Day Seven August 9th, 2011

I've been reading through John for the past few months. Boy-howdy! (New phrase I've learned for the Kansas team :)) There is a lot to learn in it! Pastor John Piper is currently preaching through it if you want a deeper insight on the book. But I'll tell you what I learned tonight! Quick side note: Today was pretty much exactly the same as yesterday. With the exeption of having dinner at Carla's house. Great time! So with the time I have I'll share with you a little bit of John chapter 10. Discussion on this is invited! So post something if it is interesting to you. So in John 10, Jesus just finished up healing and seeking out the blind beggar. Boy-howdy did Pharesees hated that! And Jesus spends the first 21 verses of the chapter 10 saying He is the door to the sheep and the shepard of the flock. Then the Jews, starting in verse 22 start to manipulate Him trying to get Him to say "plainly" that He is the Son of God so they could have a reason to kill him for blashemy. Jesus responds in verse 25 that He already told them that He is the Son of Man.This whole time I'm thinking. "Why don't these people (Pharesees, Jews) believe Jesus when he tells them that He and God are one? Many of His doubters know the Old Testament very well and know that I foretells of a Messiah that performs many signs.Why are they so ignorant?" Well, verse 26 tells the story. They are blinded. It says, "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know the, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand." (vv 26-28) You see, they don't understand because they are not one of God's chosen. Their lifestyle of ignorance, pride and Law says that they worship themselves instead of Him. In verse 47 of chapter 8 it says, " He who is of God hears the words of God, for this reason you do not hear, because you are not of  God." So the Jews that sought to kill Jesus were not of God. Becuase they didn't hear Jesus, who IS God. Oh, how breathtaking it can be to be one of the "called" of God! Romans 1:7 says it wonderfully when Paul addresses the Roman chrisians as beloved called by God. Why is it so breathtaking? Because it is all by GRACE that I am called by God to be His slave! I should be crying out "thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you oh mighty God for imputing your righteousness into a dirty, evil, prideful, arrogant, undeserving sinner like me who could have never come to God without Him taking
away my blindness and giving me a sight to His spendor, beauty, and glory! And now that I know that I have salvation and an eternity with God that was undeserved, I am able to give God the glory that He doesn't need from me, but deserves from me! note: God doesn't need any praise from us. He is all-suffient. God doesn't rely on any other being for glory. He is glorious in Himself. If you are not sure that God has saved you from your sin, you may not be saved or your being too intospective. If you are not saved, and God has revealed His beauty upon you right now, pray that God would become your treasure and that He would give you the desire to live for Him for the rest of eternity. Then read Romans 3:22-26. Heck, read the entire book. It is
the greatest and most life changing letter ever written! God, change the hearts of the unrepentant today!