A Jewish Heart

I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God.Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.Exodus 6:7 NLT

Growing up, I became fascinated with the Jewish people and their culture. I admired (and still do to this day) their biblical names, practices, and attire to name a few. Even in movies (hint: Prince of Egypt) Hebrew people stood out as a special group.

As I studied more in scripture, I found out that the Jewish people also known as the children of Israel were chosen by God as His own people. In Exodus 6, the LORD instructed Moses to inform the children of Israel that they would be His people and He their God. Because of God’s favor for them, I started believing that the Jews were exclusive and that I was of lesser value.

I began familiarizing myself with their culture. Although I wasn’t born one at least I could liken myself to Jews, I thought.

…For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.1 Peter 2:9 NLT

Because I had put my focus on the wrong things I missed out on God revealing His uniqueness in me. The Holy Spirit led me to a passage in scripture concerning the whole matter.

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.Romans 2:28,29 NLT

I confess that sometimes I have gotten caught up in my idea of what is most important. But the truth is, God has created us all with purpose. It is more important to have a Jewish heart than Jewish heritage. That means honoring God with all of heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind according to Matthew 22:37 as He intended us to. Trusting that he can use us  all for His glory regardless of our genetic makeup.

You don’t have to think that you are disregarded because Christ died for us all. Due to this sacrifice of love we have hope regardless of our background.