A Glimpse – The Gambia

Easter, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, holds a profound significance for believers worldwide. Beyond its traditional observance, Easter offers a timeless message of hope, renewal, and redemption—a message that resonates deeply with every generation. In an era marked by uncertainty and rapid change, the timeless truths of Easter provide a steadfast anchor for young hearts seeking meaning and purpose.

In today’s fast-paced world, where digital distractions abound and societal norms constantly evolve, people often grapple with questions of identity, belonging, and purpose. Easter, with its celebration of Christ being raised from the dead, offers a totally cool story of how things change and get fresh again, a reminder of what really took place in Jerusalem that speaks directly to the challenges and aspirations of the current generation.

The Promise of a fresh start:

At the heart of Easter lies the promise of a fresh start, a promise fulfilled through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:8 (ESV), “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The crucifixion of Jesus, foretold in the scriptures, serves as the ultimate expression of God’s boundless mercy and grace, offering you the gift of reconciliation and forgiveness. Easter’s message offers the promise of a fresh start and a renewed sense of purpose.

Hope Amidst Uncertainty:

In a world plagued by uncertainty and unrest, Easter offers a signal of hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ reminds you that even in the darkest of times, there is light and life beyond the shadows. As you navigate the difficulties of modern life, the promise of Easter serves as a source of comfort and assurance, guiding you through moments of doubt and despair.
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV) : “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

The Promise of Eternal Life:

Easter holds forth the promise of eternal life, a hope that surpasses the boundaries of time and space. Jesus declares in John 11:25-26 (ESV), “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?. Through His resurrection, Jesus offers the assurance of life beyond the grave, inviting you into a relationship marked by joy, peace, and everlasting fellowship with God.

The Call to Renewal:

Easter extends a timeless invitation to renewal, a call to embrace the life-changing power of Christ’s resurrection in your own life. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Just as Christ emerged from the tomb in glorious resurrection, you too are invited to cast off the shackles of sin and embrace the abundant life that comes through faith in Him.

Conclusion:

As you journey through the Easter season, may you pause to reflect on the profound truths found within the Word of God. May you embrace the promise of redemption, rejoice in the triumph of resurrection, and respond to the call to renewal with a heart full of faith and gratitude. And may the timeless message of Easter continue to inspire and uplift you, bringing you even closer to the love and grace of our Risen Savior.

God's Mercy on Israel

1 I ask, then: Did God reject his own people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning. You know what the scripture says in the passage where Elijah pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.” 4 What answer did God give him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not worshiped the false god Baal.” 5 It is the same way now: there is a small number left of those whom God has chosen because of his grace. 6 His choice is based on his grace, not on what they have done. For if God's choice were based on what people do, then his grace would not be real grace.

7 What then? The people of Israel did not find what they were looking for. It was only the small group that God chose who found it; the rest grew deaf to God's call. 8 As the scripture says, “God made their minds and hearts dull; to this very day they cannot see or hear.” 9 And David says,

“May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;

may they fall, may they be punished!

10 May their eyes be blinded so that they cannot see;

and make them bend under their troubles at all times.”

11 I ask, then: When the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? By no means! Because they sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous of them. 12 The sin of the Jews brought rich blessings to the world, and their spiritual poverty brought rich blessings to the Gentiles. Then, how much greater the blessings will be when the complete number of Jews is included!

The Salvation of the Gentiles

13 I am speaking now to you Gentiles: As long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I will take pride in my work. 14 Perhaps I can make the people of my own race jealous, and so be able to save some of them. 15 For when they were rejected, all other people were changed from God's enemies into his friends. What will it be, then, when they are accepted? It will be life for the dead!

16 If the first piece of bread is given to God, then the whole loaf is his also; and if the roots of a tree are offered to God, the branches are his also. 17 Some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been broken off, and a branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to it. You Gentiles are like that wild olive tree, and now you share the strong spiritual life of the Jews. 18 So then, you must not despise those who were broken off like branches. How can you be proud? You are just a branch; you don't support the roots—the roots support you.

19 But you will say, “Yes, but the branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid. 21 God did not spare the Jews, who are like natural branches; do you think he will spare you? 22 Here we see how kind and how severe God is. He is severe toward those who have fallen, but kind to you—if you continue in his kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off. 23 And if the Jews abandon their unbelief, they will be put back in the place where they were; for God is able to do that. 24 You Gentiles are like the branch of a wild olive tree that is broken off and then, contrary to nature, is joined to a cultivated olive tree. The Jews are like this cultivated tree; and it will be much easier for God to join these broken-off branches to their own tree again.

God's Mercy on All

25 There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. 26 And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says,

“The Savior will come from Zion

and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob.

27 I will make this covenant with them

when I take away their sins.”

28 Because they reject the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies for the sake of you Gentiles. But because of God's choice, they are his friends because of their ancestors. 29 For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. 30 As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past; but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient. 31 In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received, the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy. 32 For God has made all people prisoners of disobedience, so that he might show mercy to them all.

Praise to God

33 How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? 34 As the scripture says,

“Who knows the mind of the Lord?

Who is able to give him advice?

35 Who has ever given him anything,

so that he had to pay it back?”

36 For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

God Has Not Rejected His People

1 Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of Israel? 3 He said, “Lord, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me.”

4 But the Lord told Elijah, “I still have 7,000 followers who have not worshiped Baal.” 5 It is the same way now. God treated the people of Israel with undeserved grace, and so a few of them are still his followers. 6 This happened because of God's undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have done. It could not have happened except for God's gift of undeserved grace.

7 This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were stubborn, 8 just as the Scriptures say,

“God made them so stupid

that their eyes are blind,

and their ears

are still deaf.”

9 Then David said,

“Turn their meals

into bait for a trap,

so that they will stumble

and be given

what they deserve.

10 Blindfold their eyes!

Don't let them see.

Bend their backs

beneath a burden

that will never be lifted.”

Gentiles Will Be Saved

11 Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel jealous. 12 But if the rest of the world's people were helped so much by their sin and loss, they will be helped even more by their full return.

13 I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. 14 I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. 15 When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life. 16 If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too.

17 You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree. 18 But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember you are not supporting the roots of this tree. Its roots are supporting you.

19 Maybe you think those branches were cut away, so you could be put in their place. 20 That's true enough. But they were cut away because they did not have faith, and you are where you are because you do have faith. So don't be proud, but be afraid. 21 If God cut away those natural branches, couldn't he do the same to you?

22 Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.

23 If those other branches will start having faith, they will be made a part of that tree again. God has the power to put them back. 24 After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.

The People of Israel Will Be Brought Back

25 My friends, I don't want you Gentiles to be too proud of yourselves. So I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel. Some of them have become stubborn, and they will stay like that until the complete number of you Gentiles has come in. 26 In this way all of Israel will be saved, as the Scriptures say,

“From Zion someone will come

to rescue us.

Then Jacob's descendants

will stop being evil.

27 This is what the Lord

has promised to do

when he forgives their sins.”

28 The people of Israel are treated as God's enemies, so the good news can come to you Gentiles. But they are still the chosen ones, and God loves them because of their famous ancestors. 29 God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.

30 At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. 31 And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. 32 All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.

33 Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?

34 “Has anyone known

the thoughts of the Lord

or given him advice?

35 Has anyone loaned

something to the Lord

that must be repaid?”

36 Everything comes from the Lord. All things were made because of him and will return to him. Praise the Lord forever! Amen.

Romans 11