though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root.
Paul uses the imagery of the olive tree, which is an evergreen tree. The tree represents Israel, through whom Salvation comes. We're to be grafted into Christ our Salvation, who is our Root that supports each of us who believes in Him.
Therefore, most of us who are Gentile believers (those not born in a Jewish family line) are the wild branches engrafted by God's grace. We're to live fully engrafted lives by staying attached to the Root who sustains our life. Jewish brothers and sisters are not forgotten here either, so we're not to boast of our Salvation. They too receive salvation by faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ as we do.
I enjoy the imagery of the olive tree and have adopted it as an illustration of my salvation. I have been Engrafted by Grace.
A wild olive shoot I certainly was...
A life of disorder
A marriage of hurts and threats
Confusion and disillusion
Lack of true purpose
Alcohol with no boundaries
A fogged head
No beauty
Lack of confidence
No hope
No direction
No healing or motivation
Pit living life
Full of Shame from Past
No true relationships
RELIGION NO JESUS
Life was a BIG lie
BUT GOD TOOK THE WILD ME AND GRAFTED ME INTO HIS GOODNESS.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
God respects our free will in every area of our lives ,to the point that He will actually not force us to remain in the safety net of His love , life & desires for our individual journeys of faith.
He gives each one of us every day a choice .
There is great power in having a choice ,there is also incredible consequences and outcomes when we make the choices we do. And there is always a ripple effect that stretches beyond our own lives into others .
I DECIDED TO ALIGN MY LIFE WITH GOD AND HE BEGAN TO GRAFT ME INTO HIS PLAN AND PURPOSES FOR MY LIFE.
I BEGAN TO SET MY MIND TOWARD THE THINGS OF GOD, NOT EASY FOR A WILD SHOOT LIKE ME!
I choose to live "full",die empty!
I choose to live for JESUS, not myself!
I choose to be captured & captivated by Holy optimism & faith , not bitterness or cynicism.
I choose to love & forgive , not indulge in my own woundedness!
I choose life not death !
I choose Holy living , not carnal action or thinking!
I choose to be led by God's Holy Spirit , not leaning unto my own understanding.
I choose to pray , read the Word of God and obey the Savior that died for me!
I choose to be known as a 'love -slave' of Jesus not being a self-serving individual.
I pray YOU choose God's will for your life, allow Him to graft you into His plans and purposes.
I will leave you with Jesus' Words from Matthew 6:24"NO-ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS , FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE& LOVE THE OTHER, OR ELSE HE WILL BE LOYAL TO THE ONE & DESPISE THE OTHER .
In fact you cannot serve God with all your heart & then serve anyone or anything else , that is for certain.
My past life had to change.
Use what gifts you have for Jesus' glory , do what He has called you to do ,again for His glory!
Romans 8:29 states
"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
When God grafts you into His plans its IRREVOCABLE!
IRREVOCABLE: A TRUST WHICH CANNOT BE CHANGED OR CANCELED ONCE IT IS SET UP WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE BENEFICIARY.
God's grace is extended and irrevocable to each person who will receive Him through Christ.
God is wild about each person.
Trust Him and tap in to his sap, be grafted into the nourishing Root of His love!
Let's learn to live fully engrafted to the Root.
Engrafted by His Grace--
