Love That Never Fails

32. God's Model For Living

Showing respect for others and reverence for those in authority seems to be a thing of the past in many parts of society today. It's sad to see how far people have moved from God's model for living. Even amongst Christian communities, this can seem to be the case as people pick and choose which parts of the Bible they will adhere to.

However, the fact remains that although we have the New Testament outlining the good news that Jesus came to die for us and save us from our sins, it doesn't mean that we disregard the books of the law. God has much to tell us as we read through the Old Testament—it is in fact filled with advice for a fruitful, happy life! Moses obediently recorded all the aspects of God's commandments and laws for living, knowing how important it was to people's health and wellbeing. Notice that the commands were for the good of the people:

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We often find the concept of fearing the Lord difficult to understand, more so as reverence for other authority figures declines. Moses is not talking about a fear that would make a person shrink back and keep their distance but instead a heart that shows great honour and reverence for Him and would want to please Him in loving obedience. We so need to understand who God is and what He is like. Moses gives us a very clear picture:

"To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today."
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:14-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Here we see God the Creator as a very loving Father who chose the Israelites as His own people. However,God makes it clear right through His Word, that we too are loved and chosen. The apostle Paul recorded this so well in his letter to the Ephesians:

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:4-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How precious those words are! Are you feeling loved? God's love is all inclusive, showing no partiality. He will go out of His way to help those who are most vulnerable in society:

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing."
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Are you getting a clearer picture of our amazing, loving God? Spend some time worshipping Him now for who He is to you.

Let's pray:

Heavenly Father,

I am in awe of You and thank You so much for choosing me to be Your very own child.  Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to die on the cross, taking my sin, so I could be adopted into Your family.

You have shown Your love through the ages and continue to have an incredible capacity to love people from all walks of life. I pray that I would have Your heart for others and that I would serve them in love, in accordance to Your model for living.

In reverence and awe I worship You my God and choose to obediently serve You today.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.