In Paul’s discourse on the state of the Jews, he uses another line to describe them, which is really true of all of us at some point or another. He says, “After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting instead on making their own deals, they have nothing to show for it.”
Ouch! Prior to God getting ahold of my life, that’s exactly how I approached God. Let me make a deal with him, fail. Let me make a new deal with him, fail. Let me make an extravagant promise to him, fail. Fail. Fail. Fail.
I can’t tell you how many promises I broke to God because I was trying to deal with him on my terms. I’m sure you can relate.
But as you keep reading chapter 10, you stumble across one of the most freeing and interesting things regarding this relationship with God. Paul says,
You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”
How simple is that?! It sounds like child-like faith. It sounds like it’s God’s work in me; it’s not my bartering with him. Furthermore, it sounds like we don’t just say “we believe,” then go on living our merry way, aloof to God; but when we call out, we say it and embrace it with our whole being.
If you’ve experienced it, you know exactly what Paul and I are talking about.
And with that, we’re going to tackle a mind-bender tomorrow…
Omer Redden 