Life's Biggest Choice

“And Jesus said, “The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside. All these bad things begin inside a person, in the mind: bad thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, doing bad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, jealousy, insulting people, proud talking, and foolish living. These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people unacceptable to God.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:20-23‬ ‭ERV 

If you read through the list of things that make a person wrong, you will find at least one thing on that list that would condemn you. This verse says that these things make you unacceptable to God. I think we all want to think that we are pretty good. We only have a few sins and most of our life is okay and that God is pleased with us because we are "pretty much" alright. 

But that is not true. We actually stink in God's presence. The entire book of Leviticus is filled with things that needed a sacrifice so that God could allow them to continue to live. Two of Aaron's sons died on the spot because they offered a wrong incense. God was and is warning us that He is HOLY and that we cannot stand in His presence. 

 At this point, many want to give up and say that no one can meet that standard of holiness. When you reach that point and you understand that you cannot stand in the presence of a Holy God, you have a choice. 

““If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship GOD.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭MSG‬‬

God is always allowing us to make a choice. If we want to worship Him and inherit all that He has for us, then it requires one thing...accept His only Son as payment once and for all as covering for our sins. No other way will do. If you don't accept His way, then you are choosing any other god...not the one true God. Believe me, there are a lot of other gods to serve. Problem is they can never satisfy. False gods that you created will always disappoint you. Today chose to have a relationship through Jesus Christ with the only true God.

All Sinners Are Thrown Out

“Whether they are a man or a woman, send them away so that the camp where I am living among you will not be made unclean.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭ERV‬‬

This time of the year, I am reading through Leviticus and Numbers. When I read these books, the rules seem so harsh. These particular verses have always bothered me. If a person has leprosy, they had to leave the camp for a time. I would be sent out of camp a lot because of my sensitive skin. My skin would make me unclean.

They were not welcome because they were unclean.

“and give their offering to the Lord. Their offering must be: a one-year-old male lamb that has nothing wrong with it for a burnt offering; a one-year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it for a sin offering; one ram that has nothing wrong with it for a fellowship offering;”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭ERV‬‬

All of the offerings that the Israelites used to make atonement for their sins had to be perfect...nothing wrong with it. No flaws whatsoever.

“Any man who has something wrong with him must not serve as priest and bring sacrifices to me. These men cannot serve as priests: blind men, crippled men, men with bad scars on their faces, men with arms or legs that are too long,

But he cannot go through the curtain into the Most Holy Place and he cannot go near the altar. This is because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my holy places unholy. I am the Lord, and I make these places holy.””
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭21:18, 23‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Even if the heart of the priest is pure, if he has imperfections in his physical appearance he could not serve!

When you read all of these requirements for keeping the camp holy and making the sacrifices holy, you can get discouraged and ask, "Who can ever measure up to that perfection?"

The answer is no one. Not one. We can never ever be perfect enough to stand in God's presence. Our skin can never be blemish-free enough. I always have a rash somewhere on my skin. There can never be a sacrifice great enough that I could offer to a holy God. We can never live a life that is sin-free. It is useless trying to please God, except...

A perfect lamb was found. A perfect priest was found. A perfect, faultless life was found. And it gets even better. This sacrifice counted forever. It did not have to be done over and over and over. That is the incredible news about what Jesus did for me and for you. I do not have to be perfect. Jesus's blood covers me. Because of Jesus, I can come boldly before the throne of God. What an incredible promise!