Thursday, March 15, 2007

March 15, 2007

Jim:
I became more intentional in my daily readings when my good friend and fellow Prayer Knot member Jo Fontaine mentioned that she made a point of picking one or two verses from each reading to concentrate on. As a result we began sharing with each other the verses we had picked each day, which is why I began to blog in the first place. So here the verses I picked for today and a couple of thoughts about them:

Jeremiah 10:11-24 Verse 24 is what struck me this morning: “Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure; not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.” God’s anger was justified, of course, and the rest of the passage points to some of the reasons, including idolatry. But the prayer in the last few verses is for God’s response to be measured. If it was not, said Jeremiah, there would be nothing to save the people. Jeremiah, then is reliant on God’s grace for salvation despite the sinfulness of God’s people.

Romans 5:12-21 Verse 15 says, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.” The “first man” is Adam though whom, says Paul, sin came into the world. But God has dealt with us in “just measure, not in…anger “ as Jeremiah had hoped and prayed (see above), and in Jesus Christ, the new Adam, God’s people find their salvation.

John 8:21-32 Verse 32 is very familiar: “And you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” In John, the truth is Jesus as the Messiah.

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