Memory Verse -
But
the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There
is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
 |
| A Plea for Jerusalem...and all of Israel. Show Kindness - Pray Photo from Jerusalem |
We seek to
know God—to know His kindness. Paul teaches a great lesson about the nation of
Israel demonstrating the deep love and kindness that God had…and still has
towards His chosen people.
But some of these branches from Abraham's tree—some of
the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches
from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the
blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich
nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree. But you must not brag
about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are
just a branch, not the root. "Well," you may say, "those
branches were broken off to make room for me." Yes, but remember—those branches
were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, and you are there
because you do believe. So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could
happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won't spare you
either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who
disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But
if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel
turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power
to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild
olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by
grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the
original branches back into the tree where they belong. I want you to
understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel
proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this
will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all
Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, "The one who rescues will
come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness." Romans 11:17-26
I see the
lesson from this passage as to not feel so proud and special that I am a child
of God. I don’t deserve God’s kindness, but I will continue to trust Him.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's
glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we
are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the
penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People
are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life,
shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held
back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking
ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this
to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he
declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26
Trust God. He
has a plan—and He has generously and kindly included us Gentiles into His
family. Kindness. Do you feel it? Can you share it?
Kindness is
at the center of the list of the fruit of the Spirit. As you memorize this
verse, focus on each fruit…4 before KINDNESS, 4 after KINDNESS. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Prayer
~ Lord God—Since You chose me to be the holy people You love, I must clothe myself
with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians
3:12. Help me to do just that…and to show undeserved kindness to those around
me…to love my neighbor as myself.
Daily
Bible Reading: 1 Kings 17-19
© 2019 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Follow And Like "Banquet With The King"
on Facebook. 👍
No comments:
Post a Comment