Leviticus 27 closes the book with vows made in gratitude, Psalm 84 longs for God's dwelling place, and Paul gives an emotional farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.
Leviticus 27
📖 What are we reading?: The last chapter of Leviticus! It talks of voluntary vows made to God in gratitude, including the dedication of homes, land and animals.
✞ What does this passage say about God? He welcomes the gifts we give in gratitude. Praise Him, that Christ's sacrifice completed the work of the Levitical priests, and that He is our High Priest forever!
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? I like the thought of dedicating our homes to God (verse 14). We are no longer tied to these rituals and ceremonies, and we can be holy in His sight by deep faith in Christ.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Leviticus was revealed to Moses after the tabernacle was completed (around 1445 BC), and its theme is holiness and separation for God's people.
Psalm 84
📖 What are we reading?: A truly lovely Psalm with joyful overtones. The writer is longing for God's special place, the temple.
✞ What does this passage say about God? He is the God whose presence fills our hearts. Jesus changed our understanding - we don't need to go to the temple courts to meet God, but He sends His Spirit to come and dwell within us.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? God's presence is with us, and we are the temples of the Spirit. Does God dwell within us? We might even say "better is one day with Your Spirit dwelling within me than a thousand without"!
Looking for some extra info?
📝 A devotional series on the Beatitudes found in Psalm 84
➡️ 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 20:17-38
📖 What are we reading?: Paul bids an emotional farewell to the Ephesian elders, with whom he had lived for some time. His words give us a glimpse into the kind of passion Paul lived with. He ends by kneeling to pray with them.
✞ What does this passage say about God? He calls and sustains His servants, and He gives words from Jesus that are worth remembering: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (verse 35).
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? If only verse 24 was the cry of each one of us! Let's give generously, and pray with others like Paul did.
Looking for some extra info?
📝 A devotion on Jesus' words about giving in Acts 20:35
📝 A devotion on Paul kneeling to pray in Acts 20
➡️ 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 Your Spirit dwells within us. Help us to give generously, to pray with others, and to run our race with the passion of Paul, finishing the task You have given us. Amen.
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