What About the Hardened

14 (AC)What shall we say then? (AD)There is no injustice with God, is there? (AE)May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “(AF)I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who (AG)runs, but on (AH)God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “(AI)FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED [k]THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He (AJ)hardens whom He desires.

Romans 9:14-18

In this passage the author is telling us that God chooses who will be hardened and who will be used for kingdom purposes. His examples includes the pharaoh and the birth of Esau and Jacob. I didn't matter what they did, it was all about who God predestined.

I find this so hard to accept but before I continue I want to declare that I trust God and believe the scriptures. The hard thing is that people are being condemned to hell because of what God chose for them. Did they even have a chance to repent? Does God give another chance to these that had their heart hardened? Paul further explains this point by giving the example of the potter and the clay. The clay has no right to question anything that the potter does... The potter does what he sees fit.

This is all truly justified but the question comes to mind... Does God create to specifically condemn to hell? Our God is loving and compassionate? He doesn't want to be separated from any of His children. So based on that I would think that God has the right to create specifically to send to hell but doesn't because He loves all His children.

Last night I watched the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it had a pretty good message. There's a main character that was evil... To the point that one missionary person said that he didn't have a chance for salvation. The daughter still believed even though he killed and was evil to the core... His heart was definitely hardened. But at the end he gave up his life, even though unwillingly, to save his daughter. I know this wasn't his choice so that may not have been enough yo save him but it still brought forth an interesting topic: anyone can be saved. I would like to believe our fair and just God would spare these souls that He Himself hardened, and give them the same opportunity to repent and be saved like the rest of us.

Father God, forgive me for even getting close to this topic but it's something weighing on my heart that I need to present You. I know this, You are the Potter and we are are the clay, we deserve death but You saved us. Help my mind be at peace with all that You do. Teach me to fall in love with You over and over again. In Your precious name Lord Jesus I pray, amen.


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Leave it all Behind

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:4-6

Paul explained that the Law only applies to those who are alive.  He gave the example that someone can only commit adultery when their spouse is still alive.  If the woman/man has relations with another while their spouse is dead, the Law does not apply.  

There are 2 ways we die to the Law: a physical death and a spiritual one.  The obvious physical death would apply to this example where a person isn't tied to the Law anymore when they pass on.  The other death that we should be focusing on is the spiritual death in Christ Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross, He died to pay the penalty of sin but He also rose again in victory over death.  When we focus on what was accomplished on the cross we get a better understanding of what Paul is trying to say in Romans 7:4-6.  When Jesus died on that cross, it was to abolish each and every one of our sins.  And when Paul said "you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ" it simply means we're born again in the resurrection.  We are no longer slaves to sin that made itself evident through the Law.

In later verses, Paul explained that sin and the Law are closely tied together.  It's like any type of rules today.  A set of rules are setup to govern a place or situation and when everyone follows it and its underlying agenda, things are great, just as the rule-maker intended.  But when rules are broken, light is shined upon the rule-breaker.  Or even worse, when someone uses the rules or "system" for their own benefit instead of the rule-maker's motives.  The rules were great with the correct heart but without it, it reveals the ugliness and selfishness of that person.

But now we're set free from this enslavement to the Law.  This Law, originally created for good, was being enforced by the perverse with sinful ambitions.  This Law brought death because it pointed out that none of us are worthy, absolutely no one.  It was there to keep us in line with God and also to point out how flawed we are; that we are sinners.  God the Father gave us His Son to release us of this heavy burden.

As I meditate on God word here I know what needs to be done... die.  I need to die daily to my old ways.  I'm not a Jew so I don't have the Mosaic Law to follow, nor is there any expectations to do so.  But this is a reminder that I need to trust Jesus with my everything.  I can't rely on my methods or experiences to carry me through any situation.  I just need Jesus.  The only way I'll ever serve Jesus in Spirit is if I allow Him to lift me up from the grave.  It's a surrender.

Father God, thank You for being a great Counselor!  I'm so lost without You, I don't know what I'd do.  So please Lord, guide Your servant through this unknown territory.  Help me to be a great husband, family member, leader,.. and ultimately a great father as well.  I will continue to pray, seek, ask & knock Lord.  In Your wonderful name Lord Jesus I pray, amen.

Slave to Something

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:16-18

This passage reminds me of the saying, "you are going to worship something whether you know it or not... choose God."  This is also like the the passage in Deuteronomy 30:19 where it says to to choose life instead of the curse.  It clearly points out that our hearts will gravitate towards something; our default action is to sin.  This makes us a slave of something because it's out of our control... we're going to submit to something.  We need to make a choice, an intentional submission to go where God is and it's not going to be easy.  God's grace covers us in our missteps but we need to make that eternal decision on our own.

What am I a slave to?  One area (of the many) that I'm a slave to is self-confidence or self-worth.  I struggle with the feeling that I'm not good enough, in a way always looking for acceptance or approval.  For example, leading Bible study.  I spend time to prepare for a lesson only to second guess myself, questioning how I'm going to deliver the message.  I then question if it'll be effective and then question my own interpretation of God's word.  In the end I don't offer any message and I never grow as a leader.  This happens because I lack confidence.  I believe in the content and desire the message to be conveyed but my thoughts start centering on my performance instead of God's heart.  I make myself a slave of paralysis and prevent God's word from molding and guiding His children's hearts.  I have to pray against this in order for God's blessings to shower His flock.

Father God, thank You for being my one true source of confidence and worthiness.  Please forgive me of looking inwardly when I should be seeking Your desires and ways.  You are very aware of all my struggles in this life so I pray I draw closer to You in all situations my Lord.  In Christ Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

Promises and Blessings

"As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' "But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

1 Kings 9:4-7

God is promising what He promised to king David, that His blessings will continue if Solomon keeps His commandments and His statutes.  These blessings are conditional and history shows us that Solomon's disobedience later in life caused less-than the best of blessings.  There were consequences to Solomon's straying heart and God couldn't do what He desired to his descendants.

Many of us today mix up blessings and promises.  We are promised a place in heaven alongside the Triune God.  We are promised a place where there's no more tears and disappointments.  We are promised an eternity of unconditional love and worship.  We are not promised anything in this world other than the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will be with us every step of the way.  

This leads me to think, "What's the benefit of being a Christian in this temporary world?"  We know there will be persecution, suffering, struggles...  those things are guaranteed.  But we will also share in some joys in this life but not as we would think.  Our joys today is centered around the eternal.  We rejoice in the saving of ones' life.  We rejoice in the transformation of hearts.  If our hearts aren't centered on God's promises, and the sharing of His promises, this world will seem pretty useless... without joy. 

On the other side I think about the temporary moments of happiness.  Is it bad to experience these emotions?  Nope.  When we use our giftings, it fires up our passion.  This passion will grant us moments of happiness but that won't sustain us unless it's within the confines of our calling.  Giftings outside our calling will fizzle and disappear eventually leaving us flat.  Each and every one of us needs to discover ourselves in Christ in order to be happy in this world.

Father God, thank You for allowing me to experience true joy.  Like the Spirit of Aloha weekend... that was joy.  Like praying over the choir and my brothers and sisters... that's joy.  Help me to really find myself in Your creation.  Lord, please help me with my direction this day.  Do I go this or that direction... where do I find You in all this?  Are you calling me into full time ministry?  Part time ministry?  This church, that church, new church?  What about my current job situation?  Do I go back to HT?  CCI?  On my own?  Partner up?  So many questions and possibilities but the only thing I'm sure of is You... thank You.  In the matchless name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.