How you doin? I thank
God for several things during my prayer time. Things of His nature and
character. Things like His grace, mercy, patience, glory, and most of
all His love. Also on that list is His sovereignty. My Bible defines
sovereign like this, "supreme in power or authority (usually of God)".
God is in charge. Romans 9 today.
The heading
of this chapter is "God's Sovereign Choice". This is very difficult
Scripture for me to understand. I just keep praying that the Holy Ghost
teaches me and that my human limitations don't interfere with knowledge
of God's glory. Verse 16-18, "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For
Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that
I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in
all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on
whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
This is tough Scripture for me to reconcile. I was just telling my 17yrs
old cousin in Fla. that praying for God to increase my desire to love
Him change everything for me. As God increases my desire to love Him, He
grants me understanding and favor. I guessing it could be because I'm
blessed to be one of the chosen. Praise Jesus!!!!!!! Verse 15, "For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It's God's
sovereignty. He's in control. I find myself willing to accept His ways
even with little understanding. I know He's good.
The
2nd heading is "Israel's Unbelief". This makes things clearer.
Sometimes it's easier to see why things are done from what is not done
or what's done incorrectly. Verses 30-33, "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame.”WOW!!!!!!! Praise Jesus for the new covenant. Jesus is the stone and rock. Those that insist on living under the inferior old covenant stumble over Jesus. Law and works over Jesus' grace leads to death. Jesus leads to reconciliation with the Father. His grace and invitation to follow Him is what keeps us from being shamed. That's a good word. It seems to me that I can pursue a law of righteousness, of works (that I've already failed miserably) or a righteousness by faith (that Jesus has already purchased for me). It's amazing to me that this is even remotely close to being a choice. I/we have a choice of being a part of God's chosen family through choosing to adhere to and live under the old covenant or the new covenant. Don't stumble over Jesus today.
No comments:
Post a Comment