John, Acts and Romans, books #51, #52 and #53

John
 
Sweet, beloved John.  I love how all the gospels give varying accounts of many of the same events, all seen from different perspectives, and I love how John often refers to himself as "the Jesus loved".  

There are many classic and oft quoted verses in John, but the most interesting thing I found was in 18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) This is the only gospel that mentions the servant's name.  Maybe he was a friend of John?

Acts

Full of all the amazing acts of the apostles.  

Takeaways:

16:1-3 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.  The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.  Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. I wonder how his father felt about him getting circumcised and leaving?

17:26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set out for them and the exact places where they should live.  I love that God is involved in every part of our lives, down to exactly where we should live!

Romans

The first letter Paul wrote, and it starts out with Grace and Peace, a recurring theme in all of his letters. 

Takeaways: 

2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Yeah, I have a little problem with this. 

7:14-24 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!  Yeah, pretty much sums up my life. Thanks indeed be to Jesus!!

And, like all the other letters, closed with Grace.

O:)
Melissa