There
aren’t too many things that I know how to cook well, but people do tend to
enjoy my apple pie. For some reason I may
burn carrots, yet my pie crust turns out flaky… go figure! Anyway, one day I was trying to teach my
nephew how to make one and I finished off the crust, showing him how to pinch
the edges. As I began to clean up, I
noticed the measuring cup on the counter with the sugar, cinnamon and most
importantly, the flour to thicken it.
Off came the crust- carefully- the apples removed and tossed in the mix
and the pie finished again. Without the flour the pie would have been a
runny mess.
Now imagine
forgetting a most important step, one that would cost you your life or the life
of your child. That’s scary, but it
really did happen, or could have anyway.
Way back in the days of Moses they had the first Passover. The Hebrews were to kill the sacrificial lamb
(a foreshadow of the Lamb of God- Jesus- dying for our sins), then do something
very important with that blood.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip in the
blood in the bowl, and strike the lintel and the doorposts with the blood in
the bowl. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the
morning. For Jehovah will pass through to strike the Egyptians. And when He
sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, Jehovah will pass
over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to
strike you. Ex. 12:22,23
The dead lamb
on its own did nothing; neither did the blood in the bowl. The people had to apply* the blood to the door posts. Without the blood on the door posts, the
angel of death would kill any firstborn in the house. Notice the salvation is by Jehovah who sees
the blood applied and springs upon the door to keep the destroyer out.
It is not
just that Jesus became our sacrificial Lamb and died for the sins of mankind,
but that ‘we apply’ His sacrifice with faith (Ep. 2:8) to our lives. So even though Jesus Christ has died for the
sins of the whole world (1Jh. 2:2), though he wants none to perish, and though
He would have all come to repentance (2Pt. 3:9), yet, whether or not we are
saved and get to Heaven relies on our choice and action in applying who He is
and what He’s done to our lives.
Don’t forget to apply the salvation of Jesus Christ to
your life…
you never know what tomorrow holds.
*Applying
required faith/ trust in God.
demonstrated your beliefs to others.
acted
out obedience to God’s will.