4 | TEACHING
Waking up to new life in Christ Gordon Robertson Chief Executive Officer
The Jewish calendar has a period of time called Teshuvah , meaning “to turn,” in the last month of the year, Elul, which means “search.” The purpose is for people to turn to God and search their hearts in preparation for the Day of Atonement, when they ask themselves, “Am I ready to die?” This is reflected in their clothing for the day. Every married Jewish male wears a kittel, a white linen robe that eventually serves as their burial shroud. The robe has no pockets, symbolizing that nothing can be taken along on that journey. It’s a dress rehearsal for death. Keep in mind that Jesus is Jewish, and He prepared Himself to die. The good news is that when Jesus wore His burial shroud, He left it in a tomb and is raised forevermore. And, because He lives, we have this wonderful promise in Colossians 2:12: You also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Are we ready to walk into the goodness
and provision of God? Sometimes it’s easy to allow bitterness, complaining and anxiety to build up, robbing us of our joy. The more we are asleep to our disobedience, the more we drift away from God without even realising it. We need to wake up into the newness of life He has for us. That’s why it is important to examine ourselves to see where we fall short, to ask God to forgive us and set us free. He is merciful and gracious, and He wants to bring us into the Promised Land. Start by remembering that He loves you. Song of Solomon 6:3 says, I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. You don’t have to beg Him; He wants you to succeed, and He is in your corner. Meditate on God’s attributes in Exodus 34:6-7: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Then search your heart for anything that is keeping you from wholeheartedly
