Romans 13 Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

(Click here to listen to God's love letter to you)

Max Lucado Daily: Managing Our Thoughts

You’ve got to admit—anger shows up, and we let him in. Revenge needs a place to stay, so we have him pull up a chair. Pity wants a party, we show him the kitchen.

Don’t we know how to say no?  For most of us, thought management is, well, un-thought of.  Shouldn’t we be as concerned about managing our thoughts as we are managing anything else?

Jesus stubbornly guarded the gateway of his heart. On one occasion the people determined to make Jesus their king. Most of us would delight in the notion. Not Jesus.  When He saw they were about to grab him and make him king,  John 6:15 tells us, “Jesus slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself.”

Proverbs says, be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life!  (Proverbs 4:23).  Jesus did, shouldn’t we do the same?  Most certainly!

from Just Like Jesus

Romans 13
New International Version (NIV)
Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 145:1-7

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Golden Eagle

May 8, 2013 — by David C. Egner

I will meditate . . . on Your wondrous works. —Psalm 145:5

My son Mark and I were leaving the Clyde Peterson Ranch in Wyoming to head back to Michigan. In the distance we spotted a huge bird sitting in a solitary tree overlooking a steep canyon. As we approached, the golden eagle leaped from the tree and soared out over the canyon, the golden streaks in its feathers shimmering in the morning sun. Its immense size and beauty filled us with wonder. We felt privileged to witness this magnificent demonstration of God’s awesome creativity.

Creation displays God’s “wondrous works” (Ps. 145:5). And when we stop to meditate on those works, we can’t help but be awed as our minds and spirits are moved to reflect on the character of the God who created them.

That golden eagle told my son and me a story of the creative genius of our mighty God. So does the flitting songbird, the doe with her playful fawn, the pounding surf, and delicate little flowers such as bachelor’s-button and spring beauty. In the most unexpected moments and out-of-the-way places the Lord shines His glory in this world in order to reveal Himself to us. Those serendipitous moments are opportunities to “meditate . . . on [His] wondrous works” (v.5).

This is my Father’s world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—
His hand the wonders wrought. —Babcock
Always be on the lookout for wonder. —E. B. White


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 8, 2013


Because you have kept My command to persevere . . . —Revelation 3:10

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet— places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You . . .” (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The "Together Forever" Insurance Program - #6868

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

You get pretty immune to the scenery on the roads that you travel all the time. There's an entrance to an Interstate where I used to live in New Jersey that was like that for me. I used that ramp all the time, and there's a sharp bend in it and there are these big SLOW signs, and I was used to those. There were signs with these black arrows against the yellow backdrop that point out that sudden bend to the left, and I hardly ever noticed those.

One night I was driving that stretch, basically paying no attention to those familiar markers, and then I noticed something that wasn't usually there. It stood out! It was a hand painted sign sticking up from the railing and it had a simple inscription that haunted me for a long time. It just said, "10-28-88 Together Forever." Now, I don't know why it was there. Maybe it could have been some kind of a romantic remembrance, but my hunch is that there was probably an accident on that treacherous curve and maybe even a couple died together there, and someone assumed that they would then be together forever. Not necessarily.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The 'Together Forever' Insurance Program."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians, and I'm going to begin reading in chapter 4, verse 14. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him." Verse 16, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with the Lord forever."

Oh, that's a great passage. Now, did you notice here it uses that word "together" - people who will in fact be together forever? And the people it's talking about are those it says who believe that Jesus has died and rose again. We're talking about people who have committed themselves to the man who died for them, to the man who walked out of His grave under His own power so He could walk into their lives. They are committed to Jesus Christ.

Now, I feel like my Dad died too young; he was just in his 50s when he died. But my Father and I will be together forever because we both have been to the same cross to have our sins forgiven. There's one thing that will keep you or someone you love out of heaven. God wants you there, but He can't let sin in, and you and I've got it. You've got it until you come to the cross where Jesus died to erase your sin. And then when you die, instantaneously you are with Christ and heaven begins. It's a place where there are no goodbyes.

People look at the other destination and try to laugh it off. They think about hell and they say, "Hey, listen! We'll be together forever there. You know, I'll have my friends there." Well, if they're there you won't know it. The only eye witness account we have from hell is in Luke 16, and it points us to a man who is there but has no company; he is totally alone forever, not hanging out with his friends.

But no one has to spend eternity there. Jesus took my hell so I don't have to. He did it for you. Is there someone you want to be sure is going to heaven with you? Well, then, don't wait until it's too late to lovingly tell them about Christ, who's the only way to get there, because He's the only one who paid for our sin. Maybe there's someone that you really want to have there: your Mom, your Dad, a child, or a friend. Or maybe it's someone you sent on ahead. You know, maybe there's someone who they did know Christ for sure and they're in heaven now. But, you know, their faith will not get you in, only yours will.

And so this could be that day. To not just know about Christ, but to know Him personally. To actually personally take for yourself the life Jesus died to give you - eternal life in heaven. "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." Open up your heart and say, "Jesus, I am Yours."

We'd love to show you the way to get that relationship settled and know it's a done deal. Go to our website, will you, YoursForLife.net. The day you tell Jesus you're trusting Him as your Savior, you can write that date down and know then that you'll be together forever.