We often think of relationships as something to be maintained only when something is wrong. However, God shows us a different approach: proactivity. From the beginning, He has taken deliberate steps to ensure that His covenant relationship with us remains pure and unbroken. His proactive love is a blueprint for how we should engage with Him and with each other.
In Numbers 5-6, we see God’s meticulous instructions to maintain purity in the Israelite camp, emphasizing both spiritual and relational health. Through laws concerning restitution, vows, and the Nazirite commitment, God sets clear guidelines to foster holiness and community harmony. These directives reveal God’s deep desire for His people to live in continual purity and dedication to Him, showing how far He goes to sustain a relationship with humanity.
Similarly, in Acts 7:1-22, Stephen’s speech highlights God’s proactive work throughout history to reconcile man to Himself. From Abraham’s call to Moses’ deliverance of Israel, God’s hand is evident as He prepares the way for a lasting covenant. Stephen’s testimony points to God’s unwavering initiative, even in the face of human resistance, to draw His people closer to Him.
God’s proactivity is a call for us to mirror His actions. He desires that we proactively nurture our covenant relationship with Him and extend the same intentional care in our relationships with others. Just as God sustains our relationship with Him through His grace and guidance, we are encouraged to take deliberate steps in maintaining our faith and fostering harmony with those around us. Through this proactive love, we embody the very heart of God, who continually reaches out to His creation.
Reflection: How you can love proactively today?
Prayer: Father, I am in awe of the extent You have gone because You love me. Please teach me to love like You.
Today’s reading
Numbers 5-6
The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a] or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”
Acts 7:1-22
Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’