His chosen people

 

Today in the One Year Bible we read from Nehemiah 9:22-10:39. We're reminded that the Hebrews, aka the children of Israel, aka the Jewish people, are God's chosen people. Nehemiah tells us that God placed His people in every corner of the land. And that He made them as numerous as the stars.

Of course, as Christians we know that God sent His son Jesus (also God) to the Jews first, and then to us Gentiles. And even today, the Jewish people hold a special place with God. 

At some times during history, some Christian groups have attacked Jewish people for "killing Jesus", though if you have even a tiny bit of theology or history in your education, you realize that A) Jesus Himself WAS JEWISH, and B) no one took Jesus's life - He gave it willingly.

So let's be sure to treat our Jewish brothers and sisters with respect, and honor their dignity. We can pray for them, too, that hopefully they'll realize that Jesus IS in fact the Messiah they've been waiting for. But even if they don't, we should love them and pray for them, treating them with kindness.

God, thanks for calling a special people to Yourself - help us love them.