"And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches; But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee" (Rom. 11:17-18).

     Grafting is a method of propagation by which an artificial union is made between a scion (a shoot or bud cut from a plant) of one plant and the rootstock of another so that they eventually function as one plant.

     When the Lord made us "His garden" He had to cut us out of a wild olive tree (one that was useless and profitless) and grafted us into His good olive tree.  Our root was rotten, so in His mercy, and by His grace, He grafted us into His holy rootstock (Rom. 11:16-26).    

     The Gentile church is the wild twig "engrafted contrary to nature" on the original Jewish olive stock; it shows supernatural virtue in the stock because it enables those wild by nature to bear good fruit.  Ordinarily it is only a superior scion that is grafted on an inferior.

     Grafting is painful; both the rootstock and the scion have to be cut into and then bound together.  Thankfully we have a master Gardener that never loses any of His living plants (Jn. 10:28).

     May we now heed our Gardener's warning and not fall into unbelief as Israel did.  Let us not be highminded, but fear.  We must continue in His goodness or we also shall be cut off (Rom. 11:20-22).  This is not a contradiction.  It would only happen because we were never really His.  God must be true to all His word. 

     Oh dear Lord, keep us from the damning sin of unbelief.  Increase our faith and love for you.  Order our steps in your word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over us (Psa. 119:133).