Christ Jesus, Our High Priest

Leviticus 4:31
"Then he must remove all the goat's fat, just as he does with the fat of the peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar, and it will be a pleasing aroma to the LORD. Through this process, the priest will purify the people, making them right with the LORD, and they will be forgiven"

Dear Lord, I'm so thankful that we no longer have to rely on human priests to secure our forgiveness through the blood of animals. Christ Jesus is now my High Priest and he has once and forever secured my redemption with his own blood.

Hebrews 9:11-12
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood - not the blood of goats and calves - he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

I praise you, Jesus, for giving your life for me! Please help me to show my unending, inexpressible gratitude by daily taking up my cross, dying to myself and living for you! In Jesus' powerful name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Christ Paid the Penalty

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Christ Paid the Penalty

My Peace Offering

Leviticus 3:1
"If you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or female, but it must have no defects."

Peace offerings were given to show gratitude to God and to continue in fellowship with him. Lord, you have given me such extravagant love and blessings, I don't want my expression of thankfulness to be cheap. Just as David refused to present a burnt offering to You, that cost him nothing, Lord, my gift of gratitude should not cost me nothing.

2 Samuel 24:24
But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing."

Lord, years ago, you used this very verse in 2 Samuel to speak to me about getting up earlier to spend time with you. I believe that you are saying the same thing to me again. I still haven't learned this lesson.

Lord, you know how precious my sleep is to me. Yet, YOU are even MORE precious to me. Help me to put my sinful flesh to death and get up earlier in spite of how tired I may be. I praise you for how you have spoken to me! In Jesus' wonderful name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Christ Paid the Penalty

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Christ Paid the Penalty

Don't Copy the Behavior and Customs of this World

This week's memory verses:
Psalm 27:8
My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me," and my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."
Psalm 27:8

Psalm 77:1
I cry out to God without holding back.
Psalm 77:1

Romans 12

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romand 12:1-2

Since the dog bite, it seems that everyone has an opinion about what I should do. People are telling me that I should ask the dog's owners to help with my medical bills and that their homeowners insurance should cover this. Christian friends who I love and respect are encouraging me to "lawyer up". I just haven't felt right about any of this. It might be mostly because I feel responsible for what happened. But I also think that you put this check in my spirit, Lord. These verses seem to confirm that.

I have given myself to you as a living sacrifice. I'm thinking that you have taken me up on that quite literally.

To "lawyer up" and insist that the owners help pay my medical bills would be following the behavior and customs of this world. I worry about what that would speak to these people. I want to speak Christ's love and forgiveness to them. Besides, you have already provided the money to pay for this and you will provide for all the rest of our needs.

I see this as a potential opportunity to share the gospel with a family who seems to need the good news. Lord, please continue to use me as you see fit to share the your love and forgiveness to a lost and dying world. Lord, I would love to get to share the gospel with the people who own the dog that bit me. Please show me how to proceed from here.
Amen

Oh, yes! By way of update:
I had to go back to the ER yesterday for another IV antibiotic. But the good news is that the swelling is going down and the nurse said that it looks like it is doing better. Praise God! I'm getting to leave the dressings off so that it can start to scab up. Yay! I just have to keep my dog from trying to "clean" it for me. Hehe! 

A Living Sacrifice

Genesis 47

"You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." 
Genesis 47:25

These people were willing to be slaves to a mere human. How much more should I be willing to be in bondage to Jesus Christ! All Pharaoh did was save their bodies and he only did that through Joseph. Christ saved my very soul from an eternity of pure, unceasing torment.

I praise you, Jesus for giving your life so that my soul could be saved! I want to be your bondservant for the rest of my life! Jesus, I give myself to you as a living sacrifice. May I be holy and acceptable to you. Amen!

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT