How to walk from death to life

Every day we're reading, listening to or watching part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today's passage?

Yesterday in Deuteronomy we looked at one big, dramatic scene depicting the choice between life and death as God’s people got ready to walk into the promised land. Today, I’m loving these multiple little scenes where people from all over the world take their first steps into faith and covenant relationship with Jesus.

I’m also loving that none of the people starting their faith walk had to carry stone tablets full of laws, but simply hearts full of obedience to Jesus and his call to “repent and believe”.

The centurion gave up his independence, power and dignity to submit to Jesus and his authority. The widow and the large crowd gave up their death march when Jesus enabled her son to repent of being dead - that's a lot of repentance and belief! And the “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus gave up what may have been the most valuable thing in her life to recognise Jesus' value, showing her belief that he could change her life. I love how Jesus affirmed her and the faith she showed while others would have dismissed her.

I'm encouraged that crossing into Kingdom life with Jesus happens in different ways for different people, but always with the same, simple, life-changing belief in him.

I also love Jesus’ picture of what happens next when people accept God’s word like a seed. They don’t expect a small faith start to remain small. Instead, nourishing and persevering with the new life given by God produces a crop “a hundred times more than was sown”. If a little faith can lead to a dramatic life change for us, can you imagine what to do with a lot?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God wants people from all backgrounds to recognise and respond to him, and Jesus provides a lot we can see and respond to. When we accept Jesus’ authority, he can turn our small steps of faith into big, life-changing leaps. In this way, God builds his Kingdom and writes his laws and principles onto our hearts rather than making us carry them on stone.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I’m struck by Jesus’ call to persevere in faith, which I need to do where I’ve seen people I love who are not yet healed or not yet ready to recognise and respond to Jesus themselves. I need to renew prayer for and faith-centred conversations with some people where I haven’t done these for a while. I trust in Jesus’ power to change lives, and that he’s also grown faith and power like this in believers like me.

Who am I going to share this with?

Family and friends that I’ve been praying for.