Week 2 | Romans 9 & 10

OK, spent some time processing and reprocessing these chapters; and yes, I was a bit slack and didn't do the daily thing quite so well, but here I am still.

These chapters deal a lot with the relationship between Jews and God.

The thing that always gets me about the Jewish people is how many chances God gave them. And I always get to the part (in any text) where you need to say "well, does this apply to me?" and not being a massive biblical scholar my answer is quite commonly "hey, I don't know - BUT the principal is ringing true for me..."

I heard on the radio this morning that they're planning this huge new wide-area-grid radio telescope, such that the actual effective size of the telescope dish will be some 1000 km. Amazing.
The guy this morning was very excited about it and was saying it will help them look 'back to the beginning of the universe" and figure out how things happened (I guess by measuring directions and rates, and extrapolating out how and where and when things started).

And of course (from my poorly-informed position (how ironic)) I'm wondering quite how accurate we can be given we're in the middle of this thing, we're at one point in time with only increasing technology and ever-more-questioned measurements from history to rub against; and one of the aims of the telescope is to discover more about "dark energy" which comprises some 70% of the energy in the universe. Might that affect our readings in some way?

Now, I mention this not for scientific discussion but as a concept of perspective, and understanding truth.
I've seen all kinds of things hamstrung by indecision, or a lack of certainty on the correct-ness of one's attitude. And I've seen people barrell off down the wrong path because they didn't consider things properly.

I guess in time I've come to rely on the spirit's prompting in me; sometimes I know it's actually just my will; and determining the difference between the two is something I'm gradually getting better at, but needs constant awareness.

SO - if my knowledge says "I don't know" but my heart says "hey, you know what, that makes sense, that FEELS right" then I'll do it.

So, Romans 9/10?

Don't be a prat. Interesting, considering the discussion I've just had with myself - don't rely only on your heart, because together mind, heart and action save you, none in isolation.

But the thing at the end of Romans 10:

Rom. 10:14 ¶ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Rom. 10:15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Rom. 10:16 ¶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
Rom. 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Rom. 10:18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: ¶ “Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
Rom. 10:19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, ¶ “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”
Rom. 10:20 And Isaiah boldly says, ¶ “I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
Rom. 10:21 But concerning Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

...I guess I read that as "from whatever your position, choose to believe"

That single line doesn't help me determine one doctrine's correctness against anothers, but I guess it sets the state of my heart to being open and ready.


---edit----

...and of course I've not mentioned the falibility of man in all of that; we get taken off course by bad teaching; our hearts are hardened and so on; so there can't be judgement from me to another, but still, I think there's a strong comment in here about attitude.

Week 1 | Saturday | Romans 8

Present sufferings

Paul talks about creation groaning, and our 'present sufferings' being nothing compared with the glory we will find in Christ when we die.

On the way home there's a building near the ferry terminal that always gets me. It's a 2 story fibro + metal frame house which is little more than a portable you see on building sites; it's at the end of the (local) airport runway, and surrounded with truck depots, low level scrub and general dirt. There are trucks constantly banging by, and trucks in China are neither quiet, nor clean.

The people that live there have a house. Maybe it's a family to a room, but there's only 6 or maybe 8 rooms in the building. The dorms at our factory have 3-4 people per room, who are totally unrelated. The Chinese have accepted this is the way they live, and they don't complain. I doubt any of these workers will ever own property: I think they all pay board. Maybe the people in the fibro house own it, I don't know.

Is that 'accepted' behaviour so, and so different to mine, simply because it was learnt? I think so. I think we have an ability to accept our situation, and to fight against it in many cases is hopeless. How can a Chinese worker ever hope to have the kind of 'wealth' I have? It's aeons apart.

Two things here - faith is the great leveller - I'm of as much importance to God as a Chinese worker, which gives me hope and joy; and the second is this, (and a little more complex) - 'present sufferings' can mean everything, or nothing, depending on viewpoint and scale.

Paul of course talks about striving in faith, and human persecution from people who wanted to kill Christians.

I think suffering, like so many other terms, has been hijacked by capitalism to effectively mean 'lifestyle' - and in fact 'lifestyle' is a god of sorts for me.

Now that's dyed in the wool for me that I'm a westerner with a mortgage and a family, and that I can determine my financial level by the kind and amount of work I do - It's almost impossible to conceive how selling everything and going to live as a worker in a fibro box would benefit anyone, and certainly I don't want to do that:

But it makes me wonder about the notion of suffering: and by that - do I have any idea about the scope of this glory that Paul talks about - my impression is that as my suffering increases, the glory becomes exponentially greater: which makes me wonder if the biggest problem we have today is that everything's too easy.

I really don't think I understand the peril we're in.

Indeed, by fully understanding the depth, utter completeness and unfailing darkness of a sinful death - only as that increases does my understanding of the value of grace increase. And then when Paul writes

Rom. 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

...and I begin to remember again what an amazing thing this faith I've got is. How precious and beautiful it is; how I need to treasure it.

I can't MAKE anyone else get this either. To help someone understand it I NEED God to be working on them so that when an opportunity arises there's something that clicks when we talk about hope, and life, and answers to dark questions - which means I need to pray. And I've been poor.

God, make me twisted and crunched up for my friends. Wind me up like a spring, be at my gut like a heart attack when I think of them going without you.

Week 1 | Thursday/Friday | Romans 8

Not a spirit of fear

"Rom. 8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

I feel it's important for me to remember that Paul ties that action of putting to death the sinful desires with the work of the spirit: in the past I've had times where I identified and tried to overcome behaviours and attitudes from a position of understanding and will, but that wound up with guilt and 'failure' - so then I'd go to see someone about guilt and so on.

I totally believe in psychology. Perhaps there are some things I'm just not supposed to understand.