Jesus, Our Example

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Today's Passage: Luke 3: 1-17

Memory Verse: Luke 3:8

"We all make mistakes!"  "I'm only human!" "Nobody's perfect!" These statements represent the brokenness of humanity.  Sometimes they're used as fair and accurate assessments.  Other times, however, they're excuses.  Is right-living a myth?  Have we been duped into thinking we shouldn't even try it?  God's word says we ALL have sinned and fallen short of His glory.  Question is, is that statement a death sentence, or a reminder that life without a savior is futile? Quite frankly, the answer to the question "Is right-living a myth" is simple.  It's yes, because of Jesus. 

Right-living is not a myth.  In fact, it is an achievable lifestyle.  The thing that we must remember though, is right-living is not established through fear of the law.  It's established through the love of Christ.   In our passage, John the Baptist was compelling  the crowd to repent.  Why?  Because the law was designed to be followed to the letter.  It was not to be broken.  But, people often broke it anyway.  The problem was what the law was trying to do on the outside, it was failing to do on the inside.  Meaning, people were steadfastly going through the religious traditions, but their hearts were still wicked.  John understood that the cure for a wicked heart was needed.  See, humanity didn't need more laws.  It needed a savior.  It needed someONE, a redeemer, an advocate, a relationship.  If a person doesn't know Jesus, they don't have a shot at repentance.  He makes it possible.  He took the penalty for breaking the law upon Himself, therefore, if we live according to His love we're exonerated from living under the law (as long as we remain submitted to him).  Without Him, we set ourselves up to pay our own price for our sin.  That fact caused John, when he saw the religious crowd coming to be baptized, to ask if they thought a little water would deflect God's judgement (priceless).  He knew they were going to take their lil' dip and go right back to their old habits.  They were going to treat the baptism just as they treated the law.  But true repentance brings change.  "We all make mistakes".  That's right.  But a repentant heart doesn't REPEAT them.  "I'm only human".  True again.  That's why we walk by the SPIRIT, not the flesh.  "Nobody's perfect".  Wrong!  Jesus is perfect in all His ways.  And not only that, He came from Heaven and provided a perfect example for life on Earth.  In effect, He proved that right-living is totally doable.         

Prayer:   Father, thank You that I don't have to use my own standards to know what's Holy.  Your Son Jesus set the perfect example by living it out right in front of us all.  I make a decision to trust and totally depend on You when walking this life out with no fear.  You've already taken on every curse, and absorbed every failure that there ever has been.  I have an earnest expectation that I'm coming out on the Day of Judgment, blameless... and it's all because of You.  I owe You  my very life.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.