Thursday, February 4, 2010
February 4 ... Leviticus 11 - 13 "Improve My Life"
Leviticus 11: 44-45 "Make yourselves holy for I am holy...I am God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Be holy because I am holy." Is it possible to live a holy life? All I keep thinking is Col. 1:29 - only by His Wonderful Power at work in me. Not by me doing it! Because even when I am trying really hard to walk with people and draw out of them the person God wants them to be---- like I was trying to do last night---- I still mess it up wanting people so badly to walk w"YOU want me H.O.L.Y. in any situation more than YOU want me to figure out what to do to improve my situation." ith God---and when they don't budge nor shift a tiny bit, I persuade and push. That's not right! (66 Love Letters). I was trying to improve life for others last night and YOU, LORD, are calling me to live holy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So many times we question our parents when we are young. Our teenagers have the attitude that they have to know "why" something forbidden is forbidden before they can be obedient.
ReplyDeleteIn these verses, I can just hear this question:
"But why, God?"
And I hear it today in our society. Things that have been unacceptable in civilized societies are now being elevated up to a place of approval.
Our God wants and desires what is best for US. We have to believe that when he says "No" to something, it's for a good reason.
And then our obedience is the response, without wavering or doubting.
God is definitely trying to protect His children in these verses. He's setting them apart for His use. He does the same thing today with His children.
I'm thankful for His grace and mercy. But I'm also thankful for His commands that help me to stay on the path of righteousness. I will never be perfect in this life, but I can be obedient to His Word, His teachings. When He says to forgive, I must forgive because He said for me to do that. So many other things come to mind that I don't completely understand, but if He says this is what I have to do as His child, then I must be obedient. For He has good reason and authority for the best way for me to walk through this life.
When I read today I just thought, "Seriously, Lord"? It is SO complicated and impossible to follow all of these rules. How could anyone be good enough for Him? As much as I "should" be able to know that I can't do anything without Him, it could easily make me want to quit all together, because I could never be good enough. It reminds me of my mother-in-law and how she needs to have the dishwasher loaded perfectly-in her eyes. We want to help her with the dishes, but she is so critical about the way we do it, we give up and let her just do it herself.
ReplyDeleteNot too long ago, my 23 year-old son was questioning God and told me that at this point of his life he could never live up to what God wants, so he must not be ready yet. I'm sure my daughter thinks the same thing right now when she isn't living the way she knows she should. I bet it's true of a lot of people out there. It's just too hard to try to be "perfect" so they won't even go to church, because they are "unclean". It's hard to really surrender and believe that with God all things are possible!
By faith... I'm going to trust Him!
Off to work... Have a good day!
Love,
Angie
(p.s. I can't think of a better way to start my day than reading this along side of you all- thanks!)
Twinkle, thank you for reminding me that I cannot be perfect but I can be obedient.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this passage besides being reminded from Lev 11:44 Be Holy, for I am Holy. The thought also pops up for me "I was created in the image of God and as a believer I am Holy...I must accept daily the forgiveness Christ gives me and receive His Holiness in my life today then I believe obedience will happen more readily." That last sentence(?) was just for me you may not need the reminder.
Now "When the rubber its the road" as a saying goes...God has set me apart for a season and among other thoughts He is reminding me to watch what I eat. Ouch!!! I really didn't want to hear that...but I earnestly desire to Know HIM. Sylvia, get real and be open to doing the work you need to do for HIS GLORY and HIS HONOR. It really is all about HIM and not about me.
Thanks to all of you for allowing me to sing along this journey with you. Bev, Thank you for setting this up. Annette, Thank you that I can click on Annie's Eyes and go directly to the reading and this as I begin my day. Angie, thank you for helping me realize I can read the Message from my computer each day.
I ordered my book almost 10 days ago and am still waiting on it to arrive. Thank you for your patience with me.
Be holy for I am holy...
ReplyDeleteHoliness requires more than sacrifice, more than worship, more than cleanness. Commands that seem foreign to us protected, preserved, and set apart the nation of Israel as holy unto the Lord.
Holiness would be compromised if it were attainable. Its perfection points the the perfect One. The perfect Altar of Sacrifice in Christ. The perfect plan for relationship.
I'm trying to read Leviticus with Crabb's advice--staying focused on the core issue that God's plan is to make us holy so we can see God's Love, God's Son.
The old saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" comes to mind with these readings.
Thanking Him this morning for His setting us apart and work on the cross to make us clean from all unrighteousness.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
I love reading your perspectives each day. You all add things I didn't think about and have such a clear gift of His Love shining in your hearts.
Be holy for I am holy...
ReplyDeleteHoliness requires more than sacrifice, more than worship, more than cleanness. Commands that seem foreign to us protected, preserved, and set apart the nation of Israel as holy unto the Lord.
Holiness would be compromised if it were attainable. Its perfection points the the perfect One. The perfect Altar of Sacrifice in Christ. The perfect plan for relationship.
I'm trying to read Leviticus with Crabb's advice--staying focused on the core issue that God's plan is to make us holy so we can see God's Love, God's Son.
The old saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" comes to mind with these readings.
Thanking Him this morning for His setting us apart and work on the cross to make us clean from all unrighteousness.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
I love reading your perspectives each day. You all add things I didn't think about and have such a clear gift of His Love shining in your hearts.
Sorry, I repeated my response. I don't have enough patience to wait after I hit send, so I accidentally hit it twice. (I wished I could delete, but don't have the option when I sign in with name/URL.)
ReplyDeleteI had the same initial response to the reading as some of you - "Really, God??? Isn't this a bit excessive?" As a side note, I also wonder how a priest had time for anything else besides slaughtering animals for the offerings and checking people's skin for infection??? Yuck. But I know that's my flesh talking.
ReplyDeleteIf God took the time to tell us this and to make these rules, there must be a good reason. I spent my life, up until the age of 27, thinking that I knew it all. My way, not God's way. Boy, was I mistaken! God got a hold of me when I wasn't even looking for Him, or so I thought. He changed the trajectory of my life, and I am grateful for that every day.
And now I can see that His ways truly are for my good, even when I don't understand them. Isaiah 55:8. I pray that I will maintain that perspective and hold on to that truth. You want me to be holy because You are holy, and the only path to holiness is YOUR path, on your terms. May that be the desire of my heart today, Lord.
All I can say is you all bless me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Wow...God is so good to give us a connection over the internet.
ReplyDeleteSo as I rode into work today I was mulling all of this over in my head and when I was tempted to doubt this is true, I tried to imagine what kind of crazy person could have made this all up? They would have to be nuts!! And what kind of crazy person would spend their whole life trying to memorize it? We are all weird for believing it's true. Thanks for being weird and reading it, and trying to figure it all out with me! I love that He is perfect and Holy!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm back to work to do something else that is weird but I thorougly enjoy... Scraping and polishing teeth! :)
xoxo
Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage tells that this could have been a test of these people, or that the unclean animals were associated with idolatry in the surrounding nations. God was trying to set His children apart from the world.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm copying this statement from the commentary. I loved it.
"Whilst we enjoy our Christian liberty, and are free from such burdensome observances, we must be careful not to
abuse our liberty.
For the Lord hath redeemed and called his people, that they may
be holy, even as he is holy.
We must come out, and be separate from the world; we must leave the company of the ungodly, and all needless connexions with those who are dead in sin; we must be zealous of good works devoted followers of God, and companions of his people."
Here it is again:
Be ye holy for I am holy.
And I'm trying to memorize Revelation 22 this year. Understanding God's holiness and our connection to Him...even our holiness through Him...I am just so overwhelmed by that.
I guess that's a lifelong work of sanctification in us by God. Every day we are being sanctified (look that word up in the dictionary). Christ dwells in us and we have right-standing with God...but we are BEING SANCTIFIED by God.
I feel like I'm at a banquet table and the beauty and richness of the foods prepared for us is just too much to take in all at once. I just can't eat it all at once. I have to take it one bite at a time and savor each morsel God gives me from His Word. Even from this book of law...Leviticus...I am savoring these morsels and they just make me more hungry to know Him and to understand His holiness and my need and desire to be holy by faith and by deed.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI just felt chills that this is so much the message of the book of James. Faith without works is dead.
I wish I had chill bumps but I have serious infections as my God is trying to make me holy! I'm so caught up in improving my children, improving a couple of situations in my life that are devastating to me. Let go Bev! Wonder what it would look like if I let go that I'm not seeing? What does it mean to be holy this moment? I'm too "curved in" on myself. There is HOPE for sin! Have Mercy on me, God! He is doing me good, not harm. Jer 33:20
ReplyDelete