Thrive Creative Journaling Devotional Bible - Flipbook - Page 26
ROMANS 9 . . . page 1408
I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut
off from Christ!—if that would save them.
4They are the people of Israel, chosen to be
God’s adopted children.* God revealed his
glory to them. He made covenants with them
and gave them his law. He gave them the
privilege of worshiping him and receiving
his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ
himself was an Israelite as far as his human
nature is concerned. And he is God, the one
who rules over everything and is worthy of
eternal praise! Amen.*
Dear God,
Help Your daughter to
experience the beautiful
life You offer. Keep her from
compromising, and give her
an eternal perspective on
her heavenly blessings.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his
promise to Israel? No, for not all who are
born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7Being descendants of
Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s
children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the
son through whom your descendants will be
counted,”* though Abraham had other children, too. 8This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children
of God. Only the children of the promise are
considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For
God had promised, “I will return about this
time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”*
10This son was our ancestor Isaac. When
he married Rebekah, she gave birth to
twins.* 11But before they were born, before
they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message
shows that God chooses people according
to his own purposes; 12he calls people, but
not according to their good or bad works.)
She was told, “Your older son will serve your
younger son.”* 13In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”*
14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15For God said to Moses,
“I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
and I will show compassion to anyone
I choose.”*
16So it is God who decides to show mercy. We
can neither choose it nor work for it.
17 For the Scriptures say that God told
Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very
purpose of displaying my power in you and
to spread my fame throughout the earth.”*
18So you see, God chooses to show mercy to
some, and he chooses to harden the hearts
of others so they refuse to listen.
19 Well then, you might say, “Why does
God blame people for not responding?
Haven’t they simply done what he makes
them do?”
20No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere
human being, to argue with God? Should the
thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”
21When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t
he have a right to use the same lump of clay
to make one jar for decoration and another to
throw garbage into? 22In the same way, even
though God has the right to show his anger
and his power, he is very patient with those
on whom his anger falls, who are destined for
destruction. 23He does this to make the riches
of his glory shine even brighter on those to
whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in
advance for glory. 24And we are among those
whom he selected, both from the Jews and
from the Gentiles.
25Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the
prophecy of Hosea,
“Those who were not my people,
I will now call my people.
And I will love those
whom I did not love before.”*
26And,
“Then, at the place where they were told,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called
‘children of the living God.’ ”*
27And
concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet
cried out,
9:4 Greek chosen for sonship. 9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen. 9:7 Gen 21:12.
9:9 Gen 18:10, 14. 9:10 Greek she conceived children through this one man. 9:12 Gen 25:23. 9:13 Mal 1:23. 9:15 Exod 33:19.
9:17 Exod 9:16 (Greek version). 9:25 Hos 2:23. 9:26 Greek sons of the living God. Hos 1:10.
