Leviticus 19-20;Acts 10; Psalm 13

I know I like to share the amazing times that I have had being alone with God, but to leave it there would not be sharing the whole truth. There are many times when I meet with God, when I spend time alone with Him, and He is absent and sometimes the “why” is not always clear.

How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me? – Psalm 13:1 NASB

I have asked this question after a prolonged period of silence, but I know that there is something He is calling me to listen for and in the silence of my waiting it will only be a matter of time.

That is where my patience comes from. I do not care for the length of my waiting but I have experienced the impatience and that has never ended well. I know that my time of silence with God is going to end and I ask the question, “How long?” less and less.

The secret, I find, is to find that sin, that thing that I prioritize more then God.

Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves cast metal gods; I am the Lord your God. – Leviticus 19:4 NASB

I may love God so much, but there are times when, without realising it, I have turned both my heart and my face away from Him. I walk into an arena of “pretend.” How is it that I feel I can walk in both worlds?

All this gets straightened out when I keep waiting and listening.

On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. – Acts 10:9 NASB

Now this is an unforgettable time alone with God and the quiet place is a housetop.

Peter was following the same discipline of solitude that Jesus had cultivated. He had taken what Jesus perfected in the art of getting alone with God. He had learned the secret of waiting on God. They are both perfect examples. So I seek and find my solitary place to regularly get alone with God.

The idea is that solitude is when I am alone with God – completed by silence – it is a time where I do nothing. My devotional time is for Bible study etc. and my alone time is solitude and silence. I am focusing on my intimacy with Jesus. I am unhooking from my daily responsibilities and the people I interact with, in order to be with Jesus alone. When I am in solitude, I do not try to make anything happen. I just bring myself, as I am, to Jesus to be with Him.

Father, how amazing is the journey You set my heart on when I keep listening, engaging with You, hearing You lead me in the way You have purposed me to go. Amazing things happen to me and to others. Thank You.

Erwin (evanlaar1922)

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Leviticus 12-14; Acts 8

“On the eighth day each person being purified must bring two male lambs and a one-year-old female lamb, all with no defects, along with a grain offering of six quarts of above flour moistened with olive oil, and a cup of olive oil. Then the officiating priest will present that person with purification, along with the offerings, before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. This is the law for any leprous sore and scale, for the leprosy of a garment and of a house, for a swelling and a scab and a bright spot, to teach when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.” Leviticus 14:10&11, 54-57 NLT

God told the Israelites how to cleanse healed lepers and how to diagnose leprosy so they could avoid it or treat it. These laws were given for the people’s protection. I wonder if many of God’s laws seemed strange to the Israelites? I know that sometimes they seem strange to me. But, his laws helped the Israelites avoid physical and spiritual sickness.

“The passage of scripture he was reading was this: “He was lead like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about him or someone else?” So beginning with the same Scripture, Philip told him the new good news about Jesus. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is the water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answers and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:32-37 NLT

Philip lead this man to Jesus using the Old Testament. I am reminded of how all of the Bible applies to me today. I can see how purposeful & intentional that the Lord is. He doesn’t waste anything.

“But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. Crowds listened intently to Philip because they eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city…Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:4 -17 NLT

Thank you Father for your Holy Spirit. That the same power that lives in Christ, lives in me. Many of these Christians were facing persecution, but that didn’t stop them from sharing the gospel. What things hold me back? Thank you Father for Your word. That it is truth. And I can stand on it when the storms of life come. Amen.

Amy(amyctanner)

Leviticus 15:1-18:18

I have been learning that the law is very much the love of God in action. While I may not have understood this or seen it before, I see it more and more each day. The law has been teaching me my privilege and my honour – that I have been purified into a peculiar, holy person and so defilement to me may not be the same to others.

Since it is not the same, I am held accountable to abstain from sin – anything that would mess with my conscience and from own earthly lusts. I want to possess my being with sanctification and honour and not the desires that will separate me from God – for they pollute my soul, they war against it and threaten to ruin me and my walk with Him.

You are responsible for keeping the People of Israel separate from that which makes them ritually unclean, lest they die in their unclean condition by defiling my Dwelling which is among them. – Leviticus 15:31 MSG

Just in case I forgot why the laws matter, I am reminded.

I am taught by these laws my privilege and honour so that I might be part of God’s kingdom, a holy nation. These were made for me even if you feel they were not made for you. My duty is to preserve the honour of my purity and to keep myself from all sinful activities.

This is a high calling, especially for me today. My social network tries to convince me each day that these laws do not matter, that it is okay for me to participate in practices my conscience tells me is not okay. I cannot imagine what would happen to my soul if I ever did engage. If I had to make a choice between God’s love and those who hold nothing to the law, I will choose the love of God.

Father, the law is hard and yet I see through it and see Your hand graciously guiding, leading and instructing. While I can never fulfill the law on my own, Your grace and love sustain me and keep me heading in the right direction. Give me wisdom to explain how powerful Your law is and may others see Your grace in me as I disciple them to walk in Your ways. The days are short, I sense You moving in this world, definitely in my world. Your voice is calling me to walk with You, get closer to You, move when You ask me to move. Give me the strength to pursue You even when others do not think it is necessary. Thank you.

Erwin (evanlaar1922)

Leviticus 5-7

“These are the instructions for the guilt offering. It must be holy…The same instructions apply to both the guilt offering and the sin offering. Both belong to the priest who uses them to purify someone, making that person right with the Lord. In the case of the burnt offering, the priest may keep the hide of the sacrificed animal. These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering. The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.” Leviticus 7:7-8,37&38 NLT

Sometimes I can dismiss verses like this, and think they don’t apply to me. After all, these instructions were for the Israelites. But, from what I’ve learned I am so similar to them. The Israelites were performing the rituals more out of habit and they lost meaning. When have I done the same thing?

What am I offering to God? What am I sacrificing so that I can be closer to Him & get to know Him better?

“Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.” Leviticus 6:12&13 NLT

The Holy Spirit is God’s fire inside of me. Am I squelching His presence in my life? Or am I asking Him to guide and change me?

Dear Jesus, thank you for making the way to come to you as I am. For being the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. I want to know You more. I want to have an eternal perspective. Forgive me for when I turn to lesser things, instead of You. Amen.

Amy(amyctanner)

Leviticus 26-27; Psalm 112; Hebrews 10

Hope.

The mere word stirs up a warm emotion and thoughts of a bright future. However, for hope to even exist, so must the situations that require it. I don’t feel the lure of hope on a sunny day when the kids are obedient and the house is clean and everyone loves dinner and my to-do list is getting taken care of and a friendly text pops up on my phone.

When my teenager gets in a car accident, when a friend loses their battle against cancer, when the dog pees on the floor, when dinner sets off the smoke alarm, when ordinary life is just making my bone-weary. That is when hope shines. That is when it lifts our chin and points us heavenward to remind us that this world is not our home. Without the messy world I might completely miss my need for hope.

 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrew 10:35-36 ESV

Even that hope, that confidence, is in itself a reward. So many people go through life hopeless. The very fact that we have hope hints to our faith in God. As I trust and obey and walk in His footsteps, hope secures my path.

He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 112:7 ESV

A reward that we can share with others, shine into their lives. The peace I have passes understanding, not because it necessarily brings more peace to my surroundings, but because it gives me more peace in the midst of my surroundings. Bad news will come. Hard days are inevitable. And, in their midst my heart can stand firm, because my hope is elsewhere.

¹¹ I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. ¹² And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Leviticus 26:11-12 ESV

We have hope because God walks with us. I sometimes catch myself praying for God to be with me or someone else in a particular situation. I have been reminded recently that I don’t really need to pray for what I already have. I might pray for that presence to be felt or to bring some blessing along with it, but God is already with us, always. Sometimes I need that reminder that He is there, and this is a case where the prayer might change the pray-er more than anything else.

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hebrews 10:39

(And, after this verse comes the great Hall of Faith chapter – the list of those that didn’t shrink back). I’m counted among the faithful. Surely not because of any strength of my own. The very fact that I believe and hope is a gift from God not of works. This beautiful truth pushes me to press on. He has strengthened my weak knees, lifted my weary arms, raised my fearful focus to His face, and solidified my steps on the rocky path ahead. Hope in the midst of the hurting world.

Dear Lord, thank you for hope. Thank you even for the reasons to hope that press in on us from every side, for these challenges that make our hope all the more obvious and necessary. Continue to help me live as one with hope, attracting those around me to this flame of faith you have given. Thank you for lifting me up when everything else pulls me down. I love you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Erin (6intow)