Monday's devo - God So Loves

Read Ro. 10:12-21
God's call has always been to everyone; Jew or Gentile but the only way the good news is going to be spread is if we spread it. If faith comes by hearing and the hearing by the word of God, then Paul is saying all have heard. They heard God's sound that went out into all the world. He is quoting from Ps 19. This "sound" he is referring to is nature. All day God is uttering speech through the wind, thunder, lightning, birds, insects, etc. "The heavens declare the glory of God." Nature was created to teach us about God and it can convert a soul, make the simple wise, rejoice the heart, and enlighten our eyes according to Ps. 19. So like Ro. 1:20 says, by studying our surroundings we can see the Godhead so we are without excuse.
The problem was that the Israelites go so caught up in following the law that they lost sight of the one they were following it for. So God said he would use the Gentile to provoke them to jealousy. Our love for God and understanding of him is a mystery to the Jew. Why would we love their God? Why would God visit us and not them? We have been given this wonderful gift to draw back the children of Israel.
This does't make us second choice. It just gives us purpose. God's plan has always been for the whole world. "For God so loved the WORLD..." He used Israel to show us how he deals with his children. We are his children so we can look at how he loves Israel and get a taste of how he loves us. The last verse says that "all day long I have stretched fort my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." Gainsaying means a people that kept refusing God and spoke against him instead. How great is God's love that he would be that longsuffering toward his wayward children. How encouraging to us who have been that child or know people like that. There is always hope.
Lord, give us your heart toward people we don't understand and people who seem to hate you and your laws. Let your glory be shown throughout the earth that they might turn and worship you. Turn the heart of our nation back to you.