Today Our Daily Bread Romans 2 ( Message Version- Awesome text)

Romans 2: 1 - 29
1 Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. 2 But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. 3 You didn't think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? 4 Or did you think that because he's such a nice God, he'd let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. 5 You're not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it's going to blaze hot and high, God's fiery and righteous judgment. 6 Make no mistake: In the end you get what's coming to you - 7 Real Life for those who work on God's side, 8 but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire! 9 If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you're from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. 10 But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. 11 Being a Jew won't give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind. 12 If you sin without knowing what you're doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely. 13 Merely hearing God's law is a waste of your time if you don't do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God. 14 When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. 15 They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. 16 Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.
17 If you're brought up Jewish, don't assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you're an insider to God's revelation, 18 a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! 19 I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God's revealed Word inside and out, 20 feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God. 21 While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I'm quite serious. While preaching "Don't steal!" are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? 22 The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. 23 You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law. 24 The line from Scripture, "It's because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God," shows it's an old problem that isn't going to go away. 25 Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God's law. But if you don't, it's worse than not being circumcised. 26 The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God's ways are as good as the circumcised - 27 in fact, better. Better to keep God's law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. 28 Don't you see: It's not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. 29 You become a Jew by who you are. It's the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.
The Message
~Lena’s Comments~
It is so funny, how we are, how I am. As I was first reading this, I found myself saying "Yeah, that’s right!" "Yeah, I know, people do that don’t they?" Umm, excuse me! Hey- me! The word is talking about YOU! Yes You! Remember when David was found before the priest and he’d done a sad and sinful act. The priest described the event as though another party had done the act, and described David as the judge and king over the sinful situation. David found himself fitting right into that judgement seat and settling in there. (Just as I just did). The priest asked "the judge" what he would have done to the sinner, David (the judge) answered how he would take care of things as king and judge. Then the priest graciously pointed out that David – great judge and king, was the sinner! He revealed it by saying, David, YOU are THE man! When we really realize that we are the sinners and not the judges, we suddenly get a greater perspective of the situation and then we desire mercy to be considered on our behalf. If we desire mercy, we need to desire it for others, just as we do for ourselves. Lately I’ve been asking myself how much I love god, when I come upon a hard to love through situation with a hard to show love to person involved. The word says I cannot love God if I do not love this person, but I find myself in places where love is very extremely hard. I’m very quick to say I love God, I also need to be that quick to extend mercy, grace and love to my not so easy to love brethren. I keep thinking about how we all want our words to mean so much, yet where God is concerned, we don’t only want Him to tell us something, but we want Him to do something! This trait we have to desire action, was passed down to us by our Father God. He wants action also, along with the words. People do not believe what you say, no matter how much you say it, they believe what you do. We also want God to confirm, validate and prove His words to us. If we say we love God, but never even give Him our thoughts Monday through Friday, why would He "believe" we love Him. That reminds me of Jesus’ conversation w/ Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter said he did and Jesus knew he did, where Peter was at, so Jesus called his love to grow by actions and told Him how love would act. God is calling for action in us. Worship is an action word. Worship is about a life of actions towards, for and with God. One thing I think of is how we assume we are ok, saved, marked for God or whatever, if we go to church, hang around Christians, or have been made by our Christian parents to live right somehow. This version is so clear to understand. We all must choose to serve God in our own minds and hearts. This does not mean have our faith to ourselves and keep it private. No, it means enter in to the participation with God’s whole family. This is evidence of your faith, that you obey His words and do what He knows is good for you. The standing before God alone part is what happens at Judgement time. Not here, here is where we walk out, and by demonstration, live out our faith. If we are continually in right relationship with our Maker, Our Father, when we stand before Him in that place, it will be just another time for communion with Him. Don’t assume you have faith, because your parents had faith or you were born in a religious heritage. That is NOT what God is looking for. We all must be born and then we also must be born again of and by His spirit.