Scripture:

Leviticus 25:4

4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

"Everything Needs Rest"

To this day, many farmers practice crop rotation in the 7th year.   This allows the land to recover, to regain nutrients, reduce pests, and to produce better crops in the coming year.  This is a reminder of how vital the word of God is in our everyday lives, but it reminds us that everything under heaven needs rest.  I also love that God addresses the concern even before the people ask it. He tells them that in the 6th year, the land will produce enough for three years; isn't that amazing?  It tells me that when I am intentional about sabbath, God is able to produce more in my life, I can do more, produce more fruit in my obedience then if I never take sabbath.

I think it's in the title today, "Everything Needs Rest."   The application here for those who have busy lives to take rest, Sabbath, to realize that the work will still be there tomorrow and that God is able to make you more productive in the six days than you would be in seven.   That, like the soil, it produces better when it takes a Sabbath, its nutrients are replenished, the enemies  (pests) are reduced, its recovery time is critical... Application: TAKE REST.

Lord, thank you for your word that instructs me, the guides my life, that reminds me of what a loving Father you are, how you know the details of my life, what will bless me, what will not, how I should live and if I lean on you, on your word I will truely be blessed, and I will truely have life and life more abundent, so today I praise you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 16:2

and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

'Access to the Holy of Holies" 

Until Jesus' death on the cross, only one person and only once a year could access the Holy of Holies to atone for their sins and the sins of Israel.   Today, we are again reminded that God is Holy and that we should have complete reverence for Him, that having access to the Lord and His presence is a privilege, and it comes at a high price.  For you and I, it came at the price of Jesus' life; you and I have access to the Lord, uninhibited access, the veil has been torn, the very thing that separated us from this most holy place has been removed, and we have been granted access, let that sink in...    You and I we have the privilege, the honor of coming into the Holy Presence of God, to stand before the great I AM... that should hit you differently...

The application today begs the question, are you taking this truth seriously, are you claiming the benefits of Christ's sacrifice, to atone once and for all so that you and I can have direct access to Father God, to come into His Holy Presence?   The call to action here, the application is that we would take time to "Come Into His Presence," to stand in Awe of His Holiness, to understand the power of this access, to have access to Him who has no limits, means my life got so much more powerful... let that sink in...

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you that we can gain access to your Holy Presence, that we have access to your infinite power, your wisdom, your purpose, your promises for our lives, may we enter as often as we can into your Holy Presence, to be with you, to experience the freedom that comes in your presence, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 14:18

The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD.

"Atonement" 

As we read the Levitical laws, we might get lost as to what we are supposed to get from this book.  But, there is much to understand,  one of the biggest things is to recognize the effects of the fall of man, that sin's ripple effect all the way from Adam and Eve, has made its way even into things that are out of our control.   Today's verse, Leviticus 14:18, is the atonement ritual for a person made clean of leprosy, while this disease is not a result of the person's sin, it is a result of the fallen world, and it is a reminder that God is Holy, and thus He expects us to be Holy, "Qadosh," set apart for Him. 

For us this is a reminder of the atonement of Jesus for our sins, that we have been made right, cleansed from our unrighteousness, that Jesus paid the price that we could be clean, atoned for, that there was a cost involved in doing so, and Jesus paid it with His very life for us.

Lord, I pray that we would see the depth of your word, that it would affect and transform our hearts, that we would not pass by verses and miss your story in them, that we would form this reverence in our hearts for you. I thank you for your sacrifice, for the price that you paid for me, for all those who have received you. I praise you, Lord, it is in your name we pray, in Jesus' holy name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 11:45

For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

"Holiness,"  this word in Hebrew (qadosh) means set apart.  How we handle ourselves, what we eat, how we take care of ourselves, our bodies, our health, physical, emotional, mental, they matter to God, for we are to be "Qadosh" set apart, Holy because God is Holy and we are His people.   Notice that He says that He brought them out of the land of Egypt, "out of slavery" to be their God.   This is the most important thing that God has delivered us from slavery to be with Him, to establish this divine relationship, to be with us, to be our God, our Father, our Lord.

The application here is that we would consider Him in all that we do, how we manage our lives, that we have been called to be "Qadosh" to be Holy, to be "Set Apart,"  His special possession (1 Peter 2:9), we are to be different from the world, not looking like the patterns of the world.    

Lord, it is easy to live without thought, to live aimlessly, but you have called us to be set apart for you. Help us to manage our lives in a way that brings you glory and honor, that we would be Holy, set apart for you. Let us not neglect the little things, and help us in the weightier matters, that we might not miss our call to be "Qadosh."  In Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 10:3

And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:

‘By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’ ”

So Aaron held his peace.

"Reverence" 

Often, you will hear the words "Fear of the Lord," however, this type of fear is not that we would be afraid, but rather that we would fear disappointing Him.   Here, the Lord tells us that those who serve the Lord will be held to a higher standard, but I would say that none of us are excluded from reverence for the Lord, that we would treat Him with respect and holiness, and that we would consider Him above anything in our lives, that we would honor Him with all that is within us.  In fact, this should influence our decisions, it should cause us to pause and think before we act, asking ourselves is this something that would please the Lord?

To revere the Lord, to consider Him in all that we do, is it pleasing, is it honoring, is it bringing Him glory?   Today, our application is to pause before doing anything and ask these questions.

Lord, let us revere you, deem you Holy in our lives, let our hearts be careful, let our decisions be influenced by our reverence for you, let us bring you glory in all that we say and do, in Jesus' name, Amen!