Good morning and happy Monday. What a beautiful weekend, huh? I love the mild seasonal transitions here in Texas. In fact it’s supposed to be sunny and 80 today. I can deal with that. The sun just makes me happy. Even if I can’t be in it, I at least need to see it. I read a study the other day that said that sunshine on our skin releases a certain endorphin that can mirror the effects of heroin! Yes, you can be addicted to sunshine! I think this would definitely explain a lot to Margie about my sun addiction.
I had a rare Saturday off at work with no workshops and Margie had to work, so I had a day off to myself. I got some stuff done around the house and finally broke down and went and bought a leaf blower for the house. We have a few large red oaks in the front and I was not aware, but apparently a mature red oak is capable of dropping over 45 billion acorns. I’m amazed at the acorns. I’ve got to figure out some way to use or recycle these things, I mean I picked up like 10,000lbs of them! Aren’t squirrels supposed to store these things up for winter? If you have any extra squirrels around your house send them out here, I’ve got acorns for their Thanksgiving feast. Anyway, my new handy dandy cordless blower is awesome, amazing power for a cordless and makes quick work of the mess.
This morning we’re in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and Paul is working through the old covenant vs the new covenant. He spends most of the chapter juxtaposing between Moses and the tablets of Law and Jesus. Check out verse 6:
“who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor 3:6)
I get a lot of questions from non-believers and new believers alike about the ten commandments and where they fit in today. In fact, the other day I was inviting a guy to church and we were talking about who Jesus is and he says, “well, I try to live good, I try to live by the ten commandments.” Most people don’t grasp the difference between the old and new covenant and I guess it was true in 54AD as well, because Paul educates the church at Corinth on it here in 2 Corinthians.
The verse here speaks of the ten commandments when it speaks of the “letter”. It is specifically talking about the fact that the letters were carved into stone tablets. The verse goes on to very bluntly tell us that the letter kills. What? How can the ten commandments kill? Aren’t they the guidelines in which we are to strive to live our lives? You see the letter of the law condemns us. The law proves that you and I are guilty sinners. No one can perfectly adhere to the law, the law is unattainable, it never gave life and never will. That is the contrast that Paul is making here. “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”
Moses didn’t keep the law, he murdered. David didn’t keep the law and he was a described as ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ You can’t be saved by keeping the law because it’s not possible to keep the law. You see, there is nothing wrong with the law, they are good laws and should be observed to the full. The problem is with the heart of man. We are born under the curse of a sin nature and we are not capable of upholding the law. As sinners, the law condemns us, the letter kills us, it proves to us that we are in need of a savior. But there has to be a way, right? There has to be a way to be reconciled to God. Yes there is. The new covenant.
The new covenant is of course the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since mankind is doomed to fail at keeping the law, God made a way for all men to be made right before him. He sent His only Son Jesus, to this world to live a perfect sinless life and then to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins. 3 days later Jesus would rise to once and all defeat the death of sin so that those who call upon His name can have eternal life. This is the glory of the new covenant. You can see the difference between the old and the new. The old had all the pressure on us, the new puts all the pressure on Jesus. Praise God for His son Jesus Christ that makes a way for all mankind!
I said a prayer this morning for everyone that reads this. I prayed that today your day is different. Our days can become a bit of a grind as we wake up at the same hour, drive the same drive to the same job, see the same people and spend our time doing the same thing. The monotony can numb us. The routine can dull our senses and cause us to be callous to the world around us. I pray that today you do something different. You let the Word of God into your routine. You spend some time in a quiet place with the Holy Word of God and you let it change your day. Make it new. As a result, I pray that the old is made new and you see the world as God sees it. His Word like no other thing in this world can excite, invigorate, enlighten and encourage. Let the Word of God in.
May you be able to bless someone that’s walking in hopelessness today with the opportunity to gaze fully upon the hope that rests in Jesus.
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