Word for Today, Wed, 21 Aug 2002: God Has Not Rejected His People
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Today I'd like to share some scripture with you along with a
personal prayer. I also have received Larry Davies' Sowing Seeds
of Faith for this week's edition, so I'll have ot formatted and
prepared with comments to share with you by tomorrow.
Have you had your own private appointment with your Savior today?
Dear Lord,
I am SO thankful for Your Word and Your assurance that You have
not turned Your back on Your people. At the same time, I realize
that Your people have turned their back on You, and even many who
claim Your Name also turn their backs. I ask for personal
forgiveness; I, too, have been guilty of turning my back against
You when I fail to acknowledge You in every detail of my life.
Help me to become a faithful servant. Remind me of Your
promises. Continue, by Your Spirit, not only to urge me to read
Your Word, but fill me with understanding, so that I may heed its
message.
Please continue to encourage me, that I, too, may be an
encouragement to others.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
Year of the Bible
http://www.gospelcom.net/yob/dated/see_today.shtml
August 20, Romans 11.1-16
God Has Not Rejected His People
11 Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people?
Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am
a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not
turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in
the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of
Israel? 3 He said, "Lord, they killed your prophets and destroyed
your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill
me."
4 But the Lord told Elijah, "I still have seven thousand
followers who have not worshiped Baal." 5 It is the same way
now. God was kind to the people of Israel, and so a few of them
are still his followers. 6 This happened because of God's
undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have
done. It could not have happened except for God's kindness.
7 This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found
what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were
stubborn, 8 just as the Scriptures say,
"God made them so stupid that their eyes are blind, and their
ears are still deaf."
9 Then David said,
"Turn their meals into bait for a trap, so that they will stumble
and be given what they deserve. 10 Blindfold their eyes! Don't
let them see. Bend their backs beneath a burden that will never
be lifted."
Gentiles Will Be Saved
11 Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up
again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the
Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel
jealous. 12 But if the rest of the world's people were helped so
much by Israel's sin and loss, they will be helped even more by
their full return.
13 I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an
apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. 14 I hope in this
way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. 15
When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world
were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel,
it will be like bringing the dead back to life. 16 If part of a
batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of
the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of
the tree is holy too.
Scripture made available by the American Bible Society for the
Year of the Bible Project. These passages are from the
Contemporary English Version of the Bible. For more information
call: 1.888.324.2535 or contact us through this web site.
-
Year of the Bible
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Report problems to webmaster@yob.org
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=====
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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