247th Week Leviticus Intro - Chapter 4 (Click on Title for Video Introducction)

Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday, Leviticus Intro

Leviticus Intro

Tanya Ruden

THOUGHT

I am going to just do a short little introduction to the book of Leviticus including a couple of fun facts.  The word holiness is used the most in this book of the Bible than any other. What a great reminder this is to us.  Sometimes this is a quality of God we may overlook.  We think more of His power and knowledge, but it is good to remember his ultimate holiness. Also this book is about worship. Moses and his gang hung out under Mt. Sinai for two years, and this book is about their stay there, their worship in the tent, sacrifices and other experiences. Something I read mentioned that this book also has celebrations in it, feasts they had and fun worship experiences which I am excited about finding out more. Worship can be a celebration.  It is not something I often associate with the Old Testament, but it will be fun to get that perspective.

PRAYER

Jesus, I pray that You will open our hearts to study a book of the Bible that may be often overlooked. Please make the messages You deem to be made known to us clear, and may we take them to heart and apply them to our lives, even though the experiences are very old. We pray for a day of celebration and worship in all we do. AMEN

Tuesday, Leviticus Chapter 1

Leviticus 1

Verse 15

Tanya Ruden

Verse 15:  The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

THOUGHT

0k, so this wasn’t exactly my favorite verse of the chapter, but it was the verse that I felt called to talk about.  Honestly, this verse made me sick to my stomach.  I can’t imagine doing this to a bird — or any animal for that matter, but I think it is a vivid reminder of how terrible our sins are and how we can make them “right” with God. This is obviously before Jesus died on the cross, and it was the only means in which people were able to “get forgiveness”. 

Just think about that for a minute, can you imagine if each week, as part of your church service, you had to watch a bird be killed (sacrificed) because of your sin that week — an innocent bird, because you cursed, thought a bad thought, lost your patience with your family or coveted another person’s property?  None of these sins are very big (no murder or adultery) and yet a bird, who in no way aided you in these activities, paid the price for your sin so you could be forgiven. This kind of makes me think really hard about Jesus’ sacrifice for me, humbles me and makes me rejoice in Him in thanksgiving for His sacrifice.  WOW!

PRAYER

Jesus, what You did cannot really be expressed in words.  It humbles me beyond words. Thank You! Praise God for Your sacrifice for my sins, so I can feel forgiveness, give forgiveness and try really hard to no longer sin. Please be with me and help me to make good choices and not sin, but since we know we are not perfect, thank you for your forgiveness that holds no grudges and no further actions. May we be a living example of Your love to those we meet. WOW, what a love.  Again, Thank You! AMEN

Wednesday, Leviticus Chapter 2

Leviticus 2

Verse 13

Mindy Strayer

Verse 13:  Season all your grain offerings with salt.

THOUGHT

The purpose of the grain offering was to show honor and respect to God in worship, acknowledging that all we have belongs to God. Everything we do, we are able to do because He enables us. Our lives are what we have to offer up to the Lord. Our lives surrendered to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and us living in obedience to Him and to His calling, that is our worship unto the Lord. Our lives redeemed by the blood of the

Lamb, so that we might bring glory, honor and praise to His name.

The offering of our lives to the Lord must be salty. Our life offering contains salt when we remember God’s faithfulness to us.  We can flavor the world with the Life of Christ in us by speaking to others the love and message of Jesus.

As we enter this new week let us fix our eyes and hearts on Jesus and shake the salt that the Lord has commissioned us to spread over the world in which we live.

PRAYER

Father God, I pray that You send us all opportunities in which we can season the world with the Gospel of Christ.  Help each of us to live up to our name, THE SALT SHAKERS.  AMEN

Thursday, Leviticus Chapter 3

Leviticus 3

Mindy Strayer

February 3, 2009

THOUGHT “The Peace Offering”

In the Old Testament times the purpose of the peace offering was to express gratitude to God, and it symbolized peace and fellowship with God. In the New Testament Paul writes, “Christ Himself is our peace.” (Ephesians 2:14), because “we who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).  Jesus made the way for us to have peace and fellowship with God. He also made the way for us to have peace and fellowship with each other. For it is written in Ephesians 2:14—16, that He made the two one and destroyed the barrier,  the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

There is a song that starts out by saying, “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” That is all I can remember of it but it so goes along with this message of peace. Christ in me is peace. I have peace if Christ lives in me. Even if I am in conflict with another 

person who is not a Christian, I can have peace because Jesus gave it to me. Believers have to be the peacekeepers and peace givers on earth,  because we are the ones who have been given the peaceful oneness with God and oneness with each other. When situations arise in our lives that threaten to steal our peace, we must declare the Word of God, “Christ is

my peace!”

PRAYER

Lord, how thankful we are to have a Savior! Thank You, Jesus, for making it possible for us to have peace and fellowship with God. Help us to be a peace giver this week so that Your name would be glorified and Your kingdom advanced. We ask this in Your Precious Name. AMEN

Friday, Leviticus Chapter 4

Leviticus 4

The Sin Offering

Mindy Strayer

The Sin Offering

THOUGHT

Being guilty for unintentional sin made me think about how holy God is and how much more I have to learn about Him. How do we come to know that we have sinned? We come to know about our sin as we get to know our God more intimately. He will become larger to us, and we will become smaller (in the context of seeing ourselves next to Him).  The depth of His holiness will be shown more and more. 

As we get closer to the Lord, and as we mature in our faith throughout the years, sin, both intentional and unintentional, will become less and less. For the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever—increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  And let us not forget the One who takes away our sin, Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:5-6 says, “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or knows him.”

Who are we next to a Holy God, the Holy of Holies, the Most High God?  Just think that each of us right now needs to give thanks to Jesus for taking away ALL our sins. 

PRAYER:

Thank You for loving us so much Jesus.  Each and every one of us love You.  AMEN