ODJ: The Ultimate Reset

October 2, 2016 

READ: Isaiah 43:14-28 

I am about to do something new. . . . I will make a pathway through the wilderness. . . . I will make rivers in the dry wasteland (vv.19-20).

I once heard a sermon where the preacher relived his memories of playing video games as a boy. Whenever a game wasn’t going his way, all he had to do was press the reset button. Just like that, the playing field was even again.

Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a reset button? There’d never be any need for anxiety, fear, or regret. If things didn’t turn out the way we liked, the button would be waiting.

When God first told Abram that all nations of the world would be blessed through him, it may have seemed impossible (Genesis 12:1-3). After all, the man didn’t even have a child to call his own. And neither he nor his wife was getting any younger. Well, then Isaac came. And then Jacob and his twelve sons followed—ultimately becoming the nation of Israel.

Even so, the promise seemed shaky. The Israelites ended up scattered and in captivity (Isaiah 5:13). When they emerged from Babylonian bondage, they had a new focus on God’s Word. But this newfound zeal slowly evolved into empty faith. The spirit of God’s Law was set aside for the letter, and appearances carried the day (Mark 7:4-9).

So God sent His Son to dwell among men in the flesh. Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to demonstrate what a sinless life looks like. Having accomplished that, He offered Himself in our place—a perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Now, through Christ’s death, it’s possible for us to approach God in prayer, having been made right through Jesus.

And just like that, the course of humanity was reset—from hopeless to hope fulfilled, from death to life. Thanks be to God who did a new thing (Isaiah 43:19-20) and gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

—Remi Oyedele

365-day plan: John 21:15-25

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Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 and celebrate God’s victory on our behalf. 
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What does it mean to live out your victory in Jesus? How will you celebrate God’s rescuing, restoring ways today?