Thursday, January 31, 2008
Exodus 3:5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
APPROACH YOUR GOD DAILY WITH BARE FEET
There are several lessons we may draw for our lives as disciples of Jesus from the story of the burning bush. The foremost lesson we noted in our last devotion. Our God affords us the comforting assurance that He is faithful to all promises He makes to us. At the head of the list is His promise (already kept) to send a Savior to cleanse us from sin and thus to make us right with Him, so we may enjoy a peace-full relationship with Him now and forever.
Here's another lesson: The importance of "taking off our sandals" before Him daily through contrition and repentance, thus drowning our old Adam. As we look into mirror of the Ten Commandments we notice many imperfections (sins of thought, word, and deed). So we will want to pray with David: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).
This is no easy exercise. As Martin Luther wrote: "It's difficult to drown to old Adam, because that rascal can swim." Daily we find ourselves falling short God's standard of holiness. But the Holy Spirit is our helper. He empowers us through the Word to drown our old Adam with its sinful desires so a new man may arise and become stronger in us day by day. He blesses us with peace that surpasses understanding in the knowledge of God's forgiving love and with increased ability to run in the way of His commandments amidst this evil world, to the praise of His Savior-glory.
Though great our sins, yet greater still Is God's abundant favor;
His hand of mercy never will Abandon us, nor waver.
Our shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 329:5)
