March 13 ~ Romans 10:11-13
The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I was eleven years old when Dr. Martin Luther King was gunned down in Memphis. Sadly, I remember trips to shop in Little Rock when I was a little girl, and there were still “whites only” water fountains. When I was in the fifth grade, we spent six months in Oklahoma, where there were more Native Americans in my class than Caucasians. My best friend was Leona, a Native American whose last name, I have sadly forgotten. I do remember my brother’s best friend in first grade was Marvin Birdtail. I knew that Leona was poor and could not always afford the mid-morning milk, and I sometimes slipped her the three cents or whatever it cost at that time. I was lucky enough to have a few extra coins in my pocket, and it was important to me that Leona not be left out when we went to the milk room. But I never thought about her as anything but my friend.
For the first time in my life, I encountered African Americans when I went to college, and many of them became my friends… Eunice, Patricia, Elihu, Archie, and others. It honestly did not occur to me that they were black and I was white… they were just good friends and classmates who shared notes, textbooks, a love of music, and time between classes. In fact, because Arkansas Tech was so highly touted for its music department at that time, the “line in the sand” was often more about whether or not you were involved in music than the color of your skin. And because I was a piano student, I was “in!”
I am grateful for my college experiences… and my time shared with Leona and Marvin and the others in Oklahoma. Because of it, I don’t see skin color… I see the person. But I also learned the power of a person’s desire to belong. I have to admit, being part of the “music” crowd who hung out between classes at the Witherspoon building felt pretty good! And by default, those who were with me were “in” too… like my husband, and Eunice’s boyfriend, and others.
Thankfully, with Jesus, EVERYONE is “in” if we want to be. We don’t have to be a music major or an athlete or have a certain skin color. We don’t have to be able to afford certain things or know somebody who knows somebody. All we have to do is ask Jesus to live in and through us and be Lord of our lives, and He will do just that. We can trust Him to be color blind, oblivious to socio-economic status, and downright ambivalent about our talents and abilities. We can rest in the knowledge that He will love us and care for us generously because He LOVES us - and for no other reason.
Isn’t this incredible?! Isn’t this amazing, wonderful, and totally awesome? Don’t you want “in” on this? Whatever is keeping you from being a child of God today, let it go and invite Jesus into your heart. Jesus doesn’t “play favorites” or discriminate… He is not a bigot of any kind. All who call on Him are welcome. This is GOOD NEWS! Be “in” with Jesus…you will not be disappointed.
©2010 Debbie Robus
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