trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
The DEEP

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Not what we deserve.

Romans 11:13-18 (NKJV)

For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Imagine what it must feel like to be Paul. He’s as pure a Jew as ever was, circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).

But now he’s an apostle to the Gentiles. He knows God called him to that role and he embraces it fully, but you can feel pain in his words. He loves Israel and he longs desperately to see it restored.

This gives his writing a covenantal focus that gentile believers don’t normally think about. It’s a covenant between God and His people, Israel. We’re now included in that covenant, but it’s still the same covenant. Paul wants us to understand how that works.

You, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

It’s offensive to him, and to God, when we start thinking we’re hot stuff. Of course, that’s all too common; it’s part of our sinful nature.

Paul combats that by reminding us that even though we are part of God’s covenant, we should be especially grateful that we got in.


Of course, we should be grateful that we got in. The covenant is what’s important, not how we benefit from it. We don’t deserve to be in it anyway.

One of the tricky aspects of being a believer is being grateful for what He has done for us without falling into a “what have you done for me” form of worship.

God should be worshipped for who He is. There are many hymns, such as “Holy, Holy, Holy” and almost any Christmas carol, that are entirely about God and not about us.

Then there are songs that express our gratefulness for what God has done.

They’re okay, but beware of our tendency to sing about nothing else.


To subscribe to The DEEP click here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

All the weekly study guides, which include all five devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.