Thursday, February 26

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Leviticus 19:1–20:21

Mark 8:11–38

Psalm 42:1–11

Proverbs 10:17

 

 

“Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2b)

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

 

 

As we continue with the many instructions from Leviticus, we may pause to wonder about God’s purposes in “restricting” His people.  Much like Adam and Eve before them, the Israelites would quickly rebel against God’s commands and face deleterious consequences.

 

Importantly, God provided these commands not to restrict His people.  Rather, these boundaries prepared the framework within which they would experience His joy and share a witness of His goodness and character with the watching world.  Their obedience would demonstrate their love for God and His faithfulness to His people, through the blessings He promised to bestow.  We understand from the Two Greatest Commandments – “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” – that love lies at the heart of obedience.  Jesus echoes these thoughts on obedience’s connection to love in John 14:21. 

 

We may understand more of God’s heart from His law, particularly how deeply He cares for His people.  Jesus may have modified some dietary laws and pointed out that we must first address our own sin before judging that of others.  Still, he re-emphasized the supremacy of love as a precursor of obedience and our responsibility to God and the community of believers.

 

In contrast, disobeying God starts with a prideful attitude, as we must believe first that our intended plans are superior to God’s.  Disobedience indicates our lack of love for God and our assessment that His guidelines do not hold value for us.

 

 

I would like to highlight one of today’s commands in Leviticus 19:33,34:  “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.  The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.  Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.  I am the Lord your God.”

 

Traditionally, people-groups have excluded and even hated the “other.”  This tendency hearkens back to the sinful nature and the self-protectiveness of pride and fear.  God calls us to take the approach of love, welcoming foreigners as “your native-born.”  How do you believe that we are doing individually and as a Body of Christ in following this idea in the U.S.?

 

When I served as a missionary in Venezuela, I visited a church in Cabimas, on the other side of Lake Maracaibo from our home base of Maracaibo.  The trip to the church took an hour or so.  When we arrived, the pastor and every single member of the congregation welcomed us with open arms.  They invited us to their Sunday after-church fellowship gatherings, which included a huge pot of soup for all to share.  They gave us rides back to Maracaibo instead of our taking a bus for the return trip.  They made a special invite to a pool so that we could play tennis and enjoy a great barbecue together.  Their love for us didn’t seem forced, and everyone jumped at the catch to love us.  To this day, remembering this fellowship warms my heart.

 

When I spoke to the pastor, a humble and learned man, about their great kindness, he pointed to this verse as their motivation.  He had simply studied God’s Word and shared these truths with his congregation, and they lived it out.  Their joy was effortlessly palpable.  They also recounted how God had shown His hand of mercy through healings where finances would not have allowed for medical treatment.  They had simply believed God at His Word, and He provided for His people.

 

 

Lord God, help us to live out Your commands and to demonstrate our love for You through our daily lives.  Fill us with love for Your Word and for everyone whom You have created.  Prepare us to be a blessing for our neighbors, wherever they were born, and to provide testimony to Your goodness and faithfulness to us.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS