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Holy as He Is Holy - Your Daily Forward Devotional

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In The Days of the Judges

In The Days of the Judges

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A Glimmer of Hope

Bitter or a Believer?

Bitter or a Believer?

Great Faithfulness

Great Faithfulness

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God Intended It For Good

God Intended It For Good

Getting Started...

Getting Started...

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The Way

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The Resurrection and the Life

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The Resurrection and the Life

The Good Shepherd

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The Door

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The Door

The Bread and the Light

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The Bread and the Light

John Saw It All

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John Saw It All

Worry About Yourself

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Worry About Yourself

Count the Cost

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Count the Cost

Do You Love God?

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Do You Love God?

Jump All In

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Jump All In

Gone Fishing Again

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Gone Fishing Again

You May Have Life In His Name

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You May Have Life In His Name

The Disciple Who Believed

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The Disciple Who Believed

The Disciple Who Doubted

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The Disciple Who Doubted

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The Return of Christ

  • Jun 30, 2022

The Return of Christ

Just Jesus

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Just Jesus

Joy In Christ

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Joy In Christ

Privileges and Practices for Christians

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Privileges and Practices for Christians

Grace and Freedom

  • Jun 25, 2022

Grace and Freedom

So We Do Not Lose Heart

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So We Do Not Lose Heart

Fatherly Discipline

  • Jun 23, 2022

Fatherly Discipline

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

  • Jun 22, 2022

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

  • Jun 21, 2022

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

God in The Flesh

  • Jun 20, 2022

God in The Flesh

The Great Physician

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The Great Physician

Service and Sacrifice

  • Jun 17, 2022

Service and Sacrifice

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

  • Jun 16, 2022

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

Is It Even Worth It?

  • Jun 15, 2022

Is It Even Worth It?

A Future Perspective

  • Jun 14, 2022

A Future Perspective

Misplaced Priorities

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Misplaced Priorities

Judgment and Joy

  • Jun 11, 2022

Judgment and Joy

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

  • Jun 10, 2022

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Pride Goes Before Destruction

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Pride Goes Before Destruction

Does God Care About Justice?

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Does God Care About Justice?

That All Should Be Saved

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That All Should Be Saved

A Battle Between Brothers

  • Jun 6, 2022

A Battle Between Brothers

The Cold Hard Truth

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The Cold Hard Truth

Just You Wait

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Just You Wait

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

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Idolatry Vs. Adultery

The Lord Reigns Supreme

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The Lord Reigns Supreme

Restored to Glory

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Restored to Glory

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

  • May 30, 2022

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

The Bearer of Bad News

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The Bearer of Bad News

Salvation Is of The Lord

  • May 27, 2022

Salvation Is of The Lord

God’s Plan

  • May 26, 2022

God’s Plan

What’s the Point?

  • May 25, 2022

What’s the Point?

Read the Instructions

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Read the Instructions

A Real Relationship

  • May 23, 2022

A Real Relationship

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

  • May 21, 2022

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

God Behind the Scenes

  • May 20, 2022

God Behind the Scenes

Miraculous Reconstruction

  • May 19, 2022

Miraculous Reconstruction

Coming Home

  • May 18, 2022

Coming Home

Not Just A Building

  • May 17, 2022

Not Just A Building

The Family of God

  • May 16, 2022

The Family of God

Discipline and Destruction

  • May 14, 2022

Discipline and Destruction

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

  • May 13, 2022

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

The Greatest King Ever

  • May 12, 2022

The Greatest King Ever

No King But God?

  • May 11, 2022

No King But God?

A Love That Redeems

  • May 10, 2022

A Love That Redeems

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

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Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

A Literal Scarlet Thread

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A Literal Scarlet Thread

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

  • May 6, 2022

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

Why Did It Take So Long?

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Why Did It Take So Long?

Holy as He Is Holy

  • May 4, 2022

Holy as He Is Holy

Passed Over

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Passed Over

The Beginning of Redemption

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The Beginning of Redemption

The Lord Is Near

  • Apr 30, 2022

The Lord Is Near

I’ll Be Happy When…

  • Apr 29, 2022

I’ll Be Happy When…

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

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Working Hard or Hardly Working?

You Can’t Hide a Lie

  • Apr 27, 2022

You Can’t Hide a Lie

The Sin Underneath All Others

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The Sin Underneath All Others

Play the Long Game

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Play the Long Game

Where Does Joy Come From?

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Where Does Joy Come From?

Well Worth the Wait

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Well Worth the Wait

Getting to Know God

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Getting to Know God

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

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Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

Take Heart, He’s With You

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Take Heart, He’s With You

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

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Out of Sight, Out of Mind

What Are You Afraid Of?

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What Are You Afraid Of?

Nothing Can Separate Us

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Nothing Can Separate Us

What Has God Forgiven You For?

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What Has God Forgiven You For?

But by the Grace Of God

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But by the Grace Of God

A Healthy Swap

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A Healthy Swap

Tell Yourself the Truth

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Tell Yourself the Truth

He Hears You

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He Hears You

Listen and Learn

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Listen and Learn

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

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Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

Keep Your Cool

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Keep Your Cool

Great Is His Faithfulness

  • Apr 5, 2022

Great Is His Faithfulness

Move on to the Meat

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Move on to the Meat

Saving Faith Works

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Saving Faith Works

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

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Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

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backtothebiblebttb2
Back to the BibleMay 4, 2022 12:00 am GMT

Holy as He Is Holy

 

May 4

 

Read Leviticus 20:7-8 (ESV)

“Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”

 

Reflect

You probably already know that God demands holiness. But have you ever been able to meet God’s standard of holiness without His help?

 

When you first became a believer in Christ, did you ever wonder “Now what?” You had already placed saving faith in Him, and you had hope in the promise of eternal life. You knew you were one of His people now. But what were you supposed to do next? How were you supposed to live the rest of your life?

 

Yesterday, when we left the people of Israel, they were in a similar position. God created the nation of Israel in Genesis. In Exodus, God had redeemed them and delivered them from Egypt. Now, they were camped at Mount Sinai so that God could reveal to them, through Moses, how to live as one of His people. Which brings us to the book of Leviticus.

 

It is the third book of the Bible and part of Moses’ Pentateuch written sometime between 1445 and 1400 BC. Throughout the book, the Lord revealed to Moses how the people could approach Him and how the people should live as the set apart nation of a holy God. God had already redeemed His people. Now, He had to show them how to worship and serve Him.

 

The answer to the question of how to live as one of God’s people is found in today’s verses. God told the Israelites to “consecrate” themselves. According to GotQuestions.org, consecrate means “the separation of oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with a perfect God.” In other words, sin makes us dirty and defiled. No one can approach God unless they are cleansed. God’s next command was to “be holy.” In Leviticus 11:44, God commanded that the people “be holy, for I am holy.” He also commanded the people to obey His laws.

 

God is holy and humans are not. Because of that, no one can have any fellowship with Him unless they are consecrated and made clean. God gave them specific instructions for how to approach Him through sacrifices and rites of purification and cleansing from unclean things. The levitical priesthood was incredibly important during this time. The priests had to intercede on behalf of the people to the Lord. No one could approach God except through the priest.

 

Animal sacrifices were prescribed for the forgiveness of sin. It was a visual reminder that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Human sin cost an innocent animal its life. But the animals’ blood was a substitute for their own blood and it cleansed them of their sins. But only temporarily.

 

Right there, we see the Scarlet Thread of redemption, don’t we? The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was pointing ahead to Christ, the final, perfect, and complete sacrifice. It is His blood as a substitute for ours that cleanses us from our sins, once and for all, so that we can approach a holy God.

 

The priesthood was also a foreshadowing of Christ. Just as the priests had to mediate between God and the Israelites, now Jesus is our perfect and final mediator: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Jesus is our final and great high priest (Hebrews 4:15).

 

The last section of Leviticus focuses on Laws of Sanctification. These laws showed the people how to live “set apart” and holy lives. That is what God’s people are called to do—live holy and obedient lives in His service for His glory.

 

But I don’t know about you. I’ve tried being holy and I can’t do it on my own. I need help. That’s why I love the last part of today’s verse: “I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” He sanctifies us. Yes, we are supposed to dedicate ourselves to living faithfully and obediently but we don’t do this in our strength or ability. Our sanctification is a process that shows the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the One who sets us apart. He is the One who makes us holy as He is holy.

 

Pray

Lord, I confess that I still struggle with sin and I hate it. I want to be holy as You are holy. Thank You for Your blood that cleansed me of my sin. Thank You, Jesus, for mediating between me and God and interceding on my behalf. Please continue Your sanctifying work in my life. Cleanse me and make me holy. Amen.

 

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

 

 

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S
socratesoliver8
a year ago
amen
likeReply
M
mariahsalinas79
a year ago
Thank You God for Your grace an mercy, please give us wisdom to live a sanctified life, in the name of Your Holy Son Jesus Christ, Amén 🙏
1
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M
Mary
a year ago
Amen
likeReply
D
David
a year ago
Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your presence among us. No longer do we have to go to a priest to have our sins forgiven. No longer do we have to sacrifice an innocent animal for its blood to be a ritual for our sins. Thank You Lord for Your sacrificial life.
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T
theshepherdsmaiden
a year ago
"Lord, forgive me of my sins, teach me to be holy and not unclean. Give me a clean and pure heart, teach me Your Ways, that You may work in me to reach others. Amen."
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