Have
we caught the vision God has for us? Are
we prepared to be wholly His? When
Israel by neglect and indifference failed to capture all the land God had for
her, she tragically left herself open to all the curses that come to those who
sin. The nation, rather than doing away
with the idolatry and immorality of the region, embraced it and welcomed it. Bethlehem felt the wrath of Israel's new
heritage as a religious half-breed when Herod, rather than welcoming the Christ
child tried to stamp him out by killing all the other babies of the
village. The Pharisees and Sadducees
thought their religious ways had blotted out the corruption of their hearts but
instead the religion they coddled betrayed the God they claimed as theirs when
with one voice they cried, "Crucify him!" Was it just David who suffered when he slept
with Bathsheba or did all the generations that followed him fall under
the shadow that sin cast? It is a narrow
way, this pursuit of God's grace in normal activities, letting the life of
Christ work through our lusts, jealousies and frustrations. You have a conscience, not so you will be
hang-dog guilty but so you will act in the crucified life of Christ at the
dinner table and the office. A redeemed
Christian has at his or her disposal all the power of the resurrection to get
right the little things that make a life big and eternally good for every
generation that encounters it. Holiness
is the heritage you leave behind you and later the heritage you take with you
when you "share in your Master's happiness".
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:23 NIV
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