DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 (QUEST FOR HOLINESS)
TOPIC : QUEST FOR HOLINESS
Text: Leviticus 11:41-47 (KJV)
41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
KEY VERSE: “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy…” – (Leviticus 11:44)
MESSAGE
Oswald Chambers, an early 20th century Scottish Baptist evangelist, once said, “Holiness, not happiness, is the end of man”. Similarly, Leonard Ravenhill, a Christian revivalist, also said, “The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make him holy, then put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it”.
The text deals with the Old Testament laws relating to the eating of beasts and fowls moving on the waters or creeping upon the earth. God gave the Israelites express instructions on the type of creatures to eat and those they must avoid. They must not eat creeping creatures, which were capable of defiling them and making them unfit for divine use. God was more interested in ensuring that they kept themselves holy and undefiled. So, nothing, including living creatures, should ever come between them and God. Think for a moment, who created the creeping creatures. Who makes them move? So, it is instructive to note that God, who created them, knew why He wanted His own to avoid them at that time.
The passage is not just about the creeping creatures; it is more about holiness. God wants His children to be holy, for He is holy. As like attracts like, it is impossible for an unholy man to approach a holy God.
Are you living the life that Jesus could have been living if He were on earth today? Or are you making excuses that no man can ever be holy? There were holy men and women in time past and there are holy people today. Consider the nature of God and His demand for holy living and commit to it today. His grace is abundantly available to enable you live holy once you are desirous of it.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Holiness is not optional but imperative for every child of God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Proverbs 7-8
Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM) written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi. 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.
