Romans 9:32 TPT “And why was that? Because they did not pursue the path of faith but insisted on pursuing righteousness by works, as if it could be seized another way. They were offended by the means of obtaining it and stumbled over the stumbling stone,”
We can discern whether we are people of pride or humility. If you are a person of pride, you must repent and work on your thought process. How can we discern?
“They were offended by the means of obtaining it.”
They were offended by the required process. They are offended because their own process was rejected. People have their own mindset of right and wrong, implementing their own process, which in our culture often seeks the shortest, quickest route to the top or the answer. However, when confronted with God’s process, which requires faith, it can become a stumbling block or the rock that crushes you into humility. People take offense because they take it personally. They feel their ideals, methods, or processes hold great value, and if time is lost, they take even greater offense at the loss of their time.
Are you a person who easily gets offended because your ideal or process was rejected or are you a person of faith who can abandon your old man and start anew?
Additional Comments:
Continuing to the next verse
Romans 9:33 TPT
“just as it is written: “Be careful! I am setting in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble, a rock of offense that will make them fall, but believers in him will not experience shame.”
Jesus actually warns us He is setting a stone to reveal two choices. You can be offended by stumbling to fall, or passing your tests.
Getting offended reveals a direction you are choosing. Offense will equate to your fall.
You must choose wisely, examining yourself rather than the person or thing that offends you.
Senior Pastor Steve Kim