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1 At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow. 2 It's an enormous pain deep within me, and I'm never free of it. I'm not exaggerating - Christ and the Holy Spirit are my witnesses. It's the Israelites . . . 3 If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I'd do it in a minute. They're my family. 4 I grew up with them. They had everything going for them - family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, promises, 5 to say nothing of being the race that produced the Messiah, the Christ, who is God over everything, always. Oh, yes! (Romans 9:1-5 The Message)
Is there a place for regrets in your life? If you're human, you have had them from time to time. And the place you allow regrets to hold in your life can determine your life's trajectory. Our lesson today will focus on what we can call holy regret that the Apostle Paul had in his life. Paul was a devoted Jew and he was proud of that, but he was also a Christian, called into the faith by Jesus Himself. And his career in both the Judaistic oppression of Christians to being the most successful evangelist of the Christians, Paul had a lingering hole in his heart; his people, the Jews, were not being a part of the truth that Christ had shared with him. Paul was called to save souls, and the souls that matters so much to him, rejected him over and over. And, let us not forget, these same "religious" men sought to kill Paul on more than one occasion. Yet, Paul became a man of God and a man of love when he experienced the face-to-face encounter with his savior, Jesus the Risen Christ. From that moment on, life made more sense and life beyond this life became his goal.
For Paul to think and even write, "If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by Him, I'd do it in a minute. They're my family. I grew up with them." That's love. He would risk losing his own life, even eternally, to win over his "family." I guess that begs the question, how much do you love others? And I mean beyond those who love you back? Would you give your life for your fellow church members? For those who visit the church? Even those who walk past your church with no intentions of ever stopping? I know it's a difficult question to answer, but Paul wants to stress that his entire ministry, though successful among the Gentiles (non-Jews), felt incomplete and maybe even a sort of failure because he could not win over his fellow Jews. Truly, Paul had a Kingdom-building heart and wanted to include all people especially those who had given him his start in faith.
What regrets are holding your heart right now? What can realistically be done about them? I have to admit Paul's regret was never fulfilled to his liking. The Jews, though called righteous by Jesus and included in His remarks of "Those who have no need of healing," still await their Messiah. We do celebrate those victories that Paul made and through his writings, continue to have in the faith. The door is wide open for us to continue to reach all people, trusting God will direct our steps and our words and lead us to victory after victory. Perhaps the first victory some of you need is your own. If you have not yet given your heart to the Lord, do it right now. A simple prayer of repentance and asking of forgiveness for your sins and a simple invitation to Jesus to enter your heart is all that takes. Of course, that is but the first step in a life of faithful service to God and God's people. Live a life of love, show compassion to all, be prepared to show love to those who are in need; hugging those who need a simple hug; listen to the hurting and bless all people.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, lead us to Your side to walk with You and to be guided by You. Help our hearts be open to You and the leading of Your Holy Spirit. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Give your heart to Jesus and then to all people.
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
