KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018
Chapters: Leviticus 26-27
Message: Making God LORD
Hello My Friend,
I have been sitting here for a half hour crying because I saw my back account and discovered I have a lot more than estimated. All this week I had a rough time even thanking God for my meals, I have been so distracted and preoccupied with not only work duties, but God’s and found myself saying sorry to God all day long for not thanking or acknowledging Him for something. You know, when we make God LORD of our lives, even when we have those preoccupied moments we are blessed. You see, God really does not count the amount of time we spend with Him, He counts the quality of time, and even if we simply acknowledge Him to say, “Thank You”, or “I’m sorry.” He hears that, He knows what kind of day or week we are having, and that is why He instituted the Sabbath in the first place, a day of rest to devote totally to Him. When we make God LORD of our lives we really do more than we think for Him, even helping a stranger means we are giving time to Him. “When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” – Matthew 25:38-40.
I do not know about you, but I recall the days in which I did not have God in my life, I knew a form of God, but to know Christ was a mystery to me, and those days had no meaning, I was always searching for something bigger and better than what I had. Oh, I was raised to be a good girl, and developed so many talents, but life was just another day. Things changed rather quickly once I discovered the truth about needing Christ and dedicated my life to Him being in it, the things I use to love doing were not so desirable anymore, and life began to have meaning to it. God does not force us to make Him LORD, even though we will all face Him one day, the choice us up to us, but if we say we want Him in our lives, He takes that very seriously, and so should we. God promises Israel that they will be blessed if they choose Him, that meant following all of His commands.
“Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.” – Leviticus 26:1-5,9-13.
“For I will have respect unto you,” Yes, God does have respect for those whom make Him LORD of their lives. Does He expect us to be sin free? No, He knows our flesh. What He does expect is dedication, so you mess up, go to Him and talk to Him about it. The worse thing we can ever do to ourselves is say we are going to follow God and not follow through. While God promises to bless Israel for their obedience, He also promises judgment if they disobeyed Him. “But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” – Leviticus 26:14-18.
“then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” Let me tell you, the chastening one gets for turning on from God after being saved really is seven times worse. This is why it does not pay to live a sinful life after we are saved, we will reap what we sow, and receive a greater punishment. Why? We belong to Him. No, this does not mean a person loses their salvation, it does mean that they will suffer the rest of their lives until they repent. Or else God sees that they have been punished enough and brings them home. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” – Hebrews 6:4-6.
Now, keep in mind that while God always judges His house first, He still is merciful. Do you think He wants to see His people in such pain? God really is not the one who brings the punishment, we do, God just allows it into we come to Him. And this is what God explains to Israel, all they have to do is confess their sins and He will have mercy on them and forgive their sins.
“If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 26:40-45.
“Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob,” You see, this is why we do not lose our salvation and God does not cast us out when we mess up, time and time again. He promises that anyone who receives His Son as their Saviour will receive eternal life. You see, whenever we sin after we are saved, God is reminded of the covenant He made with us concerning His Son. A vow is a religious promise made to God, one who might vow or devote something to God, if, after consecrating these things, the person refused to redeem them, they then became the God’s property forever. And this is where our works begin to count, God estimates us for what we devote to Him. God institutes the estimation of the vow.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him. And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.” – Leviticus 27:2,8-10,28-32.
“the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.” Everything that we own belongs to God, we belong to Him, if we are going to dedicate our lives to Him, He expects our devotion, and whatever we give to Him it must be genuine. God gave up His only begotten Son to give us life, all He really asks of us is one thing, to love Him as He loves us. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” – John 13:34.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 26:45.
Today’s Prayer: God, It is because of the great love of Your Son, Jesus, and His willingness to take on our sins to redeem us that we can receive eternal life. It is truly amazing, the love You have for me and every soul, when I was lost, broken, and without hope, You found me, You took me in, accepted me, and made me one of Yours. Lord, I want to show my thanks to You, to give honor and respect to You as Your child, lead me and guide me, help to understand and obey Your commands, give me Your strength, wisdom, love, and grace so I can be the child You want me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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