that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ESV)

Flee from sin. Learn to be master over your body.
Love God and love others. As you are doing, do more and more.

Therefore encourage one another with these words. (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ESV)

There will come a time when our physical bodies will die. But just as Jesus rose from the dead, so too will those who have the Spirit of God in them.

“do righteousness” – so there is more to righteousness than just “not sinning”, more than just a state of mind. Righteousness is active, it is actionable. Do righteous things. What are those things… God says those who keep justice and do righteousness, holding fast until He comes is blessed.

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” (‭Isaiah‬ ‭56‬:‭6-8‬ ESV)

Praise the Lord, thank you Jesus.

I just realized, God speaks out against irresponsibility and laziness. He does not like it at all. I thought it was a gray area.. but it’s not.

“The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.” (‭Isaiah‬ ‭57‬:‭1-2‬ ESV)

Comfort in times of one of life’s greatest pains..

People’s faith will be tested – whether they believe in God, in idols, or in themselves. Those who humble themselves and turn to God will find him, and will find peace.

For every sin, the priests will perform the ceremony for the sin offering. At minimum. There are specific ceremonies for specific occasions, as well as thanksgiving offerings and freewill offerings. I imagine the first few times to be meaningful and sincere, but eventually over time the meaning can be lost. Despair, hopelessness on the human condition ( we just can’t keep up with the standard of holiness ), to maybe eventually, apathy. I wonder, now that we don’t have to do all these ceremonies because Jesus has already finished everything that needs to be done once and for all, are we susceptible to the same struggle? We still fall short, and we can feel helpless – but not hopeless. The act of love, Grace, is the answer to apathy. I cannot just give up on myself, on others, because someone – Jesus – didn’t give up on me.

The Israelites were commanded to distance themselves from the dead, physically. Touching or being in close proximity makes one unclean. I think there is a spiritual application to this. Don’t have anything to do with that which is spiritually dead. It can affect you even without you knowing. Don’t let any part of your body touch it, and don’t get into the same room as it. Instead, be an instrument for purification – Jesus’ love ( expressed through his blood sacrifice on the cross ) can purify, and even raise, the spiritually dead.

As Christians, we are given a similar gift – the gift of “priesthood” as we are able to approach the throne of God through Jesus our High Priest. As priests we are to protect and keep the temple of God holy – that is, our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

When the Israelites give to God, a portion goes to the Levites. The order of giving is not Israelites > Levites > God, but Israelites > God > Levites. This mindset is important to remember for both givers (Israelites) as well as receivers (Levites). We don’t give directly to people, and we don’t receive directly from people.

And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel. (‭Numbers‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬ ESV)

To have nothing, yet everything at the same time. We used to sing this song at church, the meaning is much deeper.

What a beautiful and powerful psalm – with the way the verses flow, and the power of the message. Within each verse, each event in the Israelites’ lives, it says : “for his steadfast love endures forever”. I don’t think this is merely for artistic reasons – it reminds us that God’s steadfast love is intertwined with all the events of our lives.

It’s true. And if I may add my own, cheesy but true to my heart, verse:

Life with the Lord is so much better
for his steadfast love endures forever.