In this glorious passage, our eternal security is reiterated, we are assured that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, and we are told that all things work together for good to those that love God and are the called according to His good purpose.
 God's Ultimate Purpose in every born-again child of God is that we are to be conformed into the likeness of His dear Son. God, Who knows the end from the beginning, knew before the foundation of the world which members of the human race would freely trust Christ as Savior.
 God foreordained and predestined that all who are saved by grace through faith would become like Christ in His perfect, glorified manhood.
 Jesus was a Man Who depended entirely upon the Father throughout His whole life. His entire character was a perfect reflection and image of the Father. In like manner, we who were once dead in trespasses and sins have been predestined to become just like Christ, in every essential characteristic.
Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

 We Cannot Live On Bread Alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and the Scriptures are the spiritual food that God in His grace has given us for our Christian life and spiritual growth. No matter what chronological age we may be, our desire for the Word of God should be like a hungry, little newborn baby. We are to feed on the Word of God day by day in order to mature and grow spiritually.
 We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only so that we may apply the important spiritual principles that are contained within its pages. We are to preach the Word to others so that lost sinners might hear and believe in Christ to the glory of God.
 May we never stop desiring the milk of the Word so that we may grow thereby. May we meditate on the Word of God, trust His Word of truth, believe on His precious promises and look to Jesus day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit of truth so that we may grow in grace to His praise and glory.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

 We are all so familiar with the armor of God as laid out in Ephesians 6... but no matter how much we learn about it, there is so much more to discover... every piece of our spiritual armor points us to the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God and every aspect of our holy covering is immeasurable.
 The very first piece of our protective covering is truth. We are instructed to have our loins, "girt about with truth," without the gospel of truth which comes from above, we believe a lie. Without the truth of the gospel of Christ, we are dead in our sins and condemned to an eternity without God.
 Let us hold fast to The Truth Of The Gospel of grace that was once delivered to the saints and stand firm under the covering of Christ's own purity, wherewith we are clothed by faith. Therefore, let us take up the full armor of God so that we will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, we will be able to stand.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

 God's Sabbath rest was rudely interrupted by sin, but God in His grace knew before the foundation of the world that man would disobey Him and His work of redemption would have to begin at a point in time. God foreknew that man would sin against Him and that only the shed blood of a perfect Redeemer could pay the price for the sin of the whole world. So He purposed to send His only begotten Son to be born into the human race to pay the price for sin. And so began God's ongoing work of redemption.
 The salvation of man's spirit, soul, and body became God's Continuous Work Of Salvation from the moment that man sinned. God's Sabbath rest was halted, and He began His amazing work of redeeming fallen humanity, which was why the Lord Jesus answered the Pharisees by saying: "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." Indeed, the day was fast approaching when Christ's redeeming work on the Cross would result in the defeat of sin and victory over death for all who would believe in His name.
 Each member of the Church has their own unique role in the salvation of mankind, and that work of salvation; spirit, soul, and body, will continue until there is a new heaven, a new earth, and eternal rest for the Creator and His creation alike.
John 5:17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

 Whether opposition to the gospel comes from moralists, religionists, legalists, or any other opposing body, all resistance to God's Word is designed to diminish the Person of Christ and His finished Work on the Cross, for salvation. Such apostate teachers with their heretical doctrines always insist that salvation requires something to be added to the Cross - that mankind must engage in some meritorious work other than simply believing in the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, for their salvation.
 The problems Paul warned about in his letter to the Romans are no less a problem in the churches of today, and so we should all take to heart the warnings he gives and the exhortations he makes, to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
 May we realize that the only way to honor the Lord Who bought us, is to be obedient to His Word and trust His promises. We Are To Stand Fast In The Truth, grow in grace, mature in the faith, walk in spirit and truth, and utterly abhor that which is evil, while clinging to all that is good.
Romans 16:19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

 This call to confession is not a summons to the confessional box where a 'priest' becomes a middleman between us and God, there is one God and one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus. He Alone Is The One To Whom We Confess Our Sins. This is not a call to expose our secret sins to the whole wide world, we are to confess our sins to God and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 When we have wronged another person we are called to go to them quickly and admit our sin and seek their forgiveness, this is the will of God for us. We are also called to willingly, graciously, and fervently pray for each other, as we lift up those who may have wronged us to the Lord in prayer, the fellowship of His love will stream into our hearts and minds, removing any nagging bitterness or residue of unforgiveness.
 We are called to be holy for God is holy, but it is only as we confess our sins to one another and to our Father in heaven, that fellowship is renewed and our prayers become effective.
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.

 Christ's Sermon on the Mount covers every area of godly living and right thinking. Unlike the Mosaic Law, it is not a series of rules and regulations. It is not a list of instructions on 'do's' and 'don'ts'. His sermon was an authoritative teaching that laid out general principles for life and living. These principles can be applied to every facet of life and are relevant in every situation we may encounter.
 Christ's sermon was designed to show that entrance into His kingdom did not only depend on good works, but a pure heart and godly motives none of which are attainable by fallen humanity. Jesus was showing that the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven and participate in Christ's millennial rule on the earth is to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith in JESUS CHRIST, and this is non-negotiable.
 Today there are still proud, legalistic, self-righteous, religious-minded men and women who are blinded to The Narrow WAY That Leads To Everlasting Life. There are many that refuse to accept the TRUTH and do not find the path that leads to LIFE everlasting. It is not God's will that any should perish but that all should come to faith in Christ. May we be ready and willing to speak the truth in love to those that are lost in their own self-importance, and by God's grace may some be snatched from the broad path that leads to destruction.
Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your grace, You brought us to an understanding that the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to everlasting life. Thank You that by faith in Christ, we have found the Way to life and discovered Him to be the truth of the glorious gospel of grace. We pray that You would have pity on those that remain dead in their sin. Have mercy on those who through pride and their own self-sufficiency, have not yet found the narrow way that leads to life. Use us we pray, in whatever way You choose, to speak the truth in love to those who are on the broad way to destruction, and bring many into Your kingdom this day, In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN.

 Here we read a highly personal directive to Timothy: "Let no one look down on your youthfulness," was Paul’s emphatic instruction to his young protégé, "but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."
 Although we are unable to control the attitude of others towards ourselves, Paul helped to equip Timothy to deal with this situation in a most biblical manner. None of us can prevent another person from despising us or expressing contempt towards us, but we are to be responsible for the way that we react to any negative attitude others may show towards us.
In every area of life, we are to demonstrate the same, spiritual maturity in the way we live, the words we speak, the things we do, and the way we react to others in these difficult and challenging times. Our behavior, attitude, actions, and motives should be pure and holy, and should demonstrate the godly wisdom that only comes from above.
 May we seek to display the same Godly Characteristics of Timothy and like him, have a teachable spirit that seeks to honor the Lord in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, and may we show ourselves to be godly examples to those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

 Of all the gifts and graces that are poured out in great abundance into the lives of believers, there are three that out-shine and out-last all others. When prophecy is complete, languages cease, signs are silenced, and miracles of health, healing, provision, and protection are no longer needed. We are told that these three spiritual fruits of God’s amazing grace will continue and will remain and abide into the eternal state: faith, hope, and love.
 But love is a gift of God, and love is the primary a fruit of the Spirit that will continue to grow and expand beyond our wildest imaginations. The love of God that has been poured into our hearts will continue to increase and multiply, The love of God is eternal, and the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind. The loving heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
 Our faith in Him will stand fast forever, and our hope in Him will be forever realized. But it is the love of God that He has for us that will move us ever closer to the love that we have for Him as we abide in Him and He in us, through time and into eternity.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 Godly Love is the exact opposite of the unspiritual behavior. Love does not envy, love is not boastful or conceited, nor it is jealous, arrogant, argumentative, carnal-minded, discontented, immoral, inconsiderate, unloving, self-inflated, selfish, or critical of others.
 This thirteenth chapter is considered by many to be the supreme treaties on love, and as we read through this passage that is beloved by many, we discover that only the name 'JESUS' could easily be substituted throughout for the word 'LOVE'. Justifiably so, Jesus is patient, and Jesus is kind.
 Jesus does not envy, and Jesus is not boastful nor conceited. Jesus is not rude nor does He insist on His own way. Jesus is neither irritable nor resentful, and Jesus does not rejoice at wrongdoing He rejoices with the truth, He is the Truth. Only in and through Jesus are we able to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things.
 When we consider this passage, let us look deeper into the significance of its true meaning, and earnestly pray that Christ may be formed in us so that we are enabled to love as He loves.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 To Rejoice In Hope is to have that unfaltering assurance in God's Word as fact, knowing that our hope of glory is secured for us in heavenly places for the eternal ages to come, simply because God's Word is true and cannot be broken. Our hope is built on nothing less than trusting in the Cross of Christ and taking God at His Word.
 To be patient in affliction is to know and accept that in this world we will have tribulation, but to wait patiently in our suffering without murmurings. We are to be of good cheer, knowing that His strength is sufficient to see us through every difficulty of life because He has already overcome sin and death – and we are united with Him and His victory.
 To be constant in prayer is to recognize that prayer is one of the chief weapons of the spiritual warfare in which all Christians are engaged. As saints of God we should all be instant in prayer, constantly lifting our hearts and voice to the Lord in prayers of thanks and praise and intercession and requests, and laying them before the throne of God's grace in the name of JESUS - knowing that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
 Let us exercise all Paul's short, crisp instructions for godly living that are found in this final section of His letter to the Romans, as well as taking time to study this lengthy and weighty letter that has been written for our learning so that we too may live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. And may Christ be seen in me, and also in you.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.