Grafted In

This profound exploration of Romans 11 invites us into the beautiful imagery of grafting, showing us how God's mercy extends to all people. The passage addresses Gentile believers directly, reminding us that we've been grafted into God's family tree not by our own merit, but through the blood of Jesus Christ. Like wild olive branches taken from isolation and connected to a nourishing root system, we who were once far from God have been brought near. The message challenges us to examine our hearts for pride, warning that the same arrogance that caused some Jewish branches to be broken off can threaten our own connection to the root. We're called to live with a healthy fear of the Lord—not terror, but reverence for a holy God who is both incredibly kind and perfectly just. The passage reminds us that God's faithfulness to Israel hasn't ended, and just as He grafted us in, He can graft them back. This isn't about superiority of one group over another; it's about recognizing that we all need mercy, and God's mercy is greater than all our sin. The call is clear: replace pride with faith, remember we're sustained by the root and not the other way around, and live with gratitude for the undeserved grace that connected us to God.