My lovely bride and I will board a plane in about 24 hours to fly to the holy lands. We will be in Israel, the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As a believer in Christ, I am thinking about the rich heritage I have been afforded by the Jewish people. To them God provided adoption into His forever family, revealed His glory through miracles, demonstrated His faithfulness through covenants, guided them with His holy law, came close in tents and the temple, and provided hope with His promises. Beyond that He spoke to them through the patriarchs and solidified their identity by recording their lineage from Adam to the Messiah, Jesus. As a Gentile believer, I am included into all of this as a child of Abraham, not by birth, but by faith. How about you? The apostle Paul who was both a child by lineage and faith in Christ, marvels at this very special people and their unique role in God’s redemptive plan for mankind.
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son. Romans 9:1-9 NIV
How is my heart tuned to the people of God, the Jews? What will I discover about God, Jesus, and His incredible redemptive plan the next two weeks?
God, as this day begins- I pray that You would fill my heart with anticipation and appreciation. I marvel that You would include me in Your amazing plan to save the world. May I get a sense of Your grandness and faithfulness and love as I walk where Abraham, Jesus and the apostle Paul walked with You.
