Romans – Page 4 – Be Still…

Romans 11:13-24 – Are You Connected?

We are branches. How glorious that we have been grafted in as part of God’s family. It’s an honor we often take for granted I think. We are now able to receive the nourishment God intended for Abraham’s descendants. It’s still waiting for them, but it is available to us who are connected now.

One thing is certain, we shouldn’t take this gift for granted. We should not flaunt it in an unhealthy way. If we live our lives in reverence to God, trusting him, and striving to become more like Jesus, people will notice. We don’t need to “brag” about our inheritance. That’s not being attractive. Instead, we live our faith.

Romans 11:1-12 – God’s Plan

Read Romans 11:1-12

We have been reading over the last couple days about Israel’s disobedience. God’s plan for them had been so wonderful, and yet their hearts are hardened. That gave us Gentiles a beautiful opening into God’s graces. I found it interesting that Paul said God did that to make his people jealous.

I’ve heard that God can be a jealous God when his flock looks elsewhere for truth. In this case, it seems he was turning the tables and hoping his people got jealous if he showered his love and mercy on the Gentiles. But God’s plan is not to exclude the Jews forever. In fact, he continually hopes that they return to him.

Romans 10:14-21 – Have You Heard?

Read Romans 10:14-21

Have you ever missed a great concert or event you would have liked to have attended…all because you didn’t hear about it in time? You are probably still kicking yourself. It’s all about hearing. It’s hard to stay connected to a community if you’re not hearing about what’s happening.

So how can people call upon the Lord if they don’t know him yet? Or if they know him, maybe they haven’t heard what happens when we call on the Lord? It’s a bit tragic. God has a great message of salvation for all those who hear it. Unfortunately, God doesn’t have a big megaphone that will get everyone’s attention. What he has instead is us.

Romans 10:5-13 – Salvation

Read Romans 10:5-13

Paul’s teaching continues to try and help his readers understand how their salvation works. Verse 9 is a familiar verse I would often teach Sunday School kids with a little song. Here is the verse, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s how salvation happens.

God can see into our hearts. He can see how we are responding to him. Remember, this promise is not for just the Jews but for us Gentiles, too. We just need to boldly declare our faith. It is something we should not keep secret. Yet many of us are not bold. What is holding us back?

Romans 9:30-10:4 – Faith Matters

Read Romans 9:30-10:4

Are we trying too hard? Do we put too much emphasis on God’s rules and forget to let our faith guide us? Certainly, this was Paul’s message to the Romans. For those who were Jews, this wasn’t meant to slap their hands, but to slap them upside the head. What I mean is they needed a wake-up call.

When we allow ourselves to be only focused on the letter of the law and not take into account having faith, we miss the point. Paul wanted to set the record straight here. The Jews had been so preoccupied with following the law, they failed to rely on their faith to make them right with God. The Gentiles didn’t know the law, so I suppose you could say they were able to avoid that trap. Ignorance is bliss you might say?