For the month of February, my weekday study moves into Romans 9-16. As a treat, I chose Romans to kick off January and February, as it is my favorite book in the library of the Bible. It appeals to my analytical side; there's so much meat on its bones—I will be going back for seconds for the rest of my life.

Incidentally, my second favorite is Psalms, which speaks to my heart, the highs and lows of my own existence and dependence on God. The first time God spoke to me was when I was in Psalm 37. That holy place will always be special to me.

I looked forward to this month's reading; I cannot say I have always said that for chapter 9. In fact, for years, I loved Romans 6, 7, 8 and....QUICKLY scampered on to something else—ANYTHING else: "How's Habakkuk doing these days? Did we ever find 2nd Hezekiah?" Yes, ANYTHING, but chapter 9. It was a stumbling block! It just couldn't be true! It was just an affront to American Christianity, that spirit of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. "By the power of (me)...I have the power!"

Oh, I joined my other friends who tried their best to explain away that chapter, relegating it to just the specifics of choosing Jacob over Esau, sidestepping to NOT disturb the meat there. "Milk, please!" And when I would run across election THROUGHOUT Scripture, I would dive for cover back to that mindset and sputter something about how God deals only with people groups for salvation, not individuals, conveniently omitting—oh, I don't know—NOAH. Dude and his immediate family were the only ones God saved when the entire world was wiped out!

I once found these words to be troubling:

For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.

Romans 9:11-13

The passage continues talking about how it "does not depend of human will or effort" (v 16) and how God rose up Pharaoh in Moses' time so He could display His power and let His name be proclaimed. An event that still demonstrates, incidentally. Don't know much about that Valley of Kings, but most folks can tell you or thing or two about ol' Moses.

This verse was difficult for me: "So then, He shows mercy to those He wants to, and He hardens those He wants to harden" (v 18).

In a me-centric world, OF COURSE it is vexing! And honestly, sins are just the earmarks of a me-centric life. We think we know better than God as to what is best for us. It even pollutes our idea of election.

Paul even addresses the reader's response:

You will say to me, therefore, "Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?" But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction?

Romans 9:19–23.

Only when I submitted myself to the authority of God and did not beat upon my chest for being responsible for my salvation, could I accept the doctrine of election. This was the tipping point for me, Acts 13:48, ESV: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."

And honestly, once I accepted it, life became more peaceful. If salvation depended on me doing something, well, I'm gonna undo it—I am! One look at my interaction on/off light switch to websites and operating systems would tell ya what I would do! And the valleys are not so low when I realize my sin and come back to Him. God is my loving father. I didn't earn my adoption papers. A Christian is not off to Hell for not recognizing this doctrine, rather, my brother or sister could be spared some jostles from life's wagon ride. It's nothing to get madder than a wet hen over. Sidebar: the world is not "all God's children." I mean, one look at the national news or Instagram and you'll see folks that sure resemble their true dad.

And in this crazy topsy-turvy world, there's peace in understanding that people don't chaotically choose to follow God, but He is sovereign over all. He will not lose a single sheep of His.

I had a lot of help getting there to see it. A couple of those resources were R.C. Sproul's seminal text, Chosen by God. Here's a video series of it. I love John MacArthur's Doctrines of Grace series and with it, these messages:

• The Doctrine of Election, Pt 1
• The Doctrine of Election, Pt 2
• The Doctrine of Election, Pt 3

January is out of the way and now we've landed squarely in February. 2023 is just a rollin' along!

The other day, I reassessed my goals. I slashed and burned. I felt like I did the right thing, honing the blade of my focus. Still, it felt...empty. Like I left a lot on the table. 2023 isn't about just getting by. 2023 is the year I reach a greater place; I climb to greater heights. I don't maintain. I want so much more—I need so much more than a chiseled physique and a beard down my chest—OK, so modeling after my barbarian ancestors can't be all that bad! The central focus of the Bible to scaffold everything upon is key, of course. But, after that, I don't haven't anything.

I fired up Xmind—incidentally, it was the first time I've run it on this new Mac. I threw a concept into it and just let my fingers do the walking like the old Yellow Pages TV ad.

...but, I just can't get into XMind—it's a whole lotta sizzle over steak! I ran with Freemind from '05 for a good long time. And today, I use its fork, Freeplane. Once I stammer "simma down na" to its default theme and rock that monochrome, Freeplane is a delightful playspace! When I'm on my morning coffee blitz, a mindmap funnels the extraneous into sweet, sweet Twinkies.

All of that aside, do you know what conclusion I reached as I mindmapped? A LOT of that ol' Dec 31 list! I did! Maybe not so much the specifics but the idea. Yeah, I want it.

Facebook

The mindmap made me re-evaluate my Facebook use.

"Should I Stay..."

• Connect with people and develop friendships.
• Encourage others.
• Showcase a counter to the culture.
• Draw motivation to achieve personal goals.

"...or Should I Go?"

• Promotes a divisive environment.
• Hyper-corrupts people or at the very least waters the weeds.
• Fractures/obliterates friendships.
• Encourages the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
• Drives behavior toward external validation instead of intrinsic motivation.
• Levies a HUGE opportunity cost!

I have to ask this of myself: does Facebook enable me to more effectively love God and love my neighbor?

Daily, I must take up arms again in the fight to humble myself—why extend that energy unnecessarily? Ultimately, it's an issue of trusting God whether He knows best or I do.

I'm sure Facebook is fine for other folks. They haven't spent a restless night grappling with the greater context; it's just a mindless thing to kill time, like a deep dive into YouTube just less suited to their personal tastes. God wired me a little differently: I see patterns...causal relationships. In these sandals, I gotta walk away.

Start With the End

Something that's being defined this year for me is the pursuit of my entire life. The reason. That ol' what do I want to be when I grow up? I look at this, Philippians 3:18–21—what do I do with it? Do I just give the Scripture a happy nod and just do whatever I want? Or, do I live a life that recognizes that THIS is true? ACTUALLY true. Just as prophecy foretold the coming of Christ, Scripture says what will happen to me. Prophecy concerning ME!

Let's stylistically break down the passage..."Billie Jean is not my lover..." Wait, wait, wait...no Moonwalk moves here.

Not my path:

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears;

• That many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
• Their end is destruction;
• Their god is their stomach;
• Their glory is in their shame.
• They are focused on earthly things.

My path:

• But our citizenship is in heaven,
• From which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
• He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body,
• By the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

And so, do I want down the road that is not mine? Do I exhibit behavior from that section? Or, should I recognize the path laid down before me?

It's a no-brainer—why am I an idiot? Easy. Check the sight picture.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1–4

I woke up today like any other morning. I had no plans beyond whittling down what was typed up in To Do list, which at 41 items, it is what I liked to call "big boned!" As I set my day in order, I popped open Spotify for a little inspirational music—I dunno, something by Epic Score. In a freshly created Spotify account, yesterday, I listened to movie scores and epic trailer music. It's the sort of stuff that makes me feel I am on a grand adventure.

But, God chose for me to experience something different. When I opened Spotify, the first playlist it suggested to me was Black Voices in Alphabet+ Soup: Born this Way—something like that. Oh, for the love of Chef Boyardee! I dropped my head.

Now, I'll ignore the racism. I've listened to Polish, Czech, Scandinavian—can't say I've ever listened to White History Salute but Spotify nevertheless authors a black one. I'll chalk that one up to virtue signaling from Norwegians. That sort of thing is always divisive. And its undercurrent is always political; it's not about race. But, I digress.

When it comes to the Alphabet+ soup nonsense...*sigh*...it's like they need validation that a MAN dressing up like a WOMAN man is a healthy thing. "Hey, Buford: it's NOT." That we ignore there's a positive correlation to people in that and similar lifestyles and the childhood abuse they experienced. That we should raise our hands to the heavens and cheer on! "No, Bobby Ray, here's your can of Skoal back."

But, God drove home a point with me. In my exasperation at this once again being shoved into my face, He reminded me of my own sin. They've got a point: they are born that way. But, Chef Boyardee is not their father. They "belong to (their) father, the devil, and (they) want to carry out (their) father's desires" (John 8:44, NIV).

I read this today, Psalm 51:5:

Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Yes, WE are born this way. We are sinners. Are we born to be murderers? It does not matter. If we are guilty of one sin, then we are guilty of it all, right?

And how can we boast in a lifestyle in sin? We should NEVER be proud of it!

Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Sure, it can be easy to point out Jebediah Buck and say "That boy ain't right, shakin' atop that Ford in those feathers to Watermelon Crawl."

What about...

• Sexual immorality?
• Idolatry?
• Adultery?
• Theft?
• Greed?
• Drunk?
• Verbal abuse?
• Swindling?

Are we driving up to your neighborhood now?

The world DOES NOT like that talk. Phil Robertson, the Duck Commander, nearly got thrown outta his own show of Duck Dynasty by A&E for speaking that very passage, something that's been in the Bible for 2000 years.

So, there I was with my music streaming service. Well, I knew immediately I had to toss Spotify—that's automatic. But what about my takeaway? I won't be cookin' with Chef Boyardee—that's never been a problem. But what about those others things? Jesus sets a very high standard in Matthew 5:

You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

"Uhh, about that Jesus..."

...and...

You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

"Oof, I'm gonna have to get back to you on that..."

THOSE ARE HARD! It's all a matter of heart! Motive! I was thinking, what can I do to mitigate this? Well, the text tells us:

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!

Clearly hyperbolic language. But, it highlights the authenticity and drive in which we need to respond to areas where we are the weakest. We should orchestrate proactive measures to prevent sin from outflanking us! Let's not put ourselves in a compromised position. Toss those things and take the trash out to the street! While they may be good in of themselves, they can lead us to be tainted by sin.

You know that whole Marie Kondo decluttering system with that mantra of "does this bring me joy?" Well, we know that sin steals our joy—robs us blind! As such, how can we declutter our lives from things that tend to promote sin so that we may fully experience joy?

Indeed, does this bring me joy? "Anybody need an eye? Just a touch of astigmatism."