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Author: Will

Romans 11:5 – The Chosen Remnant

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Will

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Truth to Learn

We are the remnant, chosen to be God’s children, by His grace alone.

Behind the Words

The word translated “election” is the Greek word eklogē. This is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” and a form of legō, meaning “to choose” or “to select.” Thus we see that it literally means “to choose out” or “to select out.” According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “this word refers to the benevolent purpose of God by which any are chosen unto salvation so that they are led to embrace and persevere in Christ's bestowed grace and the enjoyment of its privileges and blessings here and hereafter.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, which is based on the verb chairō, meaning “to be calmly happy or well off.” Charis specifically refers to “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life producing happiness and peace.” It is often thought of as “our undeserved favor from God.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now brings his readers back to the present (meaning both the present at the time this letter was written and the present time today). He says that it is just the same in the present, that a remnant has come into being. The remnant he refers to is a concept that Jews well understood. God promised the Jews that He would preserve a remnant out of Israel who would be saved. They have always believed that the salvation of the remnant refers to them being saved from the ravages of their oppressors and that the remnant would finally inherit the land and reign with the Messiah. Paul’s point, however, is that the remnant in his day is composed of those whom God has chosen “according to the election of grace.”

I know that election (God’s choosing those of us who are to be saved independent of any act or action on our part) is a difficult doctrine for many Christians to grasp. Many Christians reject it outright (in spite of what Scripture teaches) because it isn’t fair! However, Paul states it so clearly and so often that, if you believe the Bible is truth, it is even more difficult to deny it than to believe it. Paul believed in and taught election as a fact. Therefore, we should simply accept it as truth, even if we don’t completely understand it. And – regarding God being fair, if He were fair, we would all be going to Hell because that’s what we all deserve.

Paul calls it “the election of grace” because he understands that election is not by choice on our part, it’s an undeserved gift from God. We don’t choose to be saved. We don’t simply decide that we will get saved and then say the sinners prayer. Before the foundation of the earth, God chose those who would be saved. It involves the sovereign hand of God which removes the blindfold from the eyes of the elect. Only then can we see, and understand, the truth of the gospel so that we may become saved. It is all God’s work and it is all by grace (totally undeserved by those who receive it) so God is the only one who can receive the glory for it. In the next verse Paul will make the specific point that this election is not by anything that we have done (works); it is strictly by His grace!

Application

God, thank you for your gift of salvation. I didn’t, don’t, and won’t ever deserve it! You deserve all the credit, all the glory, and all the praise. In thanks to you, I humbly submit my will to yours and ask that you use me in whatever way you determine, to bring praise to Yourself. Wonderful is your grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:4 – Focus on Him

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Will

But what was God’s answer to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who did not bow the knee to Ba’al."

Truth to Learn

God wants us to keep our focus on Him, not on ourselves.

Behind the Words

“God’s response” is from chrēmatismos, meaning “the answer from a god.” It is often translated as “a warning.” This is not simply a response from God, but a stern warning to Elijah that he does not understand the real situation.

The Greek word translated “reserved” is kateleipō, which is a compound word made up of kata, which means “down” but is used here as an intensifier and leipo, which means “to leave.” Literally, it means “to leave behind,” which is the negative use of this word. It is also used in a positive sense meaning “to set apart or to reserve.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is talking about Elijah the prophet of God who defeated the prophets of Ba’al in a contest on Mount Carmel to prove who is really God, Jehovah or Ba’al. When Ba’al failed (he is merely a god, not the true God), and Jehovah succeeded (He is truly the one and only GOD ALMIGHTY), Elijah commanded the people to kill all the false prophets. But then, in fear of Jezebel’s threatened retaliation, he fled to the wilderness to a cave in Mt Horeb. Here Elijah lamented to God that all Israel had forsaken Him and that he alone remained of the faithful. Let’s see how God responds to Elijah.

Paul tells us that the divine answer that God gave to Elijah is this, “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who did not bow the knee to Ba’al.” In other words, even though Elijah thought he alone was still faithful, God warned him not to think so selfishly; there were seven thousand others who were also still faithful to God. Now, when compared to the hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Israelites in the land at that time, seven thousand doesn’t sound like very many. But compared to Elijah’s lament, “I am left alone,” seven thousand is a pretty big number. It’s simply a matter of perspective and God’s perspective is always the correct one.

The point is that God set apart a remnant of Israel who were still faithful to Him. You will notice that God did not say that there are seven thousand who have proven themselves to be faithful by their actions and deeds. He said that He had “reserved” to Himself these seven thousand men. Here is God’s message to Elijah, “My dear son, I have not left you alone, there are seven thousand others that I have set-apart to Myself. These have not bowed to Ba’al; they bow to Me.”

Do you see the impact of what God says? He, as the active agent in the process, set-apart seven thousand Israelites to be faithful. He chose them, they did not choose Him! In the following verse Paul will call it “election.”

Application

Isn’t this the way it feels sometimes, when we are under spiritual attack? It seems that all is falling down around us and we are all alone with no one to turn to. But even if it were true that everyone else had forsaken us, we can always turn to God. He will never forsake those whom He has chosen. Keep your focus on Him, not yourself. Remember, we are not the ones in control – He is.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:3 – Feelings or Faith

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Will

"LORD, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?

Truth to Learn

Don’t let circumstances control your feelings, let faith do it.

Behind the Words

“Killed” is translated from apokteinō. This is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “away from,” used as an intensifier and kteinō, meaning “to kill.” This word implies killing with intention.

The word “destroyed” is from the Greek word kataskaptō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” and skaptō, meaning “to dig.” Hence, we see that this word literally means “to dig down.” In other words, it means “to tear down” or “to destroy.”

“Seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to seek after, to pursue, or to try to find.”

Meaning Explained

In order to get the full impact of the current verse we have to look at it along with the second half of the previous verse.

Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, "LORD, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?

This is a paraphrase by Paul of I Kings 19:10 (for it is neither a quotation from the Hebrew Bible nor from the Septuagint) but it expresses the gist of what Elijah said to God. The surprising thing is that Elijah said it in a cave to which he had fled from Jezebel after having defeated and killed all of her prophets of Ba’al. At a time when Elijah should have been strongest and most confident (after a great spiritual victory), he was weak. Even after God had performed a miracle by sending fire from heaven to consume not only Elijah’s soaking wet sacrifice but the entire altar as well, Elijah was now afraid. In the heat of the victory, Elijah had boldly commanded the people to kill all of the false prophets of Jezebel. But when she had retaliated by threatening his life, instead of standing up to her in the name of The Lord, Elijah fled south heading into the wilderness until he came to a cave in Mount Horeb (possibly the same mountain where God met with Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments). It is here where Elijah, one of the greatest of God’s prophets, filled with fear and doubt, poured out his lament before God.

With a broken Elijah humbled before God, Paul is going to demonstrate God’s willingness and ability to choose a few to be faithful to His name out of many who are not. We will cover this more in the next verse.

Application

Even in the aftermath of spiritual victory we sometimes feel weak and vulnerable. But as Elijah discovered, it is not our feelings that God is concerned about, it is our faith. Faith in our all-powerful God is what enables us to reach out in prayer, not seeking our own glory, but giving the glory to Him.

Are you feeling under attack from our spiritual enemy? What is your response? Will you selfishly cry out in despair? Or will you humble yourself before God, seek His face, and confidently pray for His will to be done and for Him to give you the strength and will to endure this trial, for His sake?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:2 – Securely Chosen

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Will

God did not reject His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

Truth to Learn

God does not reject or desert any of His children whom He has chosen.

Behind the Words

The words translated “did not reject” are the Greek words ouk apōsato. The word ouk is a form of ou, which we talked about in the previous verse. It expresses the absolute negative. The word apōsato is a form of apōtheomai, which means “to thrust away from oneself, to cast off, or to reject.”

“Foreknew” is translated from the Greek word proegnō, which we talked about back in Romans 8:29. It is a compound word made up of pro, which means “before, in place or time” and a form of ginōskō, which means, “to know in a completed sense, that is, to have full knowledge of.”

The word “pleads” is from entugchanō, which is made up of en, meaning “in or by” and tugchanō, which properly means “to affect or to obtain.” Entugchanō refers to “meeting with someone for the purpose of obtaining a request.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul asked the rhetorical question, “Did God reject His people?” Then he immediately answered it with the declarative, “No way!” He is now giving more clarification as to why he said that. He starts off this verse by stating, “God did not reject his people.” Paul is saying that God absolutely did not thrust away or reject His people.

The next phrase describes an attribute of God’s chosen people, those whom He did not reject. They are those, “whom He foreknew.” You may recall that in Romans 8:29 Paul said:

Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

In other words, these are the elect, the chosen ones of God. Paul is saying that God did not reject His people whom he foreknew and chose as His children. In fact, God can’t reject those whom He has chosen, which Paul pointed out in the earlier chapters of this book. Next, Paul will quote a passage from Elijah, but since this is so closely tied to the next verse we will cover it there.

The thing I want us to get from the current verse is the fact that God chose some of the Jews to be saved, but not all of them. And even though He will turn from Israel as a nation, He will not turn away from those Israelites whom He has chosen. God does not change! Let me repeat that, God does not change!

Application

If God did not reject his chosen ones from the Old Testament dispensation, He is not going to reject those whom He has chosen in the church age. That’s another way of saying, “Once you are saved, you are saved for good.” That means that no amount of grieving the Spirit or willfully sinning against God is going to cause you to lose your salvation. Remember that you did not do anything to get it in the first place (God chose you), so there’s nothing you can possibly do to lose it (God won’t reject you).

That’s eternal security!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:1 – We Preach, He Enlightens

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Will

I say then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Truth to Learn

We are to preach the gospel to everyone, whether they will believe or not.

Behind the Words

You will notice in this translation the word “not” doesn’t appear in the first sentence, whereas in other translations it does. The word actually is in the Greek text but it should not necessarily be written in the translation. Let me explain why. The Greek word in question is me, which is a negative particle and should in most cases be translated as “not.” There is another Greek word that is translated as “not,” however, which is ou. The difference is that ou has an absolute negative interpretation whereas me has a relative negative interpretation. In fact, me is often used, as is the case in the current verse, to express a question that anticipates a negative answer.

The words “Certainly not!” are translated from me genoito, which is often translated as “May it not be.” In today’s vernacular we would say “No way!”

“Seed” is translated from sperma, meaning “that which is sown, containing the germ of life which will produce new fruit.” It is an indication that Paul is a direct descendant of Abraham.

The word “tribe” is from phulē, which is based on the verb phuō, meaning “to generate or produce.” In the common usage of this word, phulē, refers to “a tribe or a clan.”

Meaning Explained

To a Christian Jew living in Rome reading through this letter (or listening to someone read it to him or her), it may have appeared that Paul was teaching that God had rejected the Jews. This would seem preposterous to them since God had chosen them as a covenant people. So in order to clarify what he means, Paul anticipated the objection and states it as a rhetorical question, “did God cast away His people?”

As we pointed out above, this question is asked in such a manner that it requires a negative answer. This would make it immediately clear to the reader (or hearer) that Paul does not even entertain the notion that God would totally reject all Jews. So, he is asking the rhetorical question in such a way that the reader would not immediately reject his statement and would continue on.

He follows-up the question with his familiar me genoito, “No way!” As proof that God has not rejected all Jews, Paul demonstrates that he, himself, is an Israelite and not an adopted one but a natural born Israelite, a direct descendent of Abraham. The Israelites took great pride (and still do today) in knowing the tribe and sometimes even the family of Israel of which they descended. Paul states at the end of this verse that he is of the tribe of Benjamin. He will continue this thought in the following verse.

Application

In verse seven of this chapter, Paul will explain that many of the Jews have been blinded so that they can’t see the truth. However, that does not excuse us from preaching the gospel even to those who cannot see the truth. It is not our responsibility to determine who will believe. It is simply our responsibility to preach the gospel truth. The rest is up to God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:21 – Patient and Merciful God

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Will

But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and argumentative people."

Truth to Learn

God continues to reach out to even the most stubborn and rebellious sinner.

Behind the Words

The words “stretched out” are translated from ekpetannumi, which is made up of ek, meaning “from” or “out” and petomai, meaning “to fly.” So literally it means “to fly out from.” By analogy it means “to stretch out” or “to stretch forth.”

“Disobedient” is from the Greek word apeithēs, which is made up of a, a negative particle and a form of peithō, meaning “to persuade, to convince, or to make someone believe.” Thus we see that apeithēs means “unwilling to be persuaded, unbelieving, or disobedient.”

The word “argumentative” is translated from antilegō, which is composed of anti, meaning “against” and legō, meaning “to speak.” Hence, antilegō means “to speak against” or “to be argumentative.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Isaiah 65:1 to establish the doctrine that God would, in fact, call the Gentiles to salvation. In the current verse Paul now quotes from Isaiah 65:2 in order to establish clearly that not only is God going to call the Gentiles, He is also going to reject the Jews, but only after extreme patience with them.

The most important things that we can learn from this verse, however, are not just that He rejected the Jews and received the Gentiles. There are a couple of things for us to learn about our God in this verse. In Paul’s quotation Isaiah is speaking for God when he says, “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts.” (Isaiah 65:2)

The first thing we can learn about God from this is that He is long suffering. In this verse he says “all day long” which implies that not just for a single day but for an extended length of time God was, and is, willing to put up with our sinfulness and lack of interest in Him. The second thing we can learn about God is that He has an attitude of entreaty and a willingness and desire to receive rebellious sinners into His favor. This is indicated by the notion of His stretching out His hands.

This does not mean that God doesn’t care about our attitude toward Him. Clearly, He wants us to submit ourselves to His authority and rule, and He wants us to commit to a way of life that pleases Him. But it does mean that when we fail in our attempts to be who and what He wants us to be, He is patient and understanding of us, waiting for us to confess our sinfulness so as to restore our fellowship with Him. This is all the more reason why we should be grateful to Him for his grace and His mercy.

Application

Just remember what our ultimate destination would be if He wasn’t patient and merciful and He gave us what we truly deserve! Thank you, God, for Your patience, Your mercy, and Your grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Will

But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was revealed to those who did not ask for Me."

Truth to Learn

Be bold in proclaiming the truth!

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “very bold” is apotolmaō, which is a compound word made up of apo, used as an intensifier and tolmao, which means “to be bold, or confident, or daring.”

“Found” is translated from heuriskō, which means “to find or discover, whether by searching or not.”

The word “seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to look for, to seek, or search for something.”

“Revealed” is from emphanēs, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Moses in the book of Deuteronomy as evidence that the Jews should have well known that the Gentiles would come to know God even though they weren’t seeking after God in Moses’ time. Therefore, it should have been obvious to the Christian Jews in Rome that God had indeed turned to the Gentiles after the Jews rejected the Messiah.

Paul now quotes Isaiah to show that he, too, had proclaimed the same message hundreds of years after Moses did. This quotation is from the opening portion of Isaiah chapter 65:

I have been sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that was not called by My name, I said, “Behold me, Behold me,”. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on the bricks; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the towers; who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isaiah 65:1-5)

Clearly, this is a scathing rebuke upon the Israelites who would not pay attention to Moses and to those who did not listen to Isaiah. In fact, when Paul introduced this quotation he stated that Isaiah is very bold in saying this. Why was it so daring for him to deliver this message? Remember what he said in Isaiah 53:1? “Lord, who has believed our report?” It was bold of Isaiah to proclaim this because he knew that his fellow Jews would not believe him and would, in fact, attack him for being so negative to them.

Application

Doesn’t that sound like many Christians today? If you confront them about their liberal, watered-down theology, their blatant sinfulness, or their legalism, they deny what you say and attack you for not being more forgiving and loving or for not being more “inclusive” in your theology.

I would rather be thought a “fundamental fanatic” when confronting ungodliness than to be well liked because of being willing to compromise on what the Bible says. How about you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:19 – Action, not Anger

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Will

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will anger you by a foolish nation."

Truth to Learn

God’s gentle prodding is to provoke us to action. If we continually resist Him, it may provoke us to anger.

Behind the Words

In the phrase “did Israel not know?” Paul uses the same double negative, mē ouk, that he employed in the previous verse. We could paraphrase it as, “did Israel really not know?”

“Provoke” is from paradzēloō, which is made up of para, meaning “beside” or “alongside” and dzēloō, meaning “to be zealous.” It refers to coming alongside and exciting or provoking someone, like one would prod an animal to make it move.

The words “anger you” are from a similar word. It is parorgidzō, which means “to come alongside and anger someone” (perhaps by continually prodding them).

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off this verse with, “Did Israel not know?” The implication is that Israel should have known, but they didn’t. The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “Know what?” Clearly, Paul has been talking about all people having evidence of God’s supremacy and man’s inability to be as righteous as God. But I don’t think that’s what Paul is referring to in this verse. Based on what he says in the following verses, I think Paul is referring to the fact that Israel clearly should have known that God was going to turn from the Jews and the message was going to go out to the Gentiles.

In order to make this point, Paul now quotes Moses from the fifth book of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 32:21 he says:

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not a God; they have angered me by their vanities. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will make them angry by a foolish nation.

Here’s a summary of what Moses is talking about in Deuteronomy 32: The greatness of God (verse four), God’s care for Israel, (verses nine and ten), the way Israel turned from God (verses sixteen through eighteen), and how God will respond by provoking Israel (verse twenty-one). Israel continually turned away from God and resisted Him so that in the end He provoked them to anger.

Paul’s point is clear. If the Israelites had studied their scriptures then they would have known that God would turn to the Gentiles because of the unfaithfulness of Israel. The problem was that too many of the Israelites did not know what was written in their scriptures.

Application

Let us all take a word of caution from this. Do you know what God wants and expects from you? Do you know what He instructs us to be and to do? Do you read and study your Bible so you will understand God’s plan for you? Do you know what God has in store for you and the future of mankind?

If you do, that’s great! If you don’t, why not? Do you want God to provoke you to anger like He did to Israel? Or will you listen to Him and be stirred to action?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:18 – Worldwide Music

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Will

But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Truth to Learn

The Gospel message continues to be proclaimed worldwide.

Behind the Words

“Have they not heard” is from the Greek mē ouk akousan. Both mē and ouk are negative particles. The negative particle mē indicates that a negative answer is expected, whereas the negative particle ouk blends with the verb. Akousan is a form of akouō, which Paul has been emphasizing throughout these last few verses. We could translate this as, “Did they fail to hear?”

The words “Yes indeed” are translated from menounge, an unusual word which we looked at back in Romans 9:20. We could paraphrase this as “Now wait just a minute” or “Of course they have!”

“Sound” is from phthongos, which refers to “a musical sound, whether from a musical instrument or the voice.”

The word “ends” is translated from peras, which refers to “the extreme end or the farthest parts.”

Finally, “world” is translated from oikoumenē, which refers to “the place where people live.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just declared that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, that is, the good news (Gospel) of the Messiah. He now anticipates the objection from the Jewish Christians in Rome that not everyone has heard God’s message. He responds to this theoretical objection by asking one of his rhetorical questions, “Have they really not heard?” And his response is even more emphatic, “Of course they have!”

Remember how beautiful God considers those who proclaim the gospel message? Paul refers to the sound of that message being like a musical sound and he declares that it has gone out to the very ends of civilization.

Paul’s quotation here is from Psalms 19:4 in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Here’s what the first part of that Psalm says:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day to day they utter speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words where their voice is not heard. (Psalms 19:1-3)

The Gospel message continues to be carried to all inhabited parts of the earth. That is our responsibility as Christians. We are to boldly proclaim it to everyone. And even though there may be some who have not heard the gospel message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they are not innocent because there is sufficient evidence in God’s creation that proclaims God’s magnificence and man’s sinfulness.

Application

Today when you walk outside, take a good look at God’s handiwork and think about how foolish and ashamed those people who want to believe in evolution rather than creation are going to feel when they appear before their Creator and their Judge! They may ridicule us and call us fools, but we are to love them with God’s love and tell them the glorious gospel message. Life is neither meaningless nor hopeless for those who believe God’s truth, and it is undeniable.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:17 – Hear to Eternity

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Will

Then faith is from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Truth to Learn

Faith comes as a result of hearing the Gospel message which originated from the utterance of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Then” is the Greek word ara, which is used here as an inferential particle meaning “therefore” or “consequently.” It directly ties this verse to what immediately preceded it.

“Hearing” is translated from the Greek word akoē, which we looked at in the previous verse and we noted that Paul is making a kind of play on this word. This is a noun form of the verb akouō, meaning “to hear” and from which we get our English word “acoustics.” The noun form of this word can have several nuances of meaning. It can refer to the sense of hearing, the instrument of hearing (the ear), or that which is or may be heard (the message or report). If we assume that Paul is referring to the report, or message, in both of these verses, we see that they could be translated as:

For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our message?” Therefore, faith comes from the message and the message through the word of God.

The other word we want to look at is the Greek word rhēma, which is translated “Word” in this verse. It means, “that which is spoken, particularly that which is uttered by a living voice.”

Meaning Explained

On the surface this verse seems disjointed from the previous one, but that is not the case at all. Though the word ara technically ties these two verses together, it still doesn’t feel like they are very well connected does it? That is, until you recognize how skillfully Paul has used various forms of the word akouō. Though many people throughout history have not listened attentively to the message of salvation, it is from this message that faith is acquired, the message that originated from Almighty God. We have been given this precious, powerful message to carry throughout the world. Also remember, that when we carry and proclaim this message, God sees us as particularly beautiful, like a flower in full bloom.

Faith cannot exist unless there is a message, or report, to be heard and believed. It cannot come any other way than by such a proclamation. This demonstrates the importance of the message, and the fact that people are converted by listening to and believing the truth of this gospel message. And ultimately, the source of this message is the very utterance of God Himself.

Application

The next time you are witnessing to someone and declaring the message of salvation through faith in the blood of Christ, remember that you are sharing gloriously good news that originated from God Himself. You may feel awkward and others may call you a fool, but you are particularly beautiful in God’s sight when you proclaim it, whether you are proclaiming it to a prospective child of God or to a fool.

So, how awesome is that? Be a blooming flower and spread the Word!

In God's service, for His glory,