Earlier in the week there was a solar flare erupting, I think Mondayish. It arrived in the middle of the week. Not sure if it was a  psychosomatic response from me because I knew it was coming, but early morning/middle of the night on Wednesday and Thursday I woke up with strange mental activity, which has happened before to me in rare circumstances. Something like a chaotic waking dream--lots of random images and words coming into my head while half asleep. It wasn't unpleasant, but merely strange, and lasted only a few minutes until falling back asleep.

Thursday night we also had a strong thunderstorm, lasting a few hours, with frequent lightning...every 2 seconds or so. We get those kinds of storms every few years. Not sure if it's related to the arriving power kick from the solar flare but it was worth noting.

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

God is all knowing and wise. His plan throughout the ages has been to welcome people from all nations into His household. Everyone must now come through faith. Because of this, Paul urges his readers to become a part of the offering Christ made on the Cross. Present yourselves on the new Altar of Sacrifice, made of wood and nails. Except, now it's a symbol; Christ wants you to be a sacrifice that keeps on living, something He can use to glorify His name. Nothing else makes sense, given the opportunity offered to us.

If we are His, then we must not let this world shape who we are, but must pass through a renovation of our whole orientation on life. Demonstrate the kind of life that boosts His reputation. Learn not to take yourself so seriously; your human existence is just a tool for His glory. Learn to read your own convictions so you'll understand how He intends to use you.

Paul draws the image of someone's body with all the different parts -- Christ's body, in this case. We are all parts of Him with different functions. He rattles off a sampling of things people can do to make sure the spiritual body of souls work together better for Christ's glory. It's not so much about what kind of people He appointed, but what kind of work they do: prophecy, service, teaching, encouraging, contributing material needs, leading, showing mercy, etc.

These are like vitamins that make our testimony grow bigger and stronger. It shows the world what they are missing by not being a part of Christ. Then, Paul matches them with a list of traits that should mark the believers: love unreservedly, detest harm, seek to bless, show fondness for each other, promote each other, always looking for new ways to make things work better, on fire for the Lord, cheerful about the possibilities of blessings coming out of everything, undeterred by challenges, always talking to God like He's right there, picking up the slack and welcoming visiting believers into your home.

When people oppress you for your faith, act as if they are decent people who are simply misguided. Be sensitive to what people go through. Look for ways to promote harmony and avoid acting like anyone is beneath you. Absorb the evil actions of others without responding in kind. Always promote good moral choices.

Give everyone plenty of chances to live in peace. It's not our job to discipline outsiders, but to give room for God to handle their recompense. God says that He takes personally attacks on His people. Show mercy to the Devil's lackeys, because they have it hard. There's a good chance your assertive kindness will cause them to come under conviction for their sins. Don't surrender and let evil prevail.

This is like our code of honor as ambassadors who belong to another world.

Some lyrics that jumped out at me recently. The song is "Regenerate" from the band Your Memorial. The references should be obvious to most of us here

Quote:No sign of life on the horizon
Truth unknown from nature's light
Breaking through the darkest night

A valley immense full of dry bones
Can life come from death? Only You know
Bringing forth life never to return void
Regenerate

Dry bones, take on flesh
Breathe again, regenerate

A truth unknown from nature's light
Bringing what was dead to life

The bones once scattered join together in place
The shadow of death dissipates, regenerate

It's a slim tome, so the price is a lot lower than the other books.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SG22F7?ref..._397514860

Happy reading!

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

Paul has established the firm principle that God's decrees are not frustrated. The lack of willing participation does not alter the final results. That's the whole point of using the word "predestination" -- it's about the destination, not how things get there. Thus, the Jewish zeal for a particular path misses the point. The end of the Covenant of Moses was Christ, and if the Jews missed that, it doesn't change Israel-the-mission.

Paul quotes directly from Moses to capture the whole point of Moses: God wants hearts (Deuteronomy 30:12-14). In the process, Paul makes clear that the revelation through Moses was summed up in Christ. It was right there in plain sight all along; there was nothing hidden out of their reach. Your heart is where you lock onto trusting Him. Then Paul reminds his readers how, in the Hebrew mind, a confessing mouth presumes a matching conduct. Thus, the promised salvation is by definition the privileged life of faith.

This is the same for the whole human race. The distinction between Jew and Gentile was gone in Christ, as Paul reveals on the basis of the Jews' own prophets (Isaiah 28:16; Joel 2:32). And it's not as if God didn't keep trying to call the Jews. The good news was delivered to them first; it couldn't be more timely (the meaning of "beautiful feet", quoting Isaiah 52:7, echoed in Nahum 1:15). Yet, Jews as a whole rejected the message.

Yes, messengers aplenty were sent to the Jews. They were warned by the prophets that God would turn to redeem the Gentiles and bring them into His divine household in order to make the Jews jealous.

It's not that God has completely rejected the Jews for all time. Paul reminded his readers that he was a Jew himself who received the message. And it wasn't because Paul had a mind to listen; quite the opposite. God overwhelmed his fleshly resistance. Just so, when Elijah feared he stood alone, God responded that He had kept by His own grace some 7000 who were faithful.

Paul notes that God knew how things would turn out. There was a long-term plan at work in the case of Israel. They would not turn to faith except a tiny few. The rest would be blinded to the purpose of the Covenant. Did God intend to destroy His own nation? No, He used Israel as a means to reach the rest of the world. He intended to offer everyone the same deal all at once.

Paul mentions the practice in the Law of delivering to the priests a tithe from every batch of baked bread, rather like Firstfruits. His point is that, if that tithe is acceptable to God, He would surely be willing to accept the rest of the same batch, if it were offered. A tiny remnant of Jews coming to Christ should indicate that God has no problem with calling out even more of them, the same way He did Paul, if necessary.

Paul goes on to make a similar point with a parable about olive trees. The trees live quite long, but don't bear fruit without pretty harsh purging of excess growth. After a decade or so, what does sprout will tend to be fruitless. Wild olives don't bear much fruit, but if you graft in a carefully selected wild limb to a domesticated tree, you'll get a fresh crop again. Paul warns his Gentile readers not to get arrogant with the Jews, as if God cut them off because He gets more fruit among Gentiles. Jews are not out of the picture. The root of the gospel message is still Israeli, and the Gentiles had better absorb the juice of Hebrew identity in order to bear fruit.

Then Paul writes something that most people miss in their English translations. Perhaps a better translation goes like this: "Israel was hardened against the gospel just until enough Gentiles are gathered" (into the covenant). In other words, it's not about Israel-the-nation, but Israel-the-mission. Gentiles will become part of what Israel-the-nation was meant to be; the True Israel will be saved complete. The result will be a purged kingdom that bears fruit in righteousness.

Working through an obstreperous people, He managed to declare the promises of rich blessings to all nations. He still loves Israel, and there will come a day when He touches them one more time to harvest souls. But for a time, He has pushed them out of His camp so that everyone outside the camp could be received again on better terms. It's all grace, and it's all greater than any words can say.

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

Book 7 incoming, but I wanted ideas on the title, like I did with book 6. The title of book 6 was taken from one of the books compiled into it, "The Practice of Christian Mysticism." I thought might be good to do the same with this one, maybe "Radix Fidem: A New and Ancient Religion," but I don't know.

Any input? Here's the compilation listing:

Quote:Radix Fidem: A New and Ancient Religion
Christian Mysticism HOWTO
East versus West: A Review of Epistemology
Logic Games: Doctrine of the Fall
The Heresy of Dispensationalism
Theology and Practice for Radix Fidem
Three Types of Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1ff)
A Quantum Spirit
John 21: The Rehabilitation of Peter
The Cult
Repent!
Biblical Human Development
The Nature of Sin and Temptation
Omnisexual
S*x, P*rnography and Ch*ldren
Covenant Manhood

An old friend of mine that I still keep in contact with not having practical issues with home-buying, but more mental, you could say. He and his wife were looking for a new home for a number of issues, the biggest being closer to better schools for their 3 boys--the oldest of them is 10/11, I believe. They were living in a high-value house they put on the market recently, and sold within a few days of the listing. So, they need to find a new place quick, but he doesn't want to make a purchase he'll regret. They are looking for a "forever home" into which they can set some solid roots down. There's the possibility of renting a house for a few months through a friend, but that isn't definite.

He feels a bit overwhelmed at the moment because of this and other small life issues that seem to be adding up for him. He's been a firm believer as long as I've known him, and still is, but he's just having a tough time of it. Pray that he gets peace of mind about all of it, no matter happens with the housing situation.

Thanks family!