It is always a day of cherished moments to meet up with my parents and my sister. Father, thank You for the blessing they are to me. Help me to cherish the moments we have together. Amen.
Romans 9:6-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
Part of our makeup as human beings is pride. Some have it in great abundance while others have seemingly microscopic amounts in what makes up who they are. My sermon this coming Sunday is opening with thoughts of pride and humility. I’ve not gotten very far, but as I sit to write I cannot help but see how we find our standing before God.
I’ve mentioned before that I am a third-generation pastor. My father and both of my grandfathers served faithfully as God led them, impacting the lives of many. That’s very cool (at least to me!) but is that why God chose me – because of my personal heritage? No, it has absolutely nothing to do with that. God chose me because He alone is free to do so.
Does God choose us because of the good deeds we can perform…all the giving of time, effort, resources, energies, and efforts? No, it has no effect whatsoever.
It’s shocking to hear but the Prophet Isaiah wrote as directed by the Lord,
We are all infected and impure with sin.
….When we display our righteous deeds,
….they are nothing but filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6a NLT
…God does not choose us because of our filthy rages…
As Paul continues to write in today’s passage, he refers to the great pride the Jews took in being descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he pointed out that Jacob and his twin brother, Esau (Jacob’s sons)…
…were not yet born and had not done anything either good or bad, so that God’s purpose [His choice, His election] would stand, not because of works [done by either child], but because of [the plan of] Him who calls them, it was said to her, “The older (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob).” v11-12
Paul asserts that no one can claim to be chosen by God because of his or her heritage or good deeds. God freely chooses to save whomever he will…it is God’s sovereign choice to save us by his goodness and mercy, not by our own merit.*
In Ephesians 2:9, Paul wrote,
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. NLT
We all stand on level ground. God chooses us for who we are and there’s nothing we can do or be to earn it. Drop all pretense of pride and humbly accept the salvation He so freely extends to us. Amen.
*New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible
July 4th, 2023, Tues, 7:47 pm
