EXPAND TO READ: ROMANS 9 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 32): For almost my entire faith, I have defined the “success” of my faith by my works instead of simply by my faith. In this verse, You tell us that we should pursue righteousness through our faith and not through our works. Please forgive me for this, Father. Forgive me for my immaturity in faith and the expectation that my works are what defines my righteousness. I know I still struggle with this at times, but I do want to be fully invested in my faith and not my works, so please help me to be better at this, Father. Help me to continue to move forward as a follower of Jesus through my faith and not through my works.
PROMISE (verse 5): Once again, Your promise here is about Jesus Himself. Your promise is that He came to us through a lineage on this earth. That our Messiah was born from our ancestors to reign over all but also to be praised forever! Thank You so much for this promise, but also for fulfilling this promise. I praise You for all that this promise has done for us through its fulfillment.
ATTITUDE (verse 16): Father, You tell us here that our lives are not driven by our own will or effort, but by Your mercy and compassion. Help me to be better at embracing Your mercy and compassion, Father, instead of having an attitude of “I can do this on my own.” Help me to be better at leaning on and relying on You in this life as the efforts I put forth in this life when all by myself are worthless. If I have an attitude of dependence and reliance on You, however, then Your mercy and compassion can shine through allowing my efforts to be multiplied as much as You want/need them to in the moment. I am still learning, Father, but I know that with You in my life all things are possible.
COMMAND (verses 32-33): In these verses You speak of a stumbling stone being put in our paths. I know this to be true because I have stumbled quite a bit in my life. Your command is quite simple, yet something that I struggle with a lot since coming to faith. Quite simply, You tell us that anyone who pursues You through faith and not works, will not be put to shame by the stumbling stone. Help me to be stronger, wiser, and more mature in my faith, Father, so that I do not stumble as often as I have been.
EXAMPLE (verses 19-24): The example You give here is definitely a logical one that opens my eyes on many topics. You are the almighty Creator and everything is created for a purpose. Who are we to question Your creations? We are simply the created and in no way should be questioning the Creator for why we or someone else are created the way we are. Help me to be better at understanding and embracing this in my life, Father. Help me to be better at recognizing that all things are created for Your will and Your glory; that sometimes even “negative” things exist to highlight the positives. Help me to embrace this example more thoroughly so that I can see Your glory shine through all things.
*DAILY NOTE: So often I give into the “returns based on performance” mentality in my life, even in my faith life. This is not how You expect us to perform good works for You and today’s scripture reminds me of that. Oftentimes I forget that I’m actually doing good works for You for Heavenly rewards in eternity, but at the same time all of my “rewards” have already been given to me through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for my redemption. How can I ever expect to get a return on a debt that has already been paid by Him for ALL of my mistakes, weaknesses, sin, etc.? I have no means of repaying that debt other than through Jesus, so I need to remember to keep the mindset of gratitude for all He has done on my behalf while at the same time keeping a willingness to do anything You’ve called me to do in this life to ensure that sacrifice was not in vain. Thank You, Father, for illuminating this to me today.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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