May 7, 2024, Day 3 of Week 6

Daily Dose of Hope

May 7, 2024

Day 3 of Week 6

Scripture – Exodus 22-24; Psalm 109; Ephesians 6

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements New Hope Church’s Bible Reading Plan.  This is just a reminder.  If you have any particular prayer concerns or the need for pastoral care, please reach out to me!  With that, let’s get into today’s Scripture.

We have started working our way through the specifics of the law.  Today’s Scripture passages detail laws that pertain to personal property, justice and mercy, the Sabbath, and the annual festivals. 

What I want to focus on more today is chapter 24, when Moses accepts the Lord's invitation to ratify the covenant with him.  Only a certain number of Israelites were asked to ascend the mountain and Moses was the only one allowed to have any near proximity to God.  The people have agreed to live up to the covenant code with God and this ceremony essentially marks that agreement. 

At the end of the chapter, the Scripture speaks of the cloud covering the mountain.  If you recall, the cloud symbolizes God's presence and glory, both protective but also mysterious.  To those at the foot of the mountain, God's presence looked like fire.  The fire certainly would signify God's guidance but also his holiness and power. 

We probably don't speak enough about the holiness of God.  God's holiness is one of his defining characteristics.  In Hebrew, holiness refers to being separate and set apart.  It refers to his power, his goodness, his purity, and how God is totally without sin.  His holiness clearly set God apart from the other pagan gods that were worshiped at the time. 

But God's holiness can be totally overwhelming for humans, as we can see in today's passage.  We know that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, was also holy and called us to be holy as well.  What does this mean for us as humans to be holy?  Is it even possible?  Well, we aren't going to be holy in exactly the same way God is holy, but we can have lives characterized by holiness.  This means we live "set apart" lives.  As believers, we should behave differently from those who don't know Jesus.  This has nothing to do with what we wear or how we look on the outside (believers over the centuries have gotten this a bit wrong), it's all about what's going on in our hearts.  If we blend so well into our culture that our friends and neighbors don't know we profess faith in Jesus, then there's a problem.

Okay, this is our last day in the book of Ephesians.  Let’s provide a little context here.  When we take a look at the first-century church, we see the Holy Spirit at work in amazing ways.  But we also see opposition.  As we've mentioned over the past few days, Ephesus was a very pagan city.  One of the largest and most famous temples, the Temple of Artemis, was in Ephesus.  Worship of other gods was everywhere.  Forces working against God were everywhere.  While the church was growing and experiencing signs and wonders, it was also experiencing resistance and opposition.  Evil was present and real.

Evil is still present and real. True, it is no match for the Holy Spirit but for us mere humans, we need to be sure to stay strong in the Lord and his mighty power.  If we don't, we can easily and without our knowledge, be used by the evil forces of this world.  I often say that most of the time, we don't make the devil work that hard because we do such a good job making bad choices.  But we must be aware that evil is out there, tempting us, and looking for our weak spots.  The enemy wants us to experience defeat and discouragement, rather than the freedom and victory we can experience in Jesus. 

So what's the answer?  Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God.  How might we do this in practical ways?  Off the top of my head, I immediately think of frequent prayer and dwelling in God's Word.  By making these two things a priority in your life, you will know God better, stay connected to the Spirit that dwells within you, and you will have a growing awareness and knowledge of God's truth, wisdom, and love. But what else does Paul say in chapter 6?

·Verse 14-Put on the belt of truth.  Our belt is what holds our clothes on the body. Our integrity holds our lives together.  Are you a person of integrity?

·Verse 14-Put on the breast plate of righteousness.  The breastplate would have protected vital organs on a soldier.  Any crack in the breastplate would have been dangerous.  Any crack in our righteousness is dangerous, as it allows impurity and evil to creep in.

·Verse 15-Put the gospel of peace on your feet.  Our foundation needs to be the peace of Jesus Christ.  The enemy will try to steal our peace and if that happens, we stumble.  How's your foundation holding up lately?
·Verse 16-Hold up the shield of faith.  Paul says that the shield protects us from Satan's arrows.  Prayer and Scripture are two ways to stand firm in faith and protect ourselves from those fiery arrows.

·Verse 17-Put on the helmet of salvation.  A helmet protects our brain; damage to the head has horrible consequences.  Because of our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, we are new people, called to have the mind of Jesus.  When we seek to have the mind of Christ, evil has a much harder time creeping into our thoughts.

·Verse 17-Hold up the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. God's Word is the most powerful weapon against the evil one.  Think of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness-he used Scripture to fight back.  Knowing and dwelling in God's Word is critical if we are to push back anything the enemy throws at us.

I’m not going to discuss the psalm today but please be sure to read it.  It’s another one of David’s psalms, written during a dark and difficult time in his life. 

More tomorrow.  Have a blessed day.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki