Ephesians 3-4~ Day 81~ Jesus himself teaches us!

“But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.”  (4:20-24)

That is the longest sentence ever!! But it’s a good one!  I particularly liked, “you heard about him and were taught by him..” Some translations say “taught in him” instead of “ taught by him”.  I liked the version “taught by him”.  What better teacher is there than Jesus himself? We are being taught by Jesus as we take off our old selves and put on the new!  We aren’t just taught to live right by our pastors, youth workers, or other wiser,older Christians. And we aren’t taught he angels.  We have the best teacher of all~Jesus!!
I think that’s pretty cool!!!

Ephesians 1-2~ Day 80~Christians are the holy dwelling of Jesus!

I love Paul's figurative language as he describes Christians growing "into a holy temple in the Lord." (2:21)
He describes this building (Christians) as being "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone." (2:20)

That language sounded so familiar to me! I remember reading something very similar in Revelation.  John, the author of that book saw "the bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:9), coming down from heaven like, "the holy city, Jerusalem" (vs 10).  The city had 12 gates that were named after the 12 tribes of Israel and the city wall had 12 foundations named after the 12 apostles (21:14).

The word pictures are extremely similar, don't you think?  To me, that is proof that Paul's writing and John's writings are inspired, holy writings!  God gave them the words to describe his bride!

The church, being all Christians, is now the Holy Temple, the bride, the New Jerusalem.  The building of this Holy Bride first began with Abraham's "faith".  That faith was passed on to some of his children, down to the one's who became prophets (who came from the 12 tribes of Israel).  In addition, faith in Jesus grew as a result of the 12 apostles doing as Jesus directed them, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:19)

Paul was exactly right, we Christians can thank the people of faith who have gone before us, for the foundation they laid to our understanding of the gospel.  Because of the work they did in obedience to God's calling, we today, have the Bible at our finger tips to use in our understanding of God.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Romans 10:17)

And a result of our faith, is that we make up the holy temple, the holy city, the bride, the wife of the Lamb!  Woo woo!🙌🏻  🙌🏻 🙌🏻

Galatians 5-6 ~ Day 79~ Only Jesus!

"But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (6:14)

This verse reminds me of a great Christian song that is popular right now, by Casting Crowns. Maybe the music group was inspired by this verse!

 If you have 4 minutes, here's the link if you want to hear it!  It's a great reminder of what's important in life!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIBP2BdYR8

Also, they will be playing in concert September 21st in Irvine.  That sounds like a fun night out!!

Galatians 3-4~ Day 78~ What work do we need to do?

"You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham's sons." (3:7). There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise." (3:27-29)

This sounds very familiar, doesn't it?  I had to go back in our reading, but I found it!  Paul wrote about the very same idea to the Romans.  "The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction." (Rom 3:21).

There is no distinction in regards to who can have salvation through faith in Jesus.  It's faith that makes us believers, "Abraham's sons".
No wonder Paul had to repeat himself.  His letters were going out to all believers, in particular the Jewish believers who were very comfortable being part of the elite group known as the "Choosen Ones".  They were indeed chosen for one particular reason, to be the people group to usher into the world, the planned Messiah, who was coming for all people.  They were no longer to be a special race unto themselves.

Paul is very clear in this teaching, but the teaching didn't start with him.  Jesus began the clarification process back when he was on the earth.  Paul writings only piggy-back off of what Jesus started.  Remember what Jesus said in John 8:39, when he was speaking to the Jewish leaders?  The people said, "Abraham is our father', Jesus replied, "If you were children of Abraham, you would do the work of Abraham."

What is the "work" of Abraham, you may ask?  Jesus answered that question too!!  "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?  Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29)

So, Jesus himself, taught that the true seed of Abraham is the one who has faith in Him, not the one's who are merely physical dependents of Abraham.

All I ca say to that is, I am so thankful I have been added to the family!!  Thank you Jesus, for including me!!

Galatians 1-2~ Day 77~Remember your freedom!

If you ever feel "enslaved to rules, regulations, people's opinions of you, or your own guilt- remember this verse!!

"This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us." (2:4)

We have freedom in Christ!!  Remember that when you feel others are putting undue pressure on you!!

I like this cartoon. It's deeper than first glance:

We are not meant to be trying to please others and what they think is right.  The things we do for Christ is out of our love & devotion to him and nothing else!

Remember yesterday's verse? "Examine yourself"  Use that verse as a reminder to examine why you do what you do.  What you do should not be for the accolades of others, but rather, to glorify Christ.  And if you are ever feeling guilty for not "doing" enough, remember, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ." (Romans 8:1)

2 Corinthians 12-13~ Day 76~ A changed life for sure!

A few days ago we read "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!" (5:17)

Today, Paul circles back the that idea when he says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith.  Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?- unless you fail the test." (13:5) Paul knows his audience.  He is addressing both true believers and some who are frauds.

The bottom line is that a Christian will demonstrate "a new creation" character, a changed life, when Christ "moves in".  It's impossible for a believer to stay as they were before Christ.  I love how Paul says, "examine yourself".  Be honest with yourself.  Only you truly know what you were like before, and what you are like now.
I like the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln.  "You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."
to add to that, you will never fool God!  So, be honest with yourself!
A new believer won't be perfect, but there will definitely be a change!  Then, fortunately, Jesus keeps working on us so that we can become "fully mature" (13:9).  Yet, none of that can happen if one is not first honest with themselves as to being a "new creation".

2 Corinthians 10-11~ Day 75~"Nothing improves your aim like having a target."

I have taught sex ed. to kids between 5th and 8th grade over the past 12 years.  In my quest for finding current data, I have come across a variety of curriculum both in the secular and Christian arena.
One common tread that is found in all secular teaching on the subject, is the belief that young people will have sex. Therefore, there is no way to expect abstinence, hence, teach "safe sex".  This counter way of teaching from a Biblical perspective goes so far as to demoralize the idea of abstinence until marriage.

All that being said, I get so inspired when I read Paul's words, "For although we live in the flesh we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ." (10:3-5)

Isn't that encouraging to read that is is possible to "take every thought captive to obey Christ?"   We are not at the mercy of doing whatever our flesh wants to do.  We can make a decision that will benefit in the long run!

I get sad for kids today who are not given a standard to reach for. They are told they have no more control over their desires than an animal, and they don't have a brain to weigh the consequences.  The bar is set so low for their moral standard, they reach it every time.

That secular teaching isn't just aimed at young people.  It's an attitude that is prevalent at every stage of life. So, like I said, this section of scripture is inspiring and raises the bar to where it should be, for all believers.  Fortunately, Paul also makes sure to explain how we are able to accomplish this goal when he writes to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (4:13)

2 Corinthians 7-9~ Day 74~Tithe off of gross or net?

We are flying through this letter, reading three chapters a day!  Don't worry, though, the reading plan goes back to 2 chapters a day, very soon.

I think 9:6b is a good reminder for all, "The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously."

My husband's career involves managing money and investments. He gets excited when he talks about financial markets! If we are on a long drive and he is getting sleepy, all I have to do is ask him a question about loans and he will perk up and drive for hours!
Fortunately, for him, it's not all about gain, gain, gain, for he also has the gift of giving. He feels "it" is all God's anyway, and he is just the manager of it.  On numerous occations, young entrepreneurs have sought his council on how to get started in investments. In the course of conversation with these young people the question often comes up about tithing.  "Do I tithe off my gross or net?"

He heard a great response to that question when he was young, and adopted it as his own.  So, I have often heard his response, "Which do you want to be blessed off of, gross or net?"
That's a great comeback to ponder, don't you think!?

2 Corinthians 4-6~ Day 73~ The devil blinds people! 👹😳

Imagine the spiritual warfare going on around us all the time!
It is so weird for me to read, "But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor. 4:4)

The god of this age (Satan) has blinded people!! Wow!  That is radical!  It reminds me of the verse, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens."(Eph. 6:12)

Yet, God gave us Christians a role in this spiritual battle!  Like Paul, we have the calling, "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Jesus)." (Acts 26:18)

What an honor to be able to play a role in the spiritual battle going on in other peoples lives!  But, if it's a battle, I better equip myself with the armor listed in Eph. 6:14-17 and pray, pray, pray!!
"Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intersection for all the saints." (Eph. 6:18)

2 Corinthians 1-3~ Day 72~ Trust in God, not in yourself.

Just yesterday, my daughter asked me, "The Bible says God won't give you a trial harder than you can handle, right?"  I answered, "Nope, it doesn't say that!  It says, "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

She replied, "That's rough!"

I went on to explain, however, that when we come to the end of our rope, more than what we can handle, that's when we find ourselves giving our situation over to God, realizing that we can't do life on our own.  We need His help.

This conversation was fresh in my mind when I read Paul saying something very similar.  "We were completely overwhelmed  beyond our strength - so that we even despaired of life itself." (1:8)

See?!  There's the proof that God does give us more than we can bear.  It was the same for Paul and his companions then as it is for us today!  Paul went on to explain why God does this, "Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead." (1:9)

There you have it!  God wants us to trust in Him and not in ourselves.  He will put us in situations to remind us of this, since our human tendency is to turn to our own strength. The lesson for me is, just trust Jesus first!  Don't make it so God needs to remind me!!

I get it God!  I can do nothing with out you!  Don't let me forget it!

1 Corinthians 15-16~ What kind of body will you have?

The other day in a group Bible study that I am a part of, the topic of human souls in the after life  came up.  Someone said, “All humans have eternal souls. One will either be living in heaven for eternity or health for eternity.”
I agreed with that, but today’s reading got me pondering this subject further, “Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven so are those who are of heaven.” (15:48) “Those of heaven” would be believers.  What does that mean for the nonbeliever?
I’m assuming the next verse would only apply to believers in Christ, “And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we (believers) will also bear the image of the man of heaven.” (15:49) Again, I can’t help wondering what type of image unbelievers would have if their soul lives on for eternity in hell? 😬
I remember Peter saying this about Paul, “He (Paul) speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand.” (2 Peter 3:16). I think the topic of spiritual bodies, that Paul is talking about, is one of those matters that is hard to understand.

Some people (believers) choose to believe that unbelieving souls just cease to exist. These people are called annihilationists. Maybe they base their belief on this section of scripture. But, I always need to remind myself to use scripture to interpret scripture. You can’t ignore some scripture while sticking close to other scriptures. Therefore, an annihilationist would have to also take a look at these verses before they decided to hold to that position: Matt 3:12, 5:22, 5:29-30, 8:12, 23:33, Mark 9:48, Luke 16:19-28,  2 Thess. 1:8-9, and Rev 14:11, to name a few)

So, what type of body do you think one would have who is going to hell? I, personally, don’t have to worry about it because I know I’m going to get one of those incorrruptable bodies! But, I was just wondering....

1 Corinthians 13-14~ God’s inspired word doesn’t change.

Reading chapter 14 always causes me to think back to a time when I witnessed a pastor keep order in his church. In my early teens my older sister started taking me to a charismatic church that had an abundance of prophesying and speaking in tongues. 

You can imagine what this young girl’s face looked like when I first saw someone “slayed in the Spirit” or when I heard a song be sung loudly in a spiritual tongue, followed up by a person who interpreted the entire song. 😳

To be honest, it was so different from the stoic, conservative denomination I came from, I wasn’t doing a lot of worshipping when I first started to attend. Rather, I would watch the show in utter amazement! 

I got to witness, first hand, the pastor keeping his congregation in order, as I imagine the Corinthians learned to do from Paul’s letter.  This pastor was adhering to, “ two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. “ (14:24) 

I remember one service people were speaking out a prophetic words, popping up like popcorn across the room. It was encouraging to listen to, picturing God speaking the words straight to us. Then, someone spoke a very condemning word to the group. The pastor stopped that person stating he did not feel that was from the Lord since the previous words had been so encouraging. 😮He made the person sit down!😳On another occasion someone said a long statement in a heavenly tongue, the pastor stood up and stated we would wait until someone interpreted that statement. We waited....and then someone else across the room interpreted the entire, encouraging statement. 😌

It was so good for me to see, first hand, this pastor, who knew God’s word intimately, put it to practice. Paul’s words to the Corinthians are timeless just as the rest of the Bible is timeless. The worship I witnessed was a testimony to that!

1 Corinthians 11-12~ Day 69~God’s design does not go out of vogue.

 I have read this section several times over the years, and each time I grapple wit it!  This time, I went back to see what I had posted before. It was as if God wanted to remind me of what he spoke to my heart  already. Since I needed the reminder, I thought I would post it again.

I bristle, as I’m sure other women do as well, when reading, “A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image of and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.”  (1 Cor. 11:7). And some may want to entirely toss out, “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man, neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.” (vs.8)

So, here is a challenging thought. Am I being influenced by our secular society striving for equal rights? Remember I have said that Satan will hold tight and teach the exact opposite from what God teaches?  Some would say that chapter 11 is socially irrelevant now, but is it? We battle with the same issues they did! I think the ladies of Paul’s time we’re dealing with the original curse given to Eve, just as ladies today or doing! Eve’s curse had odd wording, “your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Gen 4:16b). One commentary explained that this curse meant women would now have an on going conflict with men. A “power struggle” would ensue.  The NLT translation says it like this, “ You will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”

With that in mind, Paul’s words make a lot of sense!  They are not socially irrelevant! In fact, they are just as relevant today as ever! So whether head coverings go in or out of vogue, the line of authority does not change. These verses are filled with God’s design that does not change with what secular society brings into fashion. This is a good example of what Jesus meant when he prayed in John 17:14 for his disciples, “I have given them your word but the world has hated them, for they are not of the world anymore than I am of the world.” In other words we are physically present in the world but don’t hold to the values of the world.

Therefore, if I bristle at any teaching found in the Bible, I better check myself. Whose values am I holding to?

1 Corinthians 9-10~ Day 68~ It’s easier to think positively!

“These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” (10:11)
That’s us! We are in the ends of the ages, so this applies to us!

I am a rule follower by nature, so I read a statement like that and think, “OK, let me go back over what the Israelites did and then be sure to avoid those things...let’s see...they were idolaters (vs7), sexually immoral (vs.8), and they complained (vs. 10).” Those must be the big ones! I better not do those three things in particular!

However, I know human nature.  I’ve observed a lot of it, being a mother of five. I know that you can never set up enough rules to get the  right behavior. There will always be a loop hole or rationale to get around a rule. Also, one can get trapped thinking of all of the things to avoid they soon find themselves in the land of legalism. 😣
I love how Paul went on, giving a positive “doing” statement, “...whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”( 10:31). Whew! That is so much easier to apply don’t you think?
Instead of asking myself, “Is this on the list of wrongs?”, I just need to ask, “Will this bring glory to God?”  Those actions come from wanting to please verses wanting to avoid discipline. I can do that!  I want to please God! He’s given me so much.  It’s the least I can do!! 

1 Corinthians 6-8~ Day 67~ Going to court over a puppy?

”As it is, to have legal disputes against one another is already defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?  (5:7)

In our extremely litigious culture, this is a hard one to live by, don’t you think? Now, Paul is talking about legal disputes between believers.  It’s a different story when a believer is dragged to court by a nonbeliever. At times there is nothing that can be done about that.  But, what about between two believers who both feel right?

I have an example in my own life how I could have handled a situation better if I went with Paul’s words, “Why not rather be cheated?”  Several years ago I decided to breed my dog.  The owner of the stud was extremely excited about getting an offspring of her beloved dog.  The problem occurred when her male, though desperately trying for a week, was unable to “do the deed”.  As a result, my female was coming to the end of her heat with no “consummation of the marriage” so to speak. The other owner suggested and it was decided that I, the owner of the female, would pay for artificial insemination before my dog’s heat completely ended. This was done and the resulting pregnancy produced a singleton.   That’s right, one puppy!! The owner of the male came to see the singleton and stated, “We get pick of the litter and that’s our pick!”  I replied, “We didn’t get a litter. So you don’t get this puppy.”  Their response was to threaten us with a law suit!! 😯

We were both believers....what should we do????

If I had read this letter to the Corinthians while I was going through this puppy issue, I may have been inspired to relinquish the puppy and just let the incident pass without making a fuss, even though I felt like I was in the right. Why was I willing to put my Christian image on the line for a puppy?  My desire to keep the puppy, or my desire to be right, should never be greater than my desire to represent Jesus well.

I am so thankful, looking back, that this event did not lead to a lawsuit! It was decided between us to breed the dogs again and the owner would get 2 puppies from the next litter.  Thank goodness that there was wisdom displayed in what was a very emotional situation for both parties!

God, please help me to always have wisdom, but if I fail in that area, help me to be ok with being wronged or cheated.  Help me to see that things aren’t as big of a deal as they seem at the time. In the  big picture, being a good representative for you is far more important than me wanting to get my way!!  Help me remember that!! 

1 Corinthians 3-5~ Day 66~

“You are God’s field, God’s building.” (3:9b) That’s cool when you think about it!
Paul is a skilled master builder and others build on what he started (3:10)....So, what do the others build?... They build on the person who is a believer in Jesus Christ (3:11), who is growing in their faith.  It’s important to keep those thoughts in mind as we continue reading about building on that foundation.
“If anyone builds on a foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, each one’s work will become obvious.” (3:12-13)

Keep in mind, the work here is how one influences, teaches and nurtures another’s growth as a Christian. Paul isn’t talking about any other type of work. The type of work one pours into another’s life will be obvious (3:13) by how the student thinks.

This is so interesting to me!! God is the one who causes a person to grow (3:6), yet there is a responsibility on our part to plant and water.  The way we plant and water does have an impact on the outcome of others! (3:13b) Isn’t that mind blowing when, in context we know that God has control of everything?🤔 He gives us some of the credit for influence. This is one of those things that I find hard to wrap my brain around, but I accept it because it’s written in the inspired Word of God....so, it is so!
My theory to why God gives us a role in the growth of a Christian is because he wants us to experience the reward of seeing the fruit of our labor (3:14),  to see that “student” in heaven along with all the others that student influenced.
I want lots of rewards like that when I get to heaven! I better do some planting or watering then! 

1Corinthians 1-2~ Day 65- Happy Fourth!! 🇺🇸

I hope you squeeze your reading in today amongst all th fun activities!!

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.” (1:18)
Isn’t that the truth?!
Nothing has changed for 2000 years! People back in the day of Paul thought Christ crucified was foolish, and people today think it’s foolish. But to us….those who are saved by this “foolish plan”...…we see the power of God through it!
In a way, this statement makes me feel bolder to proclaim my faith. I just need to remember, those who are being called will respond, those who find it foolish will reject it.… It’s not in the perfect words that I could/should use that convinces someone (as Paul pointed out in 2:4), but in the condition of the heart of the person hearing about Christ.
The condition of their heart is not my responsibility. It’s only my responsibility to share about Christ. (1:21-25)  Doesn’t that take a lot of pressure off? Still… I do feel a little pressure and work on just opening my mouth and saying something!
God help me to open my mouth! 

Romans 15-16~ Day 64~Confirmed promises

This verse stood out to me today, “For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy.” (Rom. 15:8-9) 
That verse reminded made me think of the time Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  (Matt15: 24). There was a specific reason why Jesus said that, and we find the reason spelled out here in Romans, “to confirm the promises to the fathers.”
I read a great commentary on the Romans verse. I thought I would share it. It’s kind’a long, but worth the read. 

To explain this more fully, “Jesus Christ was born a Jew, and exercised his ministry among the Jews, in order that the truth of God’s promises to the fathers, concerning the blessing of the nations in Abraham’s seed, might be confirmed by the conversion of the Jews and Gentiles. For as the Jews were the only people on earth who worshipped the true God, and had his revelations in their hands, it was absolutely necessary that the gospel, in which all the former revelations terminated, should be first preached to them; that a sufficient number of them receiving it, might preach it to the Gentiles, as the fulfillment of the former revelations, of which their nation were the keepers.

It may be proper to observe further here, that “conversion to the true God being the mercy, or blessing, which God promised to bestow on the Gentiles, it is particularly mentioned here, not only to make the Gentiles sensible that they ought not to despise the Jews, through whom they had received so great a blessing, but also to persuade the Jews to acknowledge the Gentiles as the people of God, equally with themselves.” — Macknight

Romans 12-14~ Day 63~A renewed mind!

Wow! Lot’s of practical exhortations are given in today’s reading!! Yet none of the things Paul lists can be done without one key ingredient, a “renewed mind” that comes from a life transformed by faith in Jesus.
I thought this verse was so good; it’s a good one to memorize!
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. “ (12:2)
Isn’t that a good one?!
Especially in our “diplomatically correct” culture today where Christians are being forced to accept, tolerate and “conform” to what our culture is saying is perfectly acceptable behavior.
I LOVE “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.
We are not to think like the world does. How does the world think? Well, pretty much opposite to God in every way!
Here are a couple ways,

• God says for us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread”.  The world says, store up for yourselves treasures. 
• God says, “love me with all your heart & with all your mind.” The world says, “I need to find myself and put myself first.” 

I bet you can think of a 100 more examples!
One way you can tell that God is transforming your mind is that the world is not going to like how you think! People are going to get angry with your responses. But, hey! Who cares?! You will be able to discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God!! How awesome is that?! I would rather be pleasing God than worrying about pleasing the world!

I hope you are enjoying the reading! I gotta go now and do some memorizing! 

Romans 9-11~ Day 62~ One big happy family!

“A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved.” (11:25)

I love that verse! Especially in light of what Paul was saying in chapter four about Abraham’s righteousness that comes through faith, and how he is the father of all believers (4:11).  Now, I know some Bible readers don’t see it this way, but as I read, it seems to me Paul is using “All Israel” in 11:25 to refer to all believers- believing Jews and believing Gentiles-we will be saved!  That means me, being in believing Gentile, is part of Israel! I love that! I’m included in the family! I feel like a kid who is adopted into a family and received the family name! This was the mystery that Paul referred to in 11:25.
We are one big, happy family~ true Jews, the true Israel.
I praise the Lord that He grafted me into the family, or adopted me into the family and gave me the name he loves! How about you you?