A NEW WAY OF BEING

Ezekiel 36:1–37:28; Revelation 18:1–24; Job 38:1–11

God calls us to live lives that are distinguished by His light, clearly separate from our old way of being. He wants to make us a new creation by separating the light from the darkness within our own hearts.
In Revelation, John describes God calling His people out of Babylon: “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out from her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, and so that you will not receive her plagues, because her sins have reached up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes’ ” (Rev 18:4–5).
Sometimes we can be separated from our former ways of living in the literal sense, but the light has not yet pierced our hearts. We still live in “Babylon” because it exists right where we are. While we have inflated our position, we’ve failed to let God’s light pierce our lives. We’ve failed to live lives that respond to His work.
Becoming separate involves putting off the old ways of thinking, acting, and being. It involves clinging to Christ, who brings light and renewal to our lives. Christ’s sacrifice has reversed death and punishment so that He can bring us new life.
We are called to be separate not for our own sake and our own reputation, but so we can proclaim Christ’s work in our lives. Ultimately, it’s about pointing others toward Him: “For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God who said, ‘Light will shine out of darkness,’ is the one who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:5).

How is your life reflecting the work of Christ?

REBECCA VAN NOORD


John D. Barry and Rebecca Kruyswijk, Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).