Computer Science 61C: Machine Structures came to a close for me today, with a final exam in Bechtel Auditorium from 12:30 to 3:30. It was much harder than I expected it would be, having studied almost a full week exclusively for this test. I have no idea how my final grade is going to turn out. I'll wait and see.

Afterwards a took a much needed break from studying, since I've pretty much lived in princeton review for the past week. Then in the evening we went to princeton review again, and I worked on discrete math and studied for my economics final on monday.

There was a street fair on telegraph avenue.

Devotion time questions:

Jeremiah 15

Reflect on how persistent and unrelenting the people’s sins must have been so that God had to cry out ‘Send them away from my presence! Let them go!’ In Romans 1:24-32 we repeatedly find the phrase, “God gave them over….” Why is this act of ‘letting go’ the ultimate form of judgment?

Heaven is true fellowship with God, and hell is complete separation from him. These people had rejected God to such an extent that they willingly brought hell upon themselves by having God reject them. By "letting go", God allows wicked people to follow their own ways that, apart from God, always lead to destruction and separation from him.

Their spiritual condition had become so severe that not even the intercession of Moses and Samuel would have made a difference. What does this reveal about what happens to a person’s heart when there is a consistent refusal to respond to God’s Word?

An interesting thing to note here is that this passage says, "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me", meaning they did not intercede on the people's behalf. This argues against the idea that saints in heaven intercede for saints on earth.

Consistenly reject God and refusing to respond to his word leads to a hardened, calloused heart that eventually will suffer a spiritual death. The more you refuse or reject God, the harder it will be for you to accept him later in your life.

Reflect on the statement “I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion.” How well does this sit with me? Do I agree that God has every right to judge sin in this way?

God has the right to judge sin immediately without showing compassion in the first place, so it is amazing that out of his goodness and mercy he chooses to withhold judgement and show compassion. We cannot think it unfair for God to judge us for our sins, for what is truly unfair is the fact that God's perfectly holy and blameless son Jesus was the one that paid the ultimate price for our sins.

What was Jeremiah facing? What has been my perception regarding the degree of suffering involved in living out my faith (2 Tim 3:12)? In what ways have I insufficiently embraced the strife and contention that comes from trying to live a godly life in Christ?

The whole land "strives and contends" with him. Although he dedicated his life to serving and saving his people, they cursed him. I haven't experienced much in my life that mirrors what Jeremiah experienced in living out his life for God. I think I have been quick to run from situations in which I could face belittling or persecution (like Peter before he became bold?), so perhaps this lack of suffering and contention is a sign that I need to live more actively for God. I need to welcome strife and contention, and see it as a positive thing when it happens, for it demonstrates that I am living my life correctly as God has commanded me to in a fallen world.

Have I counted the cost of bearing God’s name?

I think I've counted the cost mentally but have not taken it to heart. I know that the Christian walk will entail suffering and persecution, but I have not prepared myself for them or strengthened my resolve to face them. Paul was a good example of one who counted the cost of his faithfulness to God, saw the huge prices he would be forced to pay, yet obediently and willingly obeyed God.

But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
Acts 9:15

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
2 Corinthians 11:15-28

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:28

Reflect on the fact that although God’s word was to Jeremiah “my joy and my heart’s delight,” they also prevented him from joining in “the company of revelers,” but made him sit alone, full of indignation. How much can I relate to this dual experience as a Christian, delighting in God’s words, and finding myself an alien, unable to participate in much of what this world pursues?

The word of God and the ways of the world are polar opposites, so you cannot cling to both. If a person is pursuing both, they will most likely end up with a worldly life and a false appearance of godliness. Either you accept God and reject the sins of the world, or vice versa. Therefore, how readily we accept the world is an indication of how strongly we desire God.

Personally, I think I've been getting better at discerning between sin and righteousness clearly, but I still have much to work on. Too often I find myself wanting to participate in the ways of the world, but reject them not out of true desires but out of obligation towards God. I need to strive to reach a point where I reject the world purely out of a love for God, his word, and his ways.

Reflect on the ways in which God has called me to be his spokesman. Describe the tensions involved in living out the responsibility of being God’s spokesman. Identify areas in which I have been resistant in exercising my prophetic responsibility.

God has given me an able body and mind, and has placed me in an environment perfect for serving him and representing him. Just as it would be easier for a spy in a hostile land to simply abandon his dangerous mission, preserve the comfort of his life, and allow himself to be absorbed into the nation as a normal citizen, it would be much easier for me to simply give up any purpose God has called me to and simply live with the world as the world lives. I have been resistant in this area by neglecting relationships God has allowed me to build with people in the past, and refusing to grasp opportunities to build relationships in the present. I need to be more aware of things God has called me to do, in order to not miss them blindly.

Spend some time reflecting on God’s promise in this passage and to what extent I have experienced this to be true in my life.

Thoughts omitted here.