Monday Devotional: August 14, 2023

PastorDevotions

Devotional

Bible Reading: Romans 11:1-2a (NRSVUE)

1 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.

Manufacturing and factory shops have to reject products that do not meet quality standards. These goods are inspected to identify faults and flaws. Those who are well-trained in quality control can pick up even the minutest of mistakes. If, for example, the products are clothes, the defects could be poor stitching or the wrong color dye. Manufacturers and retailers will not want to sacrifice their reputation by offering low-quality merchandise. They get rid of the goods by destroying them or selling them as seconds.

Paul writes to the Roman congregation to reflect on the status of Israel as God’s people, now that Israel has rejected God’s teachings. Israel has, by any possible spiritual standards, failed the examination. Israel has disobeyed God and, like the Prodigal Son, is “no longer worthy” to be called God’s nation. It is against this backdrop that Paul asks, “Has God rejected his people?” He answers, “By no means…God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” This is the elected nation that God appointed as a model of God’s plan of salvation. God is the Creator, not a manufacturer. Accepting flawed merchandise reflects poorly on a manufacturer. But that is not the relationship God has with creation. God’s goodness is shown in love, steadfastness, forgiveness, and redemption.

Are we not ourselves like Israel? Have we not constantly failed to live up to God’s expectations of what it means to be God’s people and Christ’s disciples as Christians? We have, through our inequities, disobeyed God’s law and are worthy only of rejection. Yet God has chosen not to disqualify and reject us. We are exhibits of God’s forgiveness.

Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the gift of your forgiveness. Amen.

By R. Sidwell Mokgothu, The Upper Room Disciplines 2023, page 275.