Romans 9:25-26 “Remember the prophecy God gave in Hosea: “To those who were rejected and not my people, I will say to them: ‘You are mine.’ And to those who were unloved, I will say: ‘You are my darling.’ And: “In the place where they were told, ‘You are nobody,’ this will be the very place where they will be renamed ‘Children of the living God.’” Today's episode talks about how God has claimed all those who have been rejected and called them His darling. It acknowledges that Christmas, and all holidays, can be really difficult for some. It talks about how we also need to be careful how we treat people. However, we treat others is how we treat Christ. Lastly, it discusses how Jesus claimed all those who were told, "You are nobody," and is claiming them as His children. Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
God Claims All Who Were Rejected!
Romans 9:25-26 “Remember the prophecy God gave in Hosea: “To those who were rejected and not my people, I will say to them: ‘You are mine.’ And to those who were unloved, I will say: ‘You are my darling.’ And: “In the place where they were told, ‘You are nobody,’ this will be the very place where they will be renamed ‘Children of the living God.’”
Today I was going to go back to the end of Romans 8 and talk about God’s love again. I love to talk about God’s love because love, true love, is lacking in this world. Instead, the world is filled with anger and hatred. However, when I went to flip the page to read the end of Romans 8, I flipped two pages instead, and my eyes landed on Romans 9:25-26, and it really spoke to my heart. Christmas is definitely a time to celebrate. God sent his only son to come to earth for us. This shows just how much He loves us. Mary said yes, that shows just how much she loves God. Joseph said yet too. There is a lot to celebrate.
However, not everyone is celebrating this Christmas season. As joyful as holidays are for many people, there are also plenty of people who are sad and depressed at holidays. This can be for many reasons. First, if you have lost someone you love, the holidays can be really hard because you don’t have that person to celebrate with anymore. You remember all the things you used to do together and this year you can’t do that with them. It is sad to have to come up with new holiday traditions or to do the old ones without those people.
Others are sad because they don’t have anyone to share the holiday with. It could be that they are single, and their family does not live close by. It could be a college student who can’t afford to go home for the holidays. It could be they have no living relatives. They may be in a nursing home, and no one comes to visit. It might be that they are living on the streets and no longer talk to their family. Whatever the reason is, holidays are a difficult time to be alone. Even if you are happy you no longer talk with your family, the holidays can still be a tough time because of all the past memories.
Also, it can be a really sad time for kids who don’t have families. Whether they were taken away from their family for safety reasons and placed with a different family, or they grew up in an orphanage and never really had a family. The image that is in my mind is of children waiting for Santa to come, and he doesn’t. The song, in my mind, is from the movie “Annie,” and the line is, “Santa Clause we never see. Santa Clause…what’s that? who’s he?” Some kids don’t like Christmas because it is another reminder that they don’t have a family to celebrate with. It reminds them that another year has gone by without getting adopted or without moving back home with their parents.
Holidays can be hard for so many people for so many reasons. It can leave people feeling alone, and many probably feel rejected. They feel rejected because they have no one to celebrate the holidays with. I think this is why I was drawn to this verse. It says, “To those who were rejected and not my people, I will say to them: ‘You are mine.’ And to those who were unloved, I will say: ‘You are my darling.’” I mean, how amazing is that? God is claiming all those who are rejected. He is not saying all of you who are perfect are mine. He is not saying once you clean yourself up, then you can come to me, and you will be mine. He is saying those who are rejected are His.
For all of us who feel rejected and feel like we have no one who cares about us, God cares. The Holy Spirit keeps bringing an image up in my mind of all those who live on the streets. I feel as though He is saying, yes, those are mine. All those who have been rejected from society, yes, they are mine. All those who have been rejected from the church, yes, those are mine. All those children who have been rejected by countless parents looking to adopt, yes, they are mine. All those people who have been rejected by their loved ones, you are mine. God doesn’t just say, you are mine; he also says, “You are my darling.” How intimate is that? God doesn’t just call you into His family and then ignore you or treat you like you are just one of the many. He calls you darling.
The next part also really hit me right in the heart. It says, “In the place where they were told, ‘You are nobody,’ this will be the very place where they will be renamed ‘Children of the living God.’” Man, that’s good. I feel like this speaks to a lot of people. I bet we all know someone who doesn’t feel good enough. I bet we all know someone who feels like they are a nobody. Maybe it is us? Maybe we were told this by someone over the years. They might not have come right out and said it, yet their actions, their body language, or their attitude made it clear that is what they thought of you. This actually brings up something I feel I should say: we need to be careful how we treat people. When you walk by a homeless person on the street, avoiding eye contact and pretending they are not even there, this can make them feel like they are a nobody. You don’t have to give them money, but you can look them in the eyes and say hello. You can ask how their day is going. You can ask if they need a prayer for anything.
There is a woman named Mary who attended the Life in the Spirit seminar we hosted in the fall. She gave a testimony about how she was approached by someone outside the grocery store asking her for some money. She said she didn’t have any money to give but asked if she could pray for them. She asked what they needed prayers for, and they said they needed a place to live. So she prayed with them, and the person who approached her was so happy. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Those we just pass by, those we treat as if they are nobody; they are all God’s children. God is saying in the verse above, “This will be the place they are named Children of the living God.”
If you are feeling rejected this Christmas season, if you are feeling like you are not important to others, if you are feeling like no one cares, please know that God cares. God is calling you to Him. He is saying, You are Mine. He is saying you are His darling. In that very place where someone said you were nobody, he is saying you are not nobody; you are a child of the living God. God is claiming you this day and every day. I feel as if this is speaking to someone in particular today. Someone who has been feeling rejected. Someone who has been feeling they are not enough. Someone has been feeling like no one cares. God cares! You are his darling child.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those who listen to this today. Lord, I pray that whoever needs this message, hears this message today. I pray that each of your children feels loved during this Christmas season. I pray they can feel your love, even if no one else is loving them. Lord, your love is enough! We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I pray each and every one of you has an amazing Christmas. I pray right alongside you for anyone who is praying for a Christmas miracle this year. If you want to reach out and share it with me, I will pray specifically for your Christmas miracle. catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com If not, I will still be praying that your miracle comes true because God knows which is your miracle. I want to take a second to say thank you to everyone listening. Your support means so much to me. I will not be posting an episode on Monday as I will be celebrating Christmas with my family, and I hope you will all be enjoying Christmas as well. I look forward to meeting you here again on Tuesday. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed weekend and a very Merry Christmas!
The Word of the Lord for today is: “Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid. My children, let nothing steal the peace I have given you as my last enduring gift. It will sustain you in trouble. My power and love are in this permeating shalom. Peace is your strong protection.”