16"‘On the fourteenth day of the first month the Lord’s Passover is to be held.
17On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast.
18On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
- P132
24In this way present the food offering every day for seven days as an aroma pleasing to the Lord; it is to be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
25On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
26"‘On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. - P133
Dear Jesus, You are the Passover lamb that cleanses us from our sins. Thankyou for all the goodness You have shown us. May our hearts never tire ofcelebrating what You have done. In Your name, amen. - P135
God instructs Israel on the offerings for the Festival of Trumpets, held on thefirst day of the seventh month. The people are to offer a burnt offering ofone young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs, along with grain and drinkofferings. This day is to be a sacred assembly, and the people are to do noregular work. - P137
Today‘s passage illustrates the precise rituals and the exact sacrifices thatwere necessary for the people to atone for their sins. One thing that stoodout to me was the instruction to "do no work, which is repeated twice inthe passage. It reminded me that, because of Jesus‘ ultimate sacrifice, ourworks are no longer what earn us favor before the Lord. - P139
Romans 6:23 states,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in ChristJesus our Lord." This verse is an ever-relevant reminder that nothing wecan do will ever make us worthy before the Lord. It is only through Christ‘ssacrifice that we are righteous in God‘s eyes. We are only justified throughJesus‘ death on the cross.
- P139
Yet, so many of us are still striving to gain God‘s approval and love. Wethink, "If I pray for this long every day, if I go to church this many times aweek, if I volunteer at this many homeless shelters, God will love me more."
The truth is, God will never love us any more or any less than He doesright now because His love is not dependent on our works. - P139
The strength ofour relationship with God is grounded in our faith in Christ, the ultimateatonement for our sins. What a sense of assurance this brings! - P139
We can restin this truth and serve God from a place of peace, not striving, being sureof our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. - P139
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