Influencers Weekly Devotional

The Word Saves Our Lives

by

Bryan Craig

“I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn- both men and animals- and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” Exodus 12:12-13

I know I have said this before, but I love the Old Testament. I know many believers place most of their focus on the New Testament because when Jesus came, the old was gone and the new had come. However, as you read the Old Testament, you gain an appreciation of how God was working out His plans from the very beginning. Most of us are not Jewish by descent, so we may not feel as if Israel’s history applies to us. Remember Paul’s words in Romans 11:17 where he says the Gentile believers have been grafted into the family tree by faith, so we who believe in Christ are all part of God’s chosen people. The story of the Passover is the most important story of faith for all believers. After sending many warnings and many plagues to Egypt, God sends a death sentence upon the firstborn males and animals. This plague of death comes for both the righteous and the unrighteous, and it does not discriminate. However, God gives His people protection if they obey His commands. He gives specific instructions for them to slaughter an unblemished lamb and spread some of its blood upon the doorposts of their homes. If they would do this, death would “pass over” their home. The people listened to Moses and followed the Lord’s commands. The firstborn in their homes were saved, but the firstborn of the Egyptians, from Pharaoh’s son to a prisoner’s son, were struck dead. Exodus 17:30 records that there was not a house without someone dead and that loud wailing was heard throughout Egypt. Then, the Israelites were set free. Fourteen hundred years later, God sent His firstborn son, Jesus, to the earth. Much like the Israelites in Egypt, He found His people in captivity. They were captive to their own religious rules and pride and sin, desperate for a Savior. Jesus shed His own blood so that they and we might be covered and protected, so that we might not die, but have everlasting life. Jesus came to set the captives free! He was the unblemished lamb, Who was sacrificed for us. It was so fitting that all this would take place during Jerusalem’s Passover celebration. In case His disciples might miss the significance, at The Last Supper, He shares a Passover meal with them, and tells them the bread is like His body which will be broken and the wine like His blood which will be shed. Like most of us in our walk with Christ, the disciples didn’t really understand what He was saying. Just like God gave His people in Egypt a way out to escape death, Jesus gave us a way out of our own death sentence. We are like those firstborn children, who would die, if not for the Blood of The Lamb. Praise God for this indescribable gift! I think it is also interesting that later in the history of God’s people, in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, God says: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” God’s Word, like the Blood, is to be on our doorframes, reminding us of God’s promises and His protection. God wants us to be people of The Word. As we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, we cover ourselves with God’s protection. We claim our homes and our children for God as His Word rules our lives. When we choose to ignore God’s Word and do not make it above all in our homes, our families are vulnerable for attack. It is clear that God cares about how we show our Faith at Home. As Influencers, who have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ in Personal Abandonment and Absolute Trust and who live our lives by His Word, there’s no more important place for us to live our Faith than at Home. Jesus and His Word save our lives. As the spiritual leaders of our homes, we need to take the lead in lifting up Jesus and feeding our families His Word. If we took it as serious as our forefathers in Egypt, who risked the loss of their firstborn children if they did not follow God’s instructions, we would do whatever God said. The angel of death may not be at the door, but the world and its temptations are definitely coming. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, it says He has provided us a way out of temptation. He has given us the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). It also penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is our offensive weapon against the Devil’s schemes. Lastly, in John 1, it says The Word is God, as John introduces us to the deity of Jesus Christ. Yes, The Word is Jesus. The Blood is Jesus. His is the Kingdom, the Power and Glory forever. So, when we make God’s Word the authority in our lives and in our homes, it is as if we are writing His Word over our doorposts, saying, “For me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” In that, we are also claiming the Blood of the Lamb over our homes. His protection and His peace are ours. In essence, The Word saves us and our families! Amen! Download file