Recap
Last night we looked at Romans 10, with our focus on verses 4-13.
In Romans 9, the sovereignty of God is made clear. God will choose who He wants, and will always do what is right whether we understand or not. While this can be cause for some confusion at times, our trust and belief is that as our loving Father He will do what is best. That is not simply blind hope in a distant God, but the result of the vast evidence and experience with a deeply loving, personal God.
Romans 10:1-4 opens discussing Israel's rejection of God. Israel didn't think they needed salvation - in their own self-righteous pride they thought what they could accomplish on their own was enough. They had zeal (heat without light) and followed the law, but the law had become their idol instead of the catalyst to take them to Christ (verse 4).
Our Discussion
So what next? How do they overcome this pride? What would cause them to see their desperate need for rescue?
The next passage refers back to Deuteronomy 30, Moses' farewell address before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land.
In the passage Moses encourages the children of Israel that God's Word is not far off, we don't have to go searching for it because it is close! It is in our heart and on our mouth. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
He then proceeds to paint a very vivid decision before Israel. Choose God and get life, prosperity and blessing, or walk away from him and get a curse, destruction and death.
How often are we like Israel?
In our pride and self-righteousness we forget we need God. We don't remember how great our salvation is. We become numb to the things that are most important, and just begin to go through the motions of life. We pursue gods in our lives that cannont satisfy. We begin to lean our hearts away from the way the truth and the life. We incline our hearts toward doing things that make us feel good or increase our possessions or inflate our ego (1 John 2:16). Our passion dissipates, our lives become and empty and existence is hollow.
So where is your momentum taking you? Which direction is your heart leaning? Are you moving closer to God or have you begun then process of turning your back on Him to make something else your focus?
Application
Roller Coasters are all about momentum. There is a moment when you're at the very top of a hill where everything slows down - your forward momentum has slowed and you are almost hanging in space. Then slowly, the tick tick tick begins to move you forward and with tick you are moving faster, going further, creating more force.
In your spirit which way is your momentum taking you? Are you building force moving closer to God? Or have you begin drifting backwards?
Our challenge this week was to list the things that connect us to God those things that push us over the hill - and this could be different for every one of us.
In my life I have found that there are things that resonate within me the vastness of God. There are things that cause me to lean in to Him, to move closer. Two of those things are studying the Word, and being in Nature.
As I study His Word, and come face to face with truth, it is humbling, awe-inspiring, fearful and exhilirating all at the same time. God is so much deeper and bigger than I ever anticipated. Each day I begin thinking I know God, but as I explore His Word I realize how little of Him I truly know. The deeper I get the more perspective I get to how shallow I really am, and that inspires me to push even deeper. The Ocean is vast from the shore, but once you're in over your head, it becomes more. Once you have immersed yourself in it and are pushing further from shore you realize how insignificant you are, and how massive the Ocean truly is. Discovering God is no different.
Nature is also a momentum builder for me. Whether it is going to a beach, camping in the mountains or viewing the stars on a clear crisp night, the absolute magnificence and vastness of creation reminds me how immense my God is. My heart is electrified! It overflows with amazement, affection and adoration (and thats just the A's).
The converse is also true. I know the things that cause my momentum to shift away from God. These are the things I need to guard against, to set up boundaries for, and to be constantly vigilant to protect my heart from distraction.
This week make a list of the things that cause you to lean closer, to build momentum. Put them on your bathroom mirror to remind you that you are more than a brick-maker! Life is more than what you job you have or what grades you get - it is rooted in our relationships to God and others. Let's start to act like it.
courage,
-davey
Reference Verses:
Distant hearts
A heart that turns away
Root out the bitter poison
Incline our hearts!
draw near
The refreshing presence of God
God drawing near
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