“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Rom. 2:29
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
This verse holds such personal meaning to me. As soon as I got saved two years ago, I had such a hunger to learn about the Jewish culture. It is a rather odd obsession of mine, and my good friends lightheartedly make a joke out of it. Deep in my heart is a yearning to identify strongly with the Spirit of God who lives inside of me. Because of Jesus’ rich cultural background, looking into Jewish traditions and customs makes me feel like I am bonding with my Heavenly Father.
When I found this verse, my heart leaped! There was a reason for my interest! My heart had become “circumcised” and the result of that birthed me into the family lineage of Christ. My Spirit recognized the change, and my interest and desires were solid evidence of that! Do you feel like you don’t fit in anymore? Think of it like this – You are the family of royalty. The prince of England does not relate to the people of England, because He can’t! He has never experienced “common life”. Although believers are new creatures that have new desires, (and this indeed separates us) we CAN relate to a hurting world that is tainted by sin. We remember what God has saved us from! Although it might be lonely, you are lucky. Remember that and reach out. Save as many as you can from the plight you were pulled from, and I promise God will bring you out of your (temporary) loneliness.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the honor of being accepted and adopted into your family. I know that your Son was lonely, misunderstood and persecuted because of all that He stood for. I am sorry that I am feeling sorry for myself and my lack of support. You support me! That is enough. I ask that you give me the kind of focus and attitude to stay on track and not get distracted by my emotions. I am fortunate to see the truth and to be saved from the pit of destruction that I was on. Please open my selfish eyes to see the hurting people that need me to be brave and reach out to them. I am lonely because I have not reached out. Send me the people that need you and give me the words to say when I meet them.In Jesus’ precious name, to bring many more brothers and sisters into our family, Amen!”