Remembering Grace
Thank you for continuing on this journey with us. Today, we will read Romans 11–13.
Maybe it is the approaching holidays, but lately I have been thinking of my mother. She passed on to be in heaven over twenty-eight years ago. I still miss her daily. But I rejoice in knowing where she is. Her life was hard, so I could say she deserved to be in heaven. The Bible teaches us, however, that no one deserves heaven. Only through the grace of God and the blood of Jesus do any of us enjoy that privilege (Romans 11:5–6).
The Jews thought their heritage gave them this right—God had chosen them as his people on this earth. He loves them and will never abandon them (Romans 11:1–2). Even though they killed the prophets and even His Son, He let them fall, but He always kept a remnant that He would save (Romans 11:4). For salvation to come, Jesus had to live a sinless life, die as the atonement for all our sin, and rise again. God hardened His people’s hearts to bring this plan to fruition (Romans 11:8–10). He kept a remnant of His people, by grace, to remain in Him. Paul himself was one.
Revelation 7 tells us He will restore the number of His people—twelve tribes, twelve thousand from each, forming the 144,000. This represents God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel and His promise to preserve a believing remnant during the tribulation. (1) They will join the multitude of believers whom the blood of the Lamb cleansed—those of us who, by grace, believe in Jesus.
Music and Ministry
Why this makes me think of my mother, however, isn’t just because she is one of those people, but because she was a singer. I never heard her in her prime. I was the last child, and those days had passed before I was born. But she had recorded demo tapes with some of the Big Band era greats before becoming a mother. I believe I will hear her sing in heaven.
She passed on to me a love of music. I remember playing plastic children’s guitars as a toddler. When I was ten, for Christmas, I received a Harmony electric guitar and amplifier set and learned to play.
When I first started attending the church—also about twenty-eight years ago—the music minister asked me one day if I played guitar. She may have seen my fingers playing on an imaginary fretboard while listening to the praise band. I have always done that involuntarily. Because I love to play, I accepted her offer to join the band. At first, I did what I knew how to do, but I also taught the youth group a Bible study.
It bothered me that I put so much effort into the Bible study and really just played for fun with the praise team. The Bible says we should take ministry seriously (Romans 12:6–8), and both services I rendered were ministries to God. Why was I studying for God, but playing guitar for myself?
I had never learned to use barre chords—they were hard. I knew what they were and had played some lead riffs, but I wasn’t putting that much effort into playing for God. God challenged my heart on this matter, and I realized I had to study the songs as much as I did the verses. Today I am as familiar with the Bible as I was then with strumming a guitar. They both continue to demand my utmost effort.
Grafting and Harmony
Ministry is like music. Each note you add, every instrument and voice you layer into a song, builds it into what it can become. When done properly, the sounds complement each other and the harmony rises. The sound God can make from even a group of average musicians can be glorious for His purposes. No one is ever amazed by any of us playing individually. That would defeat the purpose. The purpose was for the music to glorify God, not us, and it becomes glorious when each member does their part (Romans 12:4–5).
Knowing what each piece does is the key. We can’t all be the drummer or bass player. If we all tried to play guitar leads, it would sound like chaos, and it would not be pleasant to hear. Learning how to fit in and fit together is the key to good orchestration. It is also the key to good ministry.
This isn’t about music. For the body of Christ, which is the church, to function properly, there are many parts that need to work in harmony. Therefore, God gives unique gifts to people, with intentions for all of us to take part (Romans 12:6–7). To some He gives the gift of teaching, to others hospitality. Some may be prayer warriors who dedicate themselves to interceding for others. All are important.
As you grow in Christ and seek your calling, I urge you to ask: What gift has God given you? What do you enjoy? Is there something you excel at? How can that benefit your church body and glorify God?
You may believe you don’t have any gifts or that those you have would benefit no one. While humility is a gift in itself, I would challenge that notion. God puts us where He needs us. You are not here at random. Therefore, it is important to reach your potential by discovering what His purpose for you is (Romans 13:11–14).
Tomorrow, we will read Romans 15-16.
Footnotes
- Brent Kercheville, “Sealing the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1–8),” Revelation Made Clear, https://thebookofrevelationmadeclear.com/revelation-bible-study/sealing-the-144000.html..