Back and Kicking: Predestination

Ha! so it's finally finals week!!!
(and yea, i meant the 4th not the 2nd :3)
and i don't think i did too shabby on the devotions thing- i mean there were weeks...but i had a really good week as well where i was mad busy with school but still managed to do the devo's everyday- gooood ^_^

I decided that I'm going to try to stop preaching- so i'm working on that

Now when i decided to create this blog- i decided to be as real with it as i could about what is going on in my spiritual life: what am i wrestling with what are my doubts what are my praises what are my revelations.

One thing that God really has me thinking about is this idea of predestination: does God already know who is going to dwell with him in eternal life, or do we ask him to dwell in his eternal life. Now, i believe in Jesus- i will call myself a Christian. I do not believe in full predestination- as in i do not believe that God already knows who is going to dwell with him in eternal life and who is going to forever be condemned to hell. Now to most Christians this is a crazy concept and usually i don't share this view of mine unless pushed on it but it's become clear to me that the full predestination thing is something that needs to be squared away with- because it can be the difference between someone getting saved and someone not getting saved i think.

The idea of predestination is this:
God knows all- obviously because he is God. And it is only by grace we are saved- it is by no decision that lets say, I made to be saved from the eternal fire. With me doing nothing God has chosen to save me unconditionally and to have mercy on me and for that I am eternally grateful.
see, i understand that argument and it makes sense to me as well but the bible also speaks about God being love. And i cannot ignore the fact and the inconsistency of God being love and creating man in his image and as something to love and then to condemn more than half of his creation to hell. because the bible also says

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."- Matthew 7:13&14

So what am i to make of that? God chose to save those few? and chose to condemn most men to hell and eternal fire? no! that's is not God at all! see the end of that verse? 'only a few find it.' we obviously have some say. We obviously have some free will- because that is what this is saying- we do not have an option to follow God, we are predestined to do it.

My understanding on this subject of the few:
I believe that God is all knowing and all powerful, but there are things that God is capable of doing but wont do. For example- God is capable of doing evil but he can't do evil. That's because he won't do evil. I think this pattern is seen elsewhere. I believe that God is capable of knowing who is going to go to heaven and hell but, for the sake of giving us free will, chooses not to know that that end result. i believe in a partial predestination where there are things moving in our life and in this world and in reality that God wants to happen. So no matter what people decide, God's end result is going to be the same. But God still gives us room to decide things- one of those things is if we want to be saved or not.
Do not get me wrong, Acts 15:11 says,

"No! we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved..."

I believe that it is by grace that we are saved as well- but i believe that God has the invitation out for us to ask for. We, ourselves, do not reach an "enlightenment" of some kind where now everything makes sense but we come to the alter and ask God to save us.

"But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -Romans 10:8&9

again

"for, 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." -Romans 10:13

We ask God to give his grace on us, and unconditionally God gives it to us- no matter what we did or what are backgrounds are or if we turned away from him. That's how i see God's grace being something unconditional and nothing but grace. Because it's something that he offers everyone freely but we have to ask for it and we don't even deserve it.
God created Adam and Eve and they loved Him. But there was no choice but to love God, so Adam and Eve's one rule of never eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge was the choice God gave them to show their love for Him. God basically said, "if you love me, you will listen to my one rule for you and not eat from this tree." God is giving us that same choice with salvation. but instead of being able to take the fruit, we have to come up and ask for some fruit.

I could go on on this topic, but like i said it's finals week and i need to study
I also want to make it clear that i am always open for God to change my mind on this subject as well. God knows how i am because he created me and he knows how to open my eyes through his word so that i can have understanding in things that are not made clear right now. There are many verses about predestination in the bible- i'll give you one even Romans 8:28-32
i'm ready to tell you right now i don't know what to take from it. but i will be patient with God, like he is patient with me and have faith that he will reveal his truth like he has countless times before.

Scripture that has caught my eye since April 10th:
19/4/09
"not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:3-5

"for just as though the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one. man the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19

20/4/09
"what shall we say then? shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? by no means! we died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" Romans 6:1-2

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of the sin might be done away within, the at we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." Romans 6:6&7

"Therefore don't let sin reign in our mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instrument of righteousness." Romans 6:12-13

21/4/09
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but hose who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds on what the Spirit desires." Romans 8:5

"because those led by the spirit of God are sons of God," Romans 8:14

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. and by him we cry, 'Abba, Father'" Romans 8:15

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

"for the creation was subject to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from the bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20&21

"In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes from us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:26

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will" Romans 8:27

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; hose he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:28-30
~there you go, but here is where my faith steps in. I have faith that God will open my eyes and i refuse to let this present and apparent inconsistency hinder my faith.

"no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, either angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord," Romans 8:37-39

22/4/09
"it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring" Romans 9:8

"it does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy" Romans 9:16

"therefore God had mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and hardens whom he wants to harden" Romans 9:18
~this part made a reference to how Pharaoh's heart was hardened when moses asked him to let the Jews go

Romans 10:8-9

"for, 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can the call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear w/o someone preaching to them? And how can they preach without being sent? As it is written, 'how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." Romans 10:13-15

23/4/09
"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" Romans 11:11-12

"If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either." Romans 11:17-21

29/4/09
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

Today
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." Romans 13:1

"Give everyone what you owe him; If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." Romans 13:7

"Love does no harm to his neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:10

"accept him whose faith his weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters" Romans 14:1

"Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" Romans 14:4

"But the man who has doubts is condemned if the eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Romans 14:23
~This one came from the context of a strong believer not judging a weaker person of faith for not eating certain things or drinking wine and for a weaker person of faith not condemning a stronger person in faith for drinking or eating certain things. It is saying here basically that if the weaker does the thing that the stronger does but still sees it as something wrong then for him, that is a sin.
putting it in another context- if i go out and drink (legal age and all that) i'm ok with drinking and being a strong christian. for someone else that may not be the case and i shouldn't push someone who sees it as a sin to drink because to them the feel wrong doing it- therefore, because their concious isn't clean now, them drinking has become a personal sin against God.

That's it- i think it's been over 2hrs... >.<>

Just a bit too stressed out...

So i've tried everything to be more consistant with this blog but the fact of the matter is that i'm just a little too stressed out AND worried about one too many classes to update it everyday (or even frequently) so i'm making the decision to put this blog on hold until
May 2, 2009
(a.k.a. the beginning of finals week- which equals more time)

so i will return to Like a Tree then

Peace Be with You!
(and yes, that will prolly mean me not doing my devos as often either =/ i kno, i fail)

**pps! prayer would be VERY nice as well... >.<**

I changed my mind...

I decided to go through Romans! (well go through it again...) AND like i have been awfully busy with school i decided to just write down the scriptures i found interesting every day (no responses unless i feel like i really need to do it) and just leave the ramblings for days i have more time...
So here we go:

4-4-09:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jews, then for the Gentile."
Romans 1:16

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"
Romans 2:2-4

"To those who by persistence is doing good seek glory, honor and immorality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger."
Romans 2:7-8

"All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts accusing, now even defending them."
Romans 2:12-15

"No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart; by the spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is no from men, but from God."
Romans 2:29

5/4/09
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin"
Romans 3:20

Peace be with you.

P.S. Here's "In Your Freedom" by Hillsong! xD

A New Believer, what next? O.o

This once a week thing is killing me...

school has been hectic, my devotions have been occasional, and and i've been working a lot more since the beginning of this semester...

Recently, like more tonight that any time before, i've been really thinking about the man i will end up marrying (God willing of course...). Honestly, i am not planning on getting married any time soon- like mid to late (more mid) twenties are good for me but i have a feeling that whoever i end up with needs to be as unique as i am (and as amazing OBVIOUSLY.....)*psst. i was trying to be sarcastic :P*

Like i want a strong christian who knows the word and who is on the same page i am. Like i want someone who will hold me as accountable as i will with him. But i don't think i could stand being with a conservative christian- we'd get into so many fights it wouldn't even be worth it.

lol- but enough of me being a little girl- devotions!!!

I ended up doing the book of Psalms for my next project; i've been thinking that i should go through it. AND if you didn't know, that is where the title of this blog came from:

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on this law he mediates day and night. He is like tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers"
Psalm 1:2-3
(no duh, you should know that b/c it's right up there on the top of the screen :P)

I think this scripture is really important, to me and to everyone else. We are to meditate on God's word every single day. When we make it a habit to read God's word on a daily basis, we find ourselves at peace and more guarded from the enemy and his wickedness. It is when we dwell in God's word that be can consider ourselves righteous. When man decides that he is going to follow Christ, he is free from sin but is still prone to fall back into his sinful nature. Only through Christ can you dwell in good- consistently.

If you see anybody who has disciplined themselves to meditate on the world every day and every night you see a difference in how they handle their life. They handle the bad and messy with such grace and peace and confidence because their extensive look at the word has enable them to learn enough about God that they know that the "...Lord, has never forsaken those who seek [him]"

I think what a lot of people don't realize is that it is ok, as a Christian, to have doubt and to have questions about Christ and God and the Word. Those are things that God wants us to have in order to help us know him more- without the ability to think and have a mind and to have logic, we are not going to be able to learn about God more and learn to love him more.

I know that for me, asking my father about things i don't understand in the bible helped me with a lot of my doubts because he would sit me down with the word and pull out scripture to help me bridge gaps in my knowledge. Some things tho, i just left unanswered but kept on reading my bible and God opened my eyes to the answers of the questions i had in my heart.

I know that recently i've been feeling a little frustrated- i don't understand why no one can see this! if you trust in God and you pray for understanding he will not forsake you. If you seek him, He will answer. I know it's true because it happens to me all the time- to the the point that i hardly remember them now a days. God is always opening my eyes to things that i couldn't have seen without him. My father is like that and some of my really close friends are like that as well :)

So i guess what i'm saying is that if one is reading the word but is not understanding it, or even having doubts about it- continue reading and continue praying and find a spiritual mentor to help guide you. The biggest and hardest part about being a new believer is that there is a lot of faith and trust that needs to be put in from early- that's because there really isn't a lot you know about God yet on an intellectual level. The next step for someone who want to really take their faith seriously is to meditate on God's word day and night- whether or not it makes sense at first. Have faith!

a collection of all the other passages i liked from my devotions:

25/3/09
"Many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.' But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow your glory on me and you lift my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill."
Psalm 3:2-4

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side"
Psalm 3:5-6

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8

Sunday-
"He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble give birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he cause recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head."
Psalm 7:14-16

Wednesday-
"The Lord is a refuge for the opposed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Psalm 9:9-10

Hiatus- and no there's no good reason for it...

Sorry again for being so lame =/
and i think i've only done my devo's twice in the more than a week long hiatus...

FAIL

So i decided to do Philippians next and it was such a short book that i finished it the second time i did devotions... (it was like 4 chapters long :P)

I'm mad busy so i'm just going to go through the verses that stood out to me =/
(again, sorry for being so lame)


18-3-09
"And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ"
Philippians 1:9-10

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,"
Philippians 1:29

Monday-
"Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."
Philippians 2:2

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God w/o fault in a crooked and deprived generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"
Philippians 2:14=15

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Ad the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philip. 4:6-7

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Philip. 4:13

A bucket O' Hebrews :P

So i was bad again this weekend and i did not do my devo's friday, or saturday, and today i'm prolly not gonna actually get down and read a chapter.

If it counts, Friday i had to wrap up some stuff (which i'm glad i did btw!!!)/ pack?/ leave that night to go to the airport
Saturday i was tired and fighting on whether i should sleep, pack or neither (i think i ended up doing more of the latter...)
And today i don't really have an excuse...

I'll just say right now that there's been a lot of issues that have been going on in my mind:
Predestination
Battle Cry Controversy
the "Customized Jesus" thing (yea, again)

and a few more smaller issues. I know that i don't really have time to go over it right now (HOMEWOOOOOORRRRRRRKKKKKK!!!!!! T_T). and like Tomorrow's monday, and will be a busy day for me, physically and spiritually, i highly doubt i would have time to write any kind of devotional anyway (with all the hw due tuesday... :( ....)

Plus i am having a hard time deciding what book in the bible i should do next- i want to do something short and in the new testament (like i jut finished one in the Old testament) but i'm not exactly sure what. Maybe 1 and 2 Peter? idk, i know i went through a John phase (John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John...). But idk... I might have already gone through the Peters...

I guess i'll just leave you with some of my fav (rather highlighted) verses from Hebrews:

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Hebrews 1:3

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness"
Hebrews 3:13

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow"
Hebrews 4:12

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves in distinguish good from evil."
Hebrews 5:13

"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."
Hebrews 6:15

"But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them"
Hebrews 7:24

"By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."
Hebrews 8:13
~yea, that's definitely a topic that's waaaaay to complex and intricate to go into right now...

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:25

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"
Hebrews 11:1
~yes, i am aware that i am posting this scripture again- (i just really like it ;D)

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord"
Hebrews 12:14

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering"
Hebrews 13:3
~Compassion! Empathyyyyy!!!!

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Hebrews 13:15

Everything and the End of a Book

So i've been having this kind of spiritual block these last two days and it's getting hard to interpret my bible and stuff like that, idk- there's something i need to take care of and i don't think this block is going to go away until i take care of it.

Everything- by Lifehouse



Most ppl know this song from the Everything Human Video
but the song by itself is so powerful too- i just never noticed until i was singing it in Church


On another note: i reached the end of Isaiah!!! :D
"I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations- to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations."
Isaiah 66:19

No interpretations today, i'm just not getting anything :(

Peace be with You.