¹¹ Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. ¹² Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

¹³ I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, ¹⁴ for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. ¹⁵ For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! ¹⁶ And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

Never Gives Up

I suggested yesterday that God allows us to choose to accept or reject his love. If we want nothing to do with him, he’ll accept that. Sort of.

You see, even if we tell God to leave us alone, he will never give up on us. He may allow us to go through the darkness of not knowing his presence for a season, but he will never stop declaring his love to us. All of creation declares his grace, his love.

I’ve had people come to me and ask if there’s still hope for them. They will share about how they rejected God and told him to leave them alone. They renounced his existence. In some cases, they even hated God. And now, they fear that he will not forgive them. They fear that there is no longer any hope.

Often, I see tears flow when I explain that God never gave up. That it is never too late. He pursues us. He waits for us. He loves us. I tell them the story of the Prodigal Son and how the father would stand and watch into the distance, wishing his lost son would come home. How the father saw the son will still off in the distance and went running to him. God pursues us that way. He waits for the smallest of openings in our heart, and he runs to us, arms open wide.

In a few days we will celebrate the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. It’s a time when many decide to start fresh. Perhaps, it’s a good time to open your heart again. He is waiting.

My prayer: Lord, thank you that you have never given up on me. On days when I feel like I have failed you beyond words, you still love me. On days when I choose my way over yours, you wait patiently. You allow me to live life my way if it’s what I want, but you still receive me back into your arms when I come, broken and bruised. Thank you for never giving up. Amen.

Until tomorrow.