Notice My Laws

Leviticus 11:1-13:59 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.” …..

My people were given many rules by which to live.  Notice, though, they were not given lightly.  The rules you have read today were formed to keep people safe from outbreaks of infectious diseases.  It was necessary that they be examined, and if infectious, kept away from others.  There was no real hygiene then, as it exists today.  If someone were contagious, it was next to impossible to contain the illness.  Notice my laws.  They all made sense.  They were all given to protect my people.  So it is with what I desire of my people today.  Just because you are all under grace, does not mean that you do not need to obey me.  What is asked of you, what is required of you, is for your own safety.  Sex outside of marriage is not allowed because it leads to disease, unwanted pregnancy, the pain of adultery, the breakup of marriages, many many painful and destructive things.  I want you to stop smoking because smoking cigarettes destroys your body, which is a gift from me, and the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I ask you to spend time with me daily so that your focus can be taken off of yourself and this world, and onto eternal values and treasures.  Spending time with me is what centers you, what gives you peace, and what teaches you how to live.  Without that, you will be the person you were before you met me.  Tithing and generosity are required to remind you that you have nothing that does not come from and ultimately belong to me.  It gets you out of self-seeking and gives you my perspective  that riches are meant to be shared and to be used to further my kingdom.  You are to eat healthily and to exercise again to take care of your body, my temple.  Stop feeding on the things of this world.  Start feeding on my word, on time with me, and you will not need those other things as much.  You will come back into balance. (2003)