into bad. Now, let me ask you something. Have you taken something good and made it bad. It can happen so easily. Let’s follow the Lord in all our decisions and behaviors. Don’t let those little negatives ruin your testimony or the life of someone else.

O Father, let me focus on the good, not the bad. Help me keep those little negatives out of my mind and spirit.

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, Family, Farewells, Giving, Grace, Scripture

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

PHILIPPIANS 4:23

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Well, here we are at the end of another book. Today marks the end of these blogs on Philippians. What a great epistle of the Apostle Paul. Don’t you agree? It’s been a fun journey. Paul ends this letter in the same way he began it – by wishing grace upon the readers. Look back at Philippians 1:2. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Why change the message if it’s filled with grace?

This was a typical farewell by Paul. We see it in Romans 16:20 and 24, Galatians 6:18 and Philemon 1:25. What did Paul mean by “grace be with you”? What did grace mean to the believers? To these Philippian believers, it meant freedom from sin and the promise of eternal life. Remember, grace is getting something you don’t deserve. Paul is reminding them they do deserve grace freely given by Jesus.

APPLICATION

To whom can you extend grace today? Maybe it’s that pesty neighbor who won’t keep his lawn mowed. Mow it for him. It could be the work colleague who seems to always get the last cup of coffee and doesn’t make a fresh pot. Take them a hot cup of coffee. We can extend grace is so many different ways, can’t we?

It is God’s Holy Spirit working with our spirit that enables us to extend that grace to others. Believe me, I can barely extend grace to myself, much less others. But if I yield my spirit to His Spirit, He will direct me to those who need it. Without our yielding, we may never see those around us who are in desperate need of grace.

Today, as you go to your place of worship, look around the room. I guarantee you that half of those present are dealing with some kind of crisis in their life that they are keeping to themselves or to immediate family. We, the family of God, need to be grace givers to other “family” members. If your church doesn’t have a prayer list of members’ requests, ask your pastor if you can start one. Prayer may be the greatest grace gift we can give. Give grace today.

Father, help me be a grace giver today to those around me in desperate need of it.

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Bible, Family, Friends, Joy, Rejoicing, Scripture

REJOICE IN OTHERS

PHILIPPIANS 2:28

“Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.”

I just love seeing family and friends I haven’t seen in a long time. There are lots of hugs and laughs (I’m a hugger). My wife and I are going to see some of her family next month. I can’t wait. I haven’t seen them since their oldest brother’s funeral a couple of years ago. I know we are going to eat, tell stories, eat some more and just enjoy each other’s company for a couple of days. We will be, in a matter of speaking, rejoicing in each other.

Paul knew sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi would bring smiles and rejoicing. And in doing this, he says he “may be less concerned” about the Philippian church. They had been so distressed by the news of Epaphroditus’ illness and were worried about him. Seeing him again, healthy and in person, they would truly rejoice.

APPLICATION

The word Paul uses here for “rejoice” is chairo which means to be cheerful or glad. Paul uses that same word later in 4:4 where he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” We see James use it James 1:1 where it is translated as “greetings.” Then in 1 Peter 4:13 we read, “but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.”

That last one is a tough one! Who wants to rejoice in suffering? Not me! Been there, done that! No fun! But we are told to rejoice in it. Be glad in it. This applies so well to our relationships. Even when things aren’t going so great in a particular relationship, we can rejoice in the life of that person. I am not implying that we should rejoice in those who do us harm. We pray for them. But we can rejoice in others.

Tell someone today that you are rejoicing in them. Tell them they give you joy. My ten month old grandson gives me joy. My wife gives me joy. My family gives me joy. My friends give me joy. My church gives me joy. And, most of all, my Jesus gives me joy. Rejoice in the Lord always!

I rejoice in You, O Lord. You give me joy each time I think of what You did for me.

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Bible, Family, Friends, Prayer, Remembering, Scripture

REMEMBERING YOU

PHILIPPIANS 1:3

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” 

Well, it is true. As you get older, you begin to forget things. For me, it’s where I put my phone or my keys. I can remember things from way back, but short memory gives me fits. They say chemotherapy drugs can cause that. Since I have had that twice with my two stem cell transplants, I am going to use that excuse rather than the getting old one. What do you think?

Paul has strong feelings for these believers in Philippi. Do you remember how that church got started? Paul had been arrested and thrown into jail for preaching about Jesus. God caused quite a disturbance. Acts 16:26 says, “and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.” As a result of that, the jailer and all his household were saved. Praise God! That would definitely stir your memory.

APPLICATION

Only Paul uses the Greek word mneia in the New Testament. Each time it is used, it involves Paul recalling a memory about someone or something. In Romans 1:9, he writes, “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you.” Paul was praying for all those he had met in his missionary journeys.

Paul tells the Ephesians, Philemon, Timothy and the Thessalonians that he was “making mention” of them in his prayers. Paul cared enough, despite his imprisonment as he writes these letters, to let people know they were still on his mind and in his prayers. Can you imagine how these people felt knowing Paul was praying for them?

Who are you praying for? Who are you remembering in your prayers? I hope you have a prayer list of people you pray for daily, weekly or monthly. Praying for your own needs is important, but I believe praying for others is much more special to the ears of God. Remember and pray!

Father, bring to my remembrance those for whom I should pray for today.

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Allies, Bible, Family, Included, Scripture

INCLUDING

PHILIPPIANS 1:1

“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:” 

Everyone likes to be included, right? Sadly, the world has pushed the issue of “inclusiveness” to the point of absurdity saying that we should be inclusive of everyone, no matter what they believe or how they live their lives. No one wants to be excluded, but there are certainly moral grounds for that. I don’t need to name any of those, do I? As believers, we should know what those are since Scripture is pretty clear about them.

As we begin a new study in the letter to the Philippian church from Paul, we see Paul also offering a bit of inclusiveness to a group. He addresses the letter “to all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi,” but he extends a special message to “the overseers and deacons.” Why? Because they are the ones who are supposed to lead that body of Christ. He wants them to pay close attention to what he is about to write.

APPLICATION

The Greek word translated as “including” is really just the little preposition sun, which means together with or companionship. It’s the Greek “with” that implies a bond so close it can’t be separated. It’s the preposition used over and over to describe our union with Christ.

Who is included in your own spiritual journey? Do you have allies who walk beside you to encourage you? We all need each other in this walk of faith. We are not meant to do this alone. Just as Paul is calling on the overseers and deacons, we should be calling on others to join us. Some people call this having an accountability partner. I prefer to call them allies, those who are with me to encourage me, not just to hold me accountable to certain actions.

If you don’t have someone you would call an ally, ask the Lord to send someone to you. Maybe someone else is praying for an ally and God wants you to step up. Just think of all the allies Paul had in his ministry. He couldn’t get enough of them. Nor should we. Include others in your walk today.

God, make me an ally for someone today. Put others in my life to serve as my ally also.

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