Romans 8 v 29

I’ve recently been attending a Theology course and doing a lot of reading; some of which has challenged, inspired and is enhancing my knowledge and understanding of the bible – frequently thinking “Why didn’t I know this after almost 50 years in Church and Bible reading”

Today as preparation for our next lecture I was reading Romans Chapter 8 verse 29 in my amplified bible says:

²⁹ For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers

Now I have always been taught and therefore understood that this verse meant that as believers, we had been chosen by God in advance and that He knew who would actually come to faith and follow and love him. (This throws lots of questions about selection and is God unfair in that some people are “not chosen” which is a whole different theological discussion) A brief look online seems to indicate that this appears to be the primary interpretation of this verse.

However; in reading this earlier after learning a lot about God’s covenant with Abraham and various other descendants – especially learning more about the meanings of the ancient customs and rituals that were followed in that region at the time; it occurred to me that this could be actually referring to the Jews who throughout the Old Testament were referred to as God’s chosen people and therefore being those who “God foreknew and loved and chose beforehand”.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came “first to the Jews” and then to the Gentiles (mainly because Jesus didn’t fit the image of the Messiah they were expecting. They were confusing what they expected to be a political overcoming King restoring the earthly nation and delivering them from their oppressors, with God’s promise of an atoning sacrificial Messiah who would bring forgiveness of sin and restoration to the spiritual Kingdom meaning that they could enter into relationship with him wherever they were,

They were known and chosen by God before Jesus came, not in the sense that they were “better” than everyone else but they were chosen to show the nations around them how to live in worship of the true God but proved to be a rebellious people easily distracted by the temptations of the people around them.

Jesus said that he came to the Jews first to fulfil the original covenant promises as Messiah so that they could share in his sanctification. By their acceptance and obedience of Him would subsequently draw other people (the gentiles) to him but although we know many did accept him – many didn’t so Jesus preached to the gentiles too who also invited into into His Kingdom.  It was God’s plan that both the Jews and the Gentiles would enter into that full relationship with him in a way they had not previously known

God’s message of love and redemption through Jesus is not limited to political borders (past or current) or cultures or races but available to all who will choose to accept it.

The Bible – A little “Poem”

I don’t often have flashes of inspiration, but this came to me today.

THE BIBLE:

Read it once, read it twice.

Read it three, let GOD speak to thee.

Read it four, learn so much more.

Read it five, see it come alive.

Read it six, you need a ‘fix’

Read it seven. The guide to heaven.

Read it eight, don’t hesitate

Read it nine, and you’ll be fine.

Read it ten….now..start again

#bible,

#faithfoodandfeather

Make Level Paths

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/make-level-paths/

Marmalade Cake (aka Make it up as I go cake)

I decided to make some cake again but wanted to make it a little more “festive”

To make this quick….

Depending on how much cake you want to make weigh the required number of eggs.

As I was doing this as a tray bake I started with 5 eggs.

This gave me the weight for my margarine and Self raising flour (250g)

I started weighing out the sugar but stopped…..

‘I know what will give some good “Christmassy” flavour…Marmalade’ I thought, and sent hubby off to find an old jar of home made marmalade which I remembered was lurking in the cupboard in the spare room.

Having only added about 100g of sugar to my mix I then added about 250g (half the jar) of marmalade.

To this I added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

I usually also add about a teaspoon of baking powder to help give the cake a bit more rise.

I beat it all together and put into a lined tin.

This went into a 170 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.

To glaze I used Icing sugar with a little hot water and a good teaspoon (or maybe 2) of the marmalade adding icing sugar until I got the consistency required.

As usual this seemed to be very popular

Cauliflower Carbonara

I’ve been experimenting again……

Hubby requested Carbonara for dinner tonight but I am trying to keep down some of the calorie intake before Christmas and trying to minimise any starchy carbohydrates so wanted something a little bit “healthier”

Last week I roasted some cauliflower which was really tasty so this set the idea in motion.

I had simply put some frozen cauliflower in the oven straight from the packet and put them in the oven along with the rest of our roast (or whatever it was in the oven) and it was so much more tasty than when boiled.

Now I sometimes make “Carbonara” with sausages rather than bacon and sausages were the “order” for today.

However when I went to the freezer there were only 2 sausages left in the pack I pulled out. I noticed that I also had 2 slices of bacon on top too so rather than rummage through to get more sausages I decided to use up those as well.

This dish is essentially a mash up of cauliflower cheese and pasta carbonara.

To start with I put about 350g of frozen cauliflower into a dish along with the 2 sausages (these were turkey) and placed the 2 or 3 slices of bacon over the top.

This all went into a 200 degree oven to start roasting. (If I had thought of it earlier I would have got all this out to defrost first)

While that was all cooking I made the sauce.

Now the proper “Carbonara Sauce” is actually made with eggs but most of the time I make a form of cheese sauce. You could make whatever your preferred recipe is. It would still be delicious.

To make my sauce I used a dessert spoon of plain flour and some unsalted butter to make a roux. I squeezed in about a teaspoon of garlic puree (use fresh garlic if you have it) and gradually added milk and a teaspoon of mustard until the sauce was the consistency that I wanted. A Good teaspoon of mixed herbs can then be added as well as salt and pepper.

Now the cheese is optional as the mustard gives a good flavour but I added a bit of mature cheddar.

I took the dish out of the oven and cut up the bacon, sausages and cauliflower into smaller more even pieces and arrange in the dish so that the meat was spread out evenly.

I poured the sauce over and put everything back into the oven for about 30 minutes.

When almost done I grated some parmesan over the top and popped it back to brown up a little.

Then serve….yummy (A bit more black pepper for me)

I think this is going to be a favourite

Walnut & Oats Yoghurt

One of my favourite yoghurts is one made by a big brand in the UK.

It’s a walnut and oats yoghurt sold in a pack of four 120g pots for £2.50. It’s delicious but I usually have to wait for it to be on offer at a reduced price before treating myself to some.

I was thinking though…….”I could probably make this myself for a lot less” so I set about a plan.

First I checked the ingredients on the back of the shop bought one which gave me an idea of the proportion.

I needed some chopped walnuts but all I could get was a pack of mixed chopped nuts so I tried using those. It was very nice but not quite right as it was more peanuts and almonds than walnuts.

I eventually managed to get a pack of walnut pieces and set about attempt number 2.

Given that the premade yoghurt costs £2.50 for a little less than 500g I started with a 55p 500g pot of basic plain yoghurt (yuuum)

To this I added approx 5 grams chopped walnuts. (About 2 walnut halves if you don’t already have some chopped).

I then added about 8 grams of porridge oats and mixed it all together.

And there you have it…delicious Walnut and Oats Yoghurt.

Now depending on your tastes, and the yoghurt you use you may want to add a teaspoon of honey for a little sweetness.

This is probably best left overnight in the fridge to allow the oats and walnuts to soften slightly and for the flavours to develop together but is still delicious freshly made.

I transferred the mix into small pots of about 125g each so they are ready to grab and go in the morning.

The added benefits of this yoghurt is a little extra protein and carbohydrates which makes them a little more satisfying.

You can of course use your favourite luxury Greek yoghurt for a much creamier taste but I calculate that this batch cost me about 75p instead of £2.50 and it does not have all the other artificial sweeteners and preservative.

I would recommend though that you consume within 2 to 3 days but I don’t think it will stay in the fridge that long.

Here is the basic recipe again;

500ml pot plain yoghurt

5g chopped walnuts (or whatever you have available

8 g porridge oats.

1 teaspoon honey

Makes 4 portions

Through the Bible in one year 2018: 15th August

The readings for Wednesday are:

Job 17 & 18

Psalm 46

1 Peter 5

Here is something I wrote on 1 Peter 5 a while ago;

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/

Through the Bible in one year 2018: 14th August

The readings for Tuesday are;

Job 15 & 16

Psalm 45

1 Peter 4

Here is something I wrote on 1 Peter 4 a while ago;

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/

Through the Bible in one year 2018: 13th August

The readings for Monday are:

Job 13 & 14

Psalm 44

1 Peter 3

Here is something I wrote on 1 Peter 3 a while ago;

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/

And

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2015/11/28

Through the Bible in one year 2018; 12th August

The readings for Sunday are;

Job 11 & 12

Psalm 43

1 Peter 2

Here is something I wrote on 1 Peter 2 a while ago;

https://suhancock.wordpress.com/2015/11/25