I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

 

When Elijah was confronted by the qualifying grace of God, all of Elijah’s perspectives of his own fears and failures were put aside by the overwhelming truth of God’s perspective. But, if it has been up to Elijah, his story would have ended in 1 Kings 19:4, he said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Has a twisted perspective of your situation ever caused you to feel like your story is finished?  I’ve been there! Allow me to tell you the conclusion of what I have had to learn the hard way: God uses the worst places of our lives to do His best work; it is at the bottom of our stories that God’s grace can become the dominant story line of our stories. And this is where God gets the glory!

Don’t bail before the blessing! 

 

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If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.