I had my first final exam tonight from 4-7pm. It was for 47A, the 1 unit abbreviated version of 61A. I planned on taking the other final exam, 9D (introduction to Scheme) along with the test today, but the single test took me about three hours to finish. I'm not sure how I did, but hopefully it goes well...

I also got my economics midterm and problem set 3 back today. I think I did better than I expected on both. Praise God.

From my final exam, I hurried over to bible study. I was about 15 or 20 minutes late, and arrive just as the last praise song was finishing. I got to hear all of the message though. We finished up our semester study of Genesis by looking at Joseph and his brothers.

After bible study, koinonia had a jeopardy game that pitted the classes against each other. The questions were based on the things we had learned throughout the semester.

At 11, joseph and I headed back to davis, and arrived a little after 12. Now I'm posting this blog entry. Yup.

Devotion time questions:

Jeremiah 8

Think about the list of words describing the relationship between the people of Jerusalem and their idols: “loved and served” and “followed and consulted and worshiped.” What are some examples of today’s man-made idols that people love, serve, follow, consult and worship?

False religions, money, sinful "freedoms", alcohol, drugs, material possessions, etc...

Take a moment to examine my life and see if in any way I have been pursuing worthless idols.

Thoughts omitted here.

Reflect on God’s disappointment as he listens attentively to people. What is so tragic about this picture?

All the people literally needed to do was repent and turn back to God. They did not need to do anything complicated or difficult, but God was attentive to them and ready to forgive them had they repented. Instead, they did not even acknowledge doing anything wrong, refusing even to consider, "What have I done?" Although God extended such grace and patience towards them, they rejected it.

Repentance, as depicted in v. 4, is simple and natural. Do I find repentance this simple, and if not, why not?

Thoughts omitted here.

Repentance for a Christian should be as natural as getting up after falling onto the ground. If a Christian's beliefs are slowly eroded by the sinful culture around him, he might no longer be able to easily discern "standing" from "falling", and would therefore be blind to when he needs to get up. I need to stay spiritually sharp and morally aware so that I will know immediately when I have fallen and need to get back up.

Reflect on the depiction of an unrepentant person as pursuing “his own course like a horse charging into battle.” Are there some things in my life that are so set with inertia and momentum that I might be likened to one who “pursues [my] own course like a horse charging into battle”?

Thoughts omitted here.

Though I have my own visions of how I would like my future to be, I need to learn to submit my future to God more, and be fully willing to change my view of the future in order to take on his. I need to be open to the fact that the future I desire might not be what God desires for me.

What were the people’s assumptions in the midst of divine judgment, and why were such assumptions so offensive and infuriating to God? What should have been the Israelites’ proper response in the midst of judgment?

The people believed that because God resided in the temple that was among them, their special relationship with God allowed them to be protected from judgements against sin. They did not believe the God that was among them would allow disaster to fall on their heads, even though the reason for the disaster was that they had rebelled against the God they superficially trusted.

The people should have seen the judgement as a correction sent from God, rather than something they could blindly be protected by God from. This should have led to repentance and returning to God, rather than pretending they had done nothing wrong. In such judgement, they had no right to call on the God they rejected.

Repeatedly, we see that the people of Jerusalem--while they are officially aligned with God in their identity—underestimate, or ignore entirely God’s acute concern for their real spiritual alignment, i.e., their actual devotion to him in their hearts and behavior. Reflect if there is within my own heart a sense of taking the real concerns of God lightly while taking false comfort or security in my identity as a Christian or as a part of “God’s people.”

Thoughts omitted here.