Message: In Romans 10 Paul was still talking about the Jews. In the last chapter he had been talking about justice almost like he was wrestling to understand the justice of God and it seemed that maybe in his grief he was talking himself through understanding it. I related to this a lot because that’s how I process through things too. In fact these times of sitting and writing about what I read each day literally brings out all of the things I’m internally wrestling with and allows me to talk myself through understanding. Even as I write that though, I fully understand that it’s the Holy Spirit who teaches us so when I begin to write it gives him room to speak to me about what I read since I could never concoct these ideas on my own. Throughout chapter 10 Paul was explaining that although the Jews had a zeal for God, they were lacking in knowledge. Not the academic kind of knowledge, but the kind you gain from investing yourself. Verse 3 says that they disregarded the righteousness from God and attempted to establish their own righteousness. Then the real bomb hit with the next statement, “They have not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness.” They created their own system of righteousness and held everyone to it but they were not submitted to God. This is religion and this is what Christians all over America have done to the gospel. Christianity has become a system of moralities which we impose on other people but many who call themselves Christians are not submitted to Christ. They have chosen a lifestyle of morality, but they don’t have a growing relationship with Jesus. It’s easy for any of us to get sucked into a life of morality without actually growing in a relationship with Jesus. Our morality and our desire to see God’s laws rule the world trick us into believing we’re on track, but if God actually ruled in our lives the way we believe we want him to in our land, we would find ourselves a little bit rattled. When we are actually submitted to God he shakes things up. He requires us to deal with the junk in our attitudes and in our thinking. He holds us accountable and requires us to apologize to people we don’t even like, and to honor people in authority that we don’t agree with. We are on track when we are able to hear God dealing with us about the things we need to change, and instead of just feeling guilty about it, we actually do it. Submitting to God means we are listening for instructions and we obey him. When I stop hearing these kinds of prompts from God I know I am distant and I’m just walking out a life of morality. This challenges me today to ask God to open my heart and my ears to listen and be faithful to obey.
