Alive in Christ
You are made by the hand of the living God to live with God and for God.
“Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt...No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God"
Deuteronomy 16:1-4, 8, 13-22
Before you ever knew God was working, God was working. Before you knew you cried to God for help where you need help, God was sending you help. Before you knew who you were made to be, God made you to be great. We will never be able to know all the ways in which God was working in, through, before, beside, and around us. We might not see it when it is happening, but we can know that out of His great love, He is always working for our good.
One of the ways that God train the way we think so that we learn to trust Him is by remembering how He has moved. God wants you to record, recite, and remember what you do know that He has done. In this passage, God teaches the people to actively take time to repeat the practices of life in the wilderness so that the people would appreciate the new life in which they now stand.
What are you currently doing to remind yourself of the ways that you know that God has moved in your life? Do you keep a gratitude journal? Do you write down so that you will remember? Do you ever go have top ramen dinners so you can remember the times where God provided when that was all you could afford? What would happen if you took the first ten minutes of each day to give thanks and write down the ways you saw God move the day before? How could this shape your prayers and guide your praise?
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold...May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalms 19:1-2, 7-10, 14
Do you ever wish you could see signs that God was with you? Do you ever feel distant from God or that He is distant from you? David wrote a song for you. He says that there are signs every day that you can see and know that God is with you. He begins by looking up and out. He looks at the stars in the sky and the beauty of the world around him. Where do you find yourself experiencing the awe of all God's creation? How could you build in time to stand in awe so that you can see the sign of God's power in the world around you that can be seen?
David says that God's law, statutes, precepts, commands, and decrees all point to how God wants to actively engage you each day. He wants you to know that each of these are gifts that can help you unlock the life He wants to give you. The life of blessing. The life where you feel refreshed, wise, build trust, experience joy, receive and shine God's light, and radiate God's love to others. Is this how you are feeling? Is this your experience? If you want to receive and grow in any of these, choose to dedicate time to receiving God's love through His written word.
David daily evaluates what he is doing to draw close to God. He does not place the burden only on God of showing that God is present. He says I will choose to examine my own heart, my own words, and my own mediations to make sure they reflect the love I have received. David declares the names he knows of who God is based on the experiences he has had. He calls God his Rock and his Redeemer. How could you connect your experiences to the names of God to help you draw closer in your relationship to your personal Savior?
“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end...Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for...In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools...There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 16:1-6, 9, 16, 20-25
Solomon loves to compare and contrast the ways of the w0rld and the ways of the One who made the world. Solomon is like a wise teacher who wants to guide his students into a new way of thinking. He challenges each of us to consider what is true and what is false. He wants us to think about what is earthly and what is heavenly. He wants us to see that what we are experiencing is not what is God's highest and best. God always has more for us as we let go of what we are doing so that we can experience what He wants done.
How do you respond to Solomon's teaching? Where have you trusted your own plans, your own course, or your own understanding rather than committing to the Lord all that you do? Solomon says heed instruction and trust in the Lord? Prune your life so you will bear more fruit. Prudence means learning to say no to the paths that lead to punishment. Solomon says just because you think something is right, does not mean it is right in the eyes of the Lord. Solomon says all of these things not to criticize, but to help people find the life of blessing and prosperity that can be found in Christ.
“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out."
Ezekiel 46:3, 9-10, 16
The Lord shares a prophetic message to the people through Ezekiel. Think of how Jesus spoke about himself as a keeper of the Gate. Think of how Jesus describes himself as a Shepherd and a guide. Think of how David describes the Messiah in Psalms 23 as the One who is actively involved in every area of our lives as He walks with us on the paths that lead to everlasting life.
What is a truth that we can learn from God's word in this passage? Truth tells us that we are meant to move forward. We are not meant to enter into the life of following Christ then return to our old lives. We are meant to exit onto another road. We are meant to leave through another door. The symbolism in this passage extends far beyond just entering into a build. We should have the same experience when we gather together for worship at church. You should never enter in and leave the same. We are meant to daily encounter Jesus and allow ourselves to be transformed. We are meant to come alive to new life and walk with the prince as we come and go. Is there anywhere in your life you have returned to your old ways or gone in an old entrance where you need to walk with the Prince of Peace out through a new path?
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ...it is by grace you have been saved...For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do...you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ...For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-10, 12-13, 17-18, 22
Paul's words to the church in Ephesus are words that ring true to us today. These are words to not only be read, but remembered much like God taught the Israelites to remember what life was like when they were living in captivity. One of the best practices that can help you not only get into the word, but get the Word into your heart is memorizing scripture. Would you be willing to practice remembering God's free gift of grace by memorizing this passage? Would you draw closer to God if you wrote this down, read it aloud, and shared every day for a week like the people of old did when they practiced the remembrance of the festivals of old?
Why is this an important passage to memorize? This is one of the best passages to share with others as you share your faith. Tell your own story of who you were before Christ. Remember what life was like. All the pain, turmoil, lack of peace, lack of purpose, loneliness, and separation you felt. Then think of how you felt when you received the gift. Remember how it changed the way you were thinking when you realized the love of Christ was not based on your performance but on His personal sacrifice so that you would be made alive through Him. Salvation is a gift. It is freely given and never earned or deserved. Jesus is the one who determines your value and has chosen you.
Jesus wants to change the way you see yourself. Think about the words that the world uses to describe you. Then hear Jesus' words about who you are. He calls you His masterpiece. He calls you beloved and tells you that you were made to become love to the world and do the good you have been prepared in advance to do. You have been brought near by the blood of Christ and you can never go back.
He has said He will never let you go, never forsake you, and knows all your needs. He says you are His and He is yours. How will you respond to His great love? Will you take the time to give thanks and glorify God? Will you share the good news of the free gift of new life in Christ with the people He puts in your life? He has great plans for you. Plans of new life where you are made alive. Just like Solomon says through love and faithfulness you have been atoned for. We are always saved from something for something. That is the same thing Paul says.
What is one of the best prayers we can pray in response? Exactly what David prays. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer as I become who you made me to be and do what you made me to do.