DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2022 (YOU MUST BE DIFFERENT)
TOPIC : “YOU MUST BE DIFFERENT“
Text: Leviticus 19:26-37
26. Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood; neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
27. Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
28. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you; I am the LORD.
29. Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
30. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the LORD.
31. Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them; I am the LORD your God.
32. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God; I am the LORD.
33. And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.
34. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
35. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
36. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have; I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37. Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them; I am the LORD.
KEY VERSE: Leviticus 19:28
“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”
MESSAGE
Customs, traditions and practices are clear distinguishing marks of peoples of different cultures. These practices, which include food, dressings, ceremonies and different rites, differ from one group to another. Efforts are made to retain these cultural traits in order to maintain the distinctiveness of each group.
In our passage today, God wanted His people, the children of Israel, to know that they were different from other nations around them. Therefore, they were not to copy the customs and practices of those nations. The nations that surrounded them had different traditions, cultures and practices, many of which were connected to their idolatrous worships. Cannibalism, magic, necromancy, stargazing, etc., were not to be among their practices. They were not to make marks on their bodies or shave their hair as a rite of burial. They were also not to have any form of tattoo on their bodies. They were to be different in their business transactions and relationships with strangers in their communities. Everything they do must show that they belong to the Lord and that they fear Him.
All these have not changed for us as Christians today. God still expects us to be distinct. There must be very clear differences between those who are born again and those who are not. Christians must not follow the ungodly and idolatrous practices of the people around them. They are not to remain bound to ungodly cultures and traditions of their tribes.
True Christians live and walk in the fear of the Lord. Through their lifestyles and practices, they send a clear message that they belong to the Lord and not to the world. Can this be said to be true about your life? Can people easily identify you as a Christian when they observe your life? Or do your claims conflict with your practices and so leave people in doubt as to who you really are? If indeed you are a Christian, then you must be different.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
By their fruits, we shall know them!
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Songs 5-8
Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word
