From Life to A Life of Love
Have you ever given a child a gift only to realise afterwards that they were not truly aware of the true purpose of the gift or how to use it? In Ezekiel 16, God uses the graphic language of saying He found Israel lying in its own blood like an abandoned newborn baby. He passed by her in this state and said, “Live”! Then He caused her to grow and blossom and enter the stage of puberty where she is finally ready for covenantal marital love to the Lord and the Lord alone. In striking language, the Holy Spirit is describing how God gave Israel the gift of spiritual life and the blessing of growth and development that it is intrinsic to life itself.
This story in Ezekiel is also your story and mine. The Lord saw you and me in sin, death, and idolatry, kicking around helpless. Paul described our situation in Ephesians 2:5a as “being dead in trespasses and sin”. Jesus commented on our state in Matthew 9:36 by saying “they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. “But, and this is a mighty but! Through the Cross of Jesus, God commanded us to Live! We became alive to God (and dead to sin) through the regeneration of our human spirit by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
But notice that the intention of the Lord was not just to make them (Israel) or us (believers) alive, but to marry, to have a spouse, a people for Himself and His name. To bring us to a place of fully surrendered covenantal Love where we have no other lovers or lords but Him and Him alone.
Many believers today enjoy the life of God that the Lord gave them. They are indeed alive, but not married and yoked to Jesus Christ.
They are not aware that that life was given, NOT so that we can do our own thing and plan our own lives just with a Christian mindset. Where we live a a morally decent, but independent lives.
No, we are not to be like the younger prodigal son and take the resources of spiritual life from the Father to be our own boss and live independently of Christ’s government, even if it’s with godly ideas.
No, we admonished by the apostle Paul and ultimately the Spirit in Romans 12:1 to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy (which means set apart for Him) in total love and abandon to Jesus Christ so that He can live His Own Life through us to do what pleases Him.
This is the marriage of love between Christ and the believer that He is waiting on and the purpose of giving you His Life in the first place. This is why He looked at us and said “Live”!
Paul echoes this in Galatians 2:20, ” I have been crucified with Christ (death to the independent life) It’s not I that live, but Christ lives in me (married life) and the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
So, if we have not yet reached this place in our walk with the Lord, we have not yet touched the purpose of our salvation (regardless of whether we are already in ministry).
The Lord gave life SO THAT He can have covenantal love of our submission, obedience and dependence as He indwells us and lives His Life in and through us to the glory of God.
May the Lord help us to take up this cross and follow Him, so that He can live His life through us to edify His church and reach the world in the way only He can.
