LEVITICUS

Chapter 1

Leviticus 1 Daily DEVO But its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 1:9 – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous stepping into Leviticus for our daily devotions! But as we went through the end of Exodus we saw there was some richness to what was there and I know that will be the same here so for the next month let’s journey together and see what we can learn. Like this verse, we see God commanding that the insides be taken out cleaned and wholly given over to God for purification. That is exactly the way God wants our lives to be given to Him. Not just the outside cleaned and given over so it appears clean, but the insides as well so the full purification can be found. So what hidden thing in your life still needs to come out so God can cleanse that part of your life as well? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 883

Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. Leviticus 1:2 – When, not if. In order for them to have a right relationship with God it wasn’t “if” you decided to bring an offering, it was when. There was going to be no atonement made without a sacrificial offering made by them. If they wanted to be right with God the debate was done, they were bringing an offering to Him. Today it’s no different. If we want to be right with God and find atonement for our sins a sacrifice must be brought. Now don’t freak out thinking this morning as you get ready for church that you’ve forgotten to pick up a bull to bring for a sacrifice. Your much needed sacrifice has already been brought, already been prepared, and already been given. Your sacrifice that made you right with God was Jesus. Today walk in confidence toward your Heavenly Father knowing the most pure of sacrifices has already been given on your behalf and it has cleansed you of every wrong. You have been made holy because of Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac Daily DEVO 1924

Chapter 2

Leviticus 2 Daily DEVO – And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. Leviticus 2:8 – When it says “these things” it is referring to three different ways that they could make these offerings. An oven, a griddle, a pan. All three were very common place ways to cook for the people and things they’d be used to already. This shows that God knew His people and also wanted to make the process of obeying His commands something doable for them. God wanted them to follow Him so He met them where they were at. God has met you where you’re at as well and made it doable for you to follow Him as well. In fact He met us so much where we’re at that He even became one of us to show us how to follow Him. Know that God’s ways are doable for you and He purposely made them that way. Why? Because He knows when you follow His ways you get to know Him better. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 884

When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it…Leviticus 2:1 – The bringer of the offering did this showing he got to be a part of the sacrificial process. No, his hands nor his efforts made him holy, but God invited his hands to be a part of what God was doing in his life. In our story we have to acknowledge our hands nor our efforts make us holy before God. That happens because of the blood of Jesus. God though allows us a part in all this. He invites us to lay at His feet our agenda and our wants. He gives us the freedom to choose how deeply we want to pursue this life with Him. While the salvation is solely Jesus’ doing, the pursuit of intimacy with God we get a part in. Know today there are steps toward a closeness with God you can make. Your choices today on how you live, how you speak, and how you pursue God all play a part in this. God is inviting you to be a part of this relationship He has with you, how deeply will you pursue the part you play in it? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1925

Chapter 3

Leviticus 3 Daily DEVO It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. Leviticus 3:17 – This chapter highlights that the fat and blood of each sacrifice was to been taken and given to God and not used for other purposes. The lesson taught with that is there are things that need to be set aside for God alone and not something we treat as common in our lives. Like worship with song, don’t let it be something that you just give yourself half hearted to like you handle other things. Or your offerings, don’t let it be just something you forget about but bring your best. For them the fat was the best part of the animal and they were learning God deserves their best. So what have we been treating as common place that should be set aside as sacred and what we give our absolute best to? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 885

If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. Leviticus 3:1 – God is ever about peace with us. Here these peace offerings were made to seek out God’s mercy or to thank Him for the mercies shown to them already. It was designed for the people to have a way of knowing peace was attainable between them and God. God made a path for the people to have peace with Him. He made the path open to all as well. You only have bulls, no problem, here’s your path to peace. Only have sheep? No worries, God made a path of peace for you as well. Goat people? God has you covered to. The sacrifice of Jesus made the path to peace with God open for all. Any and all who would seek God’s mercy in their life have access to it. So whether you are a bull herder, a shepherd, a mom, dad, rich poor, sick, healthy, have a messed up backstory, or you’ve walked away from God in the past…mercy is available for you because of Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1926

Chapter 4

Leviticus 4 Daily DEVO When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt…Leviticus 4:22 – Whether you are a leader or you follow one we all must remember leaders make mistakes. They aren’t perfect because they are human like everyone else. They have emotions they are learning to handle and have struggles in life they are trying to work through like everyone else. In the middle of everything a leader is handling, they very well may make a mistake and we need to be willing to forgive them for that. If God here is willing to forgive a leader we should be as well. So have you been hurt by a leader and they realized the wrong they did and have sought reconciliation? Have you allowed the chance of healing to happen or have you held that grudge still against them? While yes leaders should be held at a higher standard, they still can stumble. Let’s be the people that support our leaders and help them back up when that stumble happens rather than kicking them when they’re down. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 886

Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. Leviticus 4:20 – Forgiveness was able to be found. Let’s make sure we don’t overlook this amazing truth in the passage. As we navigate through not only this chapter but this whole book of Leviticus we are getting blasted with things that are so far from our normal in today’s culture and church life. We aren’t sacrificing goats, we aren’t burning the fat of the entrails, and we aren’t sprinkling the blood of bulls anywhere. Yet at the center of all this we see God was making a clear path for His people to come and find forgiveness of their sin. God’s heart has always been for His people to be able to come to Him and find forgiveness of whatever wrongs they had done. At one time it was with the blood of bulls, now it’s through the blood of Jesus. Know your story can have forgiveness weaved in it. You don’t have to carry the weight of shame or guilt any longer. Every wrong can be forgiven. Come to Jesus, ask for His forgiveness, and finally walk free from what you’ve been carrying for so long. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1927

Chapter 5

Leviticus 5 Daily DEVO If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity. Leviticus 5:1 – We see God helping His people realize the importance of not letting sin stay amongst them. This verse says that it’s wrong to not tell anyone and not tell the person they did wrong if you hear about a sin they committed. That keeping a sin you saw happen or heard about happen hidden is bad too. Why? Because sin ruins things and when left alone it can cause real damage. 1 Corinthians 12:26 talks about when one member of the body suffers all the members suffer with it. So if we know someone in our church family is sinning we must be willing to confront it for not only are they suffering the whole body will suffer with them. God doesn’t mess around with sin, we shouldn’t then let those around us mess with it either. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 887

If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. Leviticus 5:17 – Thoughtlessness, ignorance, or unawareness are not excuses that God takes when it comes to our sin. Yes, we may not have been aware at the time of our sinning that we were doing something sinful, but we still did wrong. Yes, maybe we just weren’t fully thinking at that moment just what we were doing, but if we sinned in that moment we still went against God’s commands. What we see here in our passage is God giving directions for the people when that awareness of their sin is there. Whether you were oblivious to the fact it was sinful or you were just careless, when confronted with the truth that you’ve done wrong, what do you do then? The direction scripture gives here is to immediately humble yourself before the Lord, bring the sacrifice He is looking for, and seek to change your ways from ever falling into that sin again. God isn’t destroying the people if they sin, He is giving them a way to find forgiveness. Our issue comes when we sin yet refuse to humbly seek out that forgiveness. What then is a sin you find yourself unintentionally falling into? What’s a change you can make to help you not walk down that path? Whether intentional or unintentional, sin is sin and it still has deep destructive power in your story. Be wise and cut off any paths that leads you to sin. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1928

Chapter 6

Leviticus 6 Daily DEVO If he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. Leviticus 6:4-5 – God takes us finding peace with our neighbor very seriously. Not only are we to repay him back in full with extra, God says to do it on the day you realize you’ve hurt your relationship with your neighbor. That no delay in finding peace is ok with Him. We all need to grow here. It’s not just us understanding we need to live at peace with those around us, it’s us learning to not hesitate to find that peace. Don’t let another day go by where you are at odds with someone when it’s in your power to find peace with them. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 888

And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty. Leviticus 6:7 – If God has forgiven them then we should too. In previous chapters our passages have spoken of ways people could sin against God, but in this chapter we see how people could sin against God by doing wrong to their neighbor. Maybe it’s through deceiving them, robbing them, oppressing them, or lying about them, but whatever the method the end result is we’ve hurt our neighbor. God lays out the way for the wrongdoer to make things right with the person they wronged and with Himself due to the fact they also sinned against Him. Now if they listen and follow God’s direction, God says they are forgiven in His eyes and they should be forgiven in our eyes too if we’ve been the one who felt the damage of their sin. What this means is if you have someone in your story who has caused you deep pain, but it’s clear they have sought God for forgiveness and sought to make things right with you, we should be open to offering forgiveness and grace and seeking out what peace could look like with them. No, we don’t have to be best buddies now with them, but you’re at peace with them because you forgave them like Jesus directed us to. Who then is someone who has sought reconciliation with you yet you turned them aside? Why? Who is someone you need to seek reconciliation with? Seek peace and offer forgiveness, not just because it will help you but because it’s commanded by God to do so. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1929

Chapter 7

Leviticus 7 Daily DEVO This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the Lord ‘s food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord. Leviticus 7:35 – So those God set apart at holy priests are able to enjoy the table of God’s blessing. What we must remember now because of Jesus Christ and the salvation He bought for us we have been set apart as a royal priesthood. ‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…1 Peter 2:9a.’ So when we read and hear about how those set apart for God as a holy priesthood get the share in the blessing of God know that includes you if you’ve been saved by Jesus. Remember who you are in Christ and remember that God takes care of His own. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 889

With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. Leviticus 7:13 – I’m not sure if you noticed this, but when I read this verse it jumped out at me. Notice here God asks for leavened bread as a part of this offering. This is the opposite of any of the other directions given for the other offerings and in Leviticus 2:11 says no leaven shall be a part of any burn offerings. What’s different? Well the nature of this offering is different. This isn’t an guilt offering or a sin offering seeking out God’s mercy over a wrong. This is a peace offering. One where the giver is freely offering to God more than is required because of his gratitude for the peace he has found in God’s eyes and the wondrous blessings in his story. With this sacrifice the loaves are not placed on the altar so it’s not contradicting 2:11. This is God showing leaven in itself isn’t wrong, in fact leaven is a result of peace with God. For me the message today is things are different for those who have found peace with God. Our life is better. No, that doesn’t mean all our prayers get answered how we want and our bank accounts are busting at the seams. But what we do get is pretty amazing. We have a knowledge of what will happen when we die and we’re excited about it. We have a purpose to everyday we exist. We have help from One who is actually able to change things. We get to experience the purest forms of family, love, trust, peace, joy, and life. All because we have found peace with God. All because we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus. Meaning, you too can have all this if you want. Reach out if you’d love to hear more about how you can find peace with God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac -Daily DEVO 1930

Chapter 8

Leviticus 8 Daily DEVO Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. Leviticus 8:14 – What was the thing at the center of Aaron’s biggest mistake in his walk with God? A golden calf. Now we see him laying his hands on a bull, ready to offer it to God. We see this in scripture sometimes where God brings us back to where we made our biggest mistake to give us a chance to give it to Him and move past it like God already has. Like Peter after his denial of Jesus had breakfast around a campfire. During the times of Peter denying Jesus he was warming himself around a fire. God isn’t about reminding us of all the mistakes we’ve made, but He does want us to not have them holding us back from Him anymore. What’s your bull then? What’s at the center of your biggest mistake spiritually? Have you laid your hands on it and offered it to God? Don’t let something God has forgiven you for create tension and distance in your pursuit of Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 890

And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. Leviticus 8:27-28 – What God places in our hands we should freely offer back to Him. Here multiple pieces of the offering were placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Then Moses takes back those very things that were placed in their hands and offered it to God. Whatever has been placed in your hands give that over and entrust it to God. The other night I was speaking about this with my girls. That while God has blessed me with a amazing wife, I’ve entrusted her with God. While God has blessed me with them, I’ve entrusted God with them. I want to give everything back to God because He’s worthy of all I have and can take care of it better than I can. Today I encourage you to seek a posture of giving your all back to God. Anything and everything God has placed in your hands place back at His feet. Your time, your energy, your passions, your blessings, your voice, your life. All back at the feet of Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac  – Daily DEVO 1931

Chapter 9

Leviticus 9 Daily DEVO And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord will appear to you.’ Leviticus9:3-4 – Why do you give? It can be tempting to hear verses like these and understand that as a result of their giving God was then obligated to show up. Our giving though should never be about bribing God into doing something or showing up. He’s already done something and already showed up. Your giving should be out of gratitude for what He’s already done. That’s why they gave in our passage. God was coming and they wanted to give thanks for what He was already doing. Make sure your reasoning behind your giving is correct. It’s all about saying thank you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 891

And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:24 – Sometimes when we read passages like this we are amazed at how mightily God moved. We see fire coming out from before the Lord and consuming the offerings and the people were terrified. Yet don’t neglect noticing when this happened. After the offering for Aaron and his sons, after the offering for the people, and after the peace offering. After the people did what God had told them to do, God moved mightily. Please know I’m not saying to treat God like a vending machine where you do something God said to do and God must the move for you as a result. Yet many of us are seeking God to move in mighty ways in our story when we haven’t moved at all towards Him. A message to take away from this passage is God is faithful to respond to our faithfulness. Begin following Him like He says to and have confidence He’ll move how you need Him to in your story. Pray like He says to, study His word like He says to, serve like He says to, share the gospel like He says to. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1932

Chapter 10

Leviticus 10 Daily DEVO “And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses. Leviticus 10:7 – So they did what God through Moses told them to do. What’s so special about that here? Well for Aaron he just saw two of his sons die because they didn’t do what God said. For the other two priests, Aaron’s other two sons, they just saw their two brothers die in front of them for not doing what God said. They saw the mistake of others, learned from it, and took a different path. We need to learn as well from the mistakes of those before us or around us. See what their choices bring into their stories and ask yourself if that’s the story you want your life to look like. If not, take a different path than them. Choose the path with the ending you want. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 892

And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?” And when Moses heard that, he approved. Leviticus 10:19-20 – The issue Moses brought to Aaron was that he didn’t eat on the sin offering that God had given to him as his portion. Yet we see Aaron’s reason was because such things had happened to him. What happened? Aaron just lost two of his sons because they handled the work of God in an unauthorized way. Aaron’s heart was broken because of the loss of his two sons and knew taking part of the offering with such a heart wouldn’t have been honoring to God. While we don’t know how Aaron truly felt in this moment, we do see Aaron’s character come out here. In the middle of deep sorrow he still chooses to serve the Lord. Even when he sees his two sons being carried out dead he remains faithful to God. Maybe how he handled the sin offering wasn’t correct but the intentions of his heart was approved by the Lord. How then does the difficulties and sorrows of life impact your pursuit of God? Do you remain steadfast or does the pain push you away from God? What level of pain would push you away? Our story reminds us that even deep, deep pain and loss don’t have to end with us walking away from God. We can experience that pain and still remain faithful. What I encourage you to do though is don’t wait till the moment after the pain has entered into your story to choose whether you’ll remain faithful. Choose today, for better or for worse, you’ll remain faithful after Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1933

Chapter 11

Leviticus 11 Daily DEVO Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. Leviticus 11:4 – The camel was the first of a few examples God gave of animals that met a unique situation. They were almost ok to eat, but they didn’t fully meet up to God’s qualifications. That part that was not ok made them wholly not ok. We must remember that when we are choosing what we allow in our lives. Just because for the most part something lines up with what God says, if it’s not wholly meeting up with it then that means some part of it isn’t lining up with what God says. Be careful not to be deceived in thinking that just because something is only a little bit not good with God that it won’t have an effect on your life. Scripture tells us that just even a little sin can grow into something horrible. Be careful then what you allow in your life. Make sure it’s holy, meaning no part of it is not of God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 893

For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. Leviticus 11:44a – I’m in a slow process of trying to memorize a verse from every book of the Bible and this verse is my Leviticus verse. Why? As we read through this chapter God is giving clear directions of what’s clean and what’s unclean. He goes into detail of which animals can be eaten and which ones can’t be. He calls the people to set themselves apart from these unclean animals and to see the idea of eating them as a detestable thing. God is calling them to be holy. Remember holy means to be set apart. God in His holiness is set far apart from sin of any kind. God now is calling us to be holy, set apart, just like He is. This passage for me has been a reminder that God has high expectations of me. He has made me holy through Jesus and now He expects me to live holy. To set myself apart from the sin I used to live in. To set myself apart from any way that isn’t pursuing God. Know that expectation isn’t just for the Israelites and me, it’s on you as well if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus. So, how set apart from sin are you? How holy is your story? What then is a single change you can make today to live more holy, more set apart for God? God is calling you holy, so now live as such. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1934

Chapter 12

Leviticus 12 Daily DEVO And he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. Leviticus12:7 – This chapter looks at the ways a woman can become clean after giving birth. It even speaks about how a lady can become clean after something like her period. What we see here is that there are natural things that we can’t always control that can make us unclean before God. This passage reminds us of the hopelessness there is if Jesus didn’t sacrifice Himself for us. Without Him, we’d have no chance of being perfect enough for God to be in Heaven. Yet because of what Jesus has done, we have been made eternally wholly clean in God’s sight. Let’s this passage remind you that you need Jesus. You can’t make it on your own. If you’d like to learn more about how to find Him, let me know because I’d love to share what I know about Him with you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 894

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Leviticus 12:1-2 – What this chapter shows us is how deeply we need a Savior. Now how am I getting that from a chapter that talks about childbirth and menstruation? Notice how those things are natural, and with menstruation, something ladies can’t help but have happen. Showing that even if they wanted to remain always clean they couldn’t. It is an impossible task for us to remain holy on our own and that message is a big reason these laws were laid out for the people of Israel at that time. Yes, they could find a temporary cleansing which allowed them to participate in worship, but they would eventually need a better sacrifice. We need a better sacrifice too and we have that in Jesus. We, just like the ladies spoken about in our passage, can’t remain holy on our own. We are born into sin, have a sinful nature, and even find ourselves sinning unintentionally. We need a Savior and sacrifice that can cover all our wrong and keep us forever holy. Jesus is just that and know if you place your trust in Him He can keep you holy and blameless before God. As always, if you’re curious about how to start a life with Jesus I’d love to chat about it with you, just reach out! I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1935

Chapter 13

Leviticus 13 Daily DEVO The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. Leviticus 13:45-46 – This is the type of life God doesn’t want for you. One of isolation from others, one of shame, and one where you can’t come to worship Him because of your sin. So God made a way for you to be clean so this wouldn’t have to be your story. So rather than having to walk around in life yelling “Unclean” so you and all those around you could never forget the sin in your story, He is able to wash you pure so your voice can yell out “I’m clean because of Jesus.” If you have been cleaned by Jesus, are you still living outside the camp isolating yourself from the people of God? Are you still carrying the shame of your past uncleanliness? Are you still feeling at odds with God? Remember there has been a massive change that has taken place your story. You’re clean now. Don’t continue to live as you did when you where unclean. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 895

And the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the appearance of the diseased area has not changed, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front. Leviticus 13:55 – We’re now looking at the laws God gave concerning leprous diseases, and more precisely for this verse, whenever a leprous diseases is found on a piece of clothing. They were to wash it, lock it up for seven days, then bring it back to the priest for him to examine. What’s unique about this law was if after all that, the disease hadn’t spread but also hadn’t gotten any better, the piece of clothing was to be pronounced unclean and burned. A change for the better had to of taken place in order for the priest to pronounce it clean. Yes, if the disease grew it would be unclean, but if the disease also just stayed exactly the way it was it too would be unclean. In our story a change has to take place in order for us to be holy. You cannot stay living in sin like you used to before you placed your faith in Jesus and still be clean and holy before God. Sure, maybe you’re not growing in sin, but like the fabric your disease of sin in your life hasn’t changed for the better either. A holy life after God is one that isn’t content remaining in sin. This sort of life sees the sin in its story and seeks to daily push it out more and more. Is there then a sin that you have grown content with? Has that sin maybe not grown in the last 6 months, but it also hasn’t shrunk either. As with the fabric, it’s a “leprous disease” that will only continue to grow and cause you to be off track of a holy life with God. Seek out where you’ve allowed sin to remain as it is in your story and begin the removal process. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1936

Chapter 14

Leviticus 14 Daily DEVO This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing. Leviticus 14:32 – This is not the first time we see God giving a way for those who don’t have as much to find cleansing as well. This just shows that God cares more about finding peace and togetherness with us than us giving extravagant offerings to Him. Granted there still is a price to be paid to find that peace with God here, but God is working with the people. Remember that God deserves our best and we should always be giving Him our best. If though our best when compared to the wealth of others isn’t much, know God cares far more about your heart of wanting to follow Him than the price tag of your offering. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 896

The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. Leviticus 14:14-17 – As a reminder, this process of the priest putting something on their right ear, right thumb, and right big toe was a way to say this person was completely after God. From head to toe their whole life was God’s. They were dedicating their lives to hearing the word of God, to using their hands to serve God, and using their feet to carry the Word of God where it needed to go. Here we see this process of ear/thumb/toe happening twice, once with blood and once with oil. For the leper that was having this done to him those two things meant everything. The blood symbolized all his sin had be taken care of, from head to toe. The oil symbolized his cleanness before God, from head to toe. He who was once an outcast and sinner is now wholly clean before God. Jesus’ sacrifice has made you clean, from head to toe. The question then to ask yourself is now that you have been wholly cleaned, is your walk holy? Like the leper, you who were once not welcomed before God due to your sin have been made completely clean by Jesus. Now that you can walk in and come before God, are you? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1937

Chapter 15

Leviticus 15 Daily DEVO And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Leviticus 15:3 – Yes, I know, kind of a gross verse to highlight today, but that’s the nature of this whole chapter. Something though we see in this verse, as well as with the topics discussed in the rest of the chapter, is that God sees everything. That there are some of these things that made people unclean that they couldn’t hide and was out for all to see. Yet there are things like we see in this chapter, things like stuff blocked up in his body, where only you see the issue. What we learn is that God is aware of it and it’s not hidden from Him. He sees how it effects you and how it is effecting others even if they don’t realize it. Be sure that’s it’s not only the visible uncleanliness in your life you’re handing over to God but also the hidden. To God it’s all visible and all hurts you. Don’t treat it any different just because those around you are unaware of it in your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 897

Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Leviticus 15:4-5 – This sort of talk continues throughout the chapter. This idea of whatever is touched but the one who is unclean is now unclean. Even whoever touches the thing that the unclean person touched is now themselves unclean! What stands out to me is how easily our sinfulness can have an impact on another’s pursuit of God. For the people being given this message when pronounced unclean that meant you could no longer rightfully come to the temple to worship or participate in any holy thing. You then could be unable to participate in worship simply because you came in contact with something that an unclean person touched. I agree, that sounds a little much, but God knows better and knows how serious the impact our sin can have on others. Be aware then that when you say yes to sin you are placing yourself in a position that could easily knock someone off their faithful pursuit of God. You can introduce unrest, confusion, and hurt into their story because you chose sin. Be better than that. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1938

Chapter 16

Leviticus 16 Daily DEVO And the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Leviticus 16:2-3 – So there was only one way for Aaron to come before the Lord to find forgiveness of sins. Sure sound like scripture here is foreshadowing our life with Jesus. We must remember that for us there is only one way for us to find forgiveness of our sin and that’s through Jesus. If we try some other path like just living well or just helping people as our way to find forgiveness that path will end in death just like if Aaron took any other path in this sacrifice we read about today. Some may say that only one path isn’t fair, what we all must remember is that God never had to even give us this one path. He was totally in His right to keep us isolated from Him, but that’s not what He did because He loves us. Be grateful we have a way and remember there is only one way to the Father. That way is through Jesus alone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 898

The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. Leviticus 16:22 – On the Day of Atonement, the day where sacrifices were made to cover all the sins of the whole nation, a goat would be brought to the priest. Unlike all the other animals being brought, this goat would remain living. The priest would lay his hands in the head of the goat, lay all the sins of the nation in it, and then it would be released. Commentators say that the goat would be led out ten miles from the city then let go. The one who walked the goat out would watch until the goat had walked so far off that it was no longer visible to him, then the day of atonement was complete. This was a divine example of how God takes our sin far, far from us. His forgiveness is everlasting and His love is deep. There is no chance our sin is coming back into our story to ruin once again what we have with God, that sin is forgiven and gone. We can have confidence in this because our sin wasn’t just carried by a goat into the horizon but by Jesus into the tomb. Our sin is dead and gone and we’re free in Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1939

Chapter 17

Leviticus 17 Daily DEVO And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice Leviticus 17:8 – We see this phrase that’s stuck in the commas a few times in this chapter. This “or of the strangers who sojourn among them.” The laws given were to be for those who were with them as well. The strangers who didn’t follow God were not suppose to be the ones giving the directions on how the group should follow God. How often though do we see in a group the person who isn’t a follower of Jesus setting the tone of how the group is going to talk, act, relate with each other, and even how they will see God. As followers of Jesus we need to change that narrative. We know what’s true and right and we need to set the tone in the groups we are in. Don’t let someone who isn’t a follower of Jesus dictate how you worship and obey God. You set the example and you set the tone of the group. Be the light not hidden under a basket. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 899

If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. Leviticus 17:3-4 – In the days of Abraham the people would set up altars wherever they wanted and sacrifice there whenever they felt like it. This was normal practice and accepted by God, but it also led to some serious idolatry. God, aware of that, changed how things were to be done. Instead of just anyone offering anywhere they want, sacrifices were now to be brought to the tabernacle. In order for them to remain distant from idolatry, God made a change in how things were done. Is there a change in how you do things that needs to be made so you remain distant from your sin struggles? Maybe changing how you handle your phone late at night. Maybe changing who you do life with. Maybe changing what you fill you free time with. Changing how things were done in our passage had the purpose of helping the people not return to their sin. What changes could be made in your story that would help you no longer return to the sins you have dwelt in for too long? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1940

Chapter 18

Leviticus 18 Daily DEVO So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 18:30- You must be willing to follow all of God’s directions, not just the ones you want to follow. Here God has listed off a long list of ways of how sex shouldn’t be handled. God said don’t sleep with animals, ok we support that rule. God said don’t sleep with your granddaughter, ok we better support that one. God said a man shouldn’t sleep with a man as he would a woman. Suddenly a growing portion of the church is opposed to that rule. We must remember God’s in charge, not us. If He’s our Lord He sets the rules for our life. You can’t be the one who picks and chooses what’s right and wrong in God’s eyes. Yes, I understand, after Jesus our relationship to the Levitical law has changed, but what we learn from it is what is detestable to God and what isn’t. And things like homosexuality are talked about far more times than just here in scripture. What we must understand is homosexuality is a sin and their is no way around that. The church must though be the most loving people to those struggling with this sin. So if someone who identifies as homosexual is reading this you need to know I love you and want the best for you in life. I though have personally seen how deadly sin can be and if I believe that homosexuality is a sin and I believe sin hurts and kills people, it would be such a hatful thing for me to not let you know how deadly staying in this sin can be. Know I’m praying for you and am here. If you’re a Christian who isn’t battling with this sin I pray you’re ready to love people struggling with sin rather than casting your hate on them like our enemy wants us to do. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac -Daily DEVO 900

Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 18:2-4 – You follow me. That’s the command we’re getting loud and clear from God in this passage. You don’t do as the people in Egypt do and you don’t do as the people of Canaan do. You follow me. What’s so sad is how as we read through the following verses about all these sinful ways to handle sex, we learn the reason why God points these out is because the people in Egypt and Canaan did all this. Sex with your mother, your grandkids, with your animals, and with your daughters was common place for them. Imagine the damage such things were causing within their families and communities. As a result God said follow me, don’t follow their lead. God saw everything that was happening with those people and saw every hurt it brought. He then wanted something different for the people who chose to follow Him. He wants something different for you too. Yes, God is calling you to live different than the non-followers of Jesus at your work or school or in your community. Not because He finds joy in keeping pleasures from you, but He has seen over thousands of years and thousands of examples of people who choose sin and how that works out for them. Because He loves you, He wants a different story for you than that. Follow Jesus’ lead then today. Not the lead of the people around you or what culture says is good, but the lead of the God who loves you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1941

Chapter 19

Leviticus 19 Daily DEVO You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18 – See how God finishes that very familiar statement about loving your neighbor as yourself. He says “I am the Lord.” He is calling Himself your Lord, the law maker, the rule giver, the sovereign one. This was not just a suggestion God decided to speak one day in hopes we’d listen to. That was a law given to His people on how He was commanding them to live. Jesus then carries this same message into His words to us. We are to love our neighbors as ourself. Keep this in mind, this isn’t a suggestion God has given you. This is a command you are to live your life by. Ask yourself then how you love the following: the person of another religion, the person in prison, the person struggling with a sin you don’t, the person of a different skin color. All these and more fall into the neighbor category; love them. It’s ok if you’re not perfect at that, neither am I, let’s just know what we need to work on and begin working on that. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 901

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. Leviticus 19:9 – I love how God shows His heart for those in need. God tells His people that when harvesting their produce to leave some behind and not pick up what fell to the ground. They were to leave that behind for those without food. While the focus of this passage is on God taking care of those in need, we must not forget that God is clearly still taking care of those harvesting. Yes, they were to leave the edges alone, but the rest of the harvest was theirs! It’s like the conversations over tithing. Yes, we talk about the 10% to be given, and while that’s a sacrifice for sure, remember God is still blessing you with 90%. When giving to God remember how much God allows you to enjoy. Even when we give 100% to God, God never leaves you without. So yes, today God is asking you to give to Him. What we must not focus on is the “edges” of the harvest we don’t get to enjoy. We must focus on the rest of the harvest that God blesses us with. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1942

Chapter 20

Leviticus 20 Daily DEVO And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. Leviticus 20:4-5 – It’s too costly for us to simply close our eyes to the sin around us. People are trapping themselves in habits of pain and families are being torn apart. Marriages crumble and kids are left without parents. We must not just overlook the sin in our neighbor’s life but we must be will to dive head first sharing with them the power over sin they can find in Jesus. The destructiveness of sin doesn’t just come with sins like child sacrifice like we read in our passage. Families can be torn apart by one choice. Open your eyes to those around you and be willing to see the sin. Then be willing to help them find healing in Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 902

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying…Leviticus 20:1 – The Lord continued to speak to Moses. Yes because the Lord wasn’t done speaking but also because Moses had postured himself in a way that showed God he wanted to hear the words coming from the Lord’s mouth. What we see is that the Lord continues to speak to the one who is in a posture to listen. What then does a “posture to listen” look like? Throughout our chapter we see God repeatedly say that they were to set themselves apart. The way they talked, worshiped, ate, loved, and lived should be different than the way the people in the land did those things. God had called them to be holy. Those who don’t know God and aren’t seeking to hear from Him live one way, they though we’re to live different than that. Living then in such a holy manner was their way to show God they were in a posture to listen. If they were willing to listen and follow what He had already spoken then God knew He could keep going with more to say. Know God is still wanting to speak into your story. He wants to guide you, encourage you, build you, and call you. Are you though in a posture to listen? Is the current state of your life with God set apart, living in such a holy way that He knows you’re expectant of more of His voice in your life? Don’t be surprised when the voice of God seems distant and fuzzy when your life is far from holy. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1943

Chapter 21

Leviticus 21 Daily DEVO Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. Leviticus 21:17 – At first this seems harsh to limit those with physical imperfections from the service of God, but God had His reasoning. What more I want to focus on is that this is not the case anymore. Due to the perfection we find in Jesus all can faithfully serve Him. This includes the spiritually strong that have been placed in broken bodies. You must remember your brokenness doesn’t discount you from service to God. Whether your struggle comes in physical, mental, or emotional limitations God has made it available to you to serve Him where you are as you are. The only thing holding you back then is your choice to serve Him today or not. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 903

No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Leviticus 21:21-23 – This last portion of the chapter begins to talk about people who have some sort of “blemish.” Examples of this given are things like being blind, a limb too long, injured hand, or a hunchback. They weren’t allowed to come into the temple to worship due to this blemish. Yet God still allowed them to eat the holy bread. So while they weren’t allowed into the temple, God was still providing for their needs. What’s beautiful is now God has provided for all their needs through Jesus. Now, blemish and all, any can approach not just the temple of God but the throne of God. Our need of food provision is taken care of by God but now our need of life, forgiveness, salvation, and redemption is taken care of by God. If God has come through for your “daily bread” needs give Him praise today for that. If God has come through for your eternal needs as well, give Him deep praise for that. Today we walk in the blessing the people of Leviticus could only dream of. We are able to approach God and live. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1944

Chapter 22

Leviticus 22 Daily DEVO Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar. Leviticus 22:22 – When what we choose to offer the Lord isn’t even something we want around, why would we consider that’s something that is acceptable in God’s eyes? For the early readers it would have been the animals with illnesses and broken bodies. For us it could just be spare time or spare change, things we don’t really care about but just if we think about it we’ll give to God. Things that if given to Him really doesn’t change our schedule or way of life. God though wants our offerings to Him to be of our best. So yes we may have to give up something special to us to spend time with Him or give up on buying that thing for us so we can give to Him. Do your offerings challenge you or is it just your extra you don’t really care about? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 904

And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. Leviticus 22:29 – From my understanding, a sacrifice of thanksgiving had some freedoms attached to it. They could offer a bull, goat, flour, or any of the other acceptable thing God said they could sacrifice with other offerings. They also had freedom to bring it to the priests at any time they felt lead to give thanks in this way. In this sort of offering there was freedoms, but even with the freedoms there was a way to give it in an acceptable, holy way. All the requirements given for other sacrifices about the state of the offering’s health and looks still mattered. The state of the giver’s cleanliness still mattered. Meaning there was freedom but in that freedom they still had to move God’s way.  Today God gives us a great amount of freedom in how we give and serve Him. We can serve at our local church in the nursery, to the non-profit that helps the homeless, to serving overseas in the mission field. We can give our time, our money, our efforts. Yet as in our passage, there is a way to give it in a way that’s acceptable to God. We can give so much away out of a feeling of we are reconciling what we have with God with those offerings. We can give because there is a weight of “have to” attached to it. Those sort of offerings aren’t pleasing to God. The ones that please Him are the offerings given from a heart that is gladly giving out of gratitude for what He’s already done and gratitude for the promises of what He has in store for us. Today, in how you give and the state of your heart in your giving, would that be an acceptable offering to God? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1945

Chapter 23

Leviticus 23 Daily DEVO Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places. Leviticus 23:3- If I counted right it said to do no work, or ordinary work, six separate times in this chapter. God must have realized before we even began down that road that our busyness can easily come between us and our time with God. This chapter is filled with directions on how to worship Him but all had this first step of setting aside your normal work and schedule to step into time with God. Make sure your busyness in life isn’t keeping you from life with God. If you can’t find time for God in your current schedule your schedule needs a change. Just don’t be surprised if you’re lacking peace and joy in your life if you don’t give the Giver of those time in your day. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 905

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest…Leviticus 23:9-10 – God is giving the people instructions here on how to handle their harvest in the promise land. Remember though they aren’t in the promise land yet. They haven’t crossed over anything, taken over anything, or even planted anything! Yet God is already giving them directions on how to handle their harvest in the promise land. Why? Because God is confident about His promises and ability to come through on what He says. Hence why in this passage He says “When” you come into the land I promise you, not “If.” God is giving the directions on how to handle this because He is sure about what He is going to do in their life. Maybe that’s another reason why God is giving us many of the commands we see in scripture. He knows what He plans to do in our story and He is establishing us now to handle what’s to come, even if we don’t see it yet. God says come to Him who are weary and find rest. Maybe we aren’t feeling weary now or needing that rest in this moment, but God knows we will and is telling us now He’s already established a place for us to go when that restless time comes. God promises to be a light in our darkness. Maybe right now everything is clear and bright, yet God is giving us this promise because He knows eventually our story will need a light and He’ll have already told you He’s exactly what you’ll need. God knows what your future holds and is establishing Himself today as your provider for the needs of your tomorrow. When you trust in Jesus, you have nothing to fear or worry yourself with when it comes to the uncertainty of tomorrow. God has tomorrow under control. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1946

Chapter 24

Leviticus 24 Daily DEVO If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Leviticus24:19-20 – While for Christians today we need to contrast this passage with what Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-42, we still can learn a truth from what it says here. We’ve seen already God speak about loving your neighbor as yourself and this passage hits at the heart of that. That if you love your teeth, you’re going to think twice about taking your neighbors teeth now. We’re seeing how loving others helps us and how hurting others hurts us. If then you want less hurt coming into your story and more love coming instead, love others as you want to be loved. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 906

And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them. Leviticus 24:12 – In our passage two men from the camp got into a fight. During the fight one of the men cursed and blasphemed God’s name. Most likely meaning he spoke disrespectfully and in a dishonorable way concerning God’s name. When the situation and the man was brought before Moses, they did the wise choice. Rather than acting out of frustration and anger, they paused and waited on directions from God. There are many things like this in our story where we need to pause and wait for God’s direction on the situation. It’s so easy to assume we know what God wants and immediately step into something too soon or step into something we weren’t supposed to. Be wise enough to take time to seek God’s directions on things. Pray, read His Word, seek advice from those more spiritually mature than you. Yes, this takes time and may mean you don’t get to move as quickly as you want. Yet wouldn’t you rather move into something with full confidence this is God’s will for your story? Wouldn’t you rather wait, seek God’s lead, and find out something you were going to jump into isn’t actually something He wants you in? Yes, this should be our habit for big things, but it should also be our habit with the small things in life. Each day, in every way, let’s seek the direction God is giving. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1947

Chapter 25

Leviticus 25 Daily DEVO And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives. Leviticus 25:20-22 – We need to trust God when He tells us to do something that in our understanding doesn’t make sense. Here God is telling them to take the seventh year off from farming. They of course are wondering then how they will feed themselves if they don’t farm. God then tells them in these verses how He’s going to provide for them. We though may not get that blessing of God telling us exactly how He’ll provide, we just need to know He will. Trust Him. This step He’s leading you in may be scary because you don’t understand the ending, just know God is in control and if He’s leading He’ll provide. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 907

If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. Leviticus 25:35-36 – “That your brother may live beside you.” I love how God is establishing this within the rules of His people. Here we see God giving directions on how to help your brother who has fallen into hard times. God commanded them to bring them into their home and help them live. Not just throw money at them, not just wish them well, but to bring them close. Also not to just do the minimum amount so they can survive, but to help them fully live. Yes, this is a lot God is asking of His people, and yes this is a lot He is asking of us today. Yet what is going to be the one thing in Heaven with us someday? Our brothers and sisters. Not your home, car, job, golf clubs, tv, phone, etc. It’s the people in your life that will possibly be in Heaven with you someday. God has blessed us so we can bless others. Seek to come alongside those in your story that need a hand right now. See how God has blessed you and seek to bless those in need around you. Help your brother fully live. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1948

Chapter 26

Leviticus 26 Daily DEVO But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. Leviticus 26:40 – For those who believe God is only here to punish us and is waiting for those opportunities, this chapter shows otherwise. When speaking about disobedience many times in this chapter God says what’s He’ll do as punishment for it. Yet here we see why God is punishing. God wants us to turn from our sin. The punishment is to teach us that sin isn’t worth it and if we turn away from sin God is ready to have us back. We must remember that while the ways God spoke about getting their attention seems harsh, it’s harshness is nothing compared to a life in Hell if we never turn to God. Know all God wants for you is life with Him which is life as from the pains of Hell as you can get. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 908

And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. Leviticus 26:12 – Our chapter today centers around a couple If/Then statements. The first was if you follow my ways, then I will bless you. And the ways God says He would bless them would have been everything they could have dreamed for. Rain for those crops, overflow of harvest, food on the table, and security in their lands. While all that is beautiful, this last promised blessing should have stopped them in their tracks. God said He’d walk among them. The Hebrew word for walk used here is “Halak,” the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 3:8 when God walked in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He was saying when you follow me, I’m taking you back to the beauty of Eden where we walked together. Today know this promise still stands for us. When we choose to be faithful to the relationship we have with God, we begin walking with God. We can enter into the beauty of Eden. Follow Him faithfully today and enjoy the beauty of what life looks like in step with Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1949

Chapter 27

Leviticus 27 Daily DEVO These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. Leviticus 27:34 – Today we close our study of the book of Leviticus. While at first I was somewhat intimidated to step into it, God has had some very rich messages to share with us in these passages. What we must take to heart as we read this book is that God has a way of living for His people that is different than the way the rest of the world lives. There are things we as followers of God do, say, think, pursue, and believe that make no sense to the rest of the world but we’ve been directed by our God to live that way. You must ask yourself will you live as God leads or will your life be a copy of the life of someone who doesn’t know God? A true follower of God’s life will look dramatically different than the norm. How different than is your life? If God is the one setting the rules for your life, then your life will be different from the world. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 909

But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:28 – Imagine you make some amazing cookies and you tell me that you’ll save one back for me, just for me, and no one else can eat it. Later I come to grab that cookie but can’t find it. So I approach you and ask where the cookie is that you saved for me and you say you gave it away to someone else. Now we’re talking about a cookie which isn’t a big deal, but even with that example we see the wrongness of promising something to someone then giving it away to someone else. God is reminding us that whatever we dedicate to God is His and should be given to no one else. For those of us who have chosen to follow Him, we’ve dedicated our all to Him. Our time, our talents, our heart, our future, our focus, our life. Where so often the tension in our walk with God comes from is when we’ve given what we’ve dedicated to Him to something else. What then have you given your time to other than God? What has captivated your focus other than God? What has your talents been given to other than the purposes of God? All of you has been given as a holy offering to the Lord when you placed your faith in Him. Be sure what you have set aside for God you aren’t giving away to something or someone else. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1950