DCLM Daily Manna 8 January 2021 – Stop Boasting!
Topic: Stop Boasting!
Text: Romans 11:12-18 (KJV)
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Key Verse: “Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee” (Romans 11:18).
MESSAGE:
According to a story in the Grand Rapid Press, the owner of a small foreign car had begun to irritate his friends by bragging incessantly about his gas mileage. So, they decided on a way to get some humour out of his bragging, as well as end it.
Every day, one of them would sneak into his parking lot and pour a few gallons of gas into the tank of his car. Soon, the braggart was recording absolutely phenomenal mileage. He was boasting of getting as much as 90 miles per gallon. It was more fun to watch his reaction when they stopped refuelling his tank. The poor fellow could not figure out what had happened.
Paul the apostle warned the Gentiles not to be careless and overconfident because the fall of the Jews resulted in their being grafted into the tree. He reminded them that what happened to the Jews might well happen to them if they failed to learn from their fall. He encouraged them to credit God’s mercy for all the grace made available to them. They were reminded to keep praying for, and loving Israel, whose future reconciliation with God will be a blessing to the world and will result in the promised reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles under one God and one Shepherd.
As believers, we should avoid acts of carelessness and acknowledge God’s grace for the refuelling of our vehicles of faith. We should learn from the mistakes of the Jews, who while they were in faith, boasted of the law and the privileged position they had with God, and saw themselves as indispensable. They were eventually rejected and the Gentiles were brought into the faith, though God had the conversion of the Gentiles in His plans even before the world began.
The doctrine of unconditional eternal security, therefore, holds no water as our God is no respecter of persons. And there is no room for boasting.
Thought For The Day: Don’t boast about grace because it isn’t yours by merit.
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
