Last night my sister and I went to a Bible study that Brandon has been doing. It's at the local university... that just happens to be on break between spring&summer classes. So the Student Union was closed. So we sat outside. It was kinda cold by the end, but we survived. It was a really good study. We're actually doing a book study on Jude. I can't say that I've ever seriously read Jude. I've sarcastically read it, but never seriously. So it should be interesting.
Brandon's sister is having surgery today at 11. If you would pray for her and for their family, that would be fantastic!
Ack. I feel so distracted this morning. Time to get to NIPTO I think.
I feel like this is relevant though... since I'm basically analyzing the Bible from my point of view. We were talking about bible-study-methods last night. And at the end we were discussing the question "Can a verse have more than one meaning?" My thought was that, after reading the definition of meaning, no. But people can interpret things differently. There's an overall meaning. But there are also different points of application. And each person has their own opinions of what is being said and what each person gets out of it can be completely different. You do not by any means have to agree with what I'm saying. This is my interpretation of the Bible. You don't have to agree with it. It's just what I'm thinking. :)
Background information about what was talked about yesterday: God has the ultimate decisions to make. We make choices that sometimes determine the outcome. Verse 18 is something to the effect of "God is merciful to those he chooses to be merciful towards, and he hardens those he wants to harden" which nicely sets up the next section, as usually (*cough*always*cough*) happens in the Bible.
Romans 9:19-29
19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
This is interesting. We blame God for blaming us. But we are in no position to talk back to God. It's kind of like talking back to a parent who is serious about the whole "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it" thing. God made us in his image. Why would we ask him "Why did you make me like this?" Why would we ask our good and perfect creator that? God makes some people just to be normal people. God makes others for "noble purposes." I'm not exactly sure what that's referring to, but yeah.
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
What if God's just waiting... waiting to show his power and glory. To us. He wants to show it to us. Those that he called. Those that responded to the call. Isn't that kinda crazy?
25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them 'my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "
This is oh so very interesting to me. Paul pulls out some Old Testament ammo (from Hosea to be exact). These people would've known their OTs. They probably wouldn't have applied it to themselves though. Which is what I find interesting. They might have applied it to themselves, but generally, when someone in the NT pulls something out of the OT, it's almost like a surprise to the people reading this letter. Hosea is an interesting Old Testament Prophet book. You should read it. I should read it. The end.
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
"Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
There are a lot of people. Unfortunately, not all of them will be saved. Only a remnant. The definition of remnant isn't very hopeful. It's just a little scary.
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
"Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah."
aka: we would've been like the cities that God destroyed with very little mercy unless we had kids.
I'm not sure I get this. Maybe it's related to the remnant thing... Not sure.
Today is Day 9 of 100 Days of Holiness. It's been a good reminder for me. I think that I've been praying a lot more during this. When I see the little blue bracelet, I'm reminded that God is with me. It's awesome. :)
Oh. I'm late. It's 9. EEK. I usually start school at 9. I haven't eaten breakfast yet.
BOOOO for rainy mornings that make you feel unmotivated!
Have a good day!
P.S. The last day of school was good yesterday. I took many pictures and people didn't like me. WOOOOHOOO.
Bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment