Blood on alters

Today I read in the book of Leviticus about the laws of Israel. They had countless laws given with incredible details about what to do and not to do in given situations. What to do with the blood of a sacrifice, how many goats for a certain kind of sin, etc. The whole book is about laws and religious practices. If a person is not careful, it could be over whelming and disheartening. They could easily miss the reason because all this rules and just become self-righteous moral people - like I was for a long time.

No, I don't sacrifice goats or spread blood on alters. I do, however, follow "religious" practices very carefully without considering the reason or the motive behind such actions. I self-righteous and judgmental of others who did not keep to them with the same vigor. In layman's terms, I became a self-righteous jerk. I missed the point.

As I read the Bible and through these religious laws, I noticed something at the end of each of these laws or commands. At the place where a person would normally put the explanation for the law, I find the phrase: "I am the Lord your God..." Then I realized, God does not need to give an answer to His laws, He is God. He does not need to answer to our questions, instead we need to answer to Him. Then the second part of the phrase: "You are to be holy, for I am holy." Which is the real point behind all these commands (I think). God desires that we are holy, like Him. He wants us to be with him and like Him.


I don't know about those who read this, but I thought that was pretty cool. God wants more than just religious compliance, He wants us to be holy and to be with Him.

Side note: Rachel and I have been talking back and forth about the job situation and where we go next. To be honest, we are still unsure. We are leaning more toward staying out of church ministry for a while. We need to get our footing as a married couple first.

Additionally, I started reading "The Shack" yesterday. I think it is going to kick my butt. I am already three chapters in and feel God will use it to shape my life in radical ways. I am excited to see what God will do as I continue to read it and other books.

Blessings
Later