8 May - Roman 11

Today's reading, Romans 11, continues with some of the same themes as the last few chapters, but be encouraged - tomorrow's chapter will mark a turn in topics! Some ideas on today's chapter:

1. Another deep and kind of confusing chapter, and again (as with the last few) the discussion concerns the confusion people had about the fact that those considered "God's people" (the Jews) were mostly not choosing Jesus, while many of those considered “not God's people” were. People didn't understand: Who were now “God's people”? And what about those who were, but said no to Jesus, did they lose their place with God?
2. Even though there is something of an answer here, it's difficult to understand. And the chapter ends by talking about how we can't fully know the mind of God. On a side note: theologians have been debating what all of this means for years and I guess that makes sense.
3. One thing that is clear in this chapter is the idea that no one deserves to be "saved" by their works, but instead we are saved only by God's grace. It is the opposite of what we deserve. We are made right with God only by His love and through our faith.
4. There is, in the chapter, a warning as well. We need to be careful not to think too much of ourselves because we're close to God, always remembering that it's only by grace and through faith that we enjoy a good standing before God. And also realizing that in the same way others had chosen to walk away from God's kindness, we can make that same mistake.

Some of us spend a lot of time trying to understand things and asking questions and maybe even debating; and there may be nothing wrong with any of that, sometimes it can even be helpful. But we also need to make sure that we spend time being grateful for what God did for us through Jesus; that we can be right with God and close to Him. Maybe you could take a few moments to pray and express your gratitude to Him? If you’re still skeptical then no worries; thanks for joining us and feel free to ask any questions you have.