From time to time, it is desirable to examine ourselves to ensure we align with God's mind and will, walking worthy of our calling. If we sincerely and wholeheartedly ask Almighty God to reveal the depths of our beings, He is faithful to make the inner secrets of our hearts plain to us through His Spirit. Our responsibility is then to repent fully of what He shows us, exerting effort—sometimes painful effort—to assure our entrance into His Kingdom. We must recognize and acknowledge the stony parts still within us, repenting before Him with our whole hearts. As God's children, we are special, but only because He dwells in us by His Spirit, separating us from others. We should consider what kind of home we are providing for the Sovereign God and His glorified Son, desiring to give Him nothing unworthy of His presence, from our physical health to our most secret thoughts. Out of deep reverence for Him who dwells in us, we must cleanse ourselves, continually maturing in holiness. Being disqualified or rejected is the opposite of having Jesus Christ dwell in us; it means being unfit or unworthy of His presence, cut off from God. Regular self-examination is a proven way to ensure this does not happen to us. God intends for us to discover the reality of our nature, measuring annually the extent to which we have overcome the evil in us and the sincerity of our commitment to our relationship with Him. We must prepare ourselves as mature Christians to rededicate ourselves to Him afresh and actively put sin out of our lives. Although we will sin as long as we are in the flesh, we must continually repent daily and ask God for help in fighting our carnal nature. He has promised to stick with us and give us the help we need, never leaving nor forsaking us. Christ, the righteous Judge, would rather we judge ourselves and turn to righteousness than have to point out our faults to us. Passover is our opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Almighty God and renew our dedication to putting on the new man, asking Him for a clean heart, hope, joy, peace, and a close, personal relationship with Him and His Son.

As Christians, we can become unfocused from our alignment with Christ by various conditions, circumstances, and influences. Our clear view may become hazy or obscured, a situation not uncommon in today's society where distractions and challenges abound. Politics, entertainment, and cultural trends can cause us to lose focus. To realign and regain a clear perspective, we must turn to God, thank Him for His calling, ask for His help, and move forward in faith. Using the effective tools of prayer, Bible study, and meditation provides tremendous help in refocusing. We must check our status constantly because our spiritual sight can become fuzzy quickly. If we have succumbed to negative influences, we need to drop them immediately and seek the light of Christ to guide us. We should not allow anything to hinder our efforts in refocusing on Christ, His words, lifestyle, and purpose. By following His instructions, we can realign and see clearly. God's Word provides instruction to help us understand His perspective so we, as His children, can learn to align with Him in everything. Prayer is a crucial tool in this process, as it focuses the mind on God and His impeccable character. Praying for the good of everyone helps us practice godly concern, putting distracting issues into God's hands, reducing our stress, and allowing us to see them as He does. Before the Passover, our focus is to evaluate our spiritual growth, putting our lives under close scrutiny to see how well we align with God's purpose and way of life. If we have faltered, we must realign through repentance, making this a consistent practice throughout the year to avoid deflection from seeking the Kingdom of God. Only one viewpoint counts—God's—and we must seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. When we become misaligned, God may reprimand us out of love to keep us focused on the path to His Kingdom, restoring us to walk in harmony beside Him. We can thank God that He has equipped us with His Word, prayer, meditation, fasting, counsel, and other tools to bring us back into alignment and get back on track.

Time is a relentless force in our lives, carrying us swiftly from birth to death, often leaving us feeling constrained and unable to accomplish all we desire. Yet, there is a profound purpose in the time we are given. Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:11 reveals that He has made everything beautiful in its time and has placed a sense of eternity in our hearts, though we cannot fully grasp His work from beginning to end. This teaches us that He has provided sufficient time—seventy or eighty years—to fulfill His purpose for us. Our challenge lies in using this time wisely, prioritizing and organizing it to align with His will. Synchronizing ourselves with Him sets a firm foundation for our time under the sun. By living within His time, being astute and faithful, our lives progress in harmony with Him, leading us toward His Kingdom. Pentecost, as one of His appointed times, serves as a yearly reminder to redeem our time, for the days are short. It underscores the limited window of our conversion, urging us to number our days and gain a heart of wisdom. From the creation account in Genesis, time is a fundamental aspect of His design. He established day and night, sun, moon, and stars not only to measure time but to insert His meeting times into our lives. These appointed times, or holy days, are moments when He infuses Himself, making them holy. He calls us to meet with Him at these specific times, promising blessings, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom when we do. Keeping these holy days also reveals His plan, harmonizing us further with His purpose and preparing us for eternal life in His Kingdom. Walking with Him, as exemplified by Noah, requires being in lockstep with His instructions. Noah's precise obedience ensured salvation for himself and his family, illustrating that aligning with Him in time and action is a matter of life and death. This synchronization, whether walking with or before Him, is a continuous process of following His lead, anticipating His movements, and committing to His path for the promise of new life in His Kingdom. Practically, the Sabbath offers a weekly opportunity to re-center ourselves in our walk with Him. It tests our desire to be in sync, as failing to keep it properly places us out of step with Him, causing us to miss instruction, correction, and blessings. When we meet with Him on the Sabbath, He is present throughout the entire day, offering benefits that enhance our growth simply by being in His presence. In interpersonal relations, timing is critical to remaining in harmony with Him. Sexual relations, honorable within marriage, become sin if practiced at the wrong time—before marriage as fornication or outside marriage as adultery. Aligning with His timing in this area prevents judgment and maintains our synchronization with Him. Understanding His broader plan and timing, as seen in prophetic contexts, also depends on living in temporal harmony with Him. He reveals His secrets to those in sync with Him, granting wisdom and understanding at the proper time to those who live according to His way. Committing our lives to His time, despite the trials of this short life, ensures that though we may stumble, we will not fall, securing our entrance into salvation and His Kingdom.

Alignment with God is the essential foundation for overcoming division and achieving unity. When a person is in harmony with God, they naturally begin to harmonize with others, as the love of God moves them toward good works, acts of kindness, and service. This relationship with Him must come first, before unity with others can follow. Each individual bears the responsibility to seek God actively, not waiting for a leader to guide them, but turning to Him directly. If we seek Him, He will be found by us, and unity will emerge from this personal commitment. Jesus Christ is the true leader through whom unity occurs, not any human figure. His ministry, life, and death were aimed at bringing everyone into oneness with the Father and each other. His final prayer was that we might be one, not divided, confused, or separated, but united in eternal life. The glory He received from the Father—His Word and Spirit—was given for this purpose, to enable us to be one. Though His prayer remains unanswered in full, God provides the means through His Spirit and grace to achieve what He sets before us, demanding reciprocity in our relationships by returning His love to Him and extending it to others. To align with God, every individual must take steps to remove barriers between themselves and Him, addressing personal sins or neglected duties like prayer and study. A good relationship with our Father requires daily, active communication, discussing our lives, families, and the church with Him. Submitting to Christ as our Savior, Redeemer, High Priest, Lord, and Master means striving to be like Him through obedience to His commandments, particularly the Ten Commandments. If each of us prioritizes overcoming personal sins and avoids petty judgments on lesser matters, the problems of offense, incivility, confusion, and division within His body will begin to diminish. God values each person immensely, as shown by Christ's sacrifice, the greatest ransom ever paid. Recognizing this value, alongside an honest estimation of ourselves, is crucial. We must understand that God is for us, and with Him, no one can stand against us. Every part of the body is needed, and no one should feel unimportant, as God places each in the body for a purpose. Alignment requires a daily, intelligent commitment to dedicate ourselves without reserve to God's purpose, sacrificing ingrained worldly habits and attitudes that conflict with His Spirit. This dedication is tested among our fellow man, proving our sincerity in living as sacrifices. Unity begins when each person takes personal responsibility to align with God, not pointing fingers at others but examining themselves. The way forward is clear in God's Word, and it is up to each individual to remove any impediment between themselves and Him. If this is done, unity will strengthen within the group and potentially ripple out to the greater church. God unleashes His power for those who are of one mind with Him and each other, enabling them to do His will when they commit to this path.

Alignment with God is a vital aspect of our preparation for the Kingdom of God. We must examine ourselves to ensure we are in harmony with His will, focusing not only on overcoming sin but also on what we are doing and failing to do in our spiritual journey. Emulating Jesus Christ, we strive to grow into His likeness, understanding that everything matters in this process. As the Bride of Christ, we are called to conform to His image, following Him wherever He goes, and adopting His goals out of love for our Bridegroom. This requires constant self-examination to see where we need to change and align with His direction. Preparation for this alignment is illustrated in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, where the wise virgins planned ahead, ensuring they had enough oil for their lamps, representing readiness and righteousness to stand by Christ's side. We must follow His lead and conform to His timing, diligently seeking His guidance to produce good fruit in our lives. Christ, as the vine, supports us in bearing fruit, and without Him, we can do nothing. When we humbly ask for His help, He provides it at the proper time and in the proper measure, enabling us to grow from the foundation He offers. Loving God by keeping His commandments is central to this alignment, as Christ Himself taught that if we love Him, we must obey Him. This love and obedience are reinforced by faith, driving us to apprehend the benefits He desires for us. Additionally, alignment involves loving our neighbors, actively supporting both their spiritual and physical needs, as demonstrated by Christ's ministry and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. These two great commandments—to love God and to love our neighbor—should be the foundation of our self-examination, guiding us to strengthen our efforts and remain in harmony with God's will.

Seeking alignment with God, as instructed in Matthew 6:33, involves actively pursuing the reign and rule of God in our lives. It means inquiring into the will and policy of our King, ensuring that our actions align with His desires. This pursuit requires adopting the same mind and spirit as the Father and the Son, fostering unity with Them. It entails consciously acting in the interests of the Kingdom, abiding by its laws, and demonstrating submission to the authority of the King. When faced with uncertainty, we can call on Him, seeking His will and trusting that He will guide us to walk in union with Him. Resisting God's reign within areas of our lives creates internal division, weakening our foundation until we submit again to His rule. Additionally, seeking God's righteousness is integral to this alignment. It involves continuous effort to live by His royal law, not as a means of establishing our own righteousness, but as a way to become accustomed to living like the King. This cannot be achieved through human effort alone; it requires the power and Spirit that He provides. We must continually seek His rule in our lives, calling on Him for the understanding and means to live in harmony with the Kingdom of God. True righteousness is produced by God within us, not accomplished by our own strength, and along this journey, we walk in patience and faith, grateful for the righteousness that covers us as He makes it a reality within us.

Many profess belief in God, acknowledging His existence and aspects of His nature such as grace, love, omnipotence, and omniscience. Yet, their faith often lacks depth, failing to embrace complete trust in His Word. True alignment with God requires not just belief, but active faith demonstrated through obedience to His instructions. Without this, belief remains incomplete, as faith must be paired with works to show genuine alignment with Him. Alignment with God means living according to His commandments, even in a world that opposes His ways. It involves trusting His Word as true and beneficial, maintaining faith amidst opposition. In a world of idolatry, we must worship the one true God; in deceit, speak truth; in theft, give generously; in hatred, love enemies; in divorce, strengthen marriages; in ceaseless toil, keep the Sabbath; in anxiety, live with hope and joy. This alignment demands a living faith, trusting that His path perfects us. The faithful are promised His eternal rest, while the unfaithful face destruction. Following Christ, as the ultimate example of faithfulness, requires bearing our cross, living a life of sacrifice, and striving to imitate Him despite our imperfections. True alignment is shown through actions, not mere profession, as obedience and works prove our faith, transforming us into His image over time through persistent practice and overcoming. God's process of preparing us, like refining grain into bread, involves trials and challenges to shape us into something acceptable before Him. By His grace, He forgives our corruption and uses our experiences to teach us to overcome, aligning our lives with the goodness and love modeled by Christ. As firstfruits, we are called to be faithful, to follow Him, and to ultimately share in the honor of being among His spiritual children, transformed to be like Him.

Alignment with God requires a profound transformation of the heart, a process central to conversion. This journey involves accepting God's values as our own, which sanctifies and sets us apart from those who hold different values. As we embrace His standards, found in His Word, a unifying process begins, drawing us closer to others who share these true values and ultimately to God Himself. This alignment produces freedom from destructive behaviors and leads to eternal life, as God's values are eternal and life-giving. The challenge lies in the heart's resistance to change, as it clings to old, often self-serving values absorbed from family, community, and tradition. These values, if not in harmony with God's, can isolate us from others and from Him, pulling us away from the unity He desires. True alignment demands a conscious choice to reject aimless conduct and to sacrifice what we value highly if it conflicts with His purpose. It is through faith, built on hearing His Word, that we can internalize His values, allowing them to shape our character and actions. God's purpose is to create a family unified by shared principles of living, where life is found in practicing His values. This is not merely about adhering to rules but embodying a loving, sacrificial generosity toward others, as He does. Conversion, therefore, is not just a state but a continuous process of aligning our hearts with His, choosing to let His values become the core of who we are, even when it is difficult. Through this, we move toward oneness with Him, fulfilling His ultimate goal for us.

God's government operates from the top down, beginning with God the Father and extending through Jesus Christ the Son. Each individual must govern themselves in alignment with God, giving top priority in every area of life to Him. This requires surrendering control to God through repentance and submission, a choice that reflects humility and voluntary servitude. Without this giving up of control, one cannot truly live or understand God's government, which is designed to produce the greatest liberty for development and growth when each person governs themselves according to God's Word. Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate pattern of alignment with God, having voluntarily submitted Himself, humbling Himself as a bond slave to both God and man. His supreme act of condescension, giving up equality with God without asserting His rights, demonstrates a profound recognition of the authority of God's Word. This submission led to His exaltation and supreme lordship, showing that faithfulness in living God's government results in rulership. For individuals, this means giving top priority to God's Word in every aspect of life, experiencing and living out this alignment rather than merely understanding it intellectually. The church, as the Body connected to Christ the Head, derives its life from Him and functions through a vital union with Him. Christ, as the Head, holds authority over the church, a gift from God the Father to provide right government. Within the church, there is diversity among its parts, yet equality in service, with each part needing the others as appointed by God for the well-being of the whole. Alignment with God requires mutual submission among members, reflecting the model of Christ's relationship with the church, where authority is not about domination but voluntary consent and giving oneself unstintingly. The ministry, as a gift from Christ to the church, has the specific role of equipping the saints for service and edifying the Body of Christ. This involves aligning individuals with God by setting right their knowledge of Him, His truth, and His way of life, as well as promoting spiritual growth through teaching. The authority of the ministry lies in the exercise of God's gift, using persuasive language in harmony with God's truth to stir His Spirit in people, encouraging them to follow without overstepping the limits of their assigned role.

Alignment with God is a powerful force that ensures protection and ultimate victory, as seen in the story of Esther. When we align ourselves with His purpose, He reverses our trials, persecutions, and threats of death, exalting us in due time, just as He did with Mordecai. As part of His spiritual seed, akin to Abraham's seed, we become heirs with Christ, sharing in the promise of honor and glory. This alignment mirrors Mordecai's reward, where he was elevated to a high position, second only to the king, and spoke peace to his kindred. Such is the reward for aligning ourselves with God's will, reflecting a deep trust in His unseen hand that guides and manipulates events for our good. Even in a seemingly godless and hostile world, He is present, working to bring about His purpose, ensuring that His plan cannot be thwarted by any opposing force.

When we pray to God, it may sometimes seem as if things become worse, akin to the devastation following the opening of the seals. It might even appear that the only response from Him is silence. Yet, we are reminded that although God may seem silent, He is far more aware of our prayers than we are. If our prayer aligns with His will, He will respond in a perfect way, with perfect timing, which often feels inconvenient to us because we desire immediate action. This discord arises from our lack of full trust in Him to work things out and from not being fully aligned with Him. When we finally surrender control and let go of a matter completely to God, the silence often ends, and things begin to happen. Thus, when we pray about something significant, we should not be surprised if there is a pause, a seeming silence, before a response from God comes.

Justification, as a biblical concept, is about aligning with a standard, much like aligning a document on a computer or a wall with a plumb line. It does not eliminate the standard it aligns with, just as aligning a document does not remove the edge of the paper. When God justifies, He brings us into alignment with His law through grace, a freely given gift that is unearned. This alignment is achieved by forgiveness, granted when conditions of repentance and faith are met, establishing a relationship with Him. This alignment through justification does not nullify God's law. Instead, it establishes it, confirming its importance as a guide to keep us from straying. Faith, grace, and justification work together to cause law to stand, not to invalidate it. Justification provides access to God's presence, a privilege previously unattainable, opening the way for further grace to aid in working out our salvation. It is a necessary step, bringing us into a status of righteousness in God's eyes through the flawless righteousness of Jesus Christ, yet it does not equate to salvation, which remains a future promise. Moreover, justification imposes an obligation to choose life, to voluntarily obey God's commands as an expression of alignment with Him. It is not a license to sin but a call to narrow our choices to His way, as He limits options for our good, much like a parent guides a child. God's law serves as the procedure for His children to follow, ensuring we remain in alignment with His will. Thus, justification reinforces the need to adhere to His standards, maintaining the law's role in guiding and warning us to stay on the path He has set.

God is creating a vast community, a family of children in His image, and this process involves more than merely saving us. He is transforming us through a comprehensive way of life that includes good works, which are essential for aligning with His standards. These good works serve as a witness before men, demonstrating our difference, and they ingrain God's way into our character, writing His law on our hearts. God's way is clear, pure, and unambiguous, free from craftiness or subtlety. When He reveals something, it fits seamlessly into the patterns He has established, forming a cohesive package that produces a specific outcome. This package, which includes the Ten Commandments, must be followed completely, as alterations or omissions affect what He is producing—sons in His image. Each commandment has a purpose in His creation, and neglecting any part disrupts the intended result. Alignment with God, often termed justification, means standing in harmony with His standards and law. Just as a document is formatted to align with the edges of a paper, or a wall is checked with a plumb line, justification aligns us with God's way. This alignment does not eliminate the need to keep His laws; rather, it confirms their necessity. The process of coming into sync with God's laws may impose a burden due to past disobedience, but the burden arises from our previous actions, not from the laws themselves. Entering into a covenant with God obligates us to meet its terms, just as Israel did, becoming His possession through obedience. At baptism, we seal this agreement, offering our lives as collateral, and in return, we receive grace. This covenant, whether Old or New, is based on faith—believing in the purpose and terms as being in our best interest. However, faith must endure and grow to sustain the covenant, as failure to uphold the terms leads to disobedience and breakdown, as seen with Israel. Justification, symbolized by cleansing and wearing righteous clothing, prepares us to stand in God's presence. Before hearing His commandments, Israel had to be sanctified, declared righteous. Similarly, we are justified through grace, with the perfect record of Jesus Christ applied on our behalf, overlooking our past failures on the condition that we change our attitude and conduct. This alignment with God does not abolish His law but upholds it, as sin remains a reality, and we are continually exhorted to avoid it.