Teach me Your ways

Scripture:  Leviticus:18:5;  “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them.  I am the Lord.” 

​Observations: Psalm 13 is a lament of David, and if you read it, you would almost think he had come to the end of his rope (I know several friends who can relate to that feeling).  But then David reminds us that we have “trusted in God’s steadfast love” – “we can sing to the LORD because he has dealt bountifully with us.”   In Acts 19, Paul is in Ephesus where he stayed for two years, but of course, greed caused a riot (more on that in tomorrow’s reading).  There is the story of the “Sons of Sceva” who tried to call upon Jesus’ name for power even though they didn’t know him personally – it didn’t bode well for them.  Leviticus 18 was all about sexual sin (more on that tomorrow – in chapter 20).  I really like the title of chapter 19 in my Bible:  “The Lord Is Holy”.  There was a subtitle for verses 9-18 which reads:  “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.”  We, of course, know that as part of the greatest commandment that we should follow because of God’s holiness. The last section of that chapter is titled: “You Shall Keep My Statues: and that takes us back to the Application Scripture. 

Application:  So many places in the Bible we are assured that God’s statues are good and that good will come to those who follow His Statutes.  Too often we determine we will do things our own way.  Jesus stated he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  Yet, our churches, and our government which were both started based on God’s laws, are turning away from God’s statutes and calling them outdated.  They are NOT outdated.  They are fresh and alive today.  We can’t choose to ignore them just because it doesn’t suit our way of life.  We need to change our way of living.

Prayer:  Lord God, the Great I Am, you are Holy, and you call us to be holy as you are holy.  Humble the Spirits of those who find fault in your laws.  Help us to lovingly teach the good of your laws.  Do NOT let us fall away to follow the crowd.  Teach us your ways, O Lord.  Teach us to love your statutes.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Leviticus 20-22;  Acts 20