May 4 ~ Romans 11:17-22
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.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This scripture passage makes a great analogy with the root plant (God) and the cuttings that were removed (non-believers) so that new cuttings (believers in Jesus) could be grafted onto the plant. But let’s take this one step further…suppose you got a job because your boss let someone go who was not performing well. You were added to the team, and everything was great for a while… and then you began to miss work, slack off, and give shoddy results. Pretty soon, it was “Hasta la vista, baby… don’t let the door hit you on your way out!” - and you were unemployed.
When you asked your employer why you were being let go, he/she explained that it was not about your past… your family… your appearance… or even your off-hours activities… it was because of your performance on the job - and your attitude. Try as you might to come up with excuses, your employer was adamant. You were not a good fit… and you had to go. In other words, your “graft” was not “taking” on the root plant. You might have told your family and friends how much your fellow workers liked you… how you loved your job and your bosses were impressed. But in truth, you were only as good as your work…and you were receiving low marks for attitude and performance.
Do you see that it’s much that way for us as Christians? Far too many of us have decided that once we’re in - we’re in! So we can now go and do as we please. Yes, Jesus died on the cross for our sins… and I believe that any of us who have truly invited Him to live in our hearts are guaranteed a place in His presence for all Eternity. But our Salvation came with a price – Jesus’ very body and blood. He freely gave Himself for us. But when we commit our hearts to Him, we are expected to also give our mind, body, soul… energy and enthusiasm…devotion and demeanor, in return. And this is where so many of us miss the mark.
Becoming a Christian is somewhat like enrolling in college. Once you are accepted, you have an obligation to fulfill certain duties and expectations. You can skip class and neglect your studies… and for a while, the college will keep taking your money and allow you to stay on campus. But there will come a point where you either have to step up to the plate and complete the work… or you will be sent packing! You can still say you attended XYZ University… you can still claim to have been a student there…but you are no longer headed toward graduation and a degree… you will not reap the full rewards. And so it is with our faith. We can “play Christian” for a while, but someday – maybe even on Judgment Day – we have to answer for how we conducted our lives. We will be asked how well we served… how devoted we were to Jesus… and whether we modeled His teachings for others. And this will not be a time for excuses!
I realize that every Christian is at a different point in his/her journey. I am so overwhelmed by what God has done for me that I cannot help but serve Him. I no longer operate out of a sense of fear of retribution if I fail to do this… I truly want and need to serve Him with every fiber of my being! And I do not mean to frighten or threaten anyone with this message for today. God is loving, kind and fair… but He is also jealous and expectant… and unwavering in all things. He will not accept excuses… God will not tolerate shoddy work!
So where does this leave you? Are you a Christian who has been “grafted onto the root” and hopes to coast along there on good looks, the kindness of others, and the mercy of Almighty God? Or are you firmly attached… doing all you can to nurture and give back to the Root Plant… making every effort to bloom and grow? The choice is totally ours… how will you decide?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label Christian duty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian duty. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 9, 2012
James 2:14-17
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One day last fall, I promised Timothy I would come and get him on Sunday morning at his grandparents’ house. We had a commitment on Saturday night, so he stayed with my sister and her husband. My sister let me know that there was really no need for me to come after Timothy on Sunday. She was working, but she assured me that Timothy’s grandfather could watch him while she was away. However, I had promised to come after him. A few people said, “He won’t remember”… and maybe he wouldn’t. But I made a promise… and I wasn’t about to break it - unless circumstances were beyond my control.
If you know me very well, you know that I am something of a stickler for people keeping their word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you promise to call or stop by… you should call or stop by! If you can’t follow through on a promise, don’t make it. And in my opinion, this starts with small children. It really shouldn’t matter whether the person will remember or not… GOD remembers! He has called us to a life of words and deeds… and the two should match!
So think carefully – and prayerfully – about what you say and do. Look for ways to offer words of encouragement… but back them up with action! The old adage “Don’t make promises you can’t keep” applies… even to phone calls, visits, and commitments to show up in life. By the same token, don’t be a person who is “all talk and no action.” A fully committed disciple of Christ is ready to serve with words and deeds! I promise you… the times you get out of your comfort zone and get off your duff to serve will be your best moments as a Christian.
A couple of weekends ago, the husband of one of my dad’s cousins died. His visitation was in Searcy, some thirty miles away. I had a prior commitment on the day of the funeral and knew I could not attend. So I decided to drive over for the visitation. I really didn’t want to spend my Friday evening this way. I had a lot going on already, and this was not in my plans. But I did it, because I felt that it was the right thing to do… to go and support my cousin and his family in the loss of his dad. I have to tell you, I am so glad I went. I visited with a half-dozen or more cousins I have not seen in a while… some for decades. We reconnected and exchanged Facebook info so we could keep up… and we reminisced about fun times spent at our grandmothers’ houses.
Had I blown off the visitation, I could have sent my cousin a condolence note and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the visitation.” That would have been a true statement, and he would have understood. But I would not have been obedient to God’s command to be a disciple of words and actions! And the look on my cousin’s face when I reached him in the receiving line told me that I had done the right thing.
Before you go adding stars to my crown, be assured that there have been plenty of times that I have failed miserably in this department. I’ve skipped funerals I should have attended, put off phone calls, substituted a note for a visit, and made promises I couldn’t keep. But I am reminded in this scripture that these are not the behaviors of a true Disciple of Christ! This is not how faith-filled Christians behave. Dr. Seuss’s character, Horton the Elephant, says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” I want to be a “Horton” kind of Christian… don’t you? Will you join me today and renew your commitment to put your words… and deeds… into action each and every day? Will your God-talk be followed up with God-acts? Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One day last fall, I promised Timothy I would come and get him on Sunday morning at his grandparents’ house. We had a commitment on Saturday night, so he stayed with my sister and her husband. My sister let me know that there was really no need for me to come after Timothy on Sunday. She was working, but she assured me that Timothy’s grandfather could watch him while she was away. However, I had promised to come after him. A few people said, “He won’t remember”… and maybe he wouldn’t. But I made a promise… and I wasn’t about to break it - unless circumstances were beyond my control.
If you know me very well, you know that I am something of a stickler for people keeping their word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you promise to call or stop by… you should call or stop by! If you can’t follow through on a promise, don’t make it. And in my opinion, this starts with small children. It really shouldn’t matter whether the person will remember or not… GOD remembers! He has called us to a life of words and deeds… and the two should match!
So think carefully – and prayerfully – about what you say and do. Look for ways to offer words of encouragement… but back them up with action! The old adage “Don’t make promises you can’t keep” applies… even to phone calls, visits, and commitments to show up in life. By the same token, don’t be a person who is “all talk and no action.” A fully committed disciple of Christ is ready to serve with words and deeds! I promise you… the times you get out of your comfort zone and get off your duff to serve will be your best moments as a Christian.
A couple of weekends ago, the husband of one of my dad’s cousins died. His visitation was in Searcy, some thirty miles away. I had a prior commitment on the day of the funeral and knew I could not attend. So I decided to drive over for the visitation. I really didn’t want to spend my Friday evening this way. I had a lot going on already, and this was not in my plans. But I did it, because I felt that it was the right thing to do… to go and support my cousin and his family in the loss of his dad. I have to tell you, I am so glad I went. I visited with a half-dozen or more cousins I have not seen in a while… some for decades. We reconnected and exchanged Facebook info so we could keep up… and we reminisced about fun times spent at our grandmothers’ houses.
Had I blown off the visitation, I could have sent my cousin a condolence note and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the visitation.” That would have been a true statement, and he would have understood. But I would not have been obedient to God’s command to be a disciple of words and actions! And the look on my cousin’s face when I reached him in the receiving line told me that I had done the right thing.
Before you go adding stars to my crown, be assured that there have been plenty of times that I have failed miserably in this department. I’ve skipped funerals I should have attended, put off phone calls, substituted a note for a visit, and made promises I couldn’t keep. But I am reminded in this scripture that these are not the behaviors of a true Disciple of Christ! This is not how faith-filled Christians behave. Dr. Seuss’s character, Horton the Elephant, says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” I want to be a “Horton” kind of Christian… don’t you? Will you join me today and renew your commitment to put your words… and deeds… into action each and every day? Will your God-talk be followed up with God-acts? Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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