And this is what will happen: When you, on your part, will obey these directives, keeping and following them, God, on his part, will keep the covenant of loyal love that he made with your ancestors:
- He will love you,
he will bless you,
he will increase you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Okay. Trivia time! Who remembers dialing 0 for Operator? If you were born any time after 1980, this could possibly be a foreign concept for you...and for sure if you were born after 1990! The button still existed on phones at that time, but the function had changed. When I was growing up, you could dial 0 and speak to an operator and get all sorts of assistance...the Operator would locate a phone number for you, help you make “collect calls”, summon emergency personnel, and more. When my parents were growing up, the Operator actually connected calls from one home to another. You would dial 0 and tell a real person on the other end of the line that you wanted to talk to “So-and-So”, and she would ring them for you. Think “Sarah” on the Andy Griffith show!
A few decades ago, we really needed the Operator to help us. Today, technology has virtually obliterated the need for any human intermediary when contacting others. We telephone, text, e-mail, Skype or Face-time, and more...all at the push of a button. In the days of Moses, people had to “jump through hoops” to please God – and to assure that He would love them, bless them, heal them, and increase them. They had to “do their part”, as Moses directs in this passage. When they made mistakes, they had to offer sacrifices to atone for them.
When Jesus died on the cross, He changed everything. The very act of asking Him to forgive us...to wash us clean and fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit...is the equivalent of pushing a button to connect a call to God – for the rest of our lives. Does this mean that we no longer have to “do our part”...that we can live as we please and guarantee that God will keep us healthy, prosperous, and safe? Absolutely not! But stop and think about this...there is no need to live in continual fear and stress – to obsess over whether or not every single breath you take is potentially bringing you to the brink of disaster and condemnation!
By the blood of Jesus Christ, we can be healed...forever and ever! We can bask in the glory of Moses’ promises for his people...God will love us. He will bless us. He will increase us! For me, this changes the motivation to serve God from that of fear and obligation to an expression of my devotion and gratitude. Because of Jesus and the cleansing healing He offers each of us, we should want to serve Him and live in a way that pleases Him and honors His commitment to us. And one of the coolest things is that we no longer need an “Operator” to “connect our calls” to God. We can “dial Him up” directly any time we want or need!
Change can be good. There are times when it would be handy to dial 0 and ask for a telephone number or an instant connection...but now we have such a wealth of methods for reaching others in a heartbeat that it wouldn’t really be worth it to return to “the good ole days”. As for our relationship with God, I wouldn’t trade Jesus and what He has given me for anything...surely not for the antiquated rituals and expectations of Moses’ time!
Take a little time today and think about Jesus. Consider how easy He has made it for you to live in health, wealth and hope. I can hear you now, and I get it! Yes, we may have challenges – and even heartaches...our definition of these blessings – particularly health, wealth and prosperity – may not match what God intends for us. His timing may not be the same as ours. But when we trust God, we always have hope and a future...and when we give our hearts to Jesus and commit our lives to Him, we have a “direct line” to His love and care. Are you fully “connected”...or are you still trying to “dial 0 for Operator”? Isn’t it time you accepted Jesus’ direct connection? Is today the day?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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