Dear sisters,
We have been reading verses and chapters, we have turned pages and have read entire books of the Bible. Little by little we have been nourishing our souls in faith, and we may not remember all that we have read, but God’s Word has been doing its work in us. His Word never returns void, we believe that, so we keep reading.
Some of us might feel discouraged to keep reading not because we are behind in our reading (because we already know that if we fall behind in our reading, we just jump in on the day we are on and happily join the others), but because we still see sinful attitudes coming out of our hearts, ugly comments coming out of our mouths, and perverse thoughts lurking in our minds. “Why keep on reading?” we might ask ourselves “Why keep it up if I am not changing?” But the way out is up and not in. So what do we do? We repent and believe. The Gospel message has not changed. The Gospel message is not only for the day we are born again. The Gospel message is for our everyday life. We repent, we believe and as a result of that, we obey. We want to be holy because our God is Holy. The Gospel, friend, is for you right where you are now: Repent and believe. There is always grace upon grace and on top of that, more grace to help you walk in a manner worthy of your calling. So take the Book, and read on!
This week we will finish reading Leviticus (chapters 9-27) and Hebrews (chapters 5-13). We will read also Psalms 17 and 19, and on Friday we will have another Catch-up Day (some optional readings for Friday are 1st John or 1st Corinthians).
Leviticus is one of those books that we consider boring and too long, but as you read it remember that these are the Words of God. And these Words point us to Christ, as He himself told us: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:46-47. So let’s read with an inclination to see Christ on these pages. Hebrews is a wonderful letter that will help us read the Levitical code and the Holiness Code (including all the covenant sanctions and promises), with Christ at the center.
The heart of Leviticus is found in chapter 19. The chapter in which we read God’s Word speaking to us, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And because we are reading all these laws, we might be tempted to think that being holy has all to do with what we do, with our efforts to keep all the loose ends tied up nicely; but the good news is that being holy is first and foremost about “being” not about “doing.” And Sisters, because we have repented and believed in Jesus Christ we have already been made holy! God is the one who has set us apart to be holy, therefore we act holy, and we strive to live holy lives, and we wholeheartedly keep pursuing righteousness. And that is why we keep taking God’s book and keep reading it, because we know that His Word washes us, and that His Holy Spirit sanctifies us and enables us to continue being holy just like He is Holy.
Keep your eyes open as you read Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews, see if you can find 13 ways in which Jesus, His work, and the results of His work are better than the Law.
Next Monday we will have our Webinar at 10:00 am PST here. I truly hope you can join us. I am excited to share with you some great connections that are found in our readings that I am sure will help you understand the book of Leviticus in a clearer way. I will also tell you those 13 “better” things we can see in Hebrews about Jesus and His work! As always, the webinars will be recorded so that you can watch them later at your own convenience.
May our prayer this week be, “Revive my soul, make me wise, may my heart rejoice, may my eyes be enlightened as I come to your Word this week, O Lord!” (Ps. 19:7-8)
Under His Sun and by His grace,
Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship
