I actually doubt whether these Living Life Blogs will ever, ever work...

Yet I just decided to keep on going anyways.

It's for God anyways, and I believe that He still instilled this idea in me for a reason I've yet to find out.

It's for Him, it's for Him, it's all for Him...

Whether you want to get blessed or not is all up to YOU.

-Love, GinniePark

P.S.: Also decided to try Arial font!

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Memory Verse of the Week:

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not ert justice by siding with the crowd." - Exodus 23:2

[A/N: This is actually really important, even if it seems like common sense. How many times have you sided with something you didn't even like just because everyone else did it? Or even just didn't do all your homework just because everyone else was lazy to? Or even chose chocolate rather than vanilla? Whether that simple or as vast as the ocean, siding with the crowd just to stick with the popular majority, and to not be "singled-out" and be a "loner" is so common within this generation...I myself fall under it so many times...But God calls us to just focus on Him for decisions, for we're made to praise Him and His wisdom anyway.]

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Our Perfect Sacrifice - Exodus 24:1-8

The Whole Law

1: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance,"

2: "but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.'"

3: "When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, 'Everything the LORD has said we will do.'"

4: "Moses then wrote down everything the LORD has said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twleve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel."

5: "Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls [huge sources of food; it's a big sacrifice, but they're willing to, for the sake of repaying what God did for us - sacrifice His one and only son for dirty, sinful, ungrateful people like us. It's the least we can do. Love is sacrifice for the sake of the other's happiness...] as fellowship offerings to the LORD.

 

The Perfect Lamb of God

6: "Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other hlf he splashed against the altar."

7: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.'"

8: "Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.'"

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Reflection

The Whole Law (24:1-5)

The covenant that is pronounced throughout chapters 19-23 are confirmed and sealed in this passage. The repetition of the people's response marks the beginning (Exod. 19:8) and the end of the covenant (vv.3, 7). The Israelites gave the same assent in Exodus 19:8, "We will do everything the LORD has said," as they do in this passage. They repeatedly promise to keep the covenant, and they commit to obeying "everything" the Lord has said. We can see a genuine enthusiasm here, though Israel unfortunately keeps the covenant only sporadically later on. This reminds us of James' exhortation that, "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (James 2:10). The nature of the covenant between the Israelites and God is absolute - keeping it only partially and violating the rest is not keeping the covenant at all.

 

The Perfect Lamb of God (24:6-8)

The bowls of blood sprinkled on people symbolizes that the people are recipients of God's acceptance. The blood on the altar (v.6) represents God's gracious forgiveness in accepting the sacrifice given by the people, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). This visible display of blood reminds the Israelites the source of their acceptance. This foreshadows Christ atoning blood at the cross. Just as the people of Israel made animal sacrifices to substitute for the sinner, Christ - the perfect Sacrifice - took our sin upon Himself to grant us forgiveness and acceptance. The "blood of the covenant that the LORD has made" (v.8) later becomes Christ himself: "This is my blood for the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28). We do not need animal sacrifices anymore, because Christ - the perfect Lamb of God - became our sacrifice and died once and for all (1 Pet. 3:18).

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Application

-We are commanded to be followers of Christ wholeheartedly, not half-heartedly. Just as the Israelites were told to keep the whole Law, we are also called to do the same. Ask God to convict your heart [for we cannot do it alone].

-Christ became our perfect sacrifice. This should compel us to live every day for God's glory and to give our lives for Him as living sacrifices. Think of one or two things you can sacrifice for God's kingdom [just like there is the saying, "No pain, no gain," we need to sacrifice earthen temptations and fully live for God, like we were made for and called to do, and in which we promised to accomplish once we accepted Him into our hearts].

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"The knowledge of Christ's love for us shoud cause us to love Him in such a way that is demonstrated in our attitude, conduct, and commitment to serve God."

-Edward Bedore

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Our Blood Contract

The Bible is full of promises from God. One of them is that our sins are forgiven when we repent before God and trust in His name. Another promise is that we will go to heaven if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. But what is it, ultimately, that gives us an assurance of salvation? Are we placing all of our hope in simple promises?

Many religious people follow their various religions because of the promises they believe. So what differentiates Christianity from all the other "promises" of all the other religions? What makes our God different? God did not just promise us salvation. He did not just swear it on an oath. No, our salvation is irrevocably assured because we are in a covenant relationship with Him. A promise is a declaration, or a guarantee that a certain thing will happen. An oath is a very solemn promise regarding future action or behavior, and it is usually reinforced by a physical object, but it is not necessarily legally binding. A covenant, or a contract, however, is a written or spoken agreement that can be enforced by law.

Contracts are very commonly used. They are used for everything from setting guidelines for jobs to purchasing homes. But what makes our particular contract with God unique is that it was written in blood. According to Horatius Bonar, "It is...the covenant which is absolute and unconditional; which not only gives to each sinner who believes a present standing before God of favor and love, but which secures his eternal future beyond the possibility of a second fall. The blood covenant makes us safe forever."

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A Letter to God

Dear Father, I confess that so many times I pray to You for my selfish desires.

Please help me have a kingdom mindset and fix my eyes on You.

Teach me what it means to be a living sacrifice. In Jesus' name. Amen.