During a visit with my father to his beloved Ecuador a few years ago, we visited the family farm where he grew up. I noticed a group of strange trees. My dad explained that when he was feeling mischievous as a boy, he would take a discarded branch from one fruit tree, make slits in a different kind of fruit tree, and tie the loose branch to the trunk like he saw the grown-ups do. His pranks went unnoticed until those trees started bearing different fruit than expected.
As my dad described the process of engrafting, I got a picture of what it means for us to be grafted into God’s family. I know my late father is in heaven because he was grafted into God’s family through faith in Jesus.
We can have the assurance of eventually being in heaven as well. The apostle Paul explained to the believers in Rome that God made a way for gentiles, or non-Jews, to be reconciled with Himself: “You, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root” (Romans 11:17). When we put our faith in Christ, we’re grafted in with Him and become part of God’s family. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).
Similar to engrafted trees, when we place our trust in Christ, we become a new creation and can bear much fruit.
By Nancy Gavilanes
REFLECT & PRAY
How does it feel to know you can be grafted into God’s family? How can you bear good fruit for Christ?
Dear God, thank You for loving me and accepting me into Your family.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Romans 11, we read about gentiles being “grafted” into the family of God (vv. 17-24). Because of the Jewish people’s “transgression”—rejection of the gospel—“salvation has come to the Gentiles” (v. 11 ). Their rejection opened the way for gentiles to also receive God’s grace. That doesn’t mean that God has rejected the Jews. There will always be a believing remnant. And many have already placed their trust in Jesus the Messiah for forgiveness of sin. Paul says that the Jews would be envious of gentile believers enjoying God’s blessings. This would cause them to also desire these blessings and come to faith in Christ (see vv. 11, 14).
Alyson Kieda
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