Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
This week we’ve spent our time looking at two different Old Testament characters: the patriarch of the nation Israel, and the other the nation’s most powerful King. Both considered righteous men, however, their righteousness was not based on what they did, but rather on the grace of God.
Today read through the passage slowly…think about Abraham and David. What was common to both men? Think about wages and the term credited. How do they relate to your own experience with God? What does it mean to be forgiven? How does “faith” solve our basic relationship problem?
You may have noticed that on our last day I like to use a different Bible translation. Here’s why…I do this because I think it helps us to fully grasp the passage. So today as you read from the New Living Translation, pay attention to any nuances you may see that are different from the NIV. These differences help us to grasp the meaning of a text better.
Romans 4:1-8,
1 “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 ’Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin’ (NLT).”
Understand / Apply:
*From what you have just read and considered: What is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.
Inspiration and insight for the devotionals came from the following books: Reading Romans with John Stott; The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (The Bible Speaks Today Series), Stott, John; Romans (The NIV Application Commentary Book 6) Moo, Douglas J.; Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies) Moo, Douglas J.; Believers Bible Commentary; The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, with the New International Version, Romans through Galatians; NIV Application Study Bible; The Bible Readers Companion.