Our New Life

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Deuteronomy 5:1-6 ESV).

In the coming days we will begin to look at some of the practical things that the resurrection now enables us to accomplish in our lives. If it is true that we are now given a resurrected life as children of God, then we must ask the question of what that means in our daily lives. Living the Risen Life begins with our learning to love the Lord. This is precisely what Jesus answered to those who questioned him about the greatest commandment. We are to love the Lord with all that we are. Our reading takes us back to the imagery of the old covenant. God delivered Israel from their slavery to the Egyptians. Jesus instituted this new covenant where we are delivered from a much great master. Jesus leads us away from the bondage we had to death itself. After Moses gives the people the Ten Commandments he is careful to explain to them the summation of these laws. It reflects the heart, soul, and strength dimensions in which we Love the Lord! He says: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6 ESV). There are many ways to do that. And, as we begin to look at them each day, keep in mind that none of these actions give us our new life; they merely reflect it. It is our way of expressing the love we have for the One who has delivered us. The resurrection of Christ gives us power to live the Christian life (cf. Romans 8:11). Certainly the Bible does not teach that we will be sinless in this physical body we now live in. On the other hand, we can sin less, not by our own abilities, but by the power of the Spirit. Christ can make us altogether different kinds of people. We must believe that. “Old things have passed away . . . all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God can give you the power to live this Christian life. Begin today to pray for a deeper understanding of this part of grace in your life.