“And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God.” Ezekiel 43:27 ESV
When I read this in Ezekiel, I thought of the Amplified Bible’s translation of yesterday’s verse: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].” Matthew 11:28 AMP
Jesus changed everything. He invites us into His Presence. He stepped into our time and became like us. He demonstrated how to live. Then He showed us how to die, and through that death showed us how to live again in Him. We repent and die to ourselves so we can live our lives for Jesus.
“You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24 HCSB
And what do we do with these new lives?
“The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28 HCSB
God has a heart for the poor, the lost, helpless, the widows and orphans.
“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. (…) When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” Proverbs 21:13, 15 ESV
Today we should pray that God will use our new lives in Him to help the helpless.
“And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. [Hos 6:6; Matt 9:13] How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and permissible to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:7, 12 AMP
