http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2011-13&version=ESV
God has kept a remnant of Israelites for Himself throughout all time. We as Gentiles need to reflect upon the sacrifice of the prophets and the faithful Jews who allowed the Gospel to be spread to us. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, and so many others paved the way for us to be grafted in by their faithful obedience to God's calling. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and in this Christmas season, it would be prudent for us to pray for the Jewish people, to pray that their eyes would be opened to the Messiah, and to anticipate what will happen when they have eyes to see and ears to hear. We must never forget God's kindness to the Gentiles as we celebrate the birth of Christ.
Romans 11:33 is a verse that we should meditate upon as we ponder how great our God is. "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" God's ways and mind are not our ways and we need to remember that intellect, logic, and human understanding can never truly fathom God's compassion on us. We were wild branches fit for nothing but the fire, but the Creator of the world reached down and began shaping us into vessels fit for His service. We must remember that we are living sacrifices and that His fire will cleanse, heal, and purify us so that we are a fragrant aroma to our Lord. It is also through this presentation of ourselves to the Almighty that we are given insight into the will of God. God's will is never flawed or incomplete; it is perfect, good, and acceptable.
We are members of one body and we are meant to help each other along the way. The last few weeks I have been on the road almost constantly and have sorely missed the fellowship of my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I've flown to Canada twice and am in Chicago this week. There is nothing like the icy cold wind that saps the warmth out of you to remind you just how much we all need the fires of Christian fellowship when we all present ourselves to the Lord and He binds us all together in a body that shows off His glory with honor, love, harmony, and generosity.
Chapter 13 brings to mind the monetary responsibility we owe to the government. We must always remember that God grants authority to those in power and He is the one who can move the hearts and minds of pagan kings and charts the course of history. Revenue, respect, and honor should be granted to those who are due them and in this day of sound bites, we must focus on Scripture and continue to pray for those in authority over us.
Romans 13 wraps up with the admonition to put on the Lord Jesus and not to gratify the desires of the flesh. Do our lives reflect the glory of God or do we display the corruption of fallen man?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Have you noticed how divided we are? No accident, the devil is fighting us hard in the area of Christian fellowship. The accuser of the saints knows how to divide us. Why such an attack? God's presence manifests in three ways in our life. God is is in us. He will never leave us nor forsake. We can rest assured of His presence in us. God with us. As we walk, our human ability is fused with God's power and we work with God as co-labors. But the three aspect of God's presence is God among us. As we fellowship with fellow saints, Jesus comes among us. He speaks through you and He speaks through me to edify, build up and to exhort. This is why the devil fights hard to divide and separate us from other believers. Remember my friends, the enemy isn't each other!
ReplyDelete