Catch 22 Of The Best Kind!

Scripture: Romans 11:30-32 "For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all."

Observation: This passage is a shortened review of Romans 3:19-26. God's plan from before creation was to deal with our sin problem by His abounding grace. But He went another step further by also demonstrating His abundant wrath and anger toward sin. In Romans 3:26 Paul wrote, "that He might be just and the justifier of those who believe." So this actually brings me to an uncomfortable statement: It seems that God is glorified and praised as much in our disobedience as He is in our faith. If I spend eternity in hell, it magnifies Him just as much as if I spend an eternity in heaven with Him.

Someone who is saved may then take the fatalistic approach to evangelism, seeing a lack of conversions around him or her, and decide it doesn't matter if we spread the gospel and share the good news or not!

But there is a key aspect of praise that is left out here! If I bring God glory through my faith and I magnify Him because of His grace and mercy and love, He responds by revealing more of Himself to me for which I praise Him for which He reveals more of Himself for which I praise Him more

... and on and on and on.

And each time the level and fullness of my joy and understanding of His character grows deeper and wider. So this works both to increase the glory that He gets and the joy and fullness that I get!

Application:
1. My heart should always be one like Paul's toward the lost - "I do whatever I can that someone might be saved!" If I truly love God and want Him to receive all the praise that He deserves then I will want to help others find Him because that will inevitably increase the amount of praise that He is getting!

2. It is not a sin for me to want to know God more so that I receive more Him. It sounds selfish but that is actually what God commands - He wants us to find 100% of our fulfillment in Him. And the more joy, satisfaction, awe, and peace I get from Him, the more I declare His inestimable worth and tell others of how good He is.

Prayer: Father, thank You for meeting me this morning and revealing more of Yourself to me. I have every reason in the world to praise You and to love You. And I so love You! Help the church to truly and deeply praise Your goodness during the gatherings of believers across the world today! Amen.