Thursday, October 4, 2012

BE HOLY

Suggested Reading: Leviticus 11-12

(click scripture link to read online)

 

 

This Desert Horned Viper can be found in Africa, the Sinai Peninsula, Israel and Arabia.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: Leviticus 11:44a

For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.

God is holy! The four living creatures in Rev. 4:8 worship God by saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” God’s Word to us is, “be holy.” Self righteousness is as “filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6); therefore, in God’s eyes, being holy is not attained by keeping the food regulations found in these chapters. These requirements may be good for your health, but keeping them does not make one holy. Romans chapter 4 is an important New Testament reading in order to understand the holiness God provides for us. Please do as I have done this morning and read 1 Peter 1:13-16. You’ll discover that God’s Word makes it clear that we are to live holy lives. We are holy before God and are to consistently conduct ourselves in a godly way.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

I realize, Lord God, that, like Abraham, I am righteous before You by faith, and like Abraham I am to demonstrate righteousness by obedience. Grant me grace to conduct myself in a righteous way, doing what is right before You and before people. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

At a gathering of Pork Producers of Ontario, I was asked to say the blessing over a feast which featured, what else, roasted pork. I thought about my late Father-in-law, Godfry Rutledge, who prayed over one meal at our dinner table, “Lord if You can bless under grace what You cursed under Law, bless this food.” Needless to say, he did not partake, but the rest of us enjoyed our meal, pork included. I thought of my own Dad, who spent over 20 years in Egypt. He said that the pigs ate the garbage and so he would not eat pork there, but here he enjoyed it greatly. As I prayed about my blessing for the Pork Producers, I saw in my mind’s eye the vision of Peter with the unclean animals in the sheet let down from Heaven. There, in my imagination, I saw a pig front and centre on the sheet. I blessed the meal with a clear conscience. I’ve just read again Acts 10:9-16.

Yours for holy living,

David

 

9 thoughts on “Thursday, October 4, 2012

  1. Good morning David–how are you?–we have met before in Dresden ON at a Promise Keepers meeting–I have always wondered about eating pork –when I belonged To the AOTS(a United Church Men’s club) we enjoyed a pork roast every year–many farmers who are Christians raise pigs–however I was cocerned that it was not Biblical to eat pork–=thank you for clearing up my concern–take care & God Bless–Bruce–p.s. –my wife Nancy & I enjoy the 100 Huntley Street program

  2. Living a holy life is not often emphasized in the church today. However we must never forget that we who have come to a personal trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ have opted to live-out holy lives before our holy God. This doesn’t mean that we are better than others, but we are blessed, forgiven and have an etermal relatonship with God … and this is real living at it’s best!

  3. Good Morning David, What a remarkable looking creature,horns and all,we are being shown today,l take it this is the head of a snake as it’s called a viper!Wow l’m glad there aren’t any in my backyard! When l was growing up in England, my mum used to say never eat pork unless there was an R in the month.Of course that meant no pork during the Summer months,which makes sense to me now as we had no refrigeration. Could it be that our loving Heavenly Father had this in mind too,l’m wondering if the flesh of the pig is more likely to deteriorate.l realise he was teaching Obedience for Blessing but l find this quite facinating.

  4. As I understand it, these laws were intended for the health and well-being of the people at that time in history. The animals, birds and water life forbidden in this period, were known to carry parasites and toxins which were potentially fatal if consumed. On a different note, one aspect of righteousness is how we conduct ourselves when no one is watching, that is a true measure of integrity.

  5. I appreciate being able to click for corresponding scripture. You have made it so easy to read and keep up. Thank you for the teaching and your personal stories. I enjoy every part of the morning devotion. It helps me with consistency and faithfulness. Thank you and God Bless YOU!

  6. It is now 8:47 PM in Nanaimo BC. I ceased to consume pork quite a while back for various reasons but, mainly because the Creator forbade it thousands of years ago. I feel that if He forbade us once, it is a matter of obedience and not try to justify our actions today. Too many people use the argument that these regulations were designed for the people of that time. What about the Ten Commandments? Were they given only to the Israelites? I Also ceased to eat shellfish. Swine carry parasites, even today! I can’t pronounce it but the result is arthritis like symptoms; the parasite lodges in the joints. In any case, I also wish you, David, Norma Jean, Ron, Reynold and your respective families a blessed and safe Thanks giving; in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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