Strive To Be Holy

Leviticus 21:21 - 23 - No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.  He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;  only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’”

In Moses day…the priest who came into the Holy of Holies had to be without blemish…just like the sacrifices he offered on God’s altar.  His body was considered holy…sanctified...anointed before God to do his work. The one chosen to minister behind the veil was the most blameless…perfect man they had to offer.  They knew they had chosen well…because the priest sent in returned alive.

This is one statute of God that changed when God tore the veil that protected his holy place.  He opened up a way when Jesus paid for all sin for anyone to approach him and be his child.  God can take the most deformed….imperfect man…and give him the hope of eternal life. God takes our imperfect bodies and lives and breathes his life and love into them….making us all priests able to share the faith …power ….and love of Jesus Christ…who became our high priest when he died for our sins.

I needed the reminder that God wants me to strive to be holy.  I can still profane his name… when I fail to be obedient to his will.  I need to remember to follow the advice found in 1 Peter 1:13-16 …which says… “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Father...thank you for the reminder to strive to be holy before you. Forgive me for the many times I fail you…and let the former lusts of my life take root for a time.  Help me to do daily weeding and pruning of all that you have taught me…so that I can keep these lusts under control with your power and love.  Amen.

God Hates Sin...But Loves The Sinner

Leviticus 20:22-24 -  ‘You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.  And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.  But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

God repeated many of the statutes he had already given Moses….but this time he added the penalties for breaking any of them.  The repeated list of ‘do nots’ included correct treatment of our parents…sacrificing of our children to another god… and the many sexual practices that were routine in other nations.  God was clear…honoring our parents…revering the gift of a child….and keeping the marriage bed pure…were of the utmost importance on our lives.

The reason they were so important is listed right here as well.  God calls his people to be separate from the rest of the world.  In obeying his statutes…we place his name on our actions…and take one more step toward total faith in his power over sin in our lives.  God hates sin… but loves the sinner so much that he wants to strip sin of its power to control any part of our heart.

I admit that it is very hard to find the fine line between hating the sin…and loving the sinner.  After all…we are all sinners….saved only by the grace and blood of Jesus Christ. The key is in the way Jesus himself modeled for us how to love all people.  His whole life was driven by the mission his father had sent him to do.  He healed the sick…and loved on anyone that came to him for help. He turned no one away.

When Jesus returned to his father…he gave the task of loving on sinners to those who believe in and accept his love. If our focus is still on the world and what it has to offer…then we might miss someone that needs to be told about God’ love.  We must become more like Jesus…focused on God…and how he wants us to tell others about him. As the old hymn …Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus says…’then the things of this world grow strangely dim…in the light of his glory and love’….

Father…thank you for the reminder that you love me more that the sin that manages to creep into my life. Forgive me for the times that I allow that sin to focus me more on the world around me instead of the task that you sent me here to do. Help me to turn my eyes completely on you…so that you can empower me to do all that you sent me here for. Amen.

Value Others...Share All That God Has Given

Leviticus 19:9-10 -  ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

God continued to speak to Moses…much of this chapter a recap of all he has already told him. But squeezed between reminders to treat our parents with honor and respect…keep the Sabbath day holy…treat others as we would ourselves… and be fair in all our dealings with people…is a statute that tells one way we can provide for the poor.  They were to always leave the corners of their fields ungleaned…. and always leave a few grapes on the vines when harvesting the wine crops.

It is just another reminder to me that I do not own anything that God has allowed me to have in my possession. Everything I have is his … and his directive to treat others as I would myself means I am to share all of it with anyone who might need it.  God has blessed me with much more than I need… and if I listen to his still small voice close enough…he tells me ways to share much of it with others.

Be sure that God gave us more than material possessions to share.  He gave us time... love…skills …and talents.  They all belong to God…and he has many ways for us to use them for his glory.  We should always be ready to passionately share these intangible things with others that need it. Using our time to prepare a meal for someone who is sick…mowing the lawn of someone that isn’t able to mow it themselves….or just sharing a hug with someone that might be lonely spreads God’s love just as much …if not more….than a tangible offering or gift.

Father…thank you for the reminder that everything you allow me to possess on this earth still belongs to you.  Forgive me for the times that I get going too fast …or allow the noise around me to keep me from hearing how you want me to share it with others. Help me to shed the last shred of my selfish desires …and truly embrace Philippians 2:3 which says… “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves..” Amen.

The Strongest Weapon Against Defilement

Leviticus 18:24-26 -  ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.  For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants.  You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you.

God gave Moses a warning about following any of the routines and customs of where they came from…Egypt….and where they were going to…Canaan. The peoples in these lands worshiped many gods… and participated in many customs that God considered abominations.  Being intimate with a relative…sacrificing your children … intimate relationships with the same sex…. and bestiality…were just a few that he described in detail.

When you read the list…and compare it to the daily news…it is clear that our nation has become just as defiled as the nations the children of Israel were warned about. I shudder to think of the judgment that God must be planning for those who have not kept these statutes as he said…for all eternity. I also struggle daily with how to best love on these people so they can know the truth…so it can set them free. I know in my heart that continuing to love on all people…no matter what they believe or practice…is the best way to show them the truth of God’s love.

I Corinthians 13:4-6 says … Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  If I ponder the fullest meaning of these verses…. I can’t help but believe that the love Jesus showed mankind when he sacrificed himself…will eventually cleanse even the most defiled of nations. And I must do my part to love on everyone that he allows me to come into contact with….no matter what. 

Father…thank you for the reminder that your love is the strongest weapon I have against any form of evil.  Forgive me for the unbelief I have shown at times… that has kept me from showing the love you gave me to others. Help me to understand and apply the love you have shown to me to all that I come into contact with….so they will see you in everything I do and say. Amen. 

Sell Out To God...Make the Best Use Of The Blood Jesus Shed For Us

Leviticus 17:11 -  For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ 

God gave Moses specific laws for man to follow when any animal was killed. If possible the blood of the animal was to be brought to the door of the tabernacle and sprinkled around the altar. If outside of camp …and too far away…they would need to drain all the blood and cover the blood they drained with dust. They were never to eat blood…and if they ate any animal flesh that died naturally or was killed by a beast…they must wash their clothes and bathe and be unclean till evening.

Blood is the life giving force of our existence.  We simply cannot live without it pumping through our body. It carries needed things to all our cells and gets rid of the toxins that build up in many bodily processes. For these children of God…it made atonement for the sin in their life.  It could have no other meaning or purpose…it was holy.

Jesus fulfilled this law for all eternity many years ago. There are many scriptures that tell the complete story…but I like the way Ephesians sums it up in chapter 1…verse 7.  It says….  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence…”Jesus shed his blood to be the last sacrifice ever needed again to atone for sin.

Perhaps because this is Easter weekend…my mind has been reflecting more often about the cost for Jesus of this priceless gift to me….and everyone else that believes. This would have been the day after his crucifixion…. sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven….along with that criminal that accepted him on the cross next to him…hearing the proud words of his father for completing his purpose in life.

Jesus was sold out to his father…completely. He let his father’s spirit rule his every thought and action.  He became the most humble of men …so he could become the most righteous of all men. It is a great reminder to me that I need to be more like him…ready to be sold out to God instead of swayed so much by the worldly things around me.

Father…thank you for the reminder of your great love for me.  Thank you for shedding your precious blood…and using your father’s strength and vison to make a way for me to join you someday in Heaven.  Forgive me for the many times I let life distract me form the purpose you sent me here for.  Help me to be more focused and sold out to only you…so I can help you spread the story of how only you can save us from an eternity of death.  Amen.

Interrupted Routines...God is Still There

Leviticus 16:8-10 - Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.   And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.

God reminded Moses that the Holy Place was a very special place.  It was shielded from the rest of the tabernacle by a veil that stretched from floor to ceiling. Only the priest could go in at special times to offer fire before the Lord….any other time is was not allowed and would bring sudden death…just as the two sons of Aaron found out.

One of these special times was the yearly sacrifices of atonement for the people of Israel.  Two goats were brought to the tabernacle… one was offered up as a sacrifice to God… but the other…by casting of lots…was set loose as a scapegoat. Someone was chosen each year to take the goat out of the camp and set it loose in the wilderness.

It been one of those special days when by my own disorganization skills I did not allow enough time to visit with God this morning and write.  Perhaps it was God’s plan all along to make sure I wrote at night for this scripture. I was busy most of the day…helping my mom and dad with a trip to the doctors… and visiting with family from out of town.  I managed to deliver some goodies to our local hospital as a mission effort for my Sunday School class….and even had time to shop a bit for some things to make another project for a retreat coming up.

As darkness is upon me…the clouds covering the light from the moon…I am reminded that it is the anniversary of the Friday when Jesus would have struggled to walk the long road to Golgotha.  His day was busy too. Waking to beatings and mocking …faltering from the weight of that heavy cross…enduring the horrid pain of those nails in his hands and feet…and dying so that he could become the scapegoat for all to be given life for eternity.  His walk toward that role of scapegoat was not assigned by lot…but requested of him by his father. His wilderness was to experience the disconnect with God just long enough to make atonement for all of our sins…and allow God the pleasure of tearing that veil from top to bottom …giving all of access to God 24/7.

The difference in his day and mine…I am sure that he did not stop visiting with his father every minute of the day.  I got a lesson from my mom ..as she whispered several times a verbal request for travel mercies… and a thank you for good reports from the doctor to God. A tear filled prayer of thanks as most of our family gathered around the dinner table …so grateful to be enjoying it with the company of dad…at home….and gaining strength every day.

Perhaps the lesson is that shouldn’t beat myself up if my routine is interrupted.  Even days when our normal way of visiting with God is changed…he finds other ways to connect with us and remind us that he is here.  I am thankful that I can connect with him…anytime I want too…and I know that God will use every opportunity to connect with me if I forget to do it first.

Father...thank you for the reminder that you allowed your son to be the last scapegoat ever needed to atone for sin. Forgive me for the times that I let life and busy schedules put my thoughts of you on pause.  Help me to be so in tune with you…that even in my craziness I see and hear the whispers you send to remind me that you are still here.  Amen.

Sin Makes Us Unclean...Christ's Blood Washes Us Clean

Leviticus 15:31 -   ‘Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle that is among them.

God gave Moses even more rules for dealing with the discharges that would make the children of Israel unclean….and cause death if they did not cleanse themselves before entering the tabernacle of God. Men and women alike who had discharges…especially those that contained blood or semen…were unclean and had to follow the set rules for cleansing themselves before God. And anyone who touched them or touched anything they had touched while they were unclean were also unclean. They had to wash their clothes...bathe themselves…and wait for evening to join the others.

How blessed I feel that Christ fulfilled these rules that must have burdened so many during the Old Testament times. No wonder the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years sought out Jesus for healing.  She risked breaking all these rules…so she could get close enough to Jesus…her faith so strong that she knew he alone could cleanse her in a way none of the old rules could ever have done.

Sin rears itself constantly in our lives…. and only Christ…who sacrificed his own blood to atone for all sin can use its power to wash us clean of it. If I fail to repent of the sin that creeps into my heart…then I risk the same death these unclean Israelites did. It may not be immediate…or happen when I enter whatever church I worship in…but it will bring eternal death when my earthly body dies.

Father…thank you for the reminder that sin makes me unclean…and separates me from your love.  Forgive me for the times that I fail you…and let sin remain in my heart and make me unclean. Help me to see the need to repent of all sin… so your love can cleanse me each morning to a new start.  Make my faith as strong as that woman who was unclean for 12 hears…. not afraid to risk seeking you out no matter what the cost. Amen.