In case you haven't already figured out how this is going, today was Numbers 8. It was really neat, because I saw a great spiritual truth in the cleansing of the Levites.
Here's the parallel, so follow with me: The Levites were called out by God for a specific purpose. As we all know, it wasn't like God decided to do this on the spur of the moment. He had planned this before the foundation of the world. Then, he had them be cleansed and purified. Out of all the tribes of Israel, He chose the Levites and He set them apart from the rest.
Now, think back to your own salvation (assuming you have been saved). How did it happen? Some of us may know an exact time and place, some may have a general idea,
and some none at all, you just knew you were changed one day. But, looking back, we can almost all see a sequence of events that led us to the point of salvation. Do you think that happened just by chance? Of course not! God knew you and loved you before the foundation of the world. He ordained certain events in your life to lead you to the point of salvation - and then He called you from darkness into light, from death to life! And through no effort of your own, you were cleansed and purified by Christ's blood! I've said it before and I'll say it again - what amazing grace!
Now here's the rest of the parallel, and where it gets a little harder for us. Remember how the Levites were set apart? They were different than any other tribe, right? So should we be different from this world, and so should we be set apart. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says, "As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves are like living stones being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
So how can we be set apart in this world? How should we look different? For one thing, we should put on "the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11-18) in preparation for standing against the schemes of Satan, the temptations of this world, and against sin. This means that we have to, at times, take a stand that is diametrically opposed to the typical worldview. We can't be flexible on what we know to be the truth, lest we bend until we break. We can't participate in all of the same things others around us might, because a lot of it is just plain sin. This might mean we don't frequent the same places, dress the same way, listen to the same music, watch the same shows, etc. as our peers.
We should also be producing noticeable fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). If you look at this list of fruit of the Spirit, how many of the lost do you know that consistently show evidence of even one of these virtues? After all, Matthew 12:33 tells us, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." We should be the salt and the light (Matthew 5:13-16).
As impossible as it seems to be, everything we do should reflect the glory of Christ and cause others to recognize Him in us and long to have a relationship with Him because of what they see in us. So my encouragement to you today is to stand up and stand out for Christ. We may be in this world, but we are not of it - we are set apart!
Lord, thank You for being our "high priest...who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Thank you that You have shown us how to be in the world without being of the world. Not that we are without sin, but that in You, we have overcome sin. With You, all things are possible. Help us, Lord, to be the salt and the light. Help us to show You to those around us by our lives, even if we never have a chance to speak a word to them. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Here's the parallel, so follow with me: The Levites were called out by God for a specific purpose. As we all know, it wasn't like God decided to do this on the spur of the moment. He had planned this before the foundation of the world. Then, he had them be cleansed and purified. Out of all the tribes of Israel, He chose the Levites and He set them apart from the rest.
Now, think back to your own salvation (assuming you have been saved). How did it happen? Some of us may know an exact time and place, some may have a general idea,
and some none at all, you just knew you were changed one day. But, looking back, we can almost all see a sequence of events that led us to the point of salvation. Do you think that happened just by chance? Of course not! God knew you and loved you before the foundation of the world. He ordained certain events in your life to lead you to the point of salvation - and then He called you from darkness into light, from death to life! And through no effort of your own, you were cleansed and purified by Christ's blood! I've said it before and I'll say it again - what amazing grace!
Now here's the rest of the parallel, and where it gets a little harder for us. Remember how the Levites were set apart? They were different than any other tribe, right? So should we be different from this world, and so should we be set apart. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says, "As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves are like living stones being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
So how can we be set apart in this world? How should we look different? For one thing, we should put on "the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11-18) in preparation for standing against the schemes of Satan, the temptations of this world, and against sin. This means that we have to, at times, take a stand that is diametrically opposed to the typical worldview. We can't be flexible on what we know to be the truth, lest we bend until we break. We can't participate in all of the same things others around us might, because a lot of it is just plain sin. This might mean we don't frequent the same places, dress the same way, listen to the same music, watch the same shows, etc. as our peers.
We should also be producing noticeable fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). If you look at this list of fruit of the Spirit, how many of the lost do you know that consistently show evidence of even one of these virtues? After all, Matthew 12:33 tells us, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." We should be the salt and the light (Matthew 5:13-16).
As impossible as it seems to be, everything we do should reflect the glory of Christ and cause others to recognize Him in us and long to have a relationship with Him because of what they see in us. So my encouragement to you today is to stand up and stand out for Christ. We may be in this world, but we are not of it - we are set apart!
Lord, thank You for being our "high priest...who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Thank you that You have shown us how to be in the world without being of the world. Not that we are without sin, but that in You, we have overcome sin. With You, all things are possible. Help us, Lord, to be the salt and the light. Help us to show You to those around us by our lives, even if we never have a chance to speak a word to them. I love you, Lord. Amen.
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