The photographs today were taken during two walks I took, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the morning I walked over to south davis to pick something up from a person, and in the afternoon I took a walk to the dollar tree down the street with my mom and brother to look at the photo frames.

In the evening, I made cheap .19 cent 4x6 prints of six photographs from my "gallery" at Longs Drugs, and also purchased two photo frames for a dollar a piece from the dollar tree.

Devotion time notes:

Romans 11

Now that salvation has been given to the Gentiles, has God rejected his people, the Israelites? No, for Jews are now under the same conditions for justification as Gentiles, and by faith in Christ there is a remnant of Israel chosen by grace. Paul himself is one of these Jews chosen by God through grace.

In Elijah's time, the Israelites had fallen into wickedness, killing God's prophets, tearing down altars, and worshiping idols. However, when Elijah appeals to God on these things, God comforts him, saying that he had reserved seven thousand Israelites who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Even in our present day, with the world and culture falling more and more into sinfulness and immorality, we are the remnant of God's creation that does not bow our knee to the things of this world. It is by grace that we are reserved and preserved in this manner.

Though the Jews earnestly sought justification through works, they did not obtain it while other who were called by grace to a salvation through faith did. Those who are not elect have a "spirit of stupor", blind eyes, and deaf ears. Matthew Henry notes that, The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. If we are elect and of God, then the word of God will serve to soften our hearts and our lives to be used effectively for God's purposes, but if we are not of God, then the word of God will simply serve to harden us in our existing sinfulness.

Though Paul is a apostle to the Gentiles, he longs that his ministry among them might have a spiritual impact on his own people, the Jews. Just as sin has "collateral damage", righteousness has "collateral benefits".

Here's a weird little tangent: As I was brushing my teeth last night, I thought about inward and outward conditions. If the brushing of teeth is like being mindful of righteousness on the outside, then flossing is like taking care of spiritual righteousness on the inside. It is not good to brush often but not floss, for your teeth will decay in places that cannot be seen or reached, but will eventually cause pain and death to the tooth. Instead, one should be careful to both brush and floss, to have teeth that are genuinely healthy. Moving on...

Though salvation has gone forth from the Jews and has been extended to us Gentiles, we must not think that this gives us some sort of favor or advantage over the Israelites, for we are saved by the same faith, and are cut off for the same unbelief. The standards that God desired from his original chosen nation is desired for us as well, and we must adhere to the moral standards of God. Paul refers to saved Gentiles as outside branches that are grafted onto a tree where old branches had fallen off. The natural branches were broken off because of sinfulness and unbelief, while Gentiles are grafted in by faith.

God does not have a perpetual grudge or animosity towards his original chosen nation of Israel. If Gentiles are a wild olive tree, then Israel is a cultivated olive tree. If God is able to take branches of the wild olive tree and graft them into his cultivated tree, how much more readily will he take fallen branches of his cultivated tree and restore them? Jews fell by the same unbelief that Gentiles fall by, and are saved by the same faith in Christ Jesus.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36

God, help words like these be the natural outpouring of my own heart as they were to Paul's.