Romans: A 30 Day VisitSample

Paul finishes the discourse on the differences in situations and faith responses between the Jews and the Gentiles (or non-Jews). There should be no arrogance on the part of the Gentiles for their salvation. Boasting is excluded when it all hinges on God's mercy and grace. God rewards genuine faith with righteousness.

How can you continue to build your life on faith and not your own efforts?

Israel earnestly thought that obedience to the law was the only way to be pleasing to God, and thus they missed recognizing Jesus as their promised Messiah. Why do you think this brought the consequence of God darkening their eyes?

I was doing some reading about grafting branches together. This sentence caught my eye:

“In grafting, the injured tissue of one vine heals to the injured tissue of another.”

I love the picture of God taking us who were injured from our separation from Him and our living in a fallen world, and grafts us into a vine injured by disbelief.

Many times, grafting is used to produce better fruit or a stronger vine. God is after showing His glory throughout the generations, and we are a part of that.

Ultimately, we should be grateful to be grafted into this family of faith started by Abraham. Neither the Israelites nor we deserve the righteousness, the peace, the riches that we have been given. Blessed we are.