Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 6:1-7.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the Lord, and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his companion, or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do;  then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him or the lost thing which he found, or anything about which he swore falsely;  he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more.  He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering.  Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.”  Leviticus 6:1-7.

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It is not enough to deceive and steal, keep the proceeds, and then only make a guilt offering.  There is a duty to make restitution.

“And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus;  he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.  Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.  When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.  When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”  Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Luke 19:2-9.

Zaccheus understood this duty of restitution, and he went way beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law, because he had “his eyes fixed on the prize”:  the Savior Jesus Christ.

But, this noble impulse of Zaccheus was given to Zaccheus by His Savior Jesus Christ.  When Jesus calls Zaccheus “a son of Abraham”, he does not praise Zaccheus, but rather he indicates that Zaccheus was one of the elect in the sense we see in Romans 11:26-27 and that He (Christ) is the One Who saves the lost.

“26 … all Israel will be saved;  just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”  Romans 11:26-27.

Christ is the One Who restores.

“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!  When the Lord restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.”  Psalm 14:7.

“He restores my soul;  He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:3.

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Psalm 51:12

“O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”  Psalm 80:3.  See also Psalm 80:7 and Psalm 80:17.

“Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.”  Psalm 85:4.

“5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My strength),
6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
To the despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers,
“Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

8 Thus says the Lord,
“In a favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people,
To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
9 Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
Along the roads they will feed,
And their pasture will be on all bare heights.
10 “They will not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them
And will guide them to springs of water.
11 “I will make all My mountains a road,
And My highways will be raised up.
12 “Behold, these will come from afar;
And lo, these will come from the north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”
13 Shout for joy, O heavens!  And rejoice, O earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
And will have compassion on His afflicted.”  Isaiah 49:5-13.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 5:7-13.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“7 ‘But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.  …

11 ‘But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering.  12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings of the Lord by fire:  it is a sin offering.  13 So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him;  then the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”  Leviticus Chapter 5:  Verses 7 and 11-13.

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“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.”  Psalm 34:6.

“He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.”  Psalm 72:13.

“He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor.”  Psalm 112:9.

“He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap,”  Psalm 113:7.

“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted And justice for the poor.”  Psalm 140:12.

“1 Ho!  Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
3 “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4 “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
5 “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”  Isaiah 55:1-7.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 5:1-6.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.  He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering.  So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.”  Leviticus 5:5-6.

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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  James 5:16.

“For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.”  Psalm 38:18.

“13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
14 How blessed is the man who fears always,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”  Proverbs 28:13-14.

“1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.  Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin.  Selah.”  Psalm 32:1-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 4:13-35.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+4&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“13 ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;  when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. … 20 He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering;  thus he shall do with it.  So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.  …

22 ‘When a leader sins and unintentionally does any one of all the things which the Lord his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23 if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a male without defect.  …26 All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings.  Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 ‘Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28 if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed.  … 31 Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord.  Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

32 ‘But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.  … 35 Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the Lord.  Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.  Leviticus Chapter 4:  Verses 13, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, and 35.

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We notice the repetition of the provision for atonement through the offerings.  We also notice for whom atonement was intended.

One atonement was intended for the “whole congregation of Israel”.  Verse 13.  Another atonement was intended for “a leader”.  Verse 22.  Another atonement was intended for “anyone of the common people”.  Verse 27.

One the one hand, atonement could be made for a group of people.   Verse 13.  On the other hand, atonement was specifically directed to specific people.  Verses 22 and 27.  But, for both the group and the specific people, atonement was directed to cover specific sins.  Verses, 13, 22, and 27.

Today’s Scripture should at least make us to start to think about “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

The issue ultimately is did Christ love everyone, die for everyone, and thus show grace to everyone?

Although today’s Scripture does not answer all of the questions, it leads us toward “Limited Atonement”.  Yes, atonement could be offered for a group of people.  But, atonement is specifically directed to specific people who committed specific sins.  And, all those for whom atonement is offered, they “will be forgiven”.

If Christ died for everyone, and thus made atonement for everyone, everyone would be forgiven.  However, if Christ died only for God’s elect, atonement would be limited to God’s elect, and only God’s elect would be forgiven.

If you want to read more about “Limited Atonement”, you can do so under the tag “TULIP” at the top of my web site.  Here is a link –      https://reformeddoctrine.com/tulip/

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 4:1-12.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+4&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.  4 He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the Lord.  5 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.   …

“11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse, 12 that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire;  where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.”  Leviticus 4:11-12.

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“11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.  12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.  13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”  Hebrews 13:11-14.

“3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:3-5.

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”  Hebrews 13:13.

David, did so, went outside the camp, bore Christ’s reproach, and identified himself with Christ in the following Psalm Chapter 22.

“1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me sneer at me;
They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
8 “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast from birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O Lord, be not far off;
O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
My only life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s
And He rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30 Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
31 They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.”  Psalm 22:1-31.

This is God’s sovereign action.  “He has performed it.” as David concludes.

As we read in Hebrews 13:12, Jesus (God, the Son) suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood”.

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  for he who has died is freed from sin.”  Romans 6:3-7.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 3.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+3&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“From it he shall present his offering as an offering by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.  The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire for a soothing aroma;  all fat is the Lord’s.  It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”  Leviticus 3:14-17.

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Today’s Scripture teaches us the importance of devotion.  There should be things in our offerings that we devote, that is, commit or dedicate to God.  These things should be set apart for God as in “all fat is the Lord’s.  … you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”  Verses 16-17.

We see other examples from Scripture.

“you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord.”  Exodus 13:12.

“‘Nevertheless, anything which a man sets apart to the Lord out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the fields of his own property, shall not be sold or redeemed.  Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the Lord.”  Leviticus 27:28.

“Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”  1 King 8:61.

“Also he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the law of the Lord.”  2 Chronicles 31:4.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”  Matthew 6:24.

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  Acts 6:4.

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;  give preference to one another in honor;  not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”  Romans 12:10-13.

There are a lot of good things that we can do, but we need to be devoted to doing the most important things that God has led us to do.

There are general things to which we all should be devoted, and there are specific and different things to which each of us are called and gifted to specifically do.

Examples of the general things to which we all should be devoted are reading God’s Word, prayer, doing good to others in brotherly love, and worshipping and resting on the Sabbath.

For me, an example of a specific thing that I am called and gifted to do is to write these devotions.

For you, an example of a specific thing that you are called and gifted to do is something else.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  … And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”  Ephesians Chapter 4:  Verses 7 and 11-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 2:14-16.

“‘Also if you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the Lord, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.  You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it;  it is a grain offering.  The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an offering by fire to the Lord.”  Leviticus 2:14-16.

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“O sing to the Lord a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.”  Psalm 98:1.

How can our offerings to God be “early”, “fresh” and “new”?

Here are three personal examples that I have observed our LORD work in my life over time.  You know that I rarely use personal examples, preferring to use verses alone or as much as possible, but I think these examples will stimulate appreciation for such  “early”, “fresh” and “new” offerings.  In any event, these things are not being done by me from my legalistic sense of duty, but from being gently led by the Spirit Who draws me to want to do such things by his “Irresistable Grace”.  To God alone be the glory! 

First example is that for my daily devotions offerings, I find myself walking up in the middle of the night (very early) to read the Scripture and write down a few of my thoughts about it.  My mind is fresh, and I am able to write down new thoughts.

Second example is that I find myself immediately writing a tithing check out of most checks that I receive.  These are early and fresh fruits.  I stick the check(s) in the back of my wallet, so when Sunday comes, I don’t have to ponder what I will give or begrudging see what I can spare.  I give the check(s) that are in the back of my wallet and find that these money offerings are given more cheerfully.

Third example is that when people ask me to pray for them and I want to pray for them, I immediately pray for them.  I don’t forget or delay to pray for them.  If I receive a request my email, then I immediately reply with a written email which contains a prayer.  If I receive the request in person, I don’t care if I am in a gym or a public place, I draw close to them, bow my head, and quietly say a short prayer.  I think these prayer offerings are “early”, “fresh” and “new”.

You have your own examples, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 2:13.

“Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering;  with all your offerings you shall offer salt.”  Leviticus 2:13.

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When we offer worship to God, we should “salt” it with God’s covenant promises.

God’s covenant promises describe what God promises that He will do for our salvation.  We can add this “salt” to our songs, our Scripture readings, and our sermons.

Although every sentence of our songs, our Scripture readings, and our sermons does not need to contain these covenant promises of God, there should be sufficient salt in them that our whole worship is seasoned with this salt.

It is sad when we our ears pick up with delight these covenant promises of God only to be later contradicted and let down by other statements.  We should not just pay “lip service” to these covenant promises of God.  Everything in the worship service should be seasoned (affected) by the covenant promises of God.

For example, how often does the focus change from what God has done for our salvation to a conclusion in the worship service which states or infers:  “Now, it is up to you!”.  Instead, the conclusion could be seasoned by the salt of God’s promises such as “… walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”  Galatians 5:16.

Our salt is “TULIP, the Five Points of Salvation, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  These are God’s covenant promises of salvation.  Our songs, our Scripture readings, and our sermons should all be seasoned by this salt.

We don’t need to expressly use the words “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistable Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints” (the “U”, “L”, “I”, “P” of “TULIP”).  These are helpful general summaries, but we can be even more general as Scripture sometimes is.

“For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 92:4.

“The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad.”  Psalm 126:3.

“I looked, and there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me, …”  Isaiah 64:5.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people!”  Psalm 3:8.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”  2 Peter 1:2-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 2:12.

“As an offering of first fruits you shall bring them to the Lord, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.”  Leviticus 2:12.

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Fruits can be works (or fruits) of the flesh which do not please (or soothe) God.  But, faith pleases God.  We see this from the story of Abel and Cain.

“Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.”  Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground.  Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering (the firstlings of his flock);  but for Cain and for his offering (the fruit of the ground) He had no regard.  So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”  Genesis 4:1-5.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”  Hebrews 11:4.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;”  Hebrews 11:17.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.”  Hebrews 11:1-2.

“… whatever is not from faith is sin.”  Romans 14:23.

“Behold, the eye of the Lord (favor) is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,”  Psalm 33:18.

“Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.”  Habakkuk 2:4.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 2:11.

“‘No grain offering, which you bring to the Lord, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to the Lord. ” Leviticus 2:11.

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We may not make any burnt offerings or grain offerings, but we present our “bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1. We “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5.

And so, let us make sure that there is no leaven in our spiritual sacrifices.

There is no pride in our spiritual sacrifices.

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

There is no pomp in our spiritual sacrifices.

“And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:7. “Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:12.

There is no perfection by the flesh in our spiritual sacrifices.

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Galatians 3:2-3.

“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.” Galatians 5:6-9.