Make much

DEVOTION

ROMANS

MAKE MUCH

Rom 11:13-21

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

NIV

Jesus said that he was the vine and we are the shoots or branches.

John 15:5-8

5 "I am the vine ; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

NIV

Paul is making it clear to us gentiles that we have been grafted into the true root, the vine, Jesus Christ. It is all about remaining in the vine. We cannot get too arrogant about our faith over that of Israel. Although Israel rejected Jesus, they are still the people he chose to come into the world through. Somehow they are special to him, although God also says that he does not show favoritism. So in that sense all people Jew and Gentile alike are special to the Lord. Still the point of all this is that we cannot do anything apart from Christ. We need to look to Jesus for all things. That means we should not be living our life according to our own strength, our own choices, our own desires, goals, ambitions. All too often we develop dreams we want from life. Are they what God wants for our life or what we want for our life? If we believe God wants the best life for us, then we should make sure we remain in him. If we do not believe that, then it could be said we suffer from unbelief and look and see what happens due to unbelief. The branches were broken off because of unbelief and if God did not spare Israel because of unbelief than he would not spare us either, because he does not show favoritism. We have to remain in him, living, working, playing, and doing all things in Christ. It is not about our desires, but his desires for us. Then there is the religious side of life too. We cannot be spiritual without being in Christ. Some might act spiritual or rather religious, but if they are not in Christ, that is being phony, being done in the flesh, without the nourishment of the root. We have to make sure that our part in the body of Christ is due to Christ, not us. This is what Paul starts this whole discussion with. He makes much of his ministry. We know he was called by God to bring the good news to the Gentiles. He lived in the vine, in the root, firmly attached, doing that which God called him to, and making much of it. It does not make sense that God would allow a branch that does not bear much fruit remain in the vine. We have to remain in the vine, and in doing so, we have to, if we are truly in the vine, bear much fruit. We have been called to a ministry of bearing fruit so others can enjoy it. Being a believer is bearing fruit, not being a bump on a log. We cannot just be a believer and go around living as if we are not getting our life from the root. We have to stay in the vine and make much of our ministry. Whatever calling, fruit, God has determined for us, we must bear, making the most if it. We must make much of it.