EXPAND TO READ: ROMANS 4 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 20): I do often struggle with my faith, but especially with being consistent in giving glory to You for all things, Father. I have wavered many times since coming to faith and I am not proud of that. In this verse, You say that we are strengthened in our faith and give all glory to You. Please forgive me for my wavering mentality at times, Father. Help me to remain consistent and true to Your will for my life. Work in me to strengthen me through my faith so that I no longer waver in my faith. Remind me daily to give glory and praise to You through all things, instead of frequently wavering away from You and back into my own self-pity and sadness.
PROMISE (verses 16, 23-25): There are many promises made throughout Scripture, but I am most grateful for this one. The promise here is about Jesus being delivered up for ALL of our trespasses, not just a few. Anyone that believes in Him will be delivered through Him. Thank You so much for this promise, Father. Thank You for making this promise to ALL who believe in Him and not just some. Without this promise I would surely be lost, so I am grateful for the sacrifice You made through Him.
ATTITUDE (verses 7-8): I often feel extreme guilt and remorse for my sinful nature, typically dwelling in my own self-pity and sorrows as a result instead of going to You with them. In these two verses, You speak of those that are forgiven of all sins to be in an attitude of joy thanks to You. Help me to be more in tune with Your spirit and attitude of joy, Father, so that I may experience and live in the joy as mentioned in these verses. Help me to put aside my guilt and remorse so that I may replace those with the joy that You bring to my life.
COMMAND (verses 20-21): Your command here is for us to not waver in our faith through unbelief. You command us to keep our faith strong and remain convinced that You are fully capable and able of performing all the promises You have given us. Through our faith, we are to remain in constant praise towards You, but also in constant trust and belief that You are all-capable and are more than able to fulfill any promise You have made to us. Although we may not see or be “happy” in the moment with Your timing, we must rely on Your ability to know what is best for us and when it is best for us. Help me to be stronger in my faith, Father, so that I am always in the mindset that Your will be done and not my own.
EXAMPLE (verses 13-16): Abraham’s faith is such a powerful example for us to live by. Was he a perfect man in this life? Definitely not. He made mistakes just like all of us have. He did, however, not falter from his faith in You through all the trials he went through. His faith and not abiding by the law of old is what brought him to righteousness through You. As You’ve stated here, the law produces both wrath and transgression, but our faith and love in Your Son gives us a hope for the future and a guarantee of grace. Thank You for such an amazing example to live by so that I can become better and stronger in my faith than I ever have. Help me to grow and mature, so that I can slowly but surely begin to develop a faith like Abraham had.
*DAILY NOTE: Jesus sacrificed His life for me and rose again to save me for eternity. I cannot ask for a greater “reward” than this, so why do I struggle so much in my faith? Why do I struggle so much with needing a return on my work at times? Why do I struggle with guilt and remorse over my past sins, when Jesus has washed all of them away? Why do I struggle so much with truly accepting this cleansing of my past sins? I carry the weight of them around with me so much instead of allowing You to release me from the burdens of my past mistakes. Help me to be better at releasing the weight I carry to You, Father. Help me to be better at recognizing when I am holding onto things and living in them, when I should be releasing them to You. You are far stronger than I am and I know that if/when I release things to You, all my burdens because far easier to bear and far less of an actual burden.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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