EASTERS COMING

I attend a Bible study group on Tuesday afternoons. We hit a very difficult passage in Romans 11 that is confusing and hard to understand. I loved it. Finally we got to a passage that opened discussion wide and turned heads and made them spin. I really don’t like to do that to people but it was really fun to grapple with the mind of God. What is Gods call on the Israelites? How do the Gentile compare to His chosen people? The summation of this challenging passage is this

“Rom. 11:33-36 (The Message) Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out. 



Is there anyone around who can explain God? 


Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? 


Anyone who has done him such a huge favor 


that God has to ask his advice? 



Everything comes from him; 


Everything happens through him; 


Everything ends up in him. 


Always glory! Always praise! 


Yes. Yes. Yes.

This challenges our understanding of Gods treatment of His people compared to his love for the Gentiles. If this is easy to anyone, they do not grasp the passage. I actually love that there are passages in Scripture that we cannot understand or do not make clear sense to us. It reminds me that God is wiser than I.

We often get really tied up on side issues. But there are basics. There are fundamental believes that most who follow the Bible share. What divide us are secondary issues. They tear us apart. Reminds me of the church that is split wide open over the color choice of new carpeting. I’ve seen that and tried to mediate a fight like that. The only thing that unifies both groups is that they hate the mediator. Cool job.

Seniors think a lot about death and life after death. Most seem to believe that being good is the pass to heaven. So you would think they would start being good. That rarely happens. Because they have shaped God into their own image they hope they will be acceptable to God – but none are very sure if they are and will argue that there is no way to be sure. That’s a fun debate. The only think I have seen that they agree on is cremation. None want their family to pay the price of a burial. Many have prepaid that arrangement. For most this is an environmental and conservation issue. Too much land goes to burial plots.

You just can’t beat the life in The Home. There is always something to get peoples blood to boil. With Easter coming, the talk of God is very high. Some are coming with me to Good Friday and Easter services. Should make for some great discussions on the way home.