Tag Archives: forgiveness

March 17

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Deuteronomy 12-14

Moses is explaining to the Israelites that once they have settled in the Promised Land God would choose a place for His dwelling. In one of their cities God would direct them to build a more permanent tabernacle where the ark would rest and where an altar would be built for sacrifices. Once a year all Jews were to go that place to eat their tithe in the presence of the Lord.

Here’s what I noticed this morning. Moses told them that if they were blessed by the Lord, if their ten percent involved much grain, new wine and oil, and if the designated city was too far for them to carry everything, they were to sell their tithe for silver, travel to the city and buy their tithe’s equivalent and complete their sacrifice at the place God chose as a dwelling for His Name.

Moses doesn’t say… if you are blessed with too much to carry, then just do your own sacrificing at a more convenient place. Or he didn’t say if you have too much just bring what you can.

Once again I am reminded that there is no short-cuts to forgiveness. God requires us all to come to Him on His terms. We don’t go to the temple today because we have Jesus. And Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. There just isn’t any other provision for the forgiveness of sin.

Dear Lord, I am thankful today that you painted this picture of your requirement for sacrifices in the Old Testament. Thank you that you are the same today as you were when these words were written. Thank you for Jesus. And thank you for providing the way to forgiveness through His blood. May we not be fooled into thinking there are any short-cuts.

March 16

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Deuteronomy 9-11

Ok I get it. Three times in 9:4-6 Moses tells Israel that it’s not because of their righteousness or integrity that they were going to live in Canaan. In fact Moses calls them stiff-necked people and reminds them of the many times they’ve disobeyed God… to the point God was ready to destroy them.

God had made a promise to Abraham and he was going to honor that promise. The Jews were going into Canaan but it wasn’t about them. It was about God.

It is always about God.

We were created by God for God. We are created to love and worship Him. Sometimes I think we get caught up in what God can do for us. The forgiveness, the peace, the joy are all amazing blessings that come from walking with God and obeying Him. But when we walk with God we are simply doing what we were created to do.

The Jews were going into Canaan to live in houses they didn’t build and eat food they didn’t plant. But it wasn’t because they were good enough.

God is telling us to put on righteousness we didn’t earn, but not because we are good enough, either. It’s His righteousness so that we can fellowship with Him.

I find it amazing and humbling that the God of creation wants to fellowship with me. It’s not because I’m a good person or go to church every Sunday or read my Bible. I am a sinner who has accepted His forgiveness. I stand before Him wearing His righteousness because I have none of my own.

Because of Him I am able to be the person I was created to be.

March 12

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Numbers 34-36

The Old Testament doesn’t really say anything about rehabilitating criminals, does it? Their laws were pretty black and white. If you murder someone you die.

I don’t want to get into a debate about capital punishment and I praise God for men and women who have found the Savior while paying a debt to society. But once again I am reminded that God cannot tolerate sin. He cannot let the guilty go unpunished and the wages of sin is death.

When a person gives his or her life to the Lord that person is justified by faith. I have heard it explained that means God looks on him, “just as if I’d never sinned”. In a sense that is true. When we become Christians our Holy God looks on us as clean, spotless, even holy. But make no mistake about it. That position comes at quite a cost.

It’s not as if I’ve never sinned. Its that every sin I’ve ever committed nailed Jesus to the cross. He didn’t just tear up the bill and forgive the debt. He paid the debt of my sin in full with his own precious blood.

As we come into the Easter season I am reminded how much Jesus loves me and what my sins cost him. How can I help but love him when he loved me so?

Dear God, once again I thank you for your Word. Thank you for reminding us how serious you are about sin and what our sin cost Jesus. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for forgiveness. And thank you for such an amazing love.

March 1

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Numbers 7

Did you read every word of this chapter today? I found myself wanting to skip over the repetitive details of the offerings the twelve tribes of Israel brought for the dedication of the altar. Each tribe brought exactly the same articles. But it’s written as though every tribe contributed something unique.

It occurred to me that I’m glad this account is written like that. It reminds me that we are all on equal footing before the Lord and he requires exactly the same thing of each of us.

He doesn’t require one person to repent of sin and another to pay money for forgiveness. He doesn’t ask one person to repeat a prayer ten times and another to confess the details of his sin before a congregation in order to be saved.

Romans 10:9 says “… if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.”

I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We don’t have to guess or try to be creative. God’s requirements are very well spelled out in his Word. Every man, woman, and child are required the exact same thing. Believe in Jesus, repent of sins, receive His forgiveness. Period.

Here’s the other thing I got from reading this today. Even though we are all required to humble ourselves before a holy God and ask for forgiveness, when we give Him our hearts He looks at each of us as something unique, something precious, someONE He gave His life for. The repetitiveness of people sinning, people repenting, people accepting forgiveness… never gets old for God. Each time an individual comes to the Lord, it’s like the first time for him.

Thank you, Lord for your Word. I don’t believe one word that is recorded here was done without meaning and purpose. Thank you for making your plan of salvation so clear. And thank you for seeing me as someone unique, for seeing my life as precious, and for accepting me just because I asked.

February 28

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Numbers 5&6

After giving the Israelites some pretty hard-to-hear instructions concerning infectious disease, jealousy, and vows of separation, God gives a beautiful benediction.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his fact to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

These precious words are often used at the end of church services and many of us can probably quote it. But let’s think a minute about what it’s saying to us today.

Yes, we want the Lord to bless us and we certainly want him to keep us safe. We have the Creator God looking out for us. Is there a greater blessing?

We thank God for grace, his lavish gift of forgiveness when we don’t deserve it. Grace that is greater than all our sin. Amazing.

But this is what jumped out at me this morning. “the Lord turn his face toward you.” Do I really want that when I hold on to a sin and refuse to repent of it? Are there things in my life I would rather God turn a blind eye to and just ignored? Does the thought of a holy God turning his face toward me cause me to feel guilty about thoughts I think or little lies I tell or any disobedience in my life?

When I was a kid we loved to play outside. Sometimes our parents would take us to the lake or walking on a nature trail. We loved monkey bars and giant slides. I experienced a sense of freedom as I ran up hills or climbed as high as I could.

But I can’t tell you how often I would glance toward my mom or dad during my adventures. There was a sense of well-being, safety as I was reminded that they were right there. I rarely ventured beyond their line of vision. They let me play freely and I could be Wonder Woman or a mountain climber if I wanted. But I could be at peace as I explored the world around me with the assurance that they were watching out for me.

That’s what God wants us to know about him. He wants us to venture out into this world and be the people he wants us to be. He wants us to try new things, and spread our wings. And he wants us to welcome his face turned toward us. To be able to do that we must repent of sin.

Can you look into his face and know peace? That’s my prayer for you… for me today.

February 22

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Leviticus 19-21

As God was giving the details of his law to the Israelites he said, “I am the Lord your God” at least a dozen times in these chapters alone. He also reminded them several times to be holy, to accept his holiness, because He is holy.

The rules God gave his people were not given to kill their fun. The rules were given so that God could bless them and the world would want to follow Him, too.

We are under grace in 2013. We know that salvation is not found in following rules. But the reading of these rules today reminded me that they are not about earning salvation. Read these rules again and think about it. If we lived accordingly there would be happier marriages, healthier people, peace and honest dealings. If Christians alone lived accordingly, wouldn’t unbelievers be drawn to us?

Again I’m reminded to be holy because God is holy… and He is the Lord our God.

Father, I pray that your people… that I… would live lives that set us apart from the world. May we obey you, to live holy lives because You have forgiven us. May others see You in us.

February 18

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Leviticus 8-10

Were Nadab and Abihu so puffed up about their new-found status as priests that they thought they could do whatever they wanted? Did they have this great idea and think they could impress God with their ingenuity? I’m very sure they believed in God. But they must have thought they could go to Him on their own terms.

Scripture says that one day, at the name of Jesus EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There is NO OTHER name under heaven by which we must be saved. Jesus said… I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father except by me.

John 3:16 makes it clear that eternal life comes through believing in the Son. His name is Jesus. Not Buddha or Mohammed or any other false god. I didn’t come up with that. God did.

Do we really believe that? Then we had better get busy letting our loved ones know because they might be trying to get to God using unauthorized fire. Ask Nadab and Abihu how that turns out.

Heavenly Father, help us today to reach out to someone who is lost. Help us to intentionally introduce them to the only one who can save.

February 17

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Leviticus 5-7

My sister got a ticket this week. She was running errands before work and went to a place she wasn’t real familiar with. After taking care of her business she pulled out of the parking lot, then turned right on red. She hadn’t gone far when she heard the siren and saw the flashing lights. She pulled over to give the police car the right-of-way, knowing she had done nothing wrong. But the policeman pulled up behind her and got out of his cruiser.

“Do you know why I stopped you?”

“I have no idea.”

“There’s a sign back there that clearly says… no turn on red.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see it. I don’t usually take this route. Can you just give me a warning?”

“Lady, you just blatantly broke the law and there’s a consequence for breaking the law.”

When my sister told me about her encounter with the policeman she was disappointed. She wished the officer had been a little more understanding but she said… I broke the law. I’ll pay the ticket.

That’s kind of what God told Moses here in chapter 5. Even if a person unintentionally commits a sin, once he learns of it he will be guilty. God doesn’t accept the “I didn’t know” defense any more than that police officer did. Even when we truly didn’t know.

Do not be fooled. God does not ignore sin and there are serious consequences for committing them. Let’s be people who know what the Bible says and recognize sin when we see it. Let’s be quick to confess and allow God to forgive us. And let’s be gentle and loving enough to encourage others to do that, too.

February 16

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Leviticus 1-4

I guess I always pictured the priests doing all the work for a sacrifice. Today when I read I noticed that the person coming for forgiveness seems to do the slaughtering in front of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. After the animal was killed the priests took over.

If I’m reading this right, anyone who sinned… your average Joe, a community leader, a priest… was required to spill the blood of his sacrifice himself. I am reminded that salvation is personal.

When I sin I must go to God on my own behalf. I must personally lay my life at his feet and submit to Him. I need to ask for forgiveness for myself. I need to ask Jesus to come into my life. No one else can do it for me.

A Jew wasn’t forgiven if he stood next to someone who offered a sacrifice. He wasn’t forgiven if his parents did what was required. I think he had to raise that knife and slash into that animal until its blood was spilled. He had to lay his own sins upon that sacrifice in order to receive forgiveness.

Dear Father, Thank you for making salvation personal. Thank you for offering yourself as a sacrifice for my sins. And thank you for the forgiveness that is mine when I come to you.

February 11

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Exodus 28&29

While reading these chapters today I am struck by how complex was the act of sacrifice for sin. From the color of thread for the priests’ robes to the amount of grain used in an offering, the ritual had a lot of detail to follow. I sit here wondering why God demanded so much in order to forgive the sins of Israel.

Why blue robes, pomegranates, gold bells, breastplates and jewels? Why bulls AND rams AND lambs? Why blood on the earlobe? I find myself wanting to know the significance of every detail.

Jesus has become our high priest and our perfect sacrifice, according to the New Testament. His work at the cross didn’t do away with what we read today. It completed it.

Maybe God made the rituals so complicated for Aaron to show us how seriously God takes sin. God doesn’t take sin lightly… nor should we. What Jesus did on the cross was complicated and detailed. And it fulfilled God’s requirements once and for all.

We no longer need to sacrifice bulls, but blood is still required for the forgiveness of sin. No amount of bulls’ blood can wash sins away completely. It took the precious blood of Jesus to accomplish that.

Holy God, your requirement for the forgiveness of sin is complicated and detailed. I thank you that, because of Jesus, those requirements are fulfilled. May we accept your forgiveness and realize what it cost Him to provide forgiveness for us. May we not take for granted His precious blood.