Romans 1:28-32 – “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.  ²⁹ They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.”

Time marches on!   Time leaves in its wake the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow.  Time affords us choices, and our choices determine the growth or death of our hopes and dreams.   Love is a choice.   Sadness is a choice.   Rejoicing is a choice.   Living joyfully or morbidly is a choice.

I choose to love each of you and celebrate life, pursuing the purposes God designed for my life.   I will treasure the memories but will not be bound by time past; I will press forward to time yet spent.   I choose to live life and fulfill my destiny with a joyful heart!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was challenged on several fronts.   I saw my humanity and its revolting frailty and faultiness. I also saw God’s Grace, and its incredible transformational power.   I saw the contrast between a life fully surrendered to and focused on God and one that elevates self (mind, will, emotions, hopes, desires, and disappointments) to the throne (center) of life.  I saw the contrast between dipping the toes in the wading pool of life and the swimmers who live, swim, or sink.

In Romans 1:28-32, the warning is inescapable.   We pick some sins as condemnable and judge them, justifying ourselves, but we are guilty at some point. The List of Sins in (vv 29-31) covers virtually every aspect of life and interpersonal relationships.   Are we guilty in any area?   Then, judging is not the solution; prayer is!   Romans 2:21 reminds us that we are expected to “practice what we preach.” Mercy will win people; judgmentalism will push them away because they see our flaws!

Romans 5:1-5 is a difficult pill to swallow.  When difficulties and struggles come, we resist and complain.  When loss comes, we bury ourselves in our remorse and miss God’s process and the product He is producing.

Consider the process. Sufferings (trials) produce endurance. That is interesting.   Endurance reveals to us and through us that we have survived this; therefore, we gain confidence that we can go through difficulty, pain, and loss.  We see hope!

Endurance develops character, which reveals who we are. Character trusts the Creator.  Character produces or opens the door to hope!  Not wishful thinking, but biblical hope, which is confidence and being convinced of God’s character!   It develops trust, which elevates us into a position of hopefulness, not despair.  

We become confident that Life’s disappointments are being transformed into God’s appointments, bringing us to a higher place in Him.  It opens the door to a Life yet lived. A life that impacts everything around us with the infusion of Hope!    We are brought into a place of overflowing Agape!

Life is a process! Justification (Romans 5:9-10) is instantaneous, but salvation is progressive.   We are being (sozed) made whole/complete daily. How we handle trials is a key factor in how high we soar in God!

Jesus came to give us Abundant Life, focusing on self-blocks that abundance! It is a choice! Why not choose life?