February 18

As we are reading through the Mosaic Law, there should be a sobering epiphany... there was no ritual sacrifice for any violation that was willful and intentional. We find offerings intended to support the priests and the Temple, we find offerings that celebrate the sovereignty of God, we find offerings related to vows, etc... and we find offerings for unintended sin (Leviticus 22:14). We have discussed this before in a prior post but it captures my heart again today. Death was the only prescribed response to willful disobedience to God.

How many times in our lives have we willfully disobeyed God? Willfully violated our God given conscience? If it were not for Jesus' death on the cross for you and I, we would be condemned to that which we deserve by our own innate longing for self-rule. But there is hope! Leviticus 22:31 makes the most sublime declaration, "I am the Lord, who made you holy." His desire is not to condemn us but rather to forgive us, for us to put our trust in Him, yielding to His love, embracing His grace, submitting to His rule.

Matthew 28:17 speaks to us about Christ's ascension into heaven. For the last three years, His life demonstrated nothing short of divinity. His culminating act was raising Himself from the dead! And here a crowd in the hundreds sees Him in His post-resurrection state ascending into heaven! And still, we read in the text that some doubted. Don't be one of the doubters! God has been revealing Himself to you for your entire life! Run to Him!

Pastor Fred