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21-What Promises God Keeps
Over the past few days we've seen that something went wrong with Israel. God had given the precious promise of salvation to them, but they confused the standard for being saved.
Instead of receiving His salvation by faith alone, they turned it into a type of points system by keeping the Law. Sadly, this lack of faith and emphasis on works only served to separate and distance them from God.
Now, Paul anticipates a question that the reader of Romans might be asking at this point, "Does this mean God is through with Israel?" The answer is unmistakably clear: Certainly not!
Although Israel abandoned God's plan of salvation through faith in His Son, God did not abandon her. He has a plan and a purpose for them, and at the end of the day, He's going to use the nation's bad choice to bring about something good (Romans 8:28). This only serves to underscore the fact that God is a keeper of His promises, and that He is faithful despite the unfaithfulness of man.
It's interesting to note that when Paul refers to the Israelites (who actually tried to kill him as he tried to share the gospel with them), he uses the expression "His people." What a radical perspective! Paul saw and understood that although they had so turned against the Lord, the Lord ultimately had not and has not turned from them. In the end, He's going to keep His promise.
If that's God's heart towards Israel, what does that mean for us? If He's faithful to His promises to them, how much more confident can we be in His promises to us? This should fill our sails with a fresh boldness in those promises! Let's be familiar with them and own them because we understand we serve such a faithful God!
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?
What is my prayer for today?
God had given the precious promise of salvation to them, but they confused the standard for being saved.
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?
What is my prayer for today?
Over the past few days we've seen that something went wrong with Israel. God had given the precious promise of salvation to them, but they confused the standard for being saved.
Instead of receiving His salvation by faith alone, they turned it into a type of points system by keeping the Law. Sadly, this lack of faith and emphasis on works only served to separate and distance them from God.
Now, Paul anticipates a question that the reader of Romans might be asking at this point, "Does this mean God is through with Israel?" The answer is unmistakably clear: Certainly not!
Although Israel abandoned God's plan of salvation through faith in His Son, God did not abandon her. He has a plan and a purpose for them, and at the end of the day, He's going to use the nation's bad choice to bring about something good (Romans 8:28). This only serves to underscore the fact that God is a keeper of His promises, and that He is faithful despite the unfaithfulness of man.
It's interesting to note that when Paul refers to the Israelites (who actually tried to kill him as he tried to share the gospel with them), he uses the expression "His people." What a radical perspective! Paul saw and understood that although they had so turned against the Lord, the Lord ultimately had not and has not turned from them. In the end, He's going to keep His promise.
If that's God's heart towards Israel, what does that mean for us? If He's faithful to His promises to them, how much more confident can we be in His promises to us? This should fill our sails with a fresh boldness in those promises! Let's be familiar with them and own them because we understand we serve such a faithful God!
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?
What is my prayer for today?
God had given the precious promise of salvation to them, but they confused the standard for being saved.
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?
What is my prayer for today?
Scripture
About this Plan
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1985, has grown to be one of the largest churches in the country, and now has nine regional campuses in Florida in addition to the main campus in Fort Lauderdale. The church has established and now operates dozens of ministries to answer the needs for foster care, addiction recovery, and discipleship training. The church's mission is simply, "make disciples."
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We would like to thank Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for providing this daily devotional. For more information about the church and other media resources it provides for personal discipleship, please visit www.calvaryftl.org
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