And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. —Romans 8:10-11 Death is common to all people. It matters not the social, economic, racial, ethnic, nationality or intelligence of a person. All will die— 1.78 people die per second, 107 per minute, 6,390 per hour, 153,000 per day, 56 million per year, 3.9…

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. —Romans 7:4 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh,…

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23 A person labors as a construction worker, a doctor, a baker, a nurse, a policeman, fireman, clerk, but each of them has at least one thing in common—they get paid for what they do. The time, energy and expertise that each one invests are rewarded with a wage. In much of the world this wage is paid with money, but in many parts of the world this wage is paid with produce or livestock or some other commodity. But, the worker is paid wages for his work.…

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. —Romans 5:12 The whole bushel of apples was rotten. How did that happen? It started with one apple that rotted and that one apple affected all the rest. The bushel of apples was completely ruined and had to be thrown out. Where did life come from? How did it originate? Those are familiar questions people ask. Instead, let us ask this one— Where did death come from? Why do we die? Yes, we can describe physically why we die with the aging of the body and by disease, but where did…

When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:4-8). Think of having a debt so great that you could never work it off. You could never earn enough money to pay offer the…

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made…

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I…

BE ENCOURAGED! That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” —Acts 23:11 Are you encouraged by the Lord in the work He has for you to do? Do you know what He has for you to do… today? Will you do it? Are you questioning it? How excited are you about serving the Lord? Is it your earnest desire to serve Him today? At work? At school? In the neighborhood? To friends? To relatives? To strangers? May you be faithful today and every day!…

When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?” —Acts 22:25 Here in the U.S. people are given many rights through the Founding Documents. In the Declaration of Independence we read that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” The First Amendment…

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. —Proverbs 20:1 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit… -Ephesians 5:18 Alcoholism and drug addiction are major blights on our culture. Adults (ages 18+): 16.6 million adults ages 18 and older3 (7.0 percent of this age group4) had an AUD (alcohol use disorder) in 2013. This includes 10.8 million men3 (9.4 percent of men in this age group4) and 5.8 million women3 (4.7 percent of women in this age group4). About 1.3 million adults received treatment for an AUD at a specialized facility in…