Romans 9:25-29

By his help in my weakness:

As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people', and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'" "And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay." And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah."

So far it is going well this week. I've got 11 verses down with 7 more to go. Prayerfully, I will reach my goal of 18 verses! I will certainly only be able to do it with God's help and mercy. This morning I woke up at 5:45 - not on purpose. The same thing happened yesterday, but I went back to sleep for 30 minutes. Today I decided to get up and I have reaped the benefit! I spent a lot of time reviewing this morning and still had time to take on new verses. It was a sweet, uninterrupted time that I look forward to having more often. I just hope that I will choose to stay awake on those days!

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me Friday. I was aware of grace for the remainder of the day and felt a peace that passes understanding. Thank you, Tali, for taking my call in the midst of your busyness at the moment and for speaking truth to me. The Lord used you to reveal that I was craving ease. I was fighting for it and believing I deserved it. Amy, your encouragement proved true for me. Amy pointed out Proverbs 28:13 - Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. God was merciful as I revealed my sin and I felt the difference very quickly.

You cannot know, nor can I, the extent to which your prayers helped me. By God's mercy he answered your prayers and I was able to depend on him for strength. Thank you for praying and for following up with me.  It is a blessing to know others are interceding on my behalf before the Father. Much more, it is a blessing to know that Jesus is interceding for us! Romans 8:34 says, "Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."

Romans 9:19-24

Today I memorized the following verses:

You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make know his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory - even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Romans 9:14-18

By God's grace and just before midnight!

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

For the first time in many weeks I got all 18 verses!  Praise God!

Please Pray

Today, right now, is one of  those days. I am losing the battle against sin. I am giving into to my anger and speaking harshly to Chloe. We started out this way from first light. She disobeyed as soon as she woke up and has continued to disobey. I, sinful woman that I am, respond in anger rather than love and patience. I relate to the verse, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" 

So this is a request for prayer! Please, pray for me today. Ask God to strengthen me, to help me to trust in His sovereign plan for my day. Ask for more of his Spirit for me. Ask that God would be near to me! And pray anything else the Lord lays on your heart. I feel my need and appreciate the support.

The verse that follows the one above is, "But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25

Thanks be to God! He has forgiven my sin - my anger this morning, this afternoon, and this evening - through Jesus Christ. It is covered!

The very next verse is Romans 8:1 - "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I am not condemned! Why? Why should I be forgiven? Because it pleased God to send Jesus, his Son, to earth to live a sinless life, to be crucified on a Roman cross for MY sin, and to be raised again having defeated sin and death! I am forgiven because Jesus took God's just wrath for my sin.

Isn't that good news? I am moved to praise him! This grace truly is amazing.

Isn't kind of God to allow immense temptation in order to sanctify us? Thank you, Father, for ordaining this day exactly as you have. You have provided much opportunity to depend on you and to be freshly aware of the gospel. Thank you for bringing the cross into view. Help me to walk in dependence on you today.