Doyle Smith Daily

 Leviticus 23:5 (ESV) Originally published 06/11/2015 "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD'S Passover" Leviticus 23:5 (ESV). God did not want his people to forget what he had done to save them from slavery, so he set a time to remind them. Jesus’ death on the cross provided forgiveness for my sins. Lord, remind me of the horrible cost to provide forgiveness for my sins every time I ask you for forgiveness. Forgiveness is my Passover, and I want to remember it every day.   

 Leviticus 23:3 (ESV) Originally published 06/10/2015  "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places" Leviticus 23:3 (ESV). This was a reminder that God made the world. Jesus' disciples set aside the first day of the week to remember that God has power over death and that Jesus is alive. Lord, I want to begin every day remembering that you not only have the power to make the universe, but to defeat death. When I think of the problems that I face, I want to remember the power that you have.

 Leviticus 22:31-33(ESV) Originally published 06/09/2015  As a child's behavior reflects on the parents so the behavior of a child of God reflects on God. "So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD" Leviticus 22:31-33 (ESV). Lord, you have forgiven me of my rebellion and placed your Holy Spirit in me. You have set me apart from the world; now help me live to reflect who you are. Help me to banish from my mind ungodly thoughts. In every situation I face today guide me to act like you act. May I bring honor to you today because I act like you act.

 Leviticus 20:26 (ESV) Originally published 06/08/2015  God said to his people: "You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine" Leviticus 20:26 (ESV). Lord, how different from my neighbors am I? You are so far beyond me that I cannot compare myself to you. I want to belong to you and be as separate from the world as you are, but I cannot do this. Transform me to be like you.

 Leviticus 20:10-13 (ESV) Originally published 06/06/2015 God's plan for people was that sex was for a husband and wife. "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. If as man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" Leviticus 20:10-3 (ESV). While Jesus in John 8:1-8 does not support the death penalty for the woman caught in adultery, he makes it clear that her behavior was unacceptable to God. Lord, you have given us a clear teaching to have compassion without moral compromise. I want to hold firmly to w...

 Leviticus 20:8-9 (ESV) Originally published 06/05/2015 Human culture works correctly only if we live by God's instructions. "Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you. For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him" Leviticus 20:8-9 (ESV). Parents live by God's rules, and children who defy the authority of parents are defying God. God raises children through the parents. This is God's plan for the world. Lord, you reveal to me my own need for submission to you. Give me wisdom and passion to obey you in every part of my life that I might be like you.

 Leviticus 20:1-3a (ESV) Originally published 06/04/2015 God has serious consequences for the parents that destroy their children. "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Say to the people of Israel, ‘Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people'" Leviticus 20:1-3a (ESV). Worship of the god Molech required child-sacrifice for him to bless the family. Lord, show me what I can do to help parents understand how critical it is to raise children to know and to serve you.

 Leviticus 19:35-37 (ESV) Originally published 06/02/2015  "You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the LORD" Leviticus 19:35-37 (ESV). Lord, convict me to pay every bill as soon as I get it and that every person I do business with would see me as honest and fair, just like you.

 Leviticus 19:33-34 Originally published 06/01/2015 When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God" Leviticus 19:33-34 (ESV).  Lord, help me to think of every person I meet today as someone you love and to serve them as if they were you in disguise. 

 Leviticus 19:23-25 (ESV) Originally published 05/30/2015  "When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God" Leviticus 19:23-5 (ESV). God wants us to never forget that even the food we eat is a gift from him. They were to care for the tree for four years without eating its fruit so from the fifth year on they would remember they were eating food that belonged to God. Lord, I must admit to you that I think of the food I eat as mine because I bought it with my money. Forgive me for taking your provision for granted. Remind me when I eat today that what I eat today is yours and that it is a gift to me

 Leviticus 19:17-18 (ESV) Originally published 05/29/2015  God demands his followers to have healthy relationships with each other. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD" Leviticus 19:17-8 (ESV). People can treat us badly, but our reaction to what they do becomes sin on our part. Avoiding sin means we get rid of anger, hatred, and a desire to get even. Lord, help me to recognize what I have done to create bad relationships and show me what to do that they might feel loved.

 Leviticus 19:15-16 (ESV) Originally published 05/27/2015  We all make judgments about people, but God has limits for his people. You shall do no injustice in court. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD" Leviticus 19:15-6 (ESV). God is fair to all people and demands that of us. The presidential race is starting, and millions of dollars will be spent to slander people. When we repeat these things without checking to see if they are true, we violate this command. The follower of Christ will treat every candidate with respect because God does. Lord, show me how to disagree with a politician without attacking them or their character.

 Leviticus 19:13-14 (ESV) Originally published 05/26/2015 God has a special concern for vulnerable people. "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD" Leviticus 19:13-4 (ESV.) God warns his people that if they use the power or position that he has given them to take advantage of others, he will use his power and position as ruler of the universe to settle that score. Lord, help me to be a servant to everyone I interact with today.

Leviticus 19:11 (ESV) Originally published 05/25/2015  How different our world would be if everyone just lived this way: "You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another" Leviticus 19:11 (ESV). What will it be like in heaven with no locks, no shady half-truths, and being able to trust everything anyone said to you. Lord, I want to live today keeping every promise that I make to you and to others. I want to do what you put in my mind that you want me to do.

 Leviticus 10:17-18 (ESV) Originally published 05/23/2015  God does not like everyone, but he does love everyone, and he demands the same of his followers. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD" Leviticus 19:17-18 (ESV.) Lord, I know that you hate what the ISIS does to people, but you love the people doing these things. Teach me how to love people the way you do that I might not sin against you

Leviticus 19:9-10 (ESV) Originally published 05/22/2015 God's method of providing is giving us opportunity. "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God" Leviticus 19:9-10 (ESV).   Often God's gift to us is the opportunity to earn money or to grow spiritually. Lord, I wonder how many times you have tried to help me, but I didn't take advantage of the opportunity you provided. Forgive me for ignoring opportunities to minister and witness, and help me today to take advantage of every opportunity you give me to serve you.  

 Leviticus 19:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 05/21/2021  This is what it means to be a Christian or a follower of Christ. "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy’" Leviticus 19:1-2 (ESV). Lord, if you control my mind, will, and emotions today I will think like you think, I will act the way you would act, and I will respond to people and circumstances the way you would respond to situations. I cannot do this without your wisdom and self-control. Today I want to be holy as you are holy.

 Leviticus 18:24-25.29-30 (ESV) Originally published 05/20/2015  God forbids incest, adultery, and homosexual acts by his people. Leviticus 18:6-23 (ESV) Then he says: "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants....For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God" Leviticus 18:24-5,29-30 (ESV). Humans can make all kinds of laws concerning sex, but God has spoken, and his children must obey him. Lord, our culture is filled with temptations of these things, so remind me that they are poisons to my soul so that I would hate them.

Leviticus 18:1-5 (ESV) Originally published 05/19/2015  From the beginning God demanded that he alone control our lifestyle. "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD'" Leviticus 18:1-5 (ESV). Lord, it is hard to live in a culture and not adopt its ways. Search my life and expose to me any way in which my values and behavior are in conflict with your statutes and rules. I want obedience to you to be everything to me

 Leviticus 17:3-4 ESV) Originally published 05/18/2015   God made it clear how and where animals were to be sacrificed to him. Some people wanted to do it their own way. "If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among this people" Leviticus 17:3-4 (ESV). God demands recognition of his authority in every part of our lives, or he doesn't accept us as his children. Lord, are there areas of my life where I am trying to obey you but doing what I want the way I want and not submissive to you? Show me those places of rebellion and how I can submit to you.

 Leviticus 17:3-4 (ESV) Originally published 05/18/2015  God made it clear how and where animals were to be sacrificed to him. Some people wanted to do it their own way. "If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among this people" Leviticus 17:3-4 (ESV). God demands recognition of his authority in every part of our lives, or he doesn't accept us as his children. Lord, are there areas of my life where I am trying to obey you but doing what I want the way I want and not submissive to you? Show me those places of rebellion and how I can submit to you.

 Leviticus 16; Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV) Originally published 05/16/2015 God set aside one day of the year for the people to have the high priest to ask God to forgive them of their disobedience. All 34 verses of Leviticus 16 describe how the priest must cleanse himself physically and spiritually to go before God to ask for forgiveness for the disobedience of the people. The priest had to wash himself, wear special clothes and take the blood of a goat to insure that God would forgive the people for the sins they committed during the past year. Jesus changed that for us. "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of ne...

 Leviticus 13:45-46 (ESV) Originally published 05/14/2015 "The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.' He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp" Leviticus 13:45-46 (ESV). Love is practical by being more concerned about the danger or the needs of others than my own inconvenience. Lord, help me not to make the lives of others more difficult today and even to make their lives better, regardless of the difficulty it might create for me.

 Leviticus 13:44-45 (ESV) Originally published 05/13/2015 After telling his people what they were allowed to eat and not allowed to eat God said: "For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" Leviticus 13:44-45 (ESV). God thinks and acts differently from humans, and that is what holiness is. When we listen to him and do what he says, we will be thinking and acting like him and not like the people around us, and that is what holiness is. Lord, in every situation I am in today show me how to respond like you would, not like my human nature desires so that I might be holy as you are holy.

 Leviticus 11:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 05/12/2015  "And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron saying to them, 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth'" Leviticus 11:1-2 (ESV). There is no agreement among the followers of Christ as to why God identified some foods the people of Israel could eat and some they could not. Jesus said that he didn't come to destroy the law but that the smallest part would be kept. Yet in Peter's experience in Acts 11:9 God told him to eat food that was forbidden in Leviticus 11. When Peter protested that he would not eat what was identified as unclean food in Leviticus, God told Peter, "What God has made clean, do not call common" Acts 11:9 (ESV). What is consistent in Leviticus 11 and Acts 11 is that God tells us that he must have full authority over what his people do, even to their eating and drinking. Lord, when I accepted you as...

 Leviticus 10:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 05/11/2015 Aaron and his sons were given strict orders about how to lead the people in recognizing the authority of God over his people, but they had their own ideas about how to do God's work. "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD" Leviticus 10:1-2 (ESV).  "Unauthorized fire" was fire made contrary to how God told them to make it, and in that way put themselves in the place of God. Lord, I want to acknowledge your authority over my life in everything I say and do. If I ever come close to disrespecting you, please make clear to me what I am doing. I want to honor your holiness and authority in every way.