Welcome back - this is day 12 of our current Bible study, working through Part 2 of Not Ashamed of the Gospel from Hellomornings.
The passage of Scripture we're reading today is Romans 11: 33 - 12: 2 ...
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments,
and His paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Two things stood out for me from this passage of Scripture.
First, verse 33: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!"
God is amazingly rich - in love, kindness, mercy, grace and provenance.
In addition, this verse tells us that He is rich in wisdom and knowledge - He knows more than we will ever know or understand.
As simple, fallible human beings, we simply lack the capacity to understand why God decides what He does, and why He does things the way that He does. But, because of what we know about His great love for us, we can know that what He does is the best thing for us, because He only has our good in mind.
I often use the example of my son and scjool work when I try to understand God’s inscrutability - my son does not naturally love learning (honestly, most boys don't, I think!), and he'll often ask why he has to do certain subjects or learn about certain events. And I have to ask him to trust me - I know that there are things he needs to know for things he'll have to do or learn later in life, that I can't fully explain to him now, but what he's learning in school now will be the building blocks for his future.
In the same way, as God’s creation, we are left simply to yield to Him, to trust Him, and to worship Him.
Secondly, Romans 12 verse 1 stood out for me today: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
This verse means that, for Believers, every minute and every aspect of our lives ought to be offered to God. We do this by living as He calls us to live, not as we desire to live.
It means living a life of indebtedness and total dependence on the Father, seeking and obeying His will, and walking in step with the Holy Spirit.