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! 7 Being 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. 8 This 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.”
Are You A Hamburger?
Back in the 70′s there was a well known Christian singer by the name of Keith Green. His music was pretty powerful (while it’s somewhat dated today, many of his songs are still very challenging). In one of his songs, he talks about those who believe they are Christians simply because they go to church. He makes the statement that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.
In a way, Paul is saying the same thing with today’s passage. He argues that being a part of God’s family isn’t something you’re born into. You can’t ride in on the coattails of your parents. It takes something more than that. It requires a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
I believe we need to be reminded of that from time to time. Sometimes, we think we are part of God’s family because we faithfully attend church each week. We give of our time, finances, and other resources to our church. We invite our neighbours and our family to attend services with us. All good things, but it’s not because of them that we are Christians.
No, we are Christ followers because we acknowledged our inability to be righteous on our own. We recognized that without the grace of God, we are lost. All is hopeless. It is only through Christ that we can be in relationship with God. It is because of him that we are part of the family.
It’s a good time of year for such a reminder.
My prayer: Lord, I realize that I am not your follower because I was born into a particular church. I am not your follower because I was born in a country that celebrates freedom. I am your follower because you first loved me. You gave your life for me. You opened the door for me to journey with you. It is completely your doing, not mine. Thank you for reminding me of that incredible truth. Amen.
Until tomorrow.
