Follow Jesus
I know that there are people who don’t believe that Jesus is the One and Only Son of God. I’m aware that there are people who will call me a “Jesus Freak” for believing that He is Who He claimed to be. He was more than just a good man. He was more than a teacher. I believe He walked the earth and remained pure because of Who He is.
When Jesus came, the old law from the Old Testament was in full effect. He didn’t come to destroy the old law; He came to fulfill it. There were many many parts of the old law that are still in place today. Jesus fulfilled the need for sacrifice for sin. I think it would be very disturbing to have to kill an animal because of my sin. I remember killing my first deer and we used it for food. It shook me up to take a life.
Moses reminded the people often that when they entered into the land and learned the customs and ways of the people they were driving out; they were not to practice their forms of worship at all. The people were instructed to worship God where and how He wanted to be worshipped. Moses added a “command” line after a lot of instruction regarding worship. Check this out…
32 “So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NLT)
When Jesus came, He was the final sacrifice for sin. He did call His disciples and followers to a different lifestyle. He introduced worship in the heart. The worship of the old testament was a worship of location and behavior. Jesus introduced worship wherever I find myself. I don’t need to make worship complicated. While I can worship the Lord anywhere, I believe that He also instructed us to connect with other worshippers to encourage, inspire and motivate one another. Check this out…
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT)
The Old Testament laws were a bit of a challenge and somewhat complicated. When Jesus came, He simplified the way to worship God…. Simply follow Him. The Old Law was about ritual, the New Law (new covenant) is about relationship with Jesus. He gives His Spirit to all who believe in Him. I can know what He thinks and how He would want me to live because of His Spirit in me. It’s a simple command, but I’ve made it more complicated. “What would Jesus do?” became a cliché, but it’s not a bad “ask” when making most every choice.
Pressing On!
Dwayne
This article has a wonderful message! We tend to forget that he is always with us and all we have to do is whisper his name to revive help in any situation.