PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Roman 11:13-18 Gentiles become Jews not vice versa

Time to reflect: Although it is a convoluted argument, trying to gently convince resistant people to think differently, Paul carefully ties Gentiles and Jews, the Old Covenant and the New. Rather than rejecting his people, even those who reject Jesus, he shows how Gentiles are “grafted” like a branch onto the “tree” of Judaism. But he also goes on to show that the grafted branch is not required to adhere to the Jewish culture and practices.

Moving through the day: There is always a tendency to ignore the Old Testament as not applying to us. Paul says otherwise. What do you need to do to reclaim and make use of the Old Testament?

'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside, and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. All the birds of the air settled on the fallen tree, and all the beasts of the field were among its branches. Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortal men, with those who go down to the pit.