The Law of the Lord
Some people have a negative view of the Law of the Lord today, since we no longer live under the Law, but we live under the grace of God through Jesus Christ. The grace of God does not do away with the Law of God. God's Law is true and right. Yes, there are ordinances that we do not follow today, because they were just for the sacrificial system of the Law. However, the meaning of all the rest of the Law is very valid today. We would all do well to follow the example of Ezra.(Ezra 7:10)
Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord. He studied it to know the meaning. Once we know the meaning of the Law, we can discern how to apply that meaning in the time of grace in which we live. Everyone needs to live by truth. Jesus is truth. He never contradicted anything in the Law, He only fulfilled its meaning. We do well to seek the Law of the Lord.
It is not enough to seek it and know it, though. We need to do as Ezra did. We need to do the Law of God consistently. As we apply the truths to our lives, we will be ordering our lives by God's wisdom. His wisdom brings order and structure to our lives, which is very good. It helps us know what to do and what not to do.
Finally, Ezra taught others the Law. We all need to be teachers of the Law of the Lord. Our world is lost because they do not know Christ as Lord and Savior. However, they are far away from the Lord even before they know Him, because they live in a world that is opposite to God's Laws and God's ways. If we teach others the Law of God, they begin to see God's way of doing things, and the Spirit draws them to Christ to be saved by grace through faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1.
Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord. He studied it to know the meaning. Once we know the meaning of the Law, we can discern how to apply that meaning in the time of grace in which we live. Everyone needs to live by truth. Jesus is truth. He never contradicted anything in the Law, He only fulfilled its meaning. We do well to seek the Law of the Lord.
It is not enough to seek it and know it, though. We need to do as Ezra did. We need to do the Law of God consistently. As we apply the truths to our lives, we will be ordering our lives by God's wisdom. His wisdom brings order and structure to our lives, which is very good. It helps us know what to do and what not to do.
Finally, Ezra taught others the Law. We all need to be teachers of the Law of the Lord. Our world is lost because they do not know Christ as Lord and Savior. However, they are far away from the Lord even before they know Him, because they live in a world that is opposite to God's Laws and God's ways. If we teach others the Law of God, they begin to see God's way of doing things, and the Spirit draws them to Christ to be saved by grace through faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1.