The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable...

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” ~ Romans 11:29, NKJV

Paul spends three chapters of Romans on the spiritual condition of Israel, which weighed heavily on his heart. He longed to see his countrymen believe in their Messiah. Though God had His remnant among the Jewish people (a remnant which included Paul and many others), the majority of Abraham's physical descendants remained in belief. Paul spends time in Romans 11 showing how much Gentile believers owe Israel for the gospel which came to us through them (even through their rejection of the gospel). Believers are to love and bless Israel because it is through them that we were given all our spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. As a rule, the Jews were enemies of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles, but "concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." God chose Israel - the people descended from fathers much loved by Him - and called them out of the world as His witness to the world. While the fullness of the Gentiles comes in they remain, as a whole, in unbelief. But the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable! God is not done with His people. In the last days they will experience revival and will once again be His witness. God's gifts, and His calling, are irrevocable. That promise holds true for us as well as for Israel. I have been called out of the world. I have been gifted with all the riches of God in Christ Jesus. The Lord will not go back on His word! He does not give up on me; He does not abandon me; He does not take back what He gives. I can rely on His faithfulness and know that what He has given me is permanent. In a changeable and faithless world, this is precious indeed.

by Rebecca

“When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” ~ Genesis 29:31, NKJV

Jacob the deceiver and supplanter met his comeuppance in Laban, his mother Rebekah's brother. Laban willingly lied to and cheated his nephew (though he ultimately lost more out of their relationship than Jacob did). After Jacob served him seven years for his daughter Rachel, Laban gave him Leah, Rachel's elder sister, instead. Jacob didn't discover the deception until morning, when he challenged his uncle's actions. Laban gave Rachel to Jacob as well as Leah (for another seven years' labor), and predictably, Jacob loved Rachel and did not love Leah. Leah had her own sins, but when reading Genesis 29, one cannot help but pity her. I love that the Lord brought balance to the situation by blessing Leah with many children. Leah and Rachel never had to compete with each other for God's love or favor. He sought the best for them both, working their sins and their husband's and father's together for good. I do not serve a God who is out for Himself, or a God who esteems people the way men esteem them; I serve a God who loves me unconditionally, unchangeably, and unreservedly. Abiding in His love brings the heart peace in the midst of a stormy, unkind, and tumultuous world.

by Rebecca

Our Reasonable Service...

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ~ Romans 12:2, NKJV

Paul broke into praise at the close of chapter eleven, declaring that “of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (11:36) He uses this doxology as a springboard from which to launch into the practical portion of his epistle. If all things - including we ourselves - are of God, through God, and to God, doesn't it make sense that becoming living sacrifices (12:1) is our reasonable service? Under the old covenant, a sacrifice - usually an animal - was something given wholly to God. The animal would be killed, with parts of it burned on the altar and the rest eaten by the priests and the ones who brought the sacrifice. But believers are living sacrifices - we die only the sense that we die to ourselves, our old man of sin, as we give ourselves wholly to the Lord. In so doing we find ourselves sharing in the fullness of the life of God as we conform not to this world, but to the likeness of His Son. Becoming a living sacrifice is not easy; it is a battle. The way we fight that battle is by renewing our minds with the word of God (the truth) so that, little by little, we come more under the influence of His Holy Spirit. You recognize someone who is filled with the Spirit! Their lives are markedly different - they're more alive, more joyous, more loving, more peaceful, more gracious...more complete. This kind of living proves God's will to be what He says it is: good, acceptable, and perfect. No, it's not easy giving one's self wholly to Him. It's easier to just jump off the altar. But when you do obey and you do die to yourself in, say, one particular battle, you come through on the other side with experiential knowledge of just how much it is to be doing it God's way than your way. This knowledge gives you courage to obey again and again and again, as you watch your life and your heart transformed by the power of God.

by Rebecca