Daily Devotion with Greg Laurie “Christmas
is a Promise” Monday, 2 December 2013
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"The people who sat
in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and
shadow of death Light has dawned."(Matthew 4:16)
For those who have lost
a loved one, as my family has, Christmas can be really difficult, especially
because it is so filled with memories. So many of those memories are triggered.
And when you see other people having fun, it can actually bring a lot of
sadness to you. It can even bring you to the point where you would just like to
skip Christmas altogether. Have you ever wanted to cancel Christmas? I have.
I am not saying that we
should cancel the celebration of the birth of Christ, of course. I am not
saying that we should unstring our lights and put away our presents. But let's
cancel the version of Christmas that has no place for God. Let's cancel the
version of Christmas that says, "Happy Holidays" instead of
"Merry Christmas." Let's cancel the version of Christmas that
consists of endless hype and activities without any thought of Jesus.
Let's get back to what
Christmas truly is: a celebration of the birth of Jesus. I like Christmas,
actually. I think that at its very best, Christmas is a promise. At its best,
Christmas is spending time with family and friends, enjoying holiday meals, laughing
together, exchanging gifts, and worshiping together. I think all of these are a
glimpse of things to come—because Christmas is really a promise of heaven, a
promise of something better.
You might look around
and say, "I wish my loved one who is with the Lord could see this."
You are looking at twinkling lights, but don't you think what they are seeing
is better than what you are seeing? You may be experiencing temporary joys, but
your loved one is in the presence of God, seeing the Lord in a
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Romans God’s Election of Israel
9: I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am
not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow
and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were
accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people,[a] my kindred
according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption,
the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes
the Messiah,[b] who is over all, God blessed forever.[c] Amen.
6 It is not as though the word of God had
failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, 7 and not all of
Abraham’s children are his true descendants; but “It is through Isaac that
descendants shall be named for you.” 8 This means that it is not the children
of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are
counted as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said, “About this time I
will return and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 Nor is that all; something similar
happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our
ancestor Isaac. 11 Even before they had been born or had done anything good or
bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, 12 not by works but by
his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is
written,
“I have loved Jacob,
but I have hated Esau.”
14 What then are we to say? Is there
injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So it depends not on human will or
exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “I
have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my
name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever
he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.
God’s Wrath and Mercy
19 You will say to me then, “Why then
does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who indeed are
you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who
molds it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the
clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for
ordinary use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his
power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for
destruction; 23 and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of
his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
24 including us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the
Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call
‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was
said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they shall be called children of the living God.”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning
Israel, “Though the number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the
sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute his
sentence on the earth quickly and decisively.”[d] 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left
survivors[e] to us,
we would have fared like Sodom
and been made like Gomorrah.”
Israel’s Unbelief
30 What then are we to say? Gentiles, who
did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness
through faith; 31 but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is
based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. 32 Why not? Because
they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on
works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“See, I am laying in Zion a stone that
will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall,
and whoever believes in him[f] will not be put to shame.”
10: Brothers and sisters,[g] my heart’s
desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I can testify
that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant
of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own,
they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Salvation Is for All
5 Moses writes concerning the
righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things
will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not
say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ
down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up
from the dead). 8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we
proclaim); 9 because[h] if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10
For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the
mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will
be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the
same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
14 But how are they to call on one in
whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they
have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15
And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How
beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have
obeyed the good news;[i] for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word
of Christ.[j]
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed
they have; for
“Their voice has gone out to all the
earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 Again I ask, did Israel not
understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are
not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not
seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I
have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final
11: I ask, then, has God rejected his
people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a
member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he
foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with
God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have
demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But
what is the divine reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who
have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a
remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis
of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.[k]
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what
it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is
written,
“God gave them a sluggish spirit,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a
trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that
they cannot see,
and keep their backs forever bent.”
The Salvation of the Gentiles
11 So I ask, have they stumbled so as to
fall? By no means! But through their stumbling[l] salvation has come to the
Gentiles, so as to make Israel[m] jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling[n] means
riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much
more will their full inclusion mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry 14 in
order to make my own people[o] jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if
their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance
be but life from the dead! 16 If the part of the dough offered as first fruits
is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the
branches also are holy.
17 But if some of the branches were
broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share
the rich root[p] of the olive tree, 18 do not boast over the branches. If you
do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that
supports you. 19 You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be
grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief,
but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21
For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare
you.[q] 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward
those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in
his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And even those of
Israel,[r] if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has
the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you have been cut from what is by
nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated
olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into
their own olive tree.
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 So that you may not claim to be wiser
than you are, brothers and sisters,[s] I want you to understand this mystery: a
hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles
has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written,
“Out of Zion will come the Deliverer;
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “And this is my covenant with them,
when I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the gospel they are enemies
of God[t] for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake
of their ancestors; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30
Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of
their disobedience, 31 so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the
mercy shown to you, they too may now[u] receive mercy. 32 For God has
imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable
his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the
Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him,
to receive a gift in return?”
36 For from him and through him and to
him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
The New Life in Christ
12: I appeal to you therefore, brothers
and sisters,[v] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual[w] worship. 2 Do
not be conformed to this world,[x] but be transformed by the renewing of your
minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and
acceptable and perfect.[y]
3 For by the grace given to me I say to
everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to
think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith
that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all
the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in
Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that
differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7
ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in
exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate,
in cheerfulness.
Marks of the True Christian
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil,
hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one
another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the
Lord.[z] 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless
and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who
weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate
with the lowly;[aa] do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay
anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;[ab] for
it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your
enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to
drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not
be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Footnotes:
Romans 9:3 Gk my brothers
Romans 9:5 Or the Christ
Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is God over
all, blessed forever; or Messiah. May he who is God over all be blessed forever
Romans 9:28 Other ancient authorities
read for he will finish his work and cut it short in righteousness, because the
Lord will make the sentence shortened on the earth
Romans 9:29 Or descendants; Gk seed
Romans 9:33 Or trusts in it
Romans 10:1 Gk Brothers
Romans 10:9 Or namely, that
Romans 10:16 Or gospel
Romans 10:17 Or about Christ; other
ancient authorities read of God
Romans 11:6 Other ancient authorities add
But if it is by works, it is no longer on the basis of grace, otherwise work
would no longer be work
Romans 11:11 Gk transgression
Romans 11:11 Gk them
Romans 11:12 Gk transgression
Romans 11:14 Gk my flesh
Romans 11:17 Other ancient authorities
read the richness
Romans 11:21 Other ancient authorities
read neither will he spare you
Romans 11:23 Gk lacks of Israel
Romans 11:25 Gk brothers
Romans 11:28 Gk lacks of God
Romans 11:31 Other ancient authorities
lack now
Romans 12:1 Gk brothers
Romans 12:1 Or reasonable
Romans 12:2 Gk age
Romans 12:2 Or what is the good and
acceptable and perfect will of God
Romans 12:11 Other ancient authorities
read serve the opportune time
Romans 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble
tasks
Romans 12:19 Gk the wrath(NRSV)
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