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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.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?for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. (Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32)
Nellie and I once had a marvelous doctor who was known for firing his patients. He was a kind, loving man who simply expected his patients to do what he told them. If you did not, you were fired. He was especially very rough with smokers. He thought that smoking was very harmful to your health and if you were to continue as his patient, you had to quit smoking. He would help you with medical options to quit that habit, but you had to follow them and ultimately quit. Thank God, we were never fired by this doctor.
God will never fire you, nor give up on you. We sometimes will do or say something that hurts us as we reflect on it to the point where we wonder, "Will God ever forgive me for having said/done this?" And the answer is, of course, yes, God will forgive us. Paul as he writes today's passage answers the question many of his day asked about the Jews and their relationship (or lack thereof) with God. We can apply the questions, and we do, about us or our loved ones and their actions; would God ever grow tired of us and just give up on us? No.
Ours is a God of love and mercy. Ours is a God of patience. We are the one who are hardest on ourselves than God will ever will be; but we need to have our hearts in the right place, filled with righteousness and the desire to please God, and we will never be out of God's favor.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for your love and never failing mercy. Help us never to take advantage of that; help us instead live lives that bless You and those who need blessing. Help us share the message that You never give up on us, nor do You ever fire us. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone with the message that God never gives up on us!
Eradio Valverde
