April 4, 2014

Are we living in the land, but not of the land?

Leviticus 18:1-3

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'I am the Lord your God. According to the way of life in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the way of life in the land of Canaan, where I bring you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.'"

Personal Challenge...

When we give our lives to Christ and choose to follow Him as a member of His body He plucks us out of this world and puts us into His world, His kingdom. These verses are an image of how we are to live our lives. We are not to go back to the old ways that we lived before, but are to live as new creations under His new covenant. That old life is now the Egypt that He has rescued us from and that we are to leave behind. And since His new kingdom still exists in the midst of the temporal world as it is today, Canaan typifies the physical world around us that we are living in now while being members of His royal family. We are commanded to not take on the practices and beliefs of this world, this Canaan, as well. We are called to be set aside, set apart, living our lives for Him and for His kingdom. If we as individuals, or collectively as churches and bodies of fellowship, do not act and look any different than the world around us (Canaan), then we are not living for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.