ANGLICAN DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL FOR NOVEMBER 30, 2022 (THE GOOD LAW WITH ITS BAD OUTCOME)
TOPIC : ”THE GOOD LAW WITH ITS BAD OUTCOME”
Read: Romans 10:1-18(NKJV)
1. Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4. For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
6. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down [from above)]
7. or, ” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
14. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17. So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
MESSAGE
STUDY: Apostle Paul was greatly bothered about the spiritual state of his countrymen which he expressed in this passage.
It became a source of concern and prayer point for him that they may be saved. Very clearly, we are told how that the Law given to them by God, through Moses, was misinterpreted, to the end that when it needed to be done with, it became their focus and frustration.
The Law that was meant to be a guide and a school teacher became their destination and certification.
It was so bad that when Jesus, whom the Law and the Prophets talked about was revealed, they did not recognize Him.
The moral lesson for us is that we must not lose sight of the purpose of a matter or a thing. We must not idolize our helpers in place of Christ. We must learn to know when an era is over.
Let us not go into a self-inflicted ignorance, thereby refusing to see the light. Saint Andrew the apostle whom we commemorate today, is worthy of emulation here. He was the first to follow Jesus, and immediately witnessed to his brother Simon (John 1:40).
PRAYER: Lord, help me to have a deep concern for the lost and do my utmost for their salvation.
The Anglican Communion is the fourth-largest Christian denomination. Founded in 1867 in London, England, the communion currently has 85 million members within the Church of England and other national and regional churches in full communion.
