GOD PROVIDES THE PATTERN TO LIVE BY
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“Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”—Romans
12:2
Although
my mother was an accomplished seamstress, I can remember watching her laying a
pattern on a piece of material and carefully aligning it. She did not rely on guess work each piece
would be precisely placed, aligned, pinned and cut following the pattern
guide-lines. If she would have ignored
the pattern guide-lines the result would have been a garment that would not
have fit properly. She made a choice to
follow the pattern and have the desired outcome of a beautiful garment.
Through
out the Bible we can see how God has
provided patterns and longs for us to follow them. For example, He told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage for to this
people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their
fathers to give them. Only be strong and
very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which
Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the
left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
mediate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that
is written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:6-8).
Some
others biblical examples who were given patterns
to follow include: Noah, he was given a pattern on how to build the ark
that brought deliverance to his family and Moses when the people constructed
the tabernacle in the wilderness. There are many others that were given
patterns to follow; however, as Christ’s followers we are to look to Jesus as
our pattern for living.
Jesus
was given a pattern for living. Do you
remember what happened when He was in Nazareth at the synagogue on the Sabbath
day and stood up to read? He was handed
the book of Isaiah to read. We do not
know if He asked for this particular book, or if it just “happened” that this
was the book that was handed to Him. But
we do have record of what happened. “He found the place where it was
written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon
Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me
to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17-19).
We as
Christ’s followers, find in the “Book” where it is written of us. We look into Scripture to see our pattern for
living. We see the pattern for peace in
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your
heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.”
For sickness, “Who Himself
bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might
live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed’ (1 Peter 2:24). For poverty, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might
become rich” (1 Corinthians 8:9).
Whatever pattern that we have need of is in the Book, “…Who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3).
Prayer—Heavenly Father, thank You for sending your
Son, Jesus, to show me how to live and giving to me a pattern to follow so that
I no longer walk in confusion. Thank you
that my footsteps are ordered in You and that I am confident that Your pattern
includes everything that
have need of, in Jesus Name. Amen.
