"In our prayers, we talk to God, in our Bible study, God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking." ~ Dwight L. Moody

Good morning and welcome. It's another beautiful day here in the neighborhood located at the Old Blogger Ranch. This one, given to us by the Lord God of heaven, comes in the closing days of September, the 29th of 2026. I am currently helping to teach through the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the local, called-out assembly meeting in Rome; it does make for a lot of deep thought and soul-searching. I know the letter to the Romans is considered to be one of the most theologically rich writings from the Scriptures. Paul's letters actually even caused the Apostle Peter to scratch his head: 2 Peter 3:15-16 ~ Legacy Standard Bible ~ "....and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." It appears the local assembly meeting in Rome was made up of people with different backgrounds. Some were Jews. Others were Gentiles. Some likely were more educated than others. Some probably worked with their hands. The truth is, God breathed out this letter by Holy Spirit inspiration, and today there are up to 10,000 titled works, including commentaries and other writings about this letter. The original recipients did not have those texts. They may have had a copy of the Old Testament Greek translation, called the Septuagint. They may have had some copies of excerpts from earlier writings of Paul, and maybe page copies from the earliest Gospels. One writer suggested that Paul wrote to everyone because, even if some of his wording was hard to comprehend, he provided enough basic truths about Jesus so that everyone could apprehend his writing. The wonderful news is how Holy Spirit God works to open our understanding as we take in the Word of God. You might read all 10,000 titles and know more than most, yet still be lost in your sin, while a child might read or hear this letter, call on Jesus to save them, and they become transformed by God's power. I have to remind myself never to let the prestige of study get in the way of sharing truths that transform lives for time and eternity. Amen.

 

Balance. That's what we all need in our lives. One person said knowledge can be communicated, but wisdom cannot be handed down. If I spend my time studying the Bible so that I can answer all the quizzes correctly, or I can provide stunning informational insights into particular teachings, well, I might just miss the most critical for us all: 2nd Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." I realize many of my readers are committed to serving God and others. This means much of what I write about is most likely aimed at yours truly, me, myself, and I. I want to thank so many who encourage me in throwing words onto the electronic page. When I hear that something I wrote about helped lift someone's spirit and outlook, well, that means so much. It does. It really does. I also remind everyone how easy it is to skip any and all things that come to your media inbox. Realistically, my blog probably shows up among many other choices. Some days my blog may look interesting; some days it may not. That's when you skip it and hope I will do better next time. And I think that's what I find myself engaged in, most of the time. Trying to do better. If you ever desire to find a reference for my work, please do not contact the grammar program. Enough said. Have a great rest of the day, and may God add to it His blessings. Amen.