Week 15 Reflection and Summary
Another week down in God's Word! We pressed on through the demanding detail of Leviticus, sat with David through both deep waters and long years of faithfulness in the Psalms, and watched the gospel take flight from Jerusalem to Antioch in Acts. If you've fallen behind, the weekend is your chance to catch up. And if you're on track, take a moment to thank God for the privilege of spending time in His Word this week.
Old Testament: Leviticus 7-12
This week moved us from the priests' consecration and their careless failure, through the laws of clean and unclean, to the ceremonial uncleanness following childbirth. The big idea running through it all is that God takes worship seriously in every last detail, and yet He is not honoured by ritual for its own sake - only by hearts that approach Him carefully and rightly.
Reflection question: Where might God be calling you to bring Him more careful, wholehearted worship, rather than a careless afterthought?
Poetry: Psalms 68-71
This week's psalms carried us from praise of God's might and mercy, through David's cries from deep waters and his call for justice, to an old man's grateful look back over a lifetime of God's faithfulness. Together they remind us that God is worth trusting in every season of life - from crisis to old age.
Reflection question: Which of this week's psalms best describes where you are with God right now - praise, crisis, or grateful reflection on His faithfulness?
New Testament: Acts 11:1-13:52
This week we saw the gospel break out of Jerusalem and into Antioch, as persecution scattered believers, Barnabas encouraged a growing church, Peter was miraculously freed from prison, and Barnabas and Saul were sent out on their first missionary journey. The thread running through it all is that God's Spirit is always moving the gospel forward - often through ordinary people like Barnabas, who was content to encourage and then to step back for others to lead.
Reflection question: Is there someone God is calling you to encourage this weekend, the way Barnabas encouraged the believers in Antioch?
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You that You call us to careful, wholehearted worship, that You are faithful to us across every season of life, and that Your Spirit is still moving Your gospel forward through ordinary people. Make us encouragers like Barnabas, and give us hearts ready for whatever work You send us to. Amen.
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