"Grieved"
My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. (Romans 9:2, 3 NLT)
When is the last time we were grieved for those that don't know Jesus? When is the last time we were moved in our core for people separated from God? Does this even affect us at all?
It's hard to say if a person has ever loved people far from God more than the apostle Paul. His love for his own people, the Jews, was deeply personal for him. He describes his feelings this way, "My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters." Bitter sorrow & unending grief is what he feels when he thinks about lost Jews. Their refusal to come to Christ as messiah is something he feels that he cannot bear. He is even willing to be accursed & separated from Christ if it would mean the salvation of his people.
Although this is not possible, it does show the passion that Paul had for people to know Jesus.
Does this same passion resonate in our hearts? If it were possible, would we want to be accursed if it meant people in our city coming to Christ? Would we want to trade our salvation in Christ for their position of being far from God?
This is love for the lost. This is a passion to see people brought near to God. May God grant us this type of burden & pursuit of those around us. When is the last time we were moved over lostness?
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