"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,
Romans 1:16-17
(NIV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the
gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is
by faith from first to last,just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
("The gospel tells us about this living by faith, this believing, this receiving righteousness through believing, and not through working. This is the sweet story of the cross, of which Paul was not ashamed." CHS)
I was walking recently in the rain on a cold winter day. I saw some milkweed pods in an area near a road. The snow all around was dirty with snow melt and ash. I caught a glimpse of some brown seeds of the milkweed and the white furry things on the seeds that help transport it to other areas by the wind. The seeds then take root far away from the original plant to areas we do not know. I thought of how others planted seeds of the gospel in my life that was covered with dirt but had potential in Christ to new life where all is washed away.
I also noticed some drops of rain on the ends of the seeds, holding on to the white fibers.
The seeds, which are arranged in overlapping rows, have white, silky, filament-like hairs known as
pappus, silk, or floss. The follicles ripen and split open, and the seeds, each carried by several dried pappi, are blown by the
wind. They have many different flower colorations.
(Wiki)
So in winter the plants still retain the seeds that can give growth -no matter how the winter weather and snow pounded down the plant.
SIMILARLY, the Gospel we are told gives life to everyone who believes.
Who knows the lives you can affect by planting a seed of faith.
This can be in a hard times or a time of joy that we can speak a word in season and God gives it root and life!
( Matthew Henry Commentary Rom 1:16-18)
"It is said to be from faith to faith, from the faithfulness of God revealing to the faith of man receiving (so some); from the faith of dependence upon God, and dealing with him immediately, as Adam before the fall, to the faith of dependence upon a Mediator, and so dealing with God (so others); from the first faith, by which we are put into a justified state, to after faith, by which we live, and are continued in that state: and the faith that justifies us is no less than our taking Christ for our Saviour, and becoming true Christians, according to the tenour of the baptismal covenant; from faith engrafting us into Christ, to faith deriving virtue from him as our root: both implied in the next words,
The just shall live by faith.
Just by faith, there is faith justifying us; live by faith, there is faith maintaining us; and so there is a righteousness from faith to faith. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of a Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works preserved and maintained us in it, but it is all along from faith to faith, as
2 Cor. 3:18; from glory to glory; it is increasing, continuing, persevering faith, faith pressing forward, and getting ground of unbelief.
To show that
this is no novel upstart doctrine, he quotes for it that famous scripture in the Old Testament, so often mentioned in the New (
Hab. 2:4): The just shall live by faith. Being justified by faith he shall live by it both the life of grace and of glory. The prophet there had placed himself upon the watch-tower, expecting some extraordinary discoveries (
Rom. 1:1), and the discovery was of the certainty of the appearance of the promised Messiah in the fulness of time, not withstanding seeming delays. This is there called the vision, by way of eminence, as elsewhere the promise; and while that time is coming, as well as when it has come, the just shall live by faith. Thus is the evangelical righteousness from faith to faith—from Old-Testament faith in a Christ to come to New-Testament faith in a Christ already come."
A few thoughts I had about faith:
1. God is the "God of before and after"- I recalled the day I "looked up"
I know very little about faith and I am weak at times and can give in to a works mentality and performance based feelings of God's view of me and i need to be on the lookout that this is not faith. I was on the road to hell and God enable me to look to him, repent and believe and it is too wonderful. A voice that called me friend in the darkest of night.
Isaiah 45:22
“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else
As song by David Crowder Band seems to sum this up for me.
"Fall on your knees
Forgiven and clean
Forgiven and free
Oh my God, oh my God
It's too wonderful
It's too wonderful
A voice then all of this
A voice that called me friend in darkest of night
A voice and my heart, it burst to life"
2. I need to believe the Gospel will reach my friends and family.
"it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:"
so keep sharing and living the life of grace and forgiveness - this will have a saving, lasting effect on those we think are too far from knowing Jesus.
3. Future- god;s grace will get us to the end.
All my works will not make it alone- as Matthew Henry stated in his commentary
"Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of a Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works preserved and maintained us in it, but it is all along from faith to faith,"
To feel this grace rescuing
Lifting us up, washing our feet
Oh my God, oh my God
It's too wonderful
It's too wonderful
Oh reverent love burn us up
Until what I was is gone
Holy love burn us up
Until what I was is gone
Reverent love burn us up
Until what I was is gone
Like clouds dissolve in sunlight
As we relate to others and family lets extend grace upon grace realizing they too are having the dross burned away to reveal pure gold.
4. Some other thoughts about milkweed:
I remember growing that we would open the pods in the late summer and the milk would stick on your hands.Hated that, hands would get dirty. Actually learned today that this milk is toxic :)
Certain varieties are the
sole food source of
monarch butterfly larvae, the plant is often used in
butterfly gardening. amazing how something like this could have been created and give life LARVAE TO BUTTERFLY.
(pic not a monarch but beautiful)
FAITH
From barren land
To planting
We do not see things clearly at times but
by Faith we live and hope for the future and for grace to carry on from one generation to the next.
"One day at a time" (GW)
FAITH WILL SOMEDAY MAKE ALL THINGS CLEAR
"from glory to glory; it is increasing, continuing, persevering faith, faith pressing forward, and getting ground of unbelief" (MHC)
"the just shall live by faith."
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
