Week 17 Wednesday
Today God calls His priests, and all of us, to holiness, the psalmist remembers God's faithful care for His people, and Paul preaches to the thinkers of Athens in words they could understand.
Leviticus 21
📖 What are we reading?: Instructions for the priests, who were held to an especially high standard.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: Notice how often He calls the priests to holiness.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Today, we believe in the priesthood of all believers. We are all called to holiness of heart, which we receive through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Leviticus, meaning "relating to the Levites", was written by Moses around 1400 BC, and explains how a holy God is to be worshipped by a holy people.
Psalm 78:40-72
📖 What are we reading?: The psalmist continues to remember Israel's history, from the wilderness to the days of David.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: Verses 52-53 remind us of His care for His people - He leads them like a shepherd.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Let's pray that verses 41 and 56-57 are not true of us!
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, written by David and others, expressing the full range of human emotion in response to God and to life.
Acts 17:16-34
📖 What are we reading?: In Athens, Paul preaches a powerful message and is met with a mixed response: some sneer, some hesitate, some believe!
✞ What does this passage say about God?: He is the Creator and Lord of all, who is not far from any one of us, and who has given proof of Jesus by raising Him from the dead.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Notice how Paul's usual method for preaching the gospel changes in verse 22. He knew that to reach different people, he would need to present the good news in a way they would understand. This is a great lesson for our own evangelistic efforts.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's second book outlines the ministry of the early church - though it could just as well be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit, as He guides and grows Jesus' small movement into something that changes the world.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You that You call us to holiness and care for us like a shepherd. Keep our hearts from testing and turning away from You, and help us to share the good news in ways that people around us can understand. Amen.
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