You are a vapor. A mere shadow. As such, you and I are fading flowers and must be ready to meet the eternal God, the Giver of life and breath and the Judge of the living and the dead. In order to be ready, we must believe the gospel, or good news, of Jesus. By God’s grace and through faith in Him, we’re saved. We’re transferred from death to life, from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son He loves.
As you read Leviticus 16 this week, you’ll read about the Day of Atonement which was the one day of the year in which the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies to meet with God. This day also involved special rituals. The high priest would offer a sacrifice for his sin and his family’s sin. Then he would take two goats. By lot, one would be sacrificed for the sins of the people, and the other would become the scapegoat. The high priest would place his hands on the head of the goat and confess the nation’s sin and rebellion and then send the goat into the wilderness, symbolically removing the sin of the people. All this was a foreshadow of Christ. He was the perfect Great High Priest. He was sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people, and He was the scapegoat on whom was laid the sins of the people. As the scapegoat was sent out into the wilderness, so Jesus was sent outside the city of Jerusalem to the cross.
Christ is our only hope of salvation, and it’s from this position of gracious security that the early disciples such as Paul and Silas and Barnabas and John Mark stepped out of their comfort zones to spend their lives for Christ and His gospel. As you read about their ministry this week, consider stepping out of your comfort zone to spend your life for Christ. Is your life being exhausted for Jesus or exhausted for your own agenda?
This week you’ll read…
Leviticus 15-21: To read more about the Day of Atonement, check out the links below.
Numbers 15-21: One of your chapters this week will focus on some disgruntled Israelites who became dissatisfied with the leadership and began seeing themselves as more important than they were. People were led astray by Korah’s actions, and he literally led a group of followers to an early grave. Are you good at submitting to the godly leaders in your life? Are you willing to follow God’s plan even if it takes you out of the limelight?
Psalms 37-39: “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday” (Psalm 37 in The Christian Standard Bible).
“Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them. Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39 in The Christian Standard Bible).
Acts 15-21: “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (Acts 16 in The New Living Translation). Are you being persecuted for your walk with Christ? Are you persevering with Jesus even when it gets tough to walk with Him?
- March 15:
- March 16:
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- March 21:
MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.
CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.
NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.
Thoughts on Life and Jesus 