7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the ancestors 9 and that the gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will confess you among the gentiles
and sing praises to your name”;10 and again he says,
“Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people”;
11 and again,
“Praise the Lord, all you gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him”;12 and again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the gentiles;
in him the gentiles shall hope.”13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As a Christian who reads the whole Bible (Old and New Testaments) as the Word of God, I truly feel a part of the Judeo/Christian tradition. When I am reading Paul’s writings, I am intrigued by his strong Christian faith and his conversations about Jews and Gentiles in the context of being God’s people. The discussion is complex, and for me, somewhat confusing, but I’ve tried to get a handle of it over time. As a parent and grandparent who tries hard not to play favorites, I feel that I need to leave God’s loving and choosing to my Heavenly Father. That being said, in Romans 15:7-13, Paul ponders Gentiles (me) and Jews (the ancestors, the circumcised, the root of Jesse), and lets me be filled with joy and peace in believing by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I love how God loves us.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for counting me as a part of Your family. Amen