"I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid" (Leviticus 26:6).
I’ve been thinking today about the stress in my life. At first glance it wouldn’t seem like my life isn’t all that bad. I spend my days taking care of the house, running errands, and freelance writing. As much as I think I’m relaxed, I allow myself to be stressed by my lists and deadlines and relationships. I stay busy every day, hardly ever stopping to relax. All the time I have a reminder of the stress in my frequent tension headaches. Doctors can’t help them, medicine can’t help them… it seems as if they’re without a cure. Yesterday at church I asked for prayer about my tension headaches. As my pastor was praying for me, he encouraged me to find peace in my daily life, with the hope that this would relieve the tension in my neck.
Peace. A word I honestly don’t know the meaning of. And so I began a search to see what God’s word has to say on this topic. In my search, I came up with 247 times that a form of the word peace was used in the New International Version of the Bible. This is what I found:
Our God is a God that promises peace for those who love him, as Leviticus 26:6 tells us. He desires for us to live peaceful lives. It’s a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22), a desired state of the heart: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace” (Colossians 3:15), something we should seek: “He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it” (1Peter 3:11) and a way to guard our hearts from the evil one: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
I pray that each of you would have a renewed sense of peacefulness in your life today. It certainly is a wonderful thing to let go of the stresses of the world and to grasp onto the peace of God.
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Leviticus 15, 16; Mark 8:22-38
Leviticus 15 was rather tough to read. Some of the examples were graphic. I have to admit I skimmed through the verses pretty fast, moving on to Leviticus 16, and hoping for something better. I wasn’t disappointed. Today’s reading in Leviticus 16 gave us the beautiful image of the Day of Atonement. The Hebrew translation of the word atonement is kaphar, which means: “to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation.”*
Once a year the Israelites had a day in which they celebrated the fact that their sins were forgiven. On this day a goat was taken, called the scapegoat. This goat was symbolically released into the wilderness, serving as a symbol for the people. This goat didn’t deserve the penalty placed on him. But I believe through him, God was showing the people that sins never go unpunished. Someone or something had to pay the price.
Until Jesus came into the world, that price was meant over and over by animals. God knew that these animals would never be enough to forgive his people of their sins, once and for all. Instead, he gave his own son up as the ultimate scapegoat. Jesus, like the goat, was undeserving. His life was unblemished and pure. Yet, he gave up everything for you and for me. That day in which he died on the cross was our “Day of Atonement.” On that day he covered all of our sins so that we could be reconciled with our perfect God.
I’m so thankful for the price Jesus paid for you and for me.
I’m so thankful that he was the scapegoat so that I could fellowship with my God.
What about you?
*Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for kaphar (Strong's 3722)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 15 Oct 2009. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
Strongs=H3722&t=NASB >
Once a year the Israelites had a day in which they celebrated the fact that their sins were forgiven. On this day a goat was taken, called the scapegoat. This goat was symbolically released into the wilderness, serving as a symbol for the people. This goat didn’t deserve the penalty placed on him. But I believe through him, God was showing the people that sins never go unpunished. Someone or something had to pay the price.
Until Jesus came into the world, that price was meant over and over by animals. God knew that these animals would never be enough to forgive his people of their sins, once and for all. Instead, he gave his own son up as the ultimate scapegoat. Jesus, like the goat, was undeserving. His life was unblemished and pure. Yet, he gave up everything for you and for me. That day in which he died on the cross was our “Day of Atonement.” On that day he covered all of our sins so that we could be reconciled with our perfect God.
I’m so thankful for the price Jesus paid for you and for me.
I’m so thankful that he was the scapegoat so that I could fellowship with my God.
What about you?
*Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for kaphar (Strong's 3722)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 15 Oct 2009. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
Strongs=H3722&t=NASB >
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Leviticus 14; Mark 8:1-21
Leviticus has always been one of those books I avoided. It was full of rules and regulations that seemed boring and unrelated to my present day circumstances. Yet they are there, so what do I do with them? How do I read this book of the Bible and still get something out of it. Why would God even give all of these rules to the Israelites?
1) God should be reverenced and feared. He wanted the Israelite people to give him the honor and respect due him, thus he laid down specific laws on how men should approach him in his tabernacle and how he should be worship.
Reading all of these regulations for the building of his tabernacle, I couldn’t help but be in awe. The tabernacle must have been a glimpse of heaven on earth. As I read about the somewhat disgusting ritual of sacrifices, I couldn’t help but be thankful that I don’t have to go through the daily process of offering up sacrificial lambs at a temple. Instead, I can be eternally grateful that the Lamb of God paid the ultimate sacrifice for me.
2) Human beings are sinful. They always have been. In our sinful state we need some clear boundaries of what is right and what is wrong. These Old Testament boundaries included the Ten Commandments, along with all of the other rules and regulations set down in the Pentateuch. These rules gave the Israelites something to base their lives upon. They could clearly see the boundaries God had put in place. Although some of these boundaries are no longer applicable, others are things we follow on a day-to-day basis, like how to treat our spouse, prepare food, deal with infectious diseases, and clear up mould. These rules were for their own good, even if it was hard to hear at times.
This book of rules has much to offer you and me. I’m excited to see what we’ll read about next, and how we might be able to apply it to today’s culture and times.
1) God should be reverenced and feared. He wanted the Israelite people to give him the honor and respect due him, thus he laid down specific laws on how men should approach him in his tabernacle and how he should be worship.
Reading all of these regulations for the building of his tabernacle, I couldn’t help but be in awe. The tabernacle must have been a glimpse of heaven on earth. As I read about the somewhat disgusting ritual of sacrifices, I couldn’t help but be thankful that I don’t have to go through the daily process of offering up sacrificial lambs at a temple. Instead, I can be eternally grateful that the Lamb of God paid the ultimate sacrifice for me.
2) Human beings are sinful. They always have been. In our sinful state we need some clear boundaries of what is right and what is wrong. These Old Testament boundaries included the Ten Commandments, along with all of the other rules and regulations set down in the Pentateuch. These rules gave the Israelites something to base their lives upon. They could clearly see the boundaries God had put in place. Although some of these boundaries are no longer applicable, others are things we follow on a day-to-day basis, like how to treat our spouse, prepare food, deal with infectious diseases, and clear up mould. These rules were for their own good, even if it was hard to hear at times.
This book of rules has much to offer you and me. I’m excited to see what we’ll read about next, and how we might be able to apply it to today’s culture and times.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Leviticus 13; Mark 7:14-37
There’s snow on the ground as I write this today. Yes, I know it’s only October, but for some reason, God decided to let it snow today. I find a fresh snow-fall so beautiful. It’s so white, so pure. It reminds me of that verse in Isaiah 1:18 that says: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
On our own, we are dirty and impure. But Jesus did something wonderful for us. He came into this world and died for our sins. His death and resurrection paid the ultimate price. Now we are free to stand before the Lord, no longer blemished and impure, but clean and white.
I’m so thankful for that price that was paid for me, and for you as well. On my own, I’d never measure up. Without God I’m like that dirt outside my window that somehow missed being covered by the snow this morning. With God I’m the grass, completely white and beautiful.
On our own, we are dirty and impure. But Jesus did something wonderful for us. He came into this world and died for our sins. His death and resurrection paid the ultimate price. Now we are free to stand before the Lord, no longer blemished and impure, but clean and white.
I’m so thankful for that price that was paid for me, and for you as well. On my own, I’d never measure up. Without God I’m like that dirt outside my window that somehow missed being covered by the snow this morning. With God I’m the grass, completely white and beautiful.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Leviticus 11-12; Mark 7:1-13
Today’s reading, both in Leviticus and Mark, was about clean and unclean things. In Leviticus God sets up rules about food the Israelites can and cannot eat. God also gives purification rituals for women who just had a baby. These rules were set in place so that the Israelites would have guidelines to follow in their lives and would learn to obey God. In the book of Mark, Jesus talks to some Pharisees who were so caught up in rituals, that they were neglecting to truly worship God.
The balance between ritual and respect is such a tedious one. Even in my own life, there are things I do, because I’ve always done them that way. I no longer think about why I say certain prayers, or wear certain clothes to church on Sunday.
For me, today’s reading was a reminder to focus on what’s really important in life. This sort of living doesn’t focus on the rules of Christianity, but instead focus on the God we love and serve and the people we’re called to preach the good news to.
The balance between ritual and respect is such a tedious one. Even in my own life, there are things I do, because I’ve always done them that way. I no longer think about why I say certain prayers, or wear certain clothes to church on Sunday.
For me, today’s reading was a reminder to focus on what’s really important in life. This sort of living doesn’t focus on the rules of Christianity, but instead focus on the God we love and serve and the people we’re called to preach the good news to.
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