Today was another great conversation for The Year of the Bible. Today our group discussed Leviticus, Psalm 22, and Acts 5. We discussed how God called the Israelites out and sanctified them so that all people could also be blessed. This is what God said to Abraham when he called him. This blessing happens when the Israelites practiced hospitality to the resident aliens in their midst.
We also discussed the idea that the sacrifice is not unlike our offerings of time, talent, and treasure. When we offer our best, it is a reminder that everything we need and everything we have is a gift from God...so we are just giving back to God and asking him to teach us how to use it. When we pervert our offering and don't offer our whole selves, then we lie to ourself, the Spirit, and the community we are called to take part in. This is what happens with Ananias and Sapphira. The withheld some of the price of the field and were in authentic about what they did give.
God gives us his best...and he desires that we give back to God in gratitude. God blesses us and desires that we use those blessings to bless others. It is the same theme in Leviticus as it is in Acts and throughout Scripture. The Scripture of the Old and New Testaments parallel one another in this theme of "Blessed to be a blessing."
I hope you are enjoying your daily readings. As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything or have any questions. michaelyork@firstpresvero.org.
Comments