Similarities Unite

I am really enjoying what God is revealing to me in my study times. Here's another I would like for you to reflect upon.

"It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you..." (Deuteronomy 9.5, TNIV)

As the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, Moses takes the time to recount what God has done for them since they left Egypt (the book of Deuteronomy). Along the way he encourages them to remember that it is God's faithfulness - not theirs - and God's righteousness - not theirs - and God's integrity - not theirs - which is providing them with the land. God tells Moses to remind them because they are prone to forget, just as most humans are.

I believe Christians have many things in common with the Israelites:
(1) We often get caught up in the blessings and forget the blesser
(2) We often get caught up in the struggles and forget the one who releases us from struggles
(3) We fear the unknown
(4) We are slow to take action
(5) We forget to rely on God's power and lean on our own instead

These commonalities get lost in the shift from OT reading to NT reading, but they are there and must be recognized as a blessing, not a stumbling block. When Christians and Jews realize that often we have more in common than we have historically paid attention to, there is great freedom that can enter the picture.

I need to empower people in my congregation to engage in acts of healing and aid with members of the Jewish community - not for evangelistic reasons, but because we serve the same God. A God who wants his children to work together to provide solutions to global issues.

Creator God, you care for all humanity - let's start acting like it in our community, neighborhood, and world. Help me to work outside conventional boundaries to make a difference in the world. Amen.

Grace&Peace