Romans 3:9-20

Not one is righteous. Not one. What a grim passage; our throats are open graves and our tongues practice deceit, and misery and ruin mark our ways (v. 13, 16). (Reminds me of Dead Dancing by Avenged Sevenfold) Sounds so pessimistic ... but God is not a pessimistic God. Often, God seems extreme to me: either showing passion and love or intense wrath. It really only seems this way because I don't understand Him; I don't see things from His point of view. Thankfully, God gave us the Bible for just that. As it says in Psalm 53:2-3,

"God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

God is looking to be with us -- that's what we were made for, perfect fellowship with God. He came to see if any of us cared enough to seek Him. And we, mean as we are, shove him away! This reminds of a guy at school, David. Practically the entire school knows of him. He has a learning disability and has difficulty understanding and connecting with people. As a result, he's kind of a social butterfly (though not very well liked). All he wants is a relationship with someone, but he's always ignored, left out. People have spread gossip about him, they've pranked him, made jokes at his expense -- all these people reject him, they push him away. Terrible, I know. But I'm doing the same thing to God. I don't prank Him or laugh at Him, but I don't seek Him either.

God purposely put this passage here. He juxtaposes His faithfulness (Rm. 3:1-8) with our corruption (Rm. 3:9-20) to show us just how much we need Him. He's not trying to tell us we suck, He telling us to let down our pride, strip ourselves of all worldly values and reflect. What do we see in ourselves? Do we place value in worldly accomplishments and let them define us? God is telling us to let everything go and find our self-worth in Him, the temporal things we define ourselves by won't last. And when they're gone, what will we be? But if we confide in God like He confides in us, we can all move mountains. (I know I'm straying from the message of this passage, but this is what God is telling me)

At first, I felt defeated by this. Then I realized, God doesn't call us to be perfect, He didn't come for the perfect (Matt 9:12). He came to lead those who needed leading, sheep without direction. Coincidentally, our school fellowship did a program on sheep (not to be confused with goats). So we did a little research to see exactly how dumb they were. (Which sucks, 'cause this is what God relates us to ...)

• Sheep have bad eyesight, and so, when they eat grass, they can only see patches of grass that are next to them. They'll eat patch after patch and never look up. Eventually, when they do look up, they realize they have no idea where they are.
• Sheep can only digest food when lying down. However, they do not lie down without instruction, even if full beyond their stomach's limit. (I wonder how sheep survived before domestication!)
• They never lead, they follow the leader. 
• When attacked, they clump together, making an easier target for the predator. Most other animals disperse, which is much much smarter. 

Worse still, there was an incident in Turkey where over 15 000 sheep walked off a cliff because they were all following the first sheep. Only 450 died, though, 'cause the first 450 cushioned the fall for the rest of the sheep.

This just shows how much we need God. Despite how much we suck, if we put our trust in God, He will use us for His glory. He used (and uses) lowly fishermen (disciples), prostitutes (Rahab), men who use prostitutes (Samson), and shepherds (David). All of these people were looked down upon and God still used them. By God's standards, I am no better. But God can use me just as much as He used those people. In God's name, I can expel demons, I can heal the broken, I can light the darkness, and spread His love.With God, I'm unstoppable (Isaiah 54:17).

He confides in me, and I in Him. Now, to conquer the world!

Sonia (: