<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Romans 11;22-24<div><br></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;Note then the kindness and severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God‘s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too&nbsp;will be cut off.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>This verse reminds us of how Luther in the Small Catechism, begins the&nbsp;explanation of the meaning of each <span>Commandment</span><span>&nbsp;by writing: “</span><i>We should <u>fear</u>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<u>love</u>&nbsp;God that we may…”</i><span>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>&nbsp;We love God for His </span><i>“kindness”</i><span>&nbsp;to us in t</span><span>he Gospel of Christ. &nbsp;We fear the </span><i>“severity” </i><span>of God if we neglect and depart from repentant faith in Christ. &nbsp;Our Lord holds the keys to Heaven and Hell.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying,” Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold, I am alive, forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” &nbsp;</i>(Revelation 1;17&amp;18)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>To, <i>“continue in His kindness”</i>&nbsp;means to continue in Christ. &nbsp;To abide in Him as we abide in His Word of Life.</span></div><div><span>Such ongoing living is automatically fruitful, just&nbsp;as a branch well attached to the tree will grow and produce the ‘Seed’ which brings new&nbsp;Life.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><b>23. &nbsp;And even the others, </b>(particularly the unbelieving&nbsp;Jews, and all unbelievers)&nbsp;<b>if they do not persist in their unbelief, </b>(notice here&nbsp;that <i>‘unbelief’ </i>is&nbsp;man’s activity, not God’s)&nbsp;<b>will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.</b></span></div><div><span><b>24. &nbsp;For if you have been cut from what is by nature&nbsp;a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.</b></span></div><div><span><b><br></b></span></div><div><span>Paul seems to suggest that by nature, Jews belong in the Kingdom of the Righteousness of God in Christ, even more than we Gentiles. &nbsp;(Perhaps he writes this in hope that other Jews will be reading it also,&nbsp;and recognize their proper,&nbsp;‘natural’&nbsp;spiritual state, is one of fruitful faith attached to Christ.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Our own present condition of being in the Grace of God, is most unnatural to our physical&nbsp;heritage. &nbsp;We are in a sense, a ‘spiritual anomaly.’ &nbsp;Even now, living by faith,&nbsp;the Life of holiness and righteousness, goes against our physical nature. &nbsp;(Could this mean it is easier for Believing Jews?…I somehow doubt it.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>At any rate, this passage&nbsp;helps us understand the internal conflict residing within all&nbsp;Believers. &nbsp;The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. (see, Galatians 5;16&amp;17)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>&nbsp;There are times when Paul (according to his literary and philosophical training)&nbsp;&nbsp;seems to take pleasure in a turn of&nbsp;phrase or cleverly reasoned and&nbsp;set forth&nbsp;line of thought. &nbsp;Perhaps he cannot help himself…(we all seek to honor God and give Him&nbsp;our best and finest).&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>&nbsp;Glorifying God&nbsp;the Father in Christ is what we are all about!&nbsp;&nbsp;This is why we should dress up when we go to worship. &nbsp;We dress to honor those (Him) whom we serve. &nbsp;That is why waiters at fine restaurants wear tuxedoes. &nbsp;As servants of God, we seek to give witness&nbsp;to the great <i>“kindness and severity” </i>of&nbsp;Him whom we serve&nbsp;and our love for Him.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Please do not allow this comment of mine&nbsp;to mislead you into thinking of&nbsp;these words as being&nbsp;only Paul’s. &nbsp;They are still God’s inspired Word, holy and authoritative. &nbsp;It would seem that the LORD&nbsp;God Himself, takes pleasure in a ‘well turned phrase.’ &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>God is of course the true&nbsp;author and inspiration of all things beautiful and life-giving. &nbsp;As the Lord said to Ananias about Paul, <i>“But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry My Name before the gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My Name.’’</i>” &nbsp;(Acts 9;15&amp;16)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Heavenly Father, deliver us from thinking that we can be selfish and casual about being Your servants. &nbsp;Bless us to remember Your <i>“severity” </i>toward those who give no thought to their witness to others. &nbsp;Bless us to joyfully display the royal robe of righteousness You have clothed us with in Christ.</span></div><div><span>Make us mindful of our own Calling, to <i>“live for the praise of Your glory.” &nbsp;</i>(Ephesians 1;12) &nbsp;In Jesus we pray,</span></div><div><span>Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i><br></i></span></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Romans 11;22-24
22.  Note then the kindness and severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God‘s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.
This verse reminds us of how Luther in the Small Catechism, begins the explanation of the meaning of each Commandment by writing: “We should fear AND love God that we may…”  We love God for His “kindness” to us in the Gospel of Christ.  We fear the “severity” of God if we neglect and depart from repentant faith in Christ.  Our Lord holds the keys to Heaven and Hell.
“When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying,” Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold, I am alive, forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”  (Revelation 1;17&18)
To, “continue in His kindness” means to continue in Christ.  To abide in Him as we abide in His Word of Life.Such ongoing living is automatically fruitful, just as a branch well attached to the tree will grow and produce the ‘Seed’ which brings new Life. 
23.  And even the others, (particularly the unbelieving Jews, and all unbelievers) if they do not persist in their unbelief, (notice here that ‘unbelief’ is man’s activity, not God’s) will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.24.  For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.
Paul seems to suggest that by nature, Jews belong in the Kingdom of the Righteousness of God in Christ, even more than we Gentiles.  (Perhaps he writes this in hope that other Jews will be reading it also, and recognize their proper, ‘natural’ spiritual state, is one of fruitful faith attached to Christ.)
Our own present condition of being in the Grace of God, is most unnatural to our physical heritage.  We are in a sense, a ‘spiritual anomaly.’  Even now, living by faith, the Life of holiness and righteousness, goes against our physical nature.  (Could this mean it is easier for Believing Jews?…I somehow doubt it.)
At any rate, this passage helps us understand the internal conflict residing within all Believers.  The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. (see, Galatians 5;16&17)
 There are times when Paul (according to his literary and philosophical training)  seems to take pleasure in a turn of phrase or cleverly reasoned and set forth line of thought.  Perhaps he cannot help himself…(we all seek to honor God and give Him our best and finest). 
 Glorifying God the Father in Christ is what we are all about!  This is why we should dress up when we go to worship.  We dress to honor those (Him) whom we serve.  That is why waiters at fine restaurants wear tuxedoes.  As servants of God, we seek to give witness to the great “kindness and severity” of Him whom we serve and our love for Him.
Please do not allow this comment of mine to mislead you into thinking of these words as being only Paul’s.  They are still God’s inspired Word, holy and authoritative.  It would seem that the LORD God Himself, takes pleasure in a ‘well turned phrase.’  
God is of course the true author and inspiration of all things beautiful and life-giving.  As the Lord said to Ananias about Paul, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry My Name before the gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My Name.’’”  (Acts 9;15&16)

Prayer:  Merciful Heavenly Father, deliver us from thinking that we can be selfish and casual about being Your servants.  Bless us to remember Your “severity” toward those who give no thought to their witness to others.  Bless us to joyfully display the royal robe of righteousness You have clothed us with in Christ.Make us mindful of our own Calling, to “live for the praise of Your glory.”  (Ephesians 1;12)  In Jesus we pray,Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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