Leviticus: Choose

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, February 06, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 19-21
Message: Leviticus: Choose

Hello My Friend,

There are a few topics as Christians that are very hard to address, and a lot of churches, pastors, and teachers steer clear from talking about them. As much as we want to avoid them, they must be addressed. Yes, we will be hated, get all sorts of threats, even from the government, but true Christians, those who read and follow the Bible (one has not been doctored to condone these issues) have to tell the truth without fear. Nothing I talk about from the Bible is a personal attack on anyone, it is just what God says and how He reveals His word to me. So, with that said, as God has been preparing me for this the past three days, I have to address homosexuality. We are living in a society where we are forced to accept homosexuality as something normal, what they were born with, even saying God created them that way. It is the amazing gift of God's free will that allows us to choose what we believe and follow, if you do not want to follow God, then do not, move on and do your thing, just as we choose God's ways. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15.

If we are going to follow God that means we are not to follow the world or any of their lifestyles. God gives us a choice, if we do not want to choose Him, so be it, He moves on to those who do, but if we choose Him, He expects us to live by His standards. Now, after all the laws were given concerning the sacrifices offered and their cleanliness, God begins to explain exactly what constitutes as sin. Now, to those who are taught to live morally these all seem to be redundant, but since we all get exposed to the world, and we do tend to have our own ideas on what is right and wrong, God found it necessary to tell us exactly what is right and wrong. First, He begins with actions, since He is holy, everything we do needs to be holy.

“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” - Leviticus 19:2,11-15,33,34.

“but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” Those who are living in sin are the first to cry out, “Don't judge me!”, but the truth is we are to judge them, not criticize or belittle them, to make known to them that what they are doing is wrong. If we who know the truth do not tell them we will suffer for it. Now, if we tell them and they reject the truth, it is now between God and them. We will all stand before Christ, even those who reject Him. Keep in mind that while we are now under the law of grace through Jesus Christ, all these things still constitute as sin to God. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” - Romans 6:12-14.

As we learned before, God hates all sin, but there are some that are just an abomination to Him, they are so bad that He will cut you off until you repent of them. Most sins that are abominable to God are related to the body, what we do with our own bodies. God stressed the importance of His people being holy with their bodies and lists the things that are actually cause for death.

“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you. For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” - Leviticus 20:7-13.

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:” There is a bunch of people calling themselves Christians who believe that God makes people gay, this is false. People choose to be gay. Yes, there are some men out there who have a more feminine characteristic, but that does not mean they are gay, if they are then they choose to be. And that goes for transgenders too, God does not make mistakes, if you were born a woman, that means you are a woman and are to only marry a man. With that said, God will forgive anyone who comes to Him for any sin. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12.

“All things are lawful unto me,” Each and every one of us chooses how we live, the laws we follow, the things we believe, it is all up to us to decide. With that said, we are not to force those who disagree with our views to think like we do. If we choose Christ, yes, we are to witness to the lost, but we cannot force them to believe what we do, likewise, if a person chooses to be gay we cannot be forced to believe what they do. If we choose Christ, the only way we can truly be blessed is to open our hearts to the word of God and live by it, that applies especially to those who are going to serve God. God has different standards for those who He calls to serve Him, including the priests, which He gives to Moses.

“They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy. No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.” - Leviticus 21:6-8,21-23.

“He shall eat the bread of his God,” While all who believe in and accept Christ as their Saviour are saved and they cannot lose their salvation, living is sin after we are saved does come with a price. We cannot expect the world to accept Christ if we are doing things that are questionable, especially preacher and teachers of His word. God will not tolerate a person representing Him that goes against His law, no matter who we are, we all face the consequences of breaking His law. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” - Romans 14:11-13.
Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for Your laws, while I do not always understand them, I do know that they have a purpose. You have already seen the result of what happens when others have done them first and you do not want me to suffer in my sin. Lord, I want to stand before You holy and acceptable, give me Your power to discern Your law, help me to understand, follow, and teach Your statues to all, and let me never be ashamed to tell the truth or live by it. As I obey Your commands, I know that You will be watching over me, walking with me, and helping me make decisions that are pleasing to You. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: The Scapegoat

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Friday, February 05, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 16-18
Message: Leviticus: The Scapegoat

Hello My Friend,

Perhaps the most exciting thing about being saved apart from being cast into hell when we die is the fact that we are set free from our sins. We are no longer held bondage to the stupid, messed up, or impulsive things we have done, past,, present, and even future. Jesus set us free the second we believed He is the only one capable of removing our sins. Praise God! Now, if we are still holding ourselves bondage to sin, it is not God who is doing it, it is us, and it is time to put the past or present sins behind us and be free. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” - Galatians 5:1.

Scapegoat, escape-goat, To flee from and avoid. I remember hearing this when I was younger, an innocent person was often used as a scapegoat or decoy to let a guilty person escape from getting caught themselves. I imagine that we have all done things and escaped the punishment we should have deserved if we got caught. I believe that even if we do escape the punishment, some way, some how we do pay for what we have done. Every year a special offering was to be made, this was the Day of Atonement. On this day the high priest could make an atonement for the entire congregation for their sins of the past year. In addition to the daily sin, trespass, and peace offerings there were the offerings of two goats, one as a sacrifice for God and the other to be the scapegoat, this goat would be released into the wilderness carrying all the sins of the congregation with it.

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.” - Leviticus 16:21-24,32-34.

“and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat,” When Jesus hung on the cross He not only became the sacrificial goat to atone for the sins of His congregation (believers), He became the scapegoat as well. All of our transgressions and sins were taken to that cross with Jesus, His death paid the price, we escape the punishment we deserve ourselves. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” - Colossians 2:14-14. Praise God!

While God chose the Israelites to the people He would show the rest of the world His power and sovereignty, He did not limit others from worshiping Him. He allowed anyone, Jew or stranger to come to Him for atonement. All of the cattle offered were to be presented at the door of the tabernacle, after the sacrifices were accepted, the flesh was to be returned to the offerer to be eaten as a peace offering. God gave strict warnings against offering these animals just anywhere, to any god, and the devil.
“To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.” - Leviticus 17:5-9.

“even that man shall be cut off from among his people.” There is only one door and sacrifice acceptable to God, Jesus Christ. No one can get to God without Christ, no amount of sacrifices, good deeds, or even praying can save us, we must know Christ personally as our Saviour to be accepted by God, otherwise we will be cut off from among His people. “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:” - Luke 13:24,25.

Today, we no longer need to travel miles to a particular place in order to make an atonement with God. And the sacrifices we now offer are spiritual, not confined to any one place, they exist and rest in one person, Jesus Christ. He is our Altar and Tabernacle, in which God dwells, and He is now among all who believe in Him. With that said, we still must present ourselves as children of God, not the devil. God stresses the importance of the Israelites or any stranger that chooses to dwell with them follow His commands.

“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” - Leviticus 18:3-5,21-24,30.

“that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs,” While all sin separates us from God, some are an abomination to Him, meaning they are detestable. Of all sins, the most detestable to Him are ones done with the flesh, sins of the flesh destroy the body, therefore, he will put us out from the congregation, meaning He'll take us home before He watches us continue to defile our bodies.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,15,18-20.

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for Your indwelling Spirit that replaces my sinful nature with a spiritual one. Lord, teach me Your ways, and let me not be hard hearted to receive them. As I walk in Your ways year after year, I become aware of sins that separate me from You. Help me to remove all sin that keeps me from receiving the blessings You have for me, and give m the strength to walk in Your Spirit at all times and not my flesh. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: Scars From Sin

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, February 04, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 13-15
Message: Leviticus: Scars From Sin

Hello My Friend,

Scar, A mark in the skin made by a wound and remaining after the wound is healed. Everyone has scars, perhaps from an accident or surgery, but they are always there to remind us of something that happened to us. Sometimes scars are not visible, they are deep within the soul, and some of them are reminders of stupid things we have done in the past, I know I have a few of those. Let me tell you, if you are a saved born again Christian, Jesus Christ has cleansed your from your past, the scars you carry should only be a reminder of the amazing life He has given you, what He has brought you out of, and what your future holds. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:5.

When I was in elementary school I contracted chicken pox, it was not long after that my little brother got it from me, I still have scars from the scratches. For a while you did not hear of people getting chicken pox, but it is on the rise again. How do infectious diseases start? From people not practicing cleanliness. All we have to do is get near someone who has it and we get it too, even if we are clean. As the Israelites traveled by thousands in the wilderness it was quite important that they practiced cleanliness, which is why God had to address these issues. We come to leprosy, a chronic infectious disease that affects and controls the entire body, it starts out as a small white spot on the skin then slowly eats through a persons flesh, it causes hair loss, nervous system failure, and even loss of limbs. If a person was found to even have signs of leprosy they had to go to the priest.

“And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.” - Leviticus 13:3,45,46,21,52.

“He shall therefore burn that garment,” Before we know Christ, we are unclean, diseased by the hidden and sometimes visible scars resulting from sin. There is only one cure for sin disease and that is Christ, the second we apply His blood to our souls, He cleanses us and washes every bit of sin from our lives. While we may never lose the scars of sin, they are a reminder that we are forgiven. Since we are forgiven, it would be wise to start washing and in some cases burning those plagued garments of sin left behind, you know those things you cannot quite get rid of. Did you know that if you confess a sin, it is already forgotten by God, but if you keep confessing it you call God a liar? We are forgiven by God, that means we are forgive ourselves as well. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” - Hebrews 6:4-6.

Living in sin is an illustration of leprosy, it starts out small and slowly eats at the flesh until it takes over the entire body, it is infectious, and causes others to be exposed to it, and catch it too. Leprosy struck terror in the camp for two reasons. First, the person who had it became an outcast from society, they were forced to leave their home, family, friends, and could not even bring sacrifices to God. When anyone went near them they had to cry out, Unclean! Unclean! The only way a person could have been cured from the disease was by God Himself, if God cured them were they able to be cleansed and reunite with society again. God gives the instructions on how a cured leper was to be cleansed.

“And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.” - Leviticus 14:10,14-18.

“and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear” Did you ever wonder why God always had blood applied to the right ear, right thumb, and right toe? The right ear signified that they were now cleansed to hear the word of God, before we get saved, God's word is not understood by us, but when we get saved the Holy Spirit helps us understand. The right thumb signified that they were no longer defiled and able to touch people again, before we are cleansed by Christ we are defiled with sin, but He cleanses us and makes us like new. And the right toe signified that they were cleansed and free to join in with society. When Christ cleans us, we may be saved, but we still need to wash our feet daily because it is a dirty world out there, “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” - John 13:10.

Besides leprosy, there were other issues that a person had to be cleansed from that could spread illness and disease. Men and women having body fluid issues also had to be separated from the population until their issues were done with. Everything they touched was considered unclean and if anyone touched them or anything they touched, they too would be unclean.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them. This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith; And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.” - Leviticus 15:2,11,19,31-33.

“that they die not in their uncleanness,” Think about the human body and all the fluids it dispenses every day. Now, think about hundreds of thousands of people doing the same thing. This is how diseases start and become epidemics. Every person who has accepted Christ as their Saviour is God's tabernacle, His dwelling place. That means, if we are living as sinful life God is exposed to it. Now, if we are living in sin with no signs of repenting God will turn His face from us and let us deal with it on our own, which can bring many scars, and in some cases death. Here is the thing, once we are saved, we are always saved, but there is a sin that brings death, and if a saved person living in sin continues to ignore the warnings it will bring death.

“All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” - 1 John 5:17-20.

Today's Prayer: God, It is indescribable the love You have for me, to offer Your Son to take the blame for my sins. He gave His life to save me, to cleanse me from all the filth of sin that diseased my body for years. Thank You Jesus, for such a sacrifice, while nothing I do can ever repay You for what You have done for me, I can do my best to live a clean life as I apply all of You to all of me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: To Be Sanctified And Holy

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 10-12
Message: Leviticus: To Be Sanctified And Holy

Hello My Friend,

Moral, an instinctive perception of what is right or wrong in human conduct, taught from others. I would like to say that most of us are born with the ability to live moral lives, but the truth is the majority of people have no idea what it means to be moral because they are who they get around. For instance, I knew a girl that was guy crazy, she did anything to get a guys attention. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with guys, and did everything I could to avoid getting their attention. What was the difference? I had a mother that taught me how to respect my body, more important, when I saw teenage girls being told by their mothers to have babies to go in welfare, I wanted nothing to do with that. Human nature teaches us to do things that please the flesh, free will gives us the ability to choose whether or not we live to please the flesh, Jesus Christ sanctifies us, makes us holy, and teaches us to live a moral life. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” - Galatians 5:16.

Sanctified, to cleanse, purify or make holy. Since Christ sanctifies the soul of the believer it would be wise to make sure we sanctify everything we do in the flesh. When God gave the law to the Jews, it was not to keep them from living life either, it was to keep them from getting caught up in a world that would destroy them spiritually, mentally, and physically. He gave the law for a purpose, and everyone was to follow it, no matter who they were. No sooner than everything got set up, and the priests were consecrated to able to receive the sacrifices, two of Aaron's sons did the unthinkable and died instantly. Moses tries to keep anything else from happening by telling Aaron and two his remaining sons to calm down, and keep the law as required.

“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.” - Leviticus 10:1-3,8-11.

“ I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me,” You know, when a person accepts the Lord, Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they are not only saved from hell, they are sanctified, cleansed of their sins. That means the Spirit of God dwells in them, they are to worship God according to His Word, not play around with strange fire or other religions. Do you know how many religions claim to know God? They pray, chant, and meditate to something they call a god, but they are not worshiping the Almighty. Do not mistake rituals for law, there is only one law, Jesus. All these things that the Jews did in relation to the tabernacle were a foreshadow of Christ. “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” - Galatians 3:19-22.

Holy, properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Since the soul of the believer is holy, it would be wise that the body of the saved soul be holy as well. God finds it necessary to give a law concerning how a body was to be holy. God gave specific instructions on what food they were allowed to eat or even touch. Every creature of God is good and made for a purpose, all the way down to fly, but God did not want His people defile their bodies with animals he considered unclean, and some even an abomination to be consumed.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” - Leviticus 11:2-4,43-45.

“to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy,” The reason the Jews were to follow this law was to set them apart from the rest of the world. Many of these animals were made gods, objects of superstition, worship, or idolatry, which was all an abomination to God. Theses laws were primarily for sanitary reasons and necessary to keep diseases from infecting the entire congregation. While we are no longer subject to clean and unclean animals, the same concept still applies as Christians today. God has chosen to be our God through our acceptance of Christ, therefore, we are to be holy. Which means, we are not consume or touch anything that would defile our body, some of these things would be alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.

From uncleanliness contracted by the touching or eating certain animals, to uncleanliness of the body itself, God comes to the law in which they must take care of their body. Since we are all born in the womb of a woman filled with water and blood, God starts with the cleansing or purification of a woman who has had a child. “And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” - Leviticus 12:6-8.

“and the priest shall make an atonement for her,” This goes all the way back to Eve, when she was tempted and sinned first. God put an enmity between her seed and His, meaning we are all born (except for Jesus) into sin and need to be sanctified. When Christ came through the natural birth of a virgin woman, remained sinless, died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected three days later, that enmity was removed, and an atonement was made for all who believe. Jesus Christ, our high priest, shed His blood so that we could be sanctified and holy before God, even in our sinful flesh. If we believe in Christ and accept Him as our Saviour, He has made the atonement for our soul, therefore, it is sanctified and holy. What does that mean? Our soul will never be unclean in the eyes of God because He looks at us through His Son, who is in us. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” - 1 John 4:15-17.

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to walk on this earth and show us the way to You. It is only through Him that we have forgiveness and hope of eternal life when we confess we are sinners and ask Him to save us from our sin. Now, as one of Your children, show me how You want me to live, teach me to be obedient to all of Your commands, keep me from exposing myself to sin, help me to remain separated from the world and use me to make a difference as you day by day sanctify me from all that defiles my soul, body, and spirit, and makes me holy for You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: Consecrated For Serving God

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 7-9
Message: Leviticus: Consecrated For Serving God

Hello My Friend,

There are many things we can do to serve God, and it does not have to be in a church, but it is God who choses us where He wants us to serve Him. In or out of church, we still represent Him, so wherever we go, we need to be serving Him as though we are being watch by everyone in the church. And by the way, we are being watched. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” - John 15:16.

In continuation of God explaining the sacrifices and how the priests were to perform them, God gives more detail into the peace offering. Peace offerings were offered for one of three reasons, to give thanks for some special mercy received, to perform a vow made in distress, or to ask for special mercy. Unlike sin offerings, peace offerings could be consumed by the priests.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.” - Leviticus 7:29-33.

“His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire,” Even though we can be of service to God we too can mess up, we are not perfect nor will we ever be until we get to heaven. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God. So, when we mess up, what happens? We make it right with God, we reconcile our relationship by willingly giving a peace offering.

Consecrate, to make one sacred, to set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service and worship of God. We must understand that if Christ chooses us, we are consecrated, set apart and dedicated to the service and worship of God. Before the priest or high priest was able to serve God and accept the sacrifices of the people, they had to be consecrated. Moses gathers the entire congregation together to watch him as he consecrated Aaron and his sons.

“And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done. And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.” - Leviticus 8:5,24,31-34.

“so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.” God has one command and one command only for those who are going to serve Him, make an atonement for your sins. Today, our atonement comes from Jesus Christ alone, He is our blood sacrifice needed to be consecrated and ready to serve God. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” - Romans 5:10,11.

As Christians, we can rejoice in the fact that we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, His precious blood redeems, reconciles, and restores our soul not only from hell, but being separated from God too. We can thank Him for His endless mercy for keeping the promises He made to us, no matter how many times we mess up. When Aaron formed that golden calf God could have killed him instantly as he not only gave the people an idol to worship, he made it, yet, God in all His mercy still used him to become the first high priest to the children of Israel. After the seven days of their consecration were ended, Aaron and his sons were now able to minister to God in the tabernacle and fulfill their duties.

“And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you. And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” - Leviticus 9:1-4,22-24.

“And there came a fire out from before the LORD,” The glory of the Lord, the fire that came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifices, it was so powerful that the people fell on their knees in fear. There is no greater way to redeem someone than fear, many of us get saved and have no desire to serve God until we see the glory of the Lord. As powerful as God is, He has no power to force us to choose Him. And regardless of whether or not we choose Him, every knee will bow and will have to give an account for the things we have done. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” - Romans 14:11,12.

Today's Prayer: God, I thank You for Your mercy and grace, it truly does not end for those who love You. I know that You have chosen me to serve You, why I will never know, but I do know that You want me to come to You willingly. Lord, lead me and guide me, keep me looking to You so I do not get swayed by outside influences just eager to get me away from You. I know that You could easily cast me away for disobeying You over and over and over again, but Your promise to never leave nor forsake us still stands for all who put their faith and trust in Your Son. Give me Your power, wisdom, to endure temptation, help me to serve You with love, mercy, grace, and compassion on for all. Give me the strength to get through every day with godly fear, and let me glorify You in all that I do. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: Ignorant And Deliberate Sin

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, February 01, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 4-6
Message: Leviticus: Ignorant And Deliberate Sin

Hello My Friend,

I did not grow up in the church or Bible, so, like many people who get saved at an early age, I went about my life doing what I thought was right in my own eyes, ignorant to a lot of things concerning God. My mom did what she could to raise me by herself along with my two brothers, and she did a good job, but she grew up Catholic, so she taught us the way she was taught. It was not until I reassured my salvation and professed my faith in Christ that I began to grow and learn just how ignorant I was to the truths of God. There are so many things I did I wish I knew were wrong, it would have saved me a lot of mental and physical problems, but praise God for His mercy and grace, he knew if I only knew the truth it would set me free from my ignorance. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:31,32.

Ignorance, Absence or destitution of knowledge. We all know things, but the things we know are what we have been taught by others or learned by experience. Ignorance to something does not change the fact that it exists or there are not rules to follow to avoid getting hurt. For instance, not knowing that a red light means stop does not mean we can drive through it and avoid getting hurt by oncoming traffic. Many people know of God and even want to go to heaven, but a huge majority of them are ignorant to the fact that sin of any kind comes with the same punishment, death and hell. Not knowing this does not change the fact that you need to be atoned for your sins to get to heaven. God gave instructions on how a soul would be redeemed through ignorance, starting with the priests.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation. And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.” - Leviticus 4:2,3,13,14,20,21.

“If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people;” Preachers, teachers, ministers, those who are faithful to God are not perfect, but are guilty of sin just like the rest of us, many times ignorant to the word of God themselves. So many people avoid going to church and even reject God because they discovered a man of God had gotten caught in sin. This is not someone putting their trust in God, but man. None of us are without sin, yes, we who walk with Christ and serve God ought to be following God's commandments, but we all mess up, we all do some stupid things, even out of ignorance, therefore. stop condemning the church or God because it could happen to you as well. Instead of putting your complete trust in a man or woman, trust Jesus Christ, who is the only priest who we can come to for redemption who never sinned. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:14-16.

Mercy, to treat an offender better than he deserves. Any of these laws broken could have meant that the offender would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but God had mercy, and still has mercy on those who sin through ignorance or deliberately. While God allowed a sacrifice daily for the congregation for their ignorance, there was another offering required individually, we remember this to be the trespass offering, Trespass offerings were offerings given for specific sins, something that they knowingly knew they did, but this time God addresses those who witness others who have sinned.
“And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.” - Leviticus 5:1,2,6,7,11.

“if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” We are not guiltless if we see someone who is ignorant to their sin and allows them to keep doing it. If we mention it to them and they continue to do it then we are not responsible. This past year I witnessed the mother of a baby I use to watch doing something wrong, the Holy Spirit led me to explain to her the truth and to witness to her, but I did not witness to her. Now, every time I think of her I am reminded that I should have told her about Jesus and pray to God that I get the opportunity to speak to her before it is too late. My sin was not in what I explained to her, it was what I did not. If we know the truth and keep it from those who are ignorant to it, than we bear the iniquity of their ignorance until we show them the truth. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” - Romans 14:12,13.

Admittance and confession of sin is the only way not only get right with God, but ourselves and others as well. If we are living in sin, whether ignorantly or knowingly, everyone around us is affected. Until we come clean, it only gets worse. Now, God addresses those who sin and lie about it.

“If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.” - Leviticus 6:2-7.

“and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done” God is a just God, meaning He cannot let us sin and not face the consequences for doing so. He is also a merciful God, meaning He does not give us what we really deserve if we confess our sins. God is so merciful that He forgives us for any sin. The three trespass sins mentioned, lying, swearing, and stealing, are still sins against God today, yet they are the most common that people do ignorantly every day. There is no difference between sin committed ignorantly or deliberately, it is all sin and carries the same consequence. However, deliberate sin carries a much heavier weight, if we think we have not sinned and we are facing iniquities of our own, it would be wise to go before God and ask Him to reveal any hidden sin that might be causing it. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” - Psalm 139:23,24.

Today's Prayer: God, I know that I am a sinner saved by grace because I am simply believing in and trusting Your Son, Jesus Christ who saved me from my sins and the punishment of them, hell and the lake of fire. As a child of God I know there are sacrifices You ask of me, most especially to follow You and obey You no matter the cost. I can’t do this in my own strength, but I know I can do them in Yours. Circumstances will test me, but I know I can overcome them with You. I am determined to remain faithful to You so that my faith will grow and my walk will You will be strengthened. I will not be ashamed, but rather glory in the amazing transformation You are making in me as I learn Your law and obey Your truths right away. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, Amen

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Leviticus: Voluntarily Giving To God

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2016
Chapters: Leviticus 1-3
Message: Leviticus: Voluntarily Giving To God

Hello My Friend,

The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twenty-seven chapters, the timeline for these events is approximately 1490 B.C. The author of the book is Moses and it was written to Israel. This book was a manual of worship for Israel, it was provided to give them instructions on how a sinner could have fellowship with God. The purpose of the book was to show Israel how to live as a holy nation in fellowship with God and to extend God's plan of redemption to all nations. What we are to learn from the book is that God only accepts the offerings of those who come to Him voluntary. “If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” - Leviticus 1:3.
Leviticus, Belonging to the Levites, or descendants of Levi; it is the Levitical law given by God through Moses concerning the duties and rights of the priest and Levites who God appointed to serve Him in His ministry. Now that the tabernacle was setup and ready for the people to be able to fellowship with God the time had come for them to learn how they would be able to do that. Since it was sin that separated man from God, it was extremely important that they present themselves to Him redeemed or atoned of their sins. There were several offerings required for a person to be able to fellowship with God. The first, and most important was the sin offering, also known as the burnt offering, this would be for their atonement, the forgiveness of their sins.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.” - Leviticus 1:2-7,17.
“And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD:” I can tell you that I am not a hunter or butcher, so the thought of killing an animal and cutting it up horrifies me. I can only imagine how I would be if I had to see this on a regular basis. But this was no ordinary kill for food, this was a sacrifice made for a sinner to reconcile with God, it was offered in place of the person. This had to be a voluntary offering, not of obligation, not by force, the person really had to understand what this sacrifice meant. It was not the animal itself that saved them, it was the sinner who loved Him and could not bare to live without Him. Today, we no longer need to bring an atonement sacrifice to God every time we want to reconcile with Him, we just need one, Jesus Christ. Praise God!

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - Hebrews 10:1-5,10.

Oblation, Anything offered or presented in worship to God, an offering, a sacrifice. Did you know that God wants more from us than to just seek atonement for our sins? He wants us to offering everything we have to Him. The second offering was the oblation or meat offering, it would have been in the form of vegetables or grains (flour).

“And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.” - Leviticus 2:1-3,12-14.

“with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.” Did you ever take that first bite of meat or vegetables that looked so good, but was not seasoned? You immediately wanted to grab the salt shaker. You know, even desserts need salt to enhance the flavor. God wants us salty as well, and if we have Christ in us, we are salty, flavored perfectly for Him to savor. Even as Christians we can loose our savor, which is why we need to come to God on a regular basis, He does not want everything we have, just the first part of it, our money, our time, our gifts? Are we willing to give them to God? Remember, God wants us to give to Him voluntarily, not out of obligation or force. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” - Matthew 5:13.

Peace, Harmony; concord; a state of reconciliation between parties at variance. The third offering was known as the peace offering, this was another oblation offering, but this time animal, it was offered to make peace with God over things they just could not avoided. For instance, a woman who gave birth, she would bring a peace offering for the blood that she shed after giving birth. “And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.” - Leviticus 3:6-9,17.

“that ye eat neither fat nor blood.” Do you know why fat and blood were off limits to the Jews? The fat, was the richest part of the animal, it belonged to God. The blood, which was the life of the animal, also belonged to God. God would not permit the blood or fat that made atonement for sin to be consumed. We should never treat the sacrifice of our Saviour Jesus Christ as common, it was a great sacrifice, one in which we should be forever grateful. If Christ did not die for us, we would still be offering animals to God, even worse, we would be the one hung on a tree for our sin. Jesus did not take it lightly when He died for us, we cannot take it lightly either, He is our salvation from eternal death and hell. “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:8-10,23.

Today's Prayer: God, In a world full of wickedness and corruption it is nice to know that we have a better option, You. You sent Your Son to give us a way to not only fellowship with You, but be with You for eternity. Our sins are what cause us to lose our savor to You. I will never forget what You have done for me, but I know I get weighed down with life that I lose my savor. Lord, I give myself to You as a living sacrifice, all that I have is Yours, do what You will with it, and pour off Your salt on me. I want to be salty, I want to salt everyone that passes me by with Your Son, and be pleasing to You. Show me what to do, keep me looking to You, and help me keep You first about all things. In ask these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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