Romans 9

?

Hey guys, I'm going to be back late today also so i thought i should do it early today...

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.”

I know this sounds cruel but this just goes on to prove that God has plans for all of us. He raised us with a purpose. Sure I may not know what you guys were called for or what he has called on to me for but I know that I can rely on god to work his miracles. He used Pharaoh to raise his name and let him be known, and I know that God formed this praise team for a sore purpose, to worship him. to call on to him.

25 As 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,”[i]

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”


Wow these verses really spoke to me. Altho we may not even deserve to be called his people, he will still call us his sons and daugthers. The only reason why wouldn't be called his sons and daughters are if we decided not to be his son and daughter. God always has his arms and open wide, just waiting for us to come to him, And the least we can do is worship him and thank him. Iunno I honestly think this the greatest honour.

sorry guys i have soooo much hmwk and studying to do for a test tomorrow...
imma be posting kinda late.... but ill get my devos done asap!

Romans 9

22
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-prepared for destruction?

I think this means that God is always watching us and is ready to spread his wrath of destruction to us if we are not wise and do not believe in him. We should all believe in our God because he gave his son to die for us. If we do not believe that, what is there to live by in life? For those who are not believer i just pray that we can be voices of God and spread his name to others so that everyone in the world can be accepted into his kingdom.

33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,
“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced

This verse really stood out to me. It reminded me that everyone our lives stumble and it's because God allows us to stumble, but he also picks us right back up. I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that "makes" people "stumble". Makes and Stumble, these two words stood out to me a lot. God allows for there to be hard ships in our life but I think it's just so that we can rely on him that much more. If our lives were perfect and didn't have any issues whatsoever, we would rarely feel the need to rely on God. Onto stumble, I noticed it didn't say "fall", God would never want us to go through a situation that we can't handle. He would want us to go through those situations that are bareable, but also pull us towards him.

Good night guys, see you toimorrow.

Hey all! I'm a little exhausted from continuously doing calculus... but it's all good!

The beginning I found strange at first, considering Paul would have such a negative tone. I've heard several of his positive ones, and other negative ones (but more on ourselves in terms of judgment). I think it's really because of the issues of the Israelites - his brothers.

Verse 8 seemed to also interest me a little - 'In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 'The children of the promise' would translate to me as the descendants (leading to us!) as followers of God - we are God's children wherever we go... and this really reminded me.

God's sovereignty seems to be reflected in verse 18, which says, 'Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.' Most of my non-Christian friends ask me why God challenges us, and I would say that he can do whatever he needs to do. God isn't evil just because he pushes us - there's always purpose in every single thing God has for us. After all, it's part of his plan. He's sovereign - it doesn't make him cruel at all - our parents would try and harden us when we would best need it - so we would grow!

Sorry again the devo's somewhat short.

This chapter was confusing at first because while reading it, it seems to go against when God said he would never forsake us, or that he is just because Paul is writing that God as a Sovereign God only chose some people to be saved and left others. When I first read, I was wondering about how this went against everything I learned like how God is just and he will never forsake us, but I realized it isn't him who is forsaking us, but we who are forsaking him. As sinners, our natural wish is to be as far from God as possible, but by his grace and mercy, he saves a group of people, but leaves the others, but it is the ones who have been chosen that God is being unfair to (in a positive way). God could've left us for dead, but through his mercy and grace, he saved us, so we cannot say that it is unfair or unjust because God is being completely fair to us. He granted our wish to be away from him, but he draws some of us to him so that we can be saved. Here, I started to wonder or even question God about why he chose us and left the others, but Paul explains very well using the example of the jars of clay that it is God's sovereign decision, and that we have no right and no authority to question that choice, because technically, we are already saved and given an advantage.

whew... Good night guys!

Omg just losty post... Stupid iPod... I'll repost tomorrow while u guys are at practice

16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

I found these verses interesting. Usually we're told that God is the same to everyone and that he treats us fairly, in this way. However, in these verses, we're told that God decides who to 'show mercy to and who's heart to harden' not ourselves and the amount of effort we put into him.

19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”
These verses are just verses to remember. We sometimes feel defiant towards God and the things he tells us to do, but how could we possibly understand the reasoning for God's actions?