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What is your Burden?

Words of Faith Final

What is your Burden?
Words of Faith 10-5-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 9
    I speak the truth in Christ‑‑ I am not lying; my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit‑‑ [2] I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, [4] the people of Israel.

     Paul introduces a new section in which he deals with the place of Israel. Lest we misunderstand and think that somehow Paul had divorced himself from the Jewish people, here we see the real heart of Paul.
     Paul was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. He had a lifelong passion for reaching the Gentile people. But don't misunderstand. Paul never lost his burden for the Jewish people.  Paul never lost his great concern for Israel. So great was his concern that, if it were possible, he would have forfeited his own salvation to reach the Jewish people.
     Wow. Let that sink in. This is the same Paul who wrote "for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Paul longed to see the glory of eternity with Christ, but even this, he would give up if somehow it would gain the people of Israel for God.  
     Where does such devotion come from? It comes from the very heart of God. It is a Christ-like love that compels us to share the Gospel with such abandon. It is the love of Christ in us that causes us to seek the lost relentlessly. It is the very heart of God that burdens our heart for souls of the lost, whether our own people or a particular people group, and leads us to lay down our lives if necessary to reach even one.  
    This is the remarkable dedication that is seen often in missionaries, hopefully, is found in pastors, and prayerfully develops in all who bear the name and heart of Christ. It is the heart of God that leaves the 99 to search for the one lost sheep, or searches with ceasing for one lost coin, or watches the road long hours for the distant silhouette of the returning prodigal.
    Do you have a burden? Perhaps it is for your own people, as it was for Paul. Perhaps it is for young people or the aged, for children or for the disadvantaged. Perhaps it is for a particular people group, ethnicity, or race. Perhaps it is simply for anyone who has not heard the Good News of Jesus. No burden? Ask God for His burden, His compelling directive. As He reveals His heart, you will discover His burden, and you will find yours.           

      Lord, let my heart be burdened with the souls of those You desire to reach through me.  May my heart never fully rest as long as my mission is unfulfilled.  In Jesus' name.  

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.