February 13, 2013
Paul's heart was broken for his Jewish brothers. He felt great sorrow and sadness for them. If he could have done anything to restore them to Christ he would have. Paul (and I) finally came to understand one unwavering truth: it was not his (nor my) battle. The battle belongs to the Lord.
God is God. He is the potter. He will decide who kindness is shown to. He will determine who His mercy is given to. Romans 9:21 - "The potter can make anything he wants to make." He will decide if, when, or how He will show His anger. He will receive the honor and glory do Him. People can try to be in control, but it will fail every time. Romans 9:31–32 - "But they did not succeed, because they tried to make themselves right by the things they did instead of trusting in God to make them right. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble."
Jesus is the cornerstone. We either build our lives upon Him as our foundation, or He gets in our way and we trip over Him when we try to be in charge of our own lives. God is patient. He is slow to anger. But His will—will be done, and He will share His glory with no one.
Next Entry: Romans 10:1–21
Paul's heart was broken for his Jewish brothers. He felt great sorrow and sadness for them. If he could have done anything to restore them to Christ he would have. Paul (and I) finally came to understand one unwavering truth: it was not his (nor my) battle. The battle belongs to the Lord.
God is God. He is the potter. He will decide who kindness is shown to. He will determine who His mercy is given to. Romans 9:21 - "The potter can make anything he wants to make." He will decide if, when, or how He will show His anger. He will receive the honor and glory do Him. People can try to be in control, but it will fail every time. Romans 9:31–32 - "But they did not succeed, because they tried to make themselves right by the things they did instead of trusting in God to make them right. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble."
Jesus is the cornerstone. We either build our lives upon Him as our foundation, or He gets in our way and we trip over Him when we try to be in charge of our own lives. God is patient. He is slow to anger. But His will—will be done, and He will share His glory with no one.
"He wanted to show his anger and let people see his power. But he patiently stayed with those people he was angry with—people who were made ready to be destroyed. He waited with patience so that he could make known his rich glory to the people who receive his mercy. He has prepared those people to have his glory, and we are those people whom God called." Romans 9:22-24God is slow to anger. He is in control.
Next Entry: Romans 10:1–21
No comments:
Post a Comment