Reward for Obedience and God's Commands

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PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

Leviticus 26:1-13

REFLECTION

Reward for Obedience and God's Commands

by Tom Richards

Today’s reading is from the book of Leviticus. My study bible says “Exodus gave the directions for building the tabernacle, and now Leviticus gives the laws and regulations for worship there including instructions on ceremonial cleanness, moral laws, holy days, the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee”. The theme of Leviticus is holiness. We read about holiness in Leviticus 20:7 and several other places. “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.  Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord who makes you holy.”

With this background, our assigned reading highlights two of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus chapter 20). The First Commandment as stated in the Lutheran Catechism is “You shall have no other gods.” The Third Commandment is “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” 

I have often thought that if we could keep the First Commandment we could probably do well with the remaining nine. The Jews had a problem with idolatry throughout their history. The story of the golden calf found in Exodus 32 is an example. However, don’t we have the same problem today? Money, career, recreation, self … all have a way of becoming “gods” in our life and inevitably, sin follows. 

And what about the Third Commandment? In Exodus 31:12, we read “Then the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, you must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy".  Observing the Sabbath seems to align with “You shall have no other gods.” When we take time to honor God with worship and rest on Sundays, aren’t we stopping our pursuit of other gods?  Isn’t this a way to show others and ourselves that God is important enough to be our top priority --- that we have “no other gods”?

God called the Israelites to obedience to these commandments because it was for their best.  The remainder of our reading focuses on the blessings that resulted from this obedience. He does the same for us. We may not always see “rain in its season” from an earthly perspective, but clearly demonstrating obedience to God’s commands leads us to our best life, and most importantly, a closer walk with him. 

Father, thank-you for direction in our lives through your commandments. We know that we can never meet the requirements of the law through our own efforts, but because of Jesus, we are justified and holy in your eyes. What an incredible blessing!  Amen

Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Holiness

READ: 1 Peter 1:13-16

BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.

The command seems so lofty. 

Me, holy? No one is righteous, not even one. I confess I am a sinner. I live by grace. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. I am unholy, sold as a slave to sin, but his grace abounds.

Now that sounds a little more like the Christians I know. 

But let us consider what the Bible says about this lofty holiness. 

The prophecy: “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Christ’s promise: “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

Prophecy and promise fulfilled: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” (Romans 8:9)

Result: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

Therefore, we are not a defeated people, powerless against our base and sinful desires, but we who have received the Holy Spirit are a redeemed and victorious people fully capable of fulfilling the command to be holy as God is holy.

Yes, we are saved by grace, but saved for a purpose: to replicate his holiness.

Hangry Spirit

Dear Readers – Please welcome the first of our three newest writers to Daily Bible Blast, Abby Fullen. Abby will be writing the Thursday posts-below is her first contribution. 

Holy. I’m hesitant to use such a word to describe myself. I mean, I’m holy and so is the Holy Spirit? I don’t feel like I’m quite up to that standard. But when I read the definition of that word I find it to be a soothing balm- it turns it into a feeling, a state of being, an action. I can shed the fear of having to live up to an expectation and step into the holiness that Jesus’s sacrifice bestowed on me, on us.

Let’s look at holiness in the realm of fasting. Practicing Christians know well that we gain when we release. Through the actions of freeing ourselves from a master, we’re allowing ourselves to more fully experience the intentions God has for us.

I have an issue with “hanger” (angry hunger). Most of the time you may hear it as hangry, like “Watch out, she’s super hangry.” — Most often spoken by my mother. Instead of feeding that “hanger” with good food- vegetables, clean protein, natural sugar from fruits- I often choose to quickly satisfy it with processed foods full of bad fat and sugar. I spike my blood sugar levels so I can dissipate the uncomfortable feelings of hunger and anger as quickly as possible, without thought to the damage I’ve done. Because the hunger isn’t being fulfilled in a healthy way.

The same goes with my spiritual “hanger.” I’ve been in plenty of seasons when I’m so hungry for God, and so impatient, that I turn to lifestyle comparisons with strangers on social media, sugar-filled baked goods, and the first thing that pops up on my Netflix queue. Because I feel fed for a moment, long enough until I have to do it again. However, I’ve stopped instantly satisfying my cravings and I’ve made myself sit in impatience because constant feedings of comparison and fiction that end in emptiness aren’t working for me anymore. I’m not going to tell you that I have it figured out. I’m still hungry. But, drawing from the definition of “holy,” I am humbled, inspired, motivated, on fire for fulfilling my hunger for God in better ways, in a healthy way.

Through His sacrifice, I’m dedicated to Him, I’m “sacred” and “divine.” Why wouldn’t I want to live into those definitions the best I could? I want to feed my sanctification by fasting from that which only makes me hungrier. When I fast from unhealthy, instant gratification, my holiness is fed. And I feel the wholeness from His sacrifice which has made me holy.      ----Abby Fullen

Hebrews 10:9-14

Don't Hide, but Seek

Was there a time you were a slave to your life? Before you knew Jesus, did you feel trapped by your lifestyle? Sin will do that. If we are honest with ourselves, we can all admit this. I know that I was a prisoner to so many things because of my captivity; my unholy lifestyle. And, lest you begin guessing this lifestyle, anything not based on a faith in and love for Jesus, us unholy.

But, now that I believe and I love Jesus, I am free. This freedom comes at a price. Jesus' death was the ultimate price-tag. As I learn to accept my salvation and repent, I find freedom I never experienced before. Trusting Jesus and submitting my worries and fears to His care has provided indescribable freedom.

For instance, I had a business that failed and creditors were pursuing me day and night. I was afraid to go to the mailbox, to answer the phone. I lived in a perpetual state of worry. Until one day, I gave it all up to Jesus. I admitted I could not do anything about my situation and I begged for His help. Jesus did not make it go away, I had created the situation and needed to work through it. But, He showed me how to face up to it and quit hiding.  That was almost 30 years ago, but a lesson I never forgot.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.  Psalm 45:6-7

Holiness means sin has no place anymore.  Running and hiding from my problems was sin. In the message I heard at church today by Brodie Taphorn, he said, "To enter Jesus' kingdom isn't where we go to hide, but where we go to participate in taking ground from the enemy. I know the enemy was not happy when I submitted to Jesus' and His will. But I know I was ecstatic, and I still am today.

Hebrews 1:1-9

I’m Made Holy! – How Can This Be?

Scripture Reading:  2 Thes 2:13-16

 

A group of us women have been studying The Fruit of the Spirit from Gal 5:22-23 for many weeks. We began noticing that, while each of the facets of the fruit (eg Love, Joy, Peace, etc) was something produced by the Holy Spirit in a Christ-follower, there were also commands or directives from other verses to the Christian to be loving, joyful, peaceable, etc.  For instance, take the facet of Love.  In 1 John 4:9, we see God’s love is manifested in us; and in Matt 22:37, 39, we read, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”  One verse shows it is God’s love in us, while the other is a command to love.

 

This was the first in a series of times God brought this concept to me:  If I am to grow to maturity, I need to recognize that both the Holy Spirit and I have parts to play in the process.  My next experience with these ideas came when I was preparing a talk on “Hope.”  It provided a name for how I am to live out my sanctification toward maturity.  In his book The Transforming Power of the Gospel (NavPress, 2012), Jerry Bridges coined the term “Dependent Responsibility” to describe the joint nature of my becoming holy.

 

·         The responsibility part of this term: work out daily the life you have been given in Christ (see Phil 2:12).

·         The dependency part: depend on the Holy Spirit for success (see Phil 2:13). He is the primary agent of our sanctification, without Him, we cannot experience the life and power of Christ in us.

 

In our reading today (which is my latest encounter with this idea, we note that in verse 13, both God’s part and our part in the process of our sanctification are mentioned.  The Phillips Translation of the New Testament says it this way, “He has chosen you from the beginning to save you, to make you holy by the work of His Spirit and your own belief in the truth.”

 

It seems to me as if God has been using a microphone to get my attention about something specific regarding being holy.  What is it? I’m not exactly sure, but I do know it has lead me to focus on it more these days, and I continue to ask, “Lord, what do you want me to know?”

 

This is what I’ve learned so far by listening to His answer:

·         The Holy Spirit’s role in my sanctification (maturation process) is to provide power, means, and desire in me to be more like Jesus.

·         My role is to trust God to sanctify me, present my body to Him, and yield to the Spirit – in other words, depend on Him.

·         My role also is to choose to do what’s right (obedience) – in other words, take responsibility for what I think, do, and say.

 

Holy Spirit, as You continue to bring thoughts of sanctification, maturity, holiness, please give me Your wisdom in what further understanding I need in this area of my life. Amen.

Psalms 29

The Voice of the Lord

As we sat around the fire pit observing a gorgeous fiery orange sunlit sky, the sphere

that lit up our world was slowly retiring for the night. Above, the evening sky was fading into darkness and sparkling stars began to appear. I thought, “You ARE an amazing God.”

The fire was lit for everyone to enjoy, and as the cool of nightfall emerged it felt nice. The group was conversing quietly as the flames danced in silence as if happy to be warming and comforting us.

From out of the blackness that surrounded us, someone approached and dropped a few large pieces of wood, some kindling followed by a few squirts of fuel onto the gently burning fire. The blaze grew, eventually erupting into something fierce and loud. The flames were no longer dancing but pounding and reaching every which way. Everyone backed away in awe and fear. I listened as the voices of the small crowd grew louder and more forceful. I watched as their expressions became intense, almost vulgar.

This observer could no longer participate in the event. My mind took me back to the Bible, and the frequent reference it makes to God being mighty and powerful. This voice of the Lord that was gentle and peaceful, warming His children became a fiery threat due to disrespect.

Psalms 29; 7-8 “The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightening.  The voice of the Lord shakes the desert.”

Psalms 29: 11 “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

As the fire was being treated respectfully, given the proper amount of wood and not violated in any way, it gently warmed the people surrounding it. They felt security and contentment to be in its presence. As too much fuel was added to the fire along with another change agent, it was nearly out of control and became dangerous. The people changed from comfortable to fearful.

The Lord is our strength and our salvation. He cares for us as we respect and follow his word.

As we stray and become lax in our commitment to Him, it’s like adding fuel to a fire that is already perfect.

Psalms 29: 1-2 “Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones,

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

Read/Listen to Psalms 29

Holy Living, 1 Peter 1:13-25

I love to people watch. One of my favorite places to do this is at the airport. Traveling is a stressful event for some. One can see the true nature of a person, when they are under stress. Our scripture tells us to, “be holy, because I am holy”. To be holy, is to be set apart, different from the norm. It is easier to live a holy life when things are going well, but when life become tense, the journey to holiness is not as easy.

Our scripture text provides behavior modifications that will help live a holy life. One way is to “prepare our minds for action”. When traveling, we prepare for the journey to lessen the stress. Maybe we pack a snack, just in case the pretzels aren’t enough. If you travel with children, you might pack new toys to keep them occupied. A sensible traveler will be prepared.

How do we prepare our minds spiritually though? 1 Peter says to, “be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” In other words put restrictions on your impulses. Know your weaknesses and instead of focusing on them, center your thoughts entirely on the grace of God.

Could you imagine how life would change if we just did that. If all we did was prepared our minds by focusing wholly on the undeserved love we receive from God. I have to believe that when times get hard; our true nature would now have a God centered response.

Read the entire scripture on Biblegateway 1 Peter 13-25