February 2, 2022
Partners in prayer,
Thank you for praying today and each Wednesday for our prodigals and for revival.
What God asks of us is always for our best. Always. Henry Blackaby said, “God’s commands are designed to guide you to life’s very best.”
“By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them” (Hebrews 11:28).
The story of the Passover is found in Exodus 12, and it is fascinating!
The Passover was not the first step of obedience that Moses made. It was the last of 10 plagues, and for Moses, it was the continuing posture of his heart towards God. It was the posture of obedience.
His action, in listening and doing what God wanted, was faith in operation. The apostle James reminds us that faith devoid of action is not true faith. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).
Obeying God led the Israelites into a number of wonderful blessings. These blessings are also true for us as we live by faith.
Obedience will lead us to a greater enjoyment of our Savior! For the Israelites, the Passover was a meal for all in the house to enjoy. The lamb was killed and its blood was collected and applied to the door frame of their home. The lamb was then roasted with fire and eaten for the Passover meal.
The Lamb is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus. The Apostle John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His blood was shed. When it is personally applied to our lives, it provides eternal security.
To live by faith is to look at Him. It is to feast on Him and it is to enjoy Him! This is the daily privilege of every believer. The obedience of faith keeps our eyes focused on Him.
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Personal acceptance of Christ allows us to experience the lasting joy of God’s acceptance!
The Passover was a dreadful night in Egypt’s history. Had they listened to God and followed the example of God’s people, they, too, could have experienced safety from death, but they didn’t believe God.
Each firstborn son whose home had the lamb’s blood above and on the sides of the door had the full assurance of God’s Word that he was safe and secure. When the angel of death passed through the land, God’s Word stood strong, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). The families could feast, they could sleep, and they could have the calmness of heart that all was going to be well.
The promise of God from the Apostle John is this, “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). What wondrous security, to know that all of our sins are forever gone!
The obedience of faith will also provide security in difficult times. It doesn’t mean that life will be easy or that trials will somehow bypass us, but it does mean that we have God’s Word to hold us in these times.
“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13).
Obedience will keep our hearts filled with anticipation of greater things. The instruction for the Israelites was to eat with their belts fastened, with their sandals on their feet, and with their staff in their hand (Exodus 12:11). They were to be ready to go with no hindrance to impede their progress.
For them, eating the Passover was just the beginning of their journey with God toward the Promised Land. Their active faith filled them with expectation and hope. They were going to a better place.
We live our lives with this same expectancy. Like them, we have experienced failure in the past, weakness in the present, and fears regarding the future.
The obedience of faith transforms that. Faith helps us overcome our fears because it brings God into our lives. Whatever our circumstance, with God on our side, there is a positive, hope-filled future.
Our great expectation is to see HIM! “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
Lastly, obedience will enable us to have the freedom that God provided for us! The action of Moses and eventually all the Israelites in finding a lamb, putting its blood on their doorways, and being ready to leave Egypt was God’s way of bringing them out of cruel captivity and into freedom.
In speaking to the Galatian believers, the Apostle Paul said, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
God wants us living in the freedom that Christ has purchased for us. That’s true freedom.
It’s freedom to enjoy all the fullness of God. It’s freedom to worship and praise the God of our salvation. It’s freedom to do the will of God. It’s freedom to live for God’s glory.
What God asks of us is always for our best. Always!
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel