Day296
I Corinthians 7:19 NIV
"Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts."
During Paul's ministry, the question of whether or not a Christian should be circumcised was a major discussion in certain places. All Jewish males were circumcised as a symbol of the covenant God had made with Israel through Abraham. When Jesus came and fulfilled His earthly mission, He left instructions for His disciples to preach the good news of salvation to all the world. The Jews who had kept the law for so long had difficulty imagining that Gentiles could enter a covenant with God simply by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It was hard to imagine that the Gentile Christians were neither responsible to keep the old law, nor did they have to practice the rite of circumcision to be accepted by God.
Paul was forced to address this issue over and over again. In I Corinthians 7, He explained that outward marks were not really that important. It was following God's instructions that were important.
Living for God is not wearing symbols, garments, or marks that identify us as the people of God. It is walking in obedience to His commands, which do not include circumcision under the new covenant.
An important point we can gather from this is that we must examine ourselves more intensely for obedience than we do for external appearance. Before we leave the house for work or whatever we have on our agenda for the day, it is natural for us to look in the mirror and check everything from our head to our toes to make sure we look right. Let us check our insides a little more carefully today than we normally do:
From my head
Am I thinking the right thoughts? Have I spoken to God today and asked if there was any thing special He wanted me to do, or have I only made sure my plans are on the "Things to Do" list? Have I confessed my love and appreciation to God and acknowledged Him as my Source so He can direct my path? Have I spoken life and good over myself and my family?
From my neck to my shoulders
Am I standing up straight and ready to walk as a child of God - with confidence and godly self-respect? Am I carrying myself as if am the winner God made me?
From my chest to my waist
Is the center of my being all right? Have I forgiven everyone who has hurt me, including myself? Am I walking in love with everyone? Is my spirit strong and ready to submit to God and resist every temptation of the devil? Have I charged up my inner man through prayer and meditation of the Word?
From my hips to my toes
Am I about to move in haste, or will I ponder the path of my feet? Am I set to rush through the day taking a chance of making the wrong moves in haste, or am I prepared to let my spirit guide my feet?
I will examine my inner appearance and not just my outward appearance today. With God's help, when I prepare for each day, I will give more attention to being obedient to God than to the impression I make upon men.