© Matthew Tuel — 2025
Genesis 25:23 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
23 and the LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
Deuteronomoy 2:1-8 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea just as the LORD told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time. 2 At this point the LORD said to me, 3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north. 4 Instruct these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully. 5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir as an inheritance for Esau. 6 You may purchase food to eat and water to drink from them. 7 All along the way I, the LORD your God, have blessed your every effort. I have been attentive to your travels through this great wasteland. These forty years I have been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’ ” 8 So we turned away from our relatives the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route, from Elat and Ezion Geber, and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands.
Acts 16:31 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Matthew 16:21-23 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
21 From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”
I don't have much to say on Calvin today, but Spurgeon's devotional was interesting to me. Spurgeon spoke of resisting temptation and I think we often overcomplicate it. Phillipians 4:8 says "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about theses things." This is a very simple solution to the problem. It's difficult in practice, keeping your mind in check, but a simple concept nonetheless.