Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

22-I Belong! As you read through the various letters Paul wrote to different churches, you tend to notice there's a phrase he uses from time to time. He'll say something along the lines of, "I don't want you to be ignorant of this..." and then he'll go on to make an important point. He does this as he's about to teach on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1), on God's ability at work within him (2 Corinthians 1:8), and on the return of Jesus for His church (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Paul also does it here in Romans 11:25, as he makes an important point concerning Israel's unbelief in Jesus. For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant...that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25 NKJV) Here's the truth we can't miss, God is actually using Israel's lack of belief in Christ to bless the rest of the world. How's that? Consider this, if Israel did what God originally wanted, if Israel stood in faith in God's Son, where would that have left everyone else? It would have excluded every non-Jew. But God took their act of unbelief and turned it into something good for the rest of the world. Faith in the Son of God isn't just for the Jew, but it's for the non-Jew, too. And it's during this time in history, a time known as the time of the Gentiles, that God is drawing people from every race and place on the planet into His family. If you're reading this and you aren't Jewish, that describes you! So why does Paul make sure we understand this? He wants us to see that God is purposeful and merciful. Even in the face of Israel's failure, He has a redemptive purpose, and that purpose is to show His mercy to many. And because He is so purposeful and merciful, we Gentiles are able to say, "I belong!" He'll say something along the lines of, "I don't want you to be ignorant of this..." and then he'll go on to make an important point. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make?