January 27 - Leviticus 19-22
As we read the Bible and come to know God and His character, we come to see the importance of holiness more and more. God is holy, and His people are to be holy. We might ask the question, "Why do I need to be holy?" It takes a lot of effort, and I don't like being different from other people. "Why is it so important, Lord?"
In all of the rules there is a point of view, a way of looking at life and the world around us. There is a "Worldview." God in His perfect wisdom is trying to show us how to look at life. He is trying to get us to see life as He sees it. Each one of the rules has a purpose. Each rule gives us a glimpse into how God sees things, and therefore, it shows us how we should see things. When we interact with other people, they should see that we view the world in a different way, and that should point them to God.
Leviticus 19 tells us much about God's worldview. He values parenthood, but not idols. He cares for the poor, but not enough to show partiality. He cares for the stranger. He does not believe in spiritual mediums. Then, after many more laws, He tells us to take on His point of view as our own. In fact, in chapter 20 we see how serious He is about this worldview. There are a number of the laws that require the death penalty. In other words if a believer does not take up God's worldview, so that he or she is leading others away from God's point of view and profaning His name, he or she might as well be dead. That is pretty strong, isn't it? Worldview must be pretty important. In fact, He goes on to say that it is even more important for full-time servants like me, because He has extra rules for us.
Are we showing the world that there is a holy God, who is absolute in His truth? Are our lives pointing people around us to the Source of right and wrong? If we live according to God's laws, we are. However, if we reject God's laws and live according to a different worldview, we are saying to the world around us that there is no absolute truth. We are giving them a reason to reject God and go their own way. It is an awesome responsibility, but it is really very simple. We just say to God, "You are right, and Your view of things is correct, so I will do it Your way." We decide to show the world God's absolute holiness by the way we live and by the words we speak. What a difference that would make in America and in the world today!
In all of the rules there is a point of view, a way of looking at life and the world around us. There is a "Worldview." God in His perfect wisdom is trying to show us how to look at life. He is trying to get us to see life as He sees it. Each one of the rules has a purpose. Each rule gives us a glimpse into how God sees things, and therefore, it shows us how we should see things. When we interact with other people, they should see that we view the world in a different way, and that should point them to God.
Leviticus 19 tells us much about God's worldview. He values parenthood, but not idols. He cares for the poor, but not enough to show partiality. He cares for the stranger. He does not believe in spiritual mediums. Then, after many more laws, He tells us to take on His point of view as our own. In fact, in chapter 20 we see how serious He is about this worldview. There are a number of the laws that require the death penalty. In other words if a believer does not take up God's worldview, so that he or she is leading others away from God's point of view and profaning His name, he or she might as well be dead. That is pretty strong, isn't it? Worldview must be pretty important. In fact, He goes on to say that it is even more important for full-time servants like me, because He has extra rules for us.
Are we showing the world that there is a holy God, who is absolute in His truth? Are our lives pointing people around us to the Source of right and wrong? If we live according to God's laws, we are. However, if we reject God's laws and live according to a different worldview, we are saying to the world around us that there is no absolute truth. We are giving them a reason to reject God and go their own way. It is an awesome responsibility, but it is really very simple. We just say to God, "You are right, and Your view of things is correct, so I will do it Your way." We decide to show the world God's absolute holiness by the way we live and by the words we speak. What a difference that would make in America and in the world today!