Devotion 5/6/09

Numbers 14-15
I once heard it said that if both Moses and God were mad at the Israelites at the same time none of them would have made it to the promised land. There is probably great truth in this. There are times when it seems certain that God is going to wipe them all out and there are times when Moses wants God to wipe them all out. What struck me most particularirly today was Moses calling God's attention to His promises. Moses basically says to God, "Hey, you said you weren't going to wipe them out. You made a promise a LONG time ago. What are you going to do, just forget? Come on God, do what you promised!" And God says, "Alright." It is as if God was saying, all you have to do is ask me to remember my promises and I will. In a way it is as if God is trying to see if WE remember His promises. God can't forget, but we can...as the Israelites show us time and time again. We need to be bold more often and tell God, "I remember what you promised me, don't forget to do it! Don't stop fulfilling your promises now." In this way we show that we are in true relationship with God and active in the story, His Story.

Psalm 89
Verse 18: "For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king."

Romans 5-7
Romans 6 is one of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture. One of the things I love most about this chapter is the emphasis on Baptism. It shows us so specifically how baptism brings us into the real life of a Christian. When you are baptized you are made a member of Christ. You die with Christ and you are raised to life with Christ. You no longer can live the old life, you MUST live the new life because you are one with Christ through your baptism. This is why Luther makes such a big deal about remembering ones baptism every day. When you remember what it means to be baptized you can't help but live the life you have been given through the power of the Spirit. It is not optional. It just is. This is what it means to be living in the grace of Christ. Knowing that our sinful self has been crucified and the new life has come is such an amazing assurance. For newness to come the old must die!