A whole lot of offerings

So today's reading was Leviticus 5-7. Once again, a passage that would normally bore me was actually another eye opener. Yesterday I talked about the construction instructions for the tabernacle and today I read about many different offerings.

In this passage, God is telling Moses what the people should do when they sin. As I was reading, I was getting a little overwhelmed by all of the rules. It's basically a long to-do list. I was thinking that if I lived back then, there would be no way that I would be able to follow all those rules, much less remember them! I mean that's a lot of work to do when you mess up.

For instance...

"So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned. He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from he flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin. But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering..." Leviticus 5:5-7. 

Did you catch all that? 

Yeah, lets just say I was a little lost. 

From the sin offering to the burnt offering to the guilt offering to the grain offering...

that's a lot of different offerings to keep up with! Not to mention all the different animals.

While reading this long to-do list, a sense of thankfulness came over me.

Do you know why?

Because when I mess up, I don't have to go find two young pigeons and bring them to an altar and  wait for a priest to make atonement on my sin! 

Thank goodness because I don't know how I'd catch two pigeons! It sounds like a lot of work if you ask me.

Do you know why I don't have to do that?!

JESUS!

God sent His son, Jesus to be my sin offering.

I think God realized that it's hard for people to keep up with all these rules. Some of them probably didn't follow them or maybe they couldn't remember them,  like me. 

God was so gracious and merciful to send His son as a sacrifice.

We don't have to offer up different things like animals and grain to be forgiven of our sins, Jesus already took care of that on the cross.

Of course, when we sin we should confess to God and repent, but there's nothing else we can do that will make up for what we've done. 

Jesus is the answer. 

What's even better is that God didn't say, 

"Okay, I'm going to send my son, Jesus, only if you do this for me." 

There were no if's or but's about it.

He sent His son, Jesus, as a gift.

Meaning, He freely gives the gift not because we deserve it, but because He loves us.

Amazing.

 This passage full of laws reminded me how blessed I am to have received the gift of salvation through Jesus.

I didn't do anything to deserve it, but since I believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I have received the gift of eternal life. 

It's not about works, unlike so many other religions, it's all about faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

All I can say (and I hope you agree and will say with me)...

Thank you God, for sending your Son as a sacrifice for my sins. You didn't have to, but You did and I am so thankful. 

If you have questions about this precious gift or if you have any prayer requests, please email me!

Day 30 In Him we find...

 

Wow- I can't believe it's been 30 days already!! Thank you so much for following along with me in my first series! I hope it has been a blessing for you, as much as it has been for me! I had been praying about this series a few months before I decided to do it and I even wrote out the 30 topics before hand. Guess what?! I didn't even use all the topics I had planned. God revealed to me so much more. That's how awesome He is!

 

Before I reveal to you the last topic, I figured I would do our last, final recap of what we've found in Him:

faithfulness

healing

freedom

holiness

grace

confidence

endurance

Heavenly Father

sacrifice

rest

conviction

repentance

refreshment

lovingkindness

power

everlasting love

wise counsel

transformation

refuge

joy

abundance

provision

fellowship

boldness

glory

truth

stability

comfort

purpose

 

Last, but not least...

*drum roll please*

 

In Him we find eternal life when we believe in the truth that He sent His one and only perfect son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead three days later to prove that death has not overcome.

 

When we believe in that truth, we are saved from condemnation in hell. We are given the most precious gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." When we die, it is not a time of sorrow, but a time of celebration. We get to spend eternity with Jesus in paradise. Revelation 21:4 says, "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." We don't deserve it, that's for sure, but He has given it to us anyway, as a gift if we accept it.

 

Ephesians 2:4-10 says it beautifully, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

 

There is absolutely no one else who can give you the gift of eternal life. Don't even try looking elsewhere, because you won't find it. It is the most amazing gift you can and will ever recieve. It's better than your dream car, dream house, and whatever else that you dream of, because guess what? Those things don't last forever, but when you believe in Jesus, you will spend forever with Him. We can't even measure eternity, because it goes on and on and on and on and on....etc...you get the picture. 1 John 2:17 says, "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." Nothing gets better than that. I always hear young people say, "I wanna live forever!" Well, that isn't gonna happen without a relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

In Him we find eternal life.

 

Just because this series is over now, doesn't mean that these are the only things that we find in Him. The list continues. He has many wonderful characteristics that my 30 day blog series could not cover. I hope my series was just a snapshot of a few of the amazing things we find in Him. I pray that you continue to find more in Him and praise Him for who He is. If you have any questions or prayer requests, please let me know either by comment or email!

Check out http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/22-inspirational-bible-verses/ for bible verses about God's promises!

 

Stay tuned for my next series! Thanks again for stopping by!

 

Today's scripture for read-your-Bible-in-a-year plan is Acts 27-28.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My trip into the woods...

Do you like to go venturing into the woods? Whenever you go hiking, do you take anything with you? Walking stick? Water bottle? Boots? Bring a flashlight, if it's dark?  In my experience, I have found that when you go venturing into the woods you must be prepared for opposition.

 

For instance, one day when I was about 10, I  ventured into the woods (actually, my backyard, but it might as well be the woods, since we have land in the country) and stepped on a nail. It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't wearing sandals which allowed the nail to go all the way through the sole and into my foot. Not a good feeling. I then realized that I must be prepared and wear more appropriate shoes when I go on my little "adventures". You think that sounds silly? Just wait. Another time, right after we moved to the country, I decided to go "roam" my backyard (aka the woods) and pretend I was in an "enchanted forest" (I was eight and imaginative haha ). As I was searching the "enchanted forest", I decided to hang from this tree like a swing. Little did I know, the tree was dead. Next thing I knew, I was laid out on the ground with my head on a stump, a tree on my face (lovely image, huh?), and blood on my fingers. Yes, I faced opposition with a dead tree. If I was prepared for my "enchanted forest" adventure, I would have learned what a dead tree looked like...but obviously, I didn't. Now, I know.  Those two stories aren't the only interesting experiences I have up my sleeve, but it's obvious I have definitely faced opposition in the outdoors. All silliness aside, my main point is that we must be prepared to face opposition in many aspects of our lives.

 

If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I'm sure you've faced a ton of opposition. Today I heard an awesome sermon about facing opposition as believers. Of course, as believers, we are extremely blessed with the gift of salvation and that is the best gift anyone can recieve. However, the Bible tells us many times that followers of Christ should expect opposition. Jesus said, "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20)..... "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13).... "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18). Jesus has made it clear that even though we may follow Him, it doesn't mean we won't face opposition.

 

We face opposition because we live in a sinful world. Sin is all around us. Satan is at work. He wants to keep everyone away from Christ and the eternal life that He so freely gives.  Satan tries to work through oppositions of sickness, death, financial, divorce, fear, rejection, guilt, broken relationships, failure and more.   In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

 

This may sound discouraging and not like something you want to be a part of, but wait, before you click off of this blog, please keep reading! There is good news! God doesn't want the opposition to take us out. He is here to help us. He can prepare us for the opposition that is to come, but most importantly, He can help us overcome the opposition that we face.

 

The first way God prepares us to face the opposition is by faith. Pastor Nathan said, "Faith equips us to stand in the face of opposition and to do it well." Today's scripture was Hebrews 11:23-31 and it explains many instances when people faced opposition but overcame it with faith. Verses 26-27 say, " He (Moses) regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. " Although Moses knew he was going to get in big trouble by the world, he knew he was going to get a gold star from God, because he acted in faith. He looked "ahead to his reward" and "persevered because he saw him who is invisible"....aka he had FAITH! Moses gained strength to get through the persecution of the world because of his faith in God's will.

 

The second way God helps us get through the opposition is by a wonderful reminder. Pastor Nathan explained..."He reminds you that even though you feel like you're losing...faith says, "you win." Hebrews 11:40 says, " since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." For all the opposition we face, it is worth it! 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 1 Peter 4:13 says, "Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 2:20 says, "If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God."

 

So if you are facing opposition right now, hold onto your faith. Grasp it. Embrace it. Realize that it will not last forever. If you aren't facing opposition right now, get prepared (just like you get prepared to go hiking)! Read God's Word. Have an accountability partner. Serve. Grow stronger in your faith because that is what is going to get you through it.

 

 Thankfully, because of God's grace and mercy, He sent his perfect son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified for our sins...for anyone who would believe in Him. What's even better is that Jesus was resurrected from the dead to prove that death has no power over our lives. Then when Jesus comes back to take His followers to His heavenly, eternal kingdom, we will no longer face opposition.

The opposition is worth it.

Hold on and look forward to the reward of eternal life that Jesus Christ has given us.