Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 11, 2023

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” – “I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation” – “we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter”

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 15:17-21.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I bring you, then it shall be, that when you eat of the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.  Of the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering;  as the offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up.  From the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations.”   Numbers 15:17-21.

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Today’s Scripture reminds me of the prayer that we offer to the LORD when we sit down for a meal and ask the LORD to bless the food.  But, we often do it as a legal duty or formality without much true spiritual thoughtfulness or thanks.  We may be thinking more of the food and our other earthly needs than the LORD and His spiritual kingdom.     

The following Scriptures may help us get back on track.

“6 Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.” Psalm 40:6-10.

“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;  for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:31-34.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  Romans 7:4-6.

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD;  you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”  1 Peter 2:9-10.


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