March 1 I Friday

Numbers 20-22

Mark 7:1-13

“As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...”   —1 Peter 2:4-5

One of the best discoveries we can make is to know
that we cannot live the Christian life. When we come to that realization, heaven rejoices and Jesus says, “At last, they understand. That is why I make My home in their hearts!”

We are born into this world not only separated from God but with a sinful nature so that no more could be expected of us than failure. If one word could be written across the pages of the Old Testament it would be “failure.” The historical books record the details of Israel’s repeated failures to live in a right relationship with God. The poetic books mourn over it, and the prophetic books preach about it. But when we come to the New Testament, we read of a radically new teaching and opportunity for new life whereby we may be brought into union and fellowship with Jesus Christ, the only one capable of living the Christian life.

Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). What is the truth? In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the truth.” In John 6:35, “I am the bread of life.” In John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd,” and John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life.” As a Christian, we have everything that Jesus is living within us. By His indwelling Spirit, we are being built into a spiritual house in which our bodies become His temple and He becomes our life.

How does Jesus become our life? How are we being built into a spiritual house? This is a process that goes on throughout our lives and is most clearly seen in retrospect. It begins with Jesus transforming us from the inside, creating an appetite in us for the things of God so that we desire His righteousness to be expressed in our lives. Based on the depth and intimacy of our relationship with Him, we can be assured that the events in our lives, though seemingly random and irrelevant, are working towards an end purpose. Our circumstances and experiences, including hardship and suffering, are contributing to producing something good and valuable. Ultimately, they lead to becoming a blessing to others.

If we try our best to be like Jesus, we will quickly become frustrated and disillusioned, because we simply cannot do it. It is His presence and working in us and through us that builds us into a spiritual house, and that is God’s greatest desire for us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask that You take over my life and turn me into a spiritual house, pleasing to You, in which I may become a blessing to others. Thank You, Lord.