During my reading on Feb 26th in the One year Bible this was powerful to me. Leviticus 19:1 thru 20:21. In these passages "I am the Lord your God" is used 10 times. "I am the Lord" is used 8 times. In a short period of writing there are constant reminders of where our heart is to focus.
This book is full of "do this" and "don't do that". Leviticus is a guide book, a book for them and us to reference over a lifetime. But as it often is with many rules, the true focus is forgotten. I LOVE how God is with His children. Keeping their eyes on what is most important..... HIM!!
In Lev 20:7 this verse spoke to me too "consecrate (set apart) 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."
This verse reminds me of what I am to do and why. But it also reminds me where the true cleansing comes from. Not in my keeping of the law, but in being with the Lord. For He alone can make me Holy!
Same days reading... Mark 8:29 Peter says "you are the Christ". Moments later Jesus says "Get behind me, Satan" to Peter. "You don't have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." How quickly our mortal mind can go from mountain top to the valley. In our zeal and devotion, we can still get caught up in the wrong thinking. V.34-38 has our marching orders. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me...". I am not going to type it all out. Get your own Bible and read it!! :) Has anyone ever seen that email forward of all the people carrying their crosses. But one guy complains that his is too heavy, or too hard. He keeps asking God to lessen the burden of the cross. Finally his cross is light and short. But when he gets to the great divide, his cross that he's carried isn't enough to bridge the gap and get across. God really does equip of us for every good work to which he has called us. Whether we rejoice in the task at hand or painfully endure it for the joy set before us, we must remember that He has a purpose in it all. With God nothing is wasted.
Last thing.. in Psalm 42:1-11 talks about what I need to do in order to bear this cross. These words are sweet to my soul.
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I LOVED loved loved what you wrote, I'm going to read it again. This last couple weeks I have been loaded with anxiety and stress, it's the weight of my own guilt feeling like I'm not doing enough, I'm not being enough, I'm not thankful, grateful, resourceful, careful - every kind of "ful" you can think of I feel like I lack and I found myself singing to God in the very same way not being able to put into words what my soul is feeling. I feel like I need to just grab on to me and not let go. I don't want what I want, I want what God wants because that is the one and only thing that brings an ounce of peace to my life. The rest is rubbish.
Yes, God does not waste a single moment and it ALL has amazing purpose and it's always for our benefit, our good and comes from nothing but love. But, how hard that is to perceive until those on your face momemts when your soul knows He's intertwined into the details of your life and He's right there. It's that moment when you know you are NOT alone and you feel the goodness of Him through the pain. You feel the power of who He really is. Unexplainable - but the beauty comes through pain of the fire.
Love jana
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