For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.
--Romans 11:13-14 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 13, 2013 of Psalm 73:12-20; Romans 11:1-16; Deuteronomy 31:9-32:38.
In the eleventh chapter of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul tells us that God has not rejected His chosen people, the children of Israel, even through it may seem so since Paul is carrying the Gospel to the Gentiles because so many Jews would not listen. He says in effect that his sharing the Good News of Jesus with the Gentiles indeed shows God has not forgotten the Jews. He argues that it is necessary for the Gentiles to be brought into the church, to be made fully a part of it, before the Jews will turn to Jesus as Lord. In our focus verse for today, Paul tells the church in Rome that he speaks to them and other Gentiles because God wants him to. He has been assigned this role by the Lord and confirmed by his brothers the disciples. He acknowledges he is an apostle for Jesus specifically sent to the Gentiles by Christ to witness to them the risen Savior. So because he has been dispatched by God to preach to the Gentiles and because he feels the Gentiles must be fully accepted and incorporated into the church for the Jews to turn to Christ in numbers, he strives to increase his efforts, to magnify his ministry, so that maybe the Jews will take notice and become jealous of all the attention the Gentiles are receiving and want some too, thus becoming more receptive to Jesus' offer of redemption and salvation. Now that was a long, involved sentence just to say that Paul wanted to work harder reaching out to the Gentiles so that more of his countrymen, the Jews, might be saved.
What would happen if each person that tries to follow Jesus were to adopt Paul's method and initiative? Most people know someone in their group of friends, acquaintances, or associates who either don't believe in Jesus, aren't sure if He is really the Son of God, or who once believed but have fallen under the sway of the world and turned from Christ's way. Or maybe we know someone who says they believe in and acknowledge Jesus, but we wonder if they truly do know Him as their personal Lord and Savior, if they have a close and real relationship with Him. If we took Paul's approach, we would enlarge our sphere of witnessing and try to reach more people. The love of Jesus would flow out from us, filling others with His love. They in return would want what we have. As Paul put it, they would become jealous of the joy and peace and happiness we have and would desire the same for themselves. This would make them more accessible to the Word of God, to Jesus and salvation. So let's help Paul meet his goal by adopting his tactics. Let's magnify our ministry. Amen.
Wonderful Savior, thank You for blessing us with the greatest peace, joy, and happiness the world can only dream of. Thank You for filling us to overflowing with Your beautiful love. Help us expand our efforts and magnify our ministry so that others may be brought into the glory of Your church. In Your sweet name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
What would happen if each person that tries to follow Jesus were to adopt Paul's method and initiative? Most people know someone in their group of friends, acquaintances, or associates who either don't believe in Jesus, aren't sure if He is really the Son of God, or who once believed but have fallen under the sway of the world and turned from Christ's way. Or maybe we know someone who says they believe in and acknowledge Jesus, but we wonder if they truly do know Him as their personal Lord and Savior, if they have a close and real relationship with Him. If we took Paul's approach, we would enlarge our sphere of witnessing and try to reach more people. The love of Jesus would flow out from us, filling others with His love. They in return would want what we have. As Paul put it, they would become jealous of the joy and peace and happiness we have and would desire the same for themselves. This would make them more accessible to the Word of God, to Jesus and salvation. So let's help Paul meet his goal by adopting his tactics. Let's magnify our ministry. Amen.
Wonderful Savior, thank You for blessing us with the greatest peace, joy, and happiness the world can only dream of. Thank You for filling us to overflowing with Your beautiful love. Help us expand our efforts and magnify our ministry so that others may be brought into the glory of Your church. In Your sweet name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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