Scripture: Galatians 3:8-9
And the scripture, help foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, treatment declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, search saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.

Thought for the Day: For millennia, the Jewish people had been the only monotheists on the planet. One could always convert to Judaism, but it meant years of study and adherence to the Mosaic law—including circumcision and dietary laws. There weren’t a lot of Gentile converts to Judaism.

But as Jesus’ message began to spread from its original Jewish community to the Gentiles, Paul understood that God was expanding the original covenant made with Israel to the non-Jewish world as well. More importantly, Paul realized that it was faith that brought one into the fold, not merely adherence to Mosaic Law. Paul was a devout Jew and followed the law closely, but saw in God’s promise to Abraham that Gentiles too could become believers in the one and only God of all existence, yet still remain Gentiles. It was an incredibly progressive, inclusive point of view that helped establish Christianity as a loving and compassionate faith from the beginning.

Prayer: Help me remember, Dear God, that your love is never exclusive, nor arrogant, nor spiteful, nor narrow. Rather, remind me constantly that all who believe, however they believe, are blessed. Amen.