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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 9 April 2022:
Leviticus 7:11-21 — “This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord….”
God has always been delighted to receive special offerings from those whose hearts have been set apart to serve Him (Deut. 10:12–22). When worshipers under the old covenant wanted to present a special offering before the Lord, above and beyond what the Law required (Lev. 1–2; 4), a peace offering was brought to the sanctuary out of the overflow of the worshiper’s heart. Freewill offerings were given in response to God’s unexpected or unsought generosity. The peace offering was the only sacrifice worshipers could eat. Being at peace with God is wonderful indeed and worthy of celebration with a great feast. For poor Israelites, this may have been the only time they ever ate meat. Moreover, strict cleanliness laws had to be followed regarding the eating of the sacrifice (vv. 19–21). Though at peace with the worshiper, our Creator remained holy and could still not tolerate any impurity in His presence.
Psalm 40:3– “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.”
A real relationship with God changes your perspective on everything and changes your attitude. A changed life gets everyone’s attention and brings glory to God.
Psalm 40:6-8 — “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
God doesn’t want your empty sacrifices; He wants your loyalty, love, and obedience. Become a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)
Psalm 40:9, 10 — “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness. from the great congregation.”
God expects you to proclaim His salvation to everyone. How many times a day to you proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ to those with whom you come in contact? How many conversion experiences have you witnessed this week?
Psalm 40:16 — “May those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’”
It is an amazing and incredibly powerful thing when God saves a person and the Holy Spirit transforms them. That person is “a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God gives them a new heart – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).” Having received the unmerited gift of grace from God through faith in Jesus Christ, that person is truly humbled, gracious, and joyful to the point of being uncontrollably merry (Psalm 40:16, 17). Bought with the price of the blood of Jesus, that person is no longer a slave to sin but rather a servant of Christ putting off the “works of the flesh” (see Galatians 5:19-21 below) and displaying the “fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23 below). That person is not just “religious;” that person walks with the Lord in continual, natural worship and obedience, delighting in God’s word which is written on their hearts (Psalm 40:6-8; also see 2 Corinthians 3:3 below). The saved simply cannot shut up about their love relationship with Almighty God who they can now call “Abba”, “Daddy” – “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation (Psalm 40:9, 10).” Though this person faces the same life challenges as others, their confidence in their God, their persistent joy, their strength and courage, and God’s provision in their life stands out like a beacon in the darkness. The power of God in that person’s life will be so remarkably evident and real that “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3).” How is the awesome power of Almighty God revealed in your life?
- Galatians 5:19-21 — Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
- Galatians 5:22-23 — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 — And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
- 1 Peter 2:9 — But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- Matthew 5:14 — You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Psalm 40:16– “May those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the LORD!’”
How much you proclaim God’s salvation reveals how much you really love Him.
Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. The world is full of very knowledgeable people but very few are truly wise, possessing understanding. Knowledge is knowing what is; wisdom is understanding what to do about it – how to rightly apply knowledge. As someone once said, “You can teach a monkey how to shoot a gun, but you can’t teach a monkey when it’s right to shoot a gun.” Just as it would be very dangerous to give a monkey a gun, so it is very dangerous to have knowledge without wisdom. As C.S. Lewis said, “Education without values seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” To rightly apply knowledge you must first start with “knowledge of the Holy One” —knowing the Truth of God. With a knowledge of God, His Holiness, His Righteousness, His Perfection, His Power, His Love, His Mercy, His Grace, you will stand in total awe, reverence, adoration, and submission before Him (fear of the Lord), seeking above all else, to do what is pleasing to Him, the Creator and Sovereign LORD. In submission to the LORD, guided by the Word of God and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, you can rightly apply knowledge.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) — 9 April 22: Today, resolve to be a living sacrifice before the Lord, walking in the Light and Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, in total joyful obedience, proclaiming His Name to all, both by your words and your deeds. Make sure you tell someone about the Way, Truth, and the Life today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 