Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
What is the first rule you can remember bring taught? For many of us it was our parent telling us that we had to eat our vegetables. An early rule I was be sure to look both ways before crossing the road. Consider the reasons for your parents teaching you the rules. Was it your parent’s intention to make your life difficult? We are given such rules because they love us and desire the best for us. Thus our families tried their best to raise us within the rules of the faith and moral life.
Moses was one of the spiritual fathers of the people of Israel. His desire was to pass on the statutes and decrees of the Lord so that they would diligently live them in the Promised Land. Moses did not simply communicate the rules to the people. He taught them to observe them, how to live within the statutes and decrees from the Lord. For Moses, the people of Israel would give testimony to the nations if they lived the statutes faithfully.
Moses did not want the people of Israel to forget all that they had learned so he encouraged them to be on their guard. He encouraged the people to be on guard least their actions show that they had forgotten their faith. If someone observed us interacting in the world, especially we are anonymous like while driving in heavy traffic, or in the quiet of our own house; would our actions reflect an authentic faith in Christ. Would our lives reflect that we are temples of the Holy Spirit?
In observing us would people see us glorifying the Lord with our lives? When the circumstances of our lives get stressful, do we allow those realities to be allow us to rationalize imprudent behavior? Or in the midst of that stress do we remain steadfast in our faith and witness to the community around us? We stay true to our faith our lives testify to the merciful God who desire to be known by all people.
“Lord help us to live firmly what we have been taught and believe. Diminish in us all that draws us away from virtuous behavior so that we are an encounter for Christ with everyone we meet.”
-Michael Montgomery