THE CHANGE WE ALL NEED
Christine Fornaro
Today’s Scripture: “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 20:7-8, ESV)
Theme: The Lord sanctifies us in order that we might be prepared to do good.
WHAT’S WITH ALL THESE RULES?
Leviticus was the ultimate “rule book” for the Israelites as they sought to honor an all-powerful, holy God. While we don't observe all the Levitical laws today, God does ask us to follow His Commandments and Jesus' instructions. God has a purpose in all He asks of us, and as we learn to follow His statutes, something in us changes and blossoms in our hearts when we submit to His lead.
Let’s take a closer look at the definition of the word, “consecrate.” Merriam-Webster defines it as 1.) “to make or declare sacred: to set apart to the service of God. 2.) “to devote to a purpose in a very sincere manner.” We all consecrate ourselves to something, we all put something “first.” As Christ followers, we are to devote ourselves to God and keep other priorities further down the list. We should strive to live holy lives as we are God’s ambassadors here on Earth. We are here to emulate Christ’s love for others.
A MEANS TO AN END: SANCTIFICATION
As we walk according to God’s laws, we are guided by the Holy Spirit and learn to walk in the Spirit. Notice that we are required to make an effort, to “keep” and “do” the things He asks of us. When our hearts are changed, our lives are changed. We become more like Christ. We become who He intended us to be – the fullest version of ourselves.
All this transformation, our walk with God, this is sanctification. It requires an effort and discipline on our part and change that is Spirit-driven. We are a “holy priesthood” as stated in 1 Peter 2:5. We are a work in progress, and we should be able to see gradual change over the years as we learn to walk with the Lord. It won’t be perfect, and that’s ok. Not being perfect is a great reminder that we need God! Sanctification allows us to do the good works He created us for, all while making our hearts new.
Make It Personal: Do you find yourself trying to “follow all the rules” only for it to feel impossible to do? Trust in the fact that Jesus paid the way for all of our sins, and as we learn to follow God’s commandments, the prompting of the Spirit will prepare us to do good works and complete the work He began in us.
Pray: Lord, we thank You for wanting us to be an active part of Your plan for this world. May You open our eyes to Your holiness and our need to set ourselves apart in order to follow You. Keep us in Your gentle grasp, forgive us when we forget to follow Your ways, and help us to write Your words on our hearts. Send us reminders each day to live our lives in such a way that Your love for others will be on display. Amen.
Read: Galatians 5:25, 1 Peter 2:5, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 3:12-14
Weekly Memory Verse: “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Leviticus 20:8, ESV