Day 2's theme revolved around the Sovereignty of God. The author pulls verses from the bible that focus on this truth. Again, the objective is to see what God is saying to me, during this process. How do I understand God's sovereignty through the words in each verse? When I worked through this assignment, I literally wrote from my heart, completing verse after verse.
Below, the remaining verses of Day 2's assignment (pg. #'s for my reference w/in my bible):
Deuteronomy 8:18 (pg. 266)
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability
to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your
forefathers, as it is today.
My
thoughts: When our lives hit a positive stride, it is easy for us to forget
God. When the sun shines, money is in our account, and our relationships are
strong, it is easy to take these blessings for granted. We are the reason
things are so good, right? Because we are the ones moving through life making
these things happen? We may think this, but it’s not true. Often, we aren’t
actively relying on God until we hit adversity. Struggle brings awareness of
our humanity to the forefront of our minds. We need to remember that God
provides for us. God allows us to succeed. We have to recognize God in all of
the good we experience, taking time to praise Him for these gifts.
John 3:7 (pg. 1743)
You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
My
thoughts: We must make a choice; a spiritual choice. There is a certain time in
our lives (sometimes more than one) where we need to go through our suitcase of
all we have been taught and exposed to, then throw out all that is not true for
ourselves, but retaining what we believe. We need to choose to be guided by the
Holy Spirit and saved by the Son. We must choose to repent for all of our sins,
asking for forgiveness. We need to choose to allow God to not just enter our
lives, but to live our lives, however long the journey takes.
Proverbs 16:4 (pg. 1013)
The Lord works out everything for his own ends – even the
wicked for a day of disaster.
My thoughts: God uses everything to His advantage –
including evil. God did not create evil, but He does use it to further His
purpose. God is perfect. God is good.
God hates evil. God is a loving god. Nothing is greater than God, not even
evil, and He can use evil deeds, evil inventions, to benefit His purpose, His
plan. God will destroy evil someday. Until then, He will use it for His good
purposes.
Romans 9:17 (pg. 1897)
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this
very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be
proclaimed in all the earth.”
My thoughts: God wills us to express His power, with the
intent that the glory be given to him here on earth. By working miracles
through us, by placing us in certain positions, He is able to show us His power.
By the coming together of people, in God, God is able to follow through on His
promises. We have a duty to give credit to Him, therefore, spreading His name
throughout the world. But the same goes for punishment. If we forsake God’s
commands, refusing to obey Him, God will use His power to harden our hearts,
driving us further from Him. The further we go into sin, the further we get
from God. We will be able to see God’s power represented on earth by sharing in
His glory with each other, proclaiming His name; and we will be able to see His
power in the punishment of those who turn away from God, refusing His intercession.
Romans 9:17 (pg. 1897)
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this
very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be
proclaimed in all the earth.”
My thoughts: God wills us to express His power, with the
intent that the glory be given to him here on earth. By working miracles
through us, by placing us in certain positions, He is able to show us His power.
By the coming together of people, in God, God is able to follow through on His
promises. We have a duty to give credit to Him, therefore, spreading His name
throughout the world. But the same goes for punishment. If we forsake God’s
commands, refusing to obey Him, God will use His power to harden our hearts,
driving us further from Him. The further we go into sin, the further we get
from God. We will be able to see God’s power represented on earth by sharing in
His glory with each other, proclaiming His name; and we will be able to see His
power in the punishment of those who turn away from God, refusing His intercession.
John 6:37 (pg. 1752)
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever
comes to me I will never drive away.
Before I could reflect on God's Sovereignty, I had to read the context around this verse, because
I was clueless in just reading this one verse. I read from verse 35-40:
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who
comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be
thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to
do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me,
that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last
day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes
in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
My thoughts: God’s main purpose is to bring His children
back to Him, through the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is expressing God’s
sovereignty in human form. We are all that God has given Jesus, and Jesus works
with God to save each one of us. NO matter who we are, if we walk up to Jesus,
recognizing him as God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus will not turn us away from him.
We can find God’s protection in the arms of Jesus. We have the opportunity to
know God, in the arms of Jesus. God is using Jesus to reach us, to wrap His heavenly
arms around our human selves, wanting us to be with Him.
John 19:11 (pg. 1783)
Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were
not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is
guilty of a greater sin.
My thoughts: This is in reference to Jesus being handed over
to Pontius Pilate. Unless God gives power to the man that delivered Jesus to
Pilate, then that man that handed Jesus over to be charged by Pilate has sinned
greater. This is because he calculated the murder of Jesus, knowing that giving
him to Pilate would lead to his death. If we are talking about today, we can
relate this to the fact that, unless given by God, we do not have any power over
another individual. When we take things into our own hands, at the expense of
others, we are committing sin. It is only by the will of God that power can be
given. God is the power, therefore only He can distribute this power.
Job 42:2 (pg. 820)
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be
thwarted.”
My thoughts: If God wills it, nothing can intervene. If God
sets something in motion, no one can stop it. If God put a plan into action,
nothing and no one can alter that plan. God has final say in all things. No one
is above God. No one is greater than God.
~ ~ ~
~ Psalm 25:4-5 ~
4 Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior.
for you are God my Savior.
When I focused on the word me, my first thought was my God given self.
I have been praying for God to reveal my God given identity. I believe this is why I am feeling my "box" stretched. I was recently in a conversation with my mom, expressing my discomfort in my growth. I told her how I felt that God was asking me to go outside my box, my comfort zone. Her response was that I'm not being pushed outside my box, my box just got bigger. I liked hearing that. It gave me a new mental image that was more pleasing.
My awareness of this growing box came from just before The Paisley Butterfly. I had gotten comfortable in my solitude, but God was ready to release me back out into the world. About a month after moving into this rental, I was called to start this blog. This is a big deal for me. I do not interact on any social network, making this a huge transition. I felt vulnerable, scared. Until God gave me a beautiful vision of Jesus walking with me. I would not be doing this alone. While I was immensely uncomfortable with what I perceived to be a drastic change in my life, I found peace in knowing that this was God's will.
More recently, I was called to share my prayer study on this very blog. All of those feelings from the birth of this venture came rushing back. This was when I brought up my feelings, of being pushed outside of my box, with my mother. I was aware of growth and instead of picturing a swapping out of boxes, I saw my original box being stretched, and remolded, larger than before, giving me space and time to settle into this duty and pleasure. And once I hit a level of comfort, I am sure my box is to be further stretched.
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For credit purposes, the Prayer Study I am using is:
Live A Praying Life, New and Revised Anniversary Addition
Jennifer Kennedy Dean ~ www.prayinglife.org
This is not an endorsement. This just happens to be the prayer study I am using, and I have decided to share my study experience, here on The Paisley Butterfly. My Bible: Life Application Study Bible, New International Version ~ Zandervanbibles.com.
Why I like this bible: There are extensive notes on the verses. Each page has more notes:bible verse ratio.
Here is a link to an online bible -- there are other online bibles out there, this one just happens to be the one I use most.
Again, listing my bible references is not for the purpose of endorsement, but an effort to appropriate credit to materials used.
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