Tag: Declaration

Present your Discipleship

We are to be the example of Christ in this world today. That means, not just living out what He commands of us, but also presenting ourselves as He presented Himself to those around Him and the world.

“34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35 (ESV)

I have studied this passage a few times before. This morning the LORD provided a similar lesson as in the other times. Here is one of the notes I have written in my Bible; “Presentation of God’s Love through your action is our declaration of who we follow.” This is such a true statement of the lesson God has presented for me this morning. I have been blessed to have the LORD in my life and I am doing what I can to emulate Him to those around me and the world. I have to remember that my actions are those of love and not just of action.

Jesus loved through His actions each and every day of His time on earth as man. We tend, I believe, to forget that Jesus spent 33 years in this world and yet only really look at the last 3 years as He was active in His ministry and teaching. We forget that at about the age of 12 He was teaching in the temple. We forget that He had friends He ran with as a child and youth. We forget that He demonstrated love to everyone every day of His life as the example for us to follow in our lives.

Jesus presented the Love of God through His actions declaring His following of the Father. We are to take that example and present the Love of God through our actions to declare that we are disciples of Christ. This is not just a one time thing or something for the short period of life. As Jesus did we are to present God’s Love every step of the way for our entire existence in this world.

How do others know who you follow? Are you reliant on telling them and hoping that they remember? What if you were to present your discipleship through your actions of loving as Jesus loved in His time in this world?

The LORD Announces His Intentions

Have you ever been called into a meeting, either in work or in personal where you were not sure of the substance of the meeting and went in with an anxiousness and your guard up? It happens all the time and where there are instances where the information was so quick, that there was no time to allow attendees to prepare, but those are the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Good leaders announce ahead of time the substance of meetings so that those attending will have a chance to prepare and find the information useful as they move forward. The LORD the great leader that always prepares us for what is next.

“31Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV)

Notice in the above verse that God declares a new covenant is coming. He lets it known that the people should begin to prepare for it as it will be different that what was before (new covenant, not another). The LORD was not acting out His anger, He just let it known that He would be going a new direction and the people should begin to prepare now.

Once the LORD had the attention of the people, He laid out the changes so that the preparation can begin for what is to come.

“33For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)

Now, there I much more to the changes, but the gist is above, no longer will His law be external, but it will be internalized for all to know and keep. There will no longer be a need to teach others to “Know the LORD” as all will know Him, they will now need to understand who He is and take Him into their heart themselves. Sin will be taken care of and the people will be provided the way to no longer be slaves to sin.

This declaration from the LORD is the new covenant that is enacted with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He takes on our sin and dies for them. He will be known to the world for doing so. Being like Jesus is the direction to internalizing the law of the LORD. So we can see that the LORD announces to the people of the upcoming changes and then carries those changes out for the benefit of those same people. The LORD announces His intentions and then follows-up on those intentions.

What is your understanding of the work of the LORD? Do you think things just happened and you are the beneficiary of them? What if you were to think back and see that the LORD is the great leader who announces His intentions and then follows-up on them?