Friday, October 8, 2021
Jealous in a Good Way
“Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves” (Romans 11:11 NLT).
On a trip to Israel some years ago, I had a Jewish guide named David. He had been our guide quite often over the years, and we had become very good friends. But David loved to debate. So we’d sit in the front of the bus and discuss all sorts of things, including Jesus and the Jewish people. Yet I never seemed to make any headway with David.
One day one of our discussions went for almost an hour, and when we got off the bus, the driver said to me, “I was listening very carefully to your discussion with the guide, David.” Then he said, “I'm jealous of your relationship with God. I would like you to come over to my home and meet my family, and I want you tell them what you were saying to David.”
So I went over to his home. He had a beautiful family—a very large family as I recall. His wife started serving the food, which was very good, and more and more courses kept coming. Finally, my host said, “Now, talk to my family.” And I had the privilege of telling his entire family about Jesus the Messiah and how He could change all of their lives.
That experience reminded me of a verse from Romans 11: “Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves” (verse 11 NLT).
I became a Christian because I admired the Christians on my high school campus from a distance. They had what I wanted. When a Christian walks with God, it should be the most attractive thing ever for a nonbeliever.
If you want to win some, then be winsome. Talk about your faith, and let it permeate every area of your life.
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