Day Forty-seven – February 16 – Today’s Tasting – Numbers 8-9:14/Leviticus1-3:
“You must approach the Lord clean, with bodies and clothes washed with purification water.” The Lord told Moses to make sure the priests followed all the cleansing rituals before offering sacrifices to Him. The Levites, set apart from the rest of Israel, served the Lord, performed the Tabernacle work, and offered sacrifices to atone the people of Israel for sin. Before they offered sacrifices for Israel, they must offer themselves as a sacrifice. The Levites offered a sacrifice for themselves and Aaron offered the Levites as an offering of the children of Israel, to execute their service to the Lord.
Today’s Nourishment: Cleansing occurred before the Levites service to the Lord, to Israel, or in the Tabernacle occurred. Cleansing—the Lord impressed upon me at the start of this year, He Washes Me Clean in 2013:
- Come and Worship Christ – Worship Him in spirit and truth
- Love Him and others – Understand His love for us and love others with the same love that He loved us. Love washes us CLEAN
- Evoke His Word – His Word is at work, energetic and able to make things happen. Stir up His Word daily, which causes change to happen. “that He might sanctify her (the Church) having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” Ephesians 5:26.
- Acknowledge His power within – His Spirit infuses power inside us to live the Christ life. Lord, fill me with your Spirit today.
- Negate other gods – Idols offer only lifeless voids, exhaust us, and provide no rest for our souls. We pay homage to other gods, and set up idols, when we seek fulfillment in things, people, pleasures, or achievements. Seeking this fulfillment only leads to fear, control, anxiety, worry, love of money, self-reliance, scheming, lust, idolatry, indulgence, putting Christ to the test, grumbling, a mind preoccupied, resting on plans, pleasures, people, places, or possession. Negate (deny, cancel, wipe out) other gods!
Webster’s Dictionary defines god, “Any person or thing exalted or made an object of supreme devotion; Anything that absorbs one’s attentions or aspirations.” Stop for a moment to ponder, if there exists someone or something, which may have become an object of supreme devotion in your life? This reveals other gods.
Cleansing occurs as we come to Him – on His terms, not our terms. Come and worship, Love Him, Evoke His Word, Acknowledge His power, and Negate other gods. CLEAN in 2013 – I see the Lord working this in my life already this year. What is He working in you?
Tomorrow’s Reading – Leviticus 4-6
Love this ! Great word and very much needed.