They Fell Short...

"God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength."  - Charles Spurgeon

Most of us are familiar with the term "stumbling block." You might even be experiencing a "stumbling block" of sorts in your life right now. A stumbling block is something that gets in our way of either doing something, or going somewhere in our lives; it's a hindrance or obstacle.

The nation Israel ran into a similar problem concerning faith. They had the privilege of having God to themselves for a long time. But this changed when the Gentiles were included, too. Was this because God, in his fickleness, decided it so? No way!

It was because of a fatal flaw, or stumbling block in the Hebrew people. The big stumbling block for the Jews was Jesus Christ. They tripped over the law of faith and rejected their Messiah (Romans 9:30-33).

Israel expected the Messiah to be an awesome, earthly prince. But when Jesus appeared on the scene, his poverty, roughness, and state of suffering threw them off. Thus, they fell a little short of righteousness and salvation; even losing their privileges as the people of God.

Meanwhile the Gentiles demonstrated faith in Him, and as a result they secured a justifying righteousness. They embraced Christ, believed in Him, and acknowledged the Gospel, achieving quickly what the Jews had been vainly running around in circles for all this time.

What can we learn from this? For starters, no matter how sincere we may chase after salvation, we will never acquire it in a self-righteous way. Also, whatever our situation in regards to salvation is, prior to, it is obtained the instant we believe in Christ.

And finally, no matter how this way of salvation is put down or misrepresented, the fact that it raises so much accusation and slander is a testimony to its truth. Stumbling blocks come in many different types; some can even affect our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:14; 1 John 3:7; 1 John 5:18; 1 Peter 2:24; Proverbs 21:3

Prayer: Dear Lord, open our hearts to be influenced for good, and inspire us to touch the hearts of others, amen

Have a blessed Monday!

Hailey