The Letter of the Law is Love

Prior to the life, death, resurrection, ascension and anointing provided by and through Christ, access to God took hours of preparation, and very limited interaction was granted.  Only the chosen were allowed into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain, which was where God’s presence would appear.  Today, through the gift of grace we’ve been given through Christ, we may approach God, anytime.

Before Christ, the high priest would have to sacrifice specific animals in certain clothing, worn in a particular way, after cleansing himself, followed by more offerings of animals, then incense, then blood, then animals, then blood, then the release an animal into the desert, then change clothing, bathe again, sacrifice more animals, and finally, burn the fat of them.  If any of the aforementioned procedures were done incorrectly, death would surely come. (See Leviticus 16)

Jesus has provided the way for us to come before God, covered.  He was the ultimate sacrifice – once and for all.  Never again do we need to make a blood offering of an animal on behalf of our sins, for Christ has covered EVERY LAST SIN.  We are free to come and call on the name of the Lord, anytime, day or night, and He will hear our call.  Our position and training are irrelevant, as He looks only at our heart.  When we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him.  It is, however, still wise to prepare our hearts to enter into His presence.  In fact, the biblical examples of how we ought to pray, teach us to praise Him, ask for forgiveness, make known our needs, ask for help, praise Him some more, and be sure to listen.  If our heart is set on seeking Him, He is faithful to answer.

Gone are the days,

of blood sacrifice;

for Jesus came,

paid the final price.

Never again,

to be bound by law;

instead by love,

price paid without flaw.

May our hearts hold,

such great gratitude;

for all He’s done,

thankful attitude.

Come to the Lord,

He’s ready to hear;

our heart’s prayer,

His presence is near.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are loving and kind, and that You made the way for us to come close to You without having to go through a series of rituals and regulations, done just right, in order to seek You.  Thank You for Your grace, and for the covering provided by the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us on the cross.  Thank You that because of Him, You see us as clean, covered and cleansed by His righteousness.  Forgive us for thinking that we have to have it all together to come before You, or for being too flippant in our approach.  Help us to come to You with grateful hearts, reverent in awe of Your glory and grace.  May our attitude of thanks be expressed in how we love You, and love people.  May many come to know You as a result.  Be glorified through all that we say and do.  Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.

– Genesis 21:6