Posted on

Reestablishing the connection…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 2:5 If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of the finest flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. 

The Israelites spent 400 years in Egypt. Everyone who went into captivity knowing God as “Israelites outside of captivity” died before they ever had a chance to leave. Every Israelite that left Egyptian captivity did not know God outside of Egypt, which had its own gods and rituals.

Leviticus 2:6 Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 

From my understanding, Exodus and Leviticus were specifically to reestablish the connection between God and the Israelites, without Egyptian practices or influences. All these rules and specifics were to reestablish “This is how we do it, this is how we connect to God as Israelites free from Egyptian influence.”

Leviticus 2:7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of the finest flour and some olive oil. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that our connection to You is personal and unique. Thank You for the practices and rituals that help us to remember that this is how we connect to You. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.

Leviticus 2:8 Bring the grain offering made of these things to the Lord; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

God’s steadfast love…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 2:1 “ ‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it 

I believe that “… the word of God is alive and active…” (Heb 4:12), which to me means that each book in the Bible was written for a specific reason and for a specific purpose. 

Leviticus 2:2 and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 

That doesn’t mean that it has no meaning to me, but I think it’s as important to understand the original context of the words as it is to see what the Word is speaking to me as a modern reader. 

Leviticus 2:3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.

Precious Savior, You are “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). Your steadfast love does not change, but humans do. Help me to seek to understand not only the original context of Your words but also what they mean for me in this moment. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 2:4 “ ‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with olive oil.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

The haves and the have nots…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 1:14 “ ‘If the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you are to offer a dove or a young pigeon. 

While chapter 1 of Leviticus feels pretty bloody and brutal to me, one thing I appreciate about this chapter is that offering sacrifices for repentance isn’t just for the rich. There is this tiered system that allows all people to offer a sacrifice that will be “pleasing to the Lord.” 

Leviticus 1:15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 

I think that’s one of the really frustrating things about today’s society–there is this really clear sense of the haves and the have nots, and there is no real way to cross that divide. I’m thankful that God doesn’t play that game.

Leviticus 1:16 He is to remove the crop and the feathers and throw them down east of the altar where the ashes are. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for not propagating a system that welcomes the haves and shuts out the have nots. Help us to see each other as people, deeply loved children of God, and help us to act accordingly towards each other. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 1:17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not dividing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is burning on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

Beyond anything we can imagine…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 1:10 “ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, you are to offer a male without defect. 

Today’s verses, especially the end of verse 13, bring Isaiah 55:8 to mind: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” 

Leviticus 1:11 You are to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 

Nothing about this description sounds pleasing, and yet, God finds the obedience and repentance, bloody and odiferous as it is, pleasing. His ways are far beyond anything we can imagine, indeed. 

Leviticus 1:12 You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I try to make sense of this world through my own idea of what makes sense. Help me to draw closer to You, to give You praise and glory, to trust You, even when You lead me on a path I would never choose myself. I am Your deeply, fiercely, completely loved child. Help me never to doubt that. Amen.

Leviticus 1:13 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of them and burn them on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

His great sacrifice for me…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 1:6 You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 

When I think of priests and religious officials, I think of clean, well dressed persons. Leviticus shows that that role has definitely changed from the time of Leviticus to today. Atoning for sins was a bloody, ugly business. I am thankful that I do not have to sacrifice animals to seek redemption.

Leviticus 1:7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 

But it makes me think of students who have no clue how easy they have it with digital research because they have never had to plow through dense tomes and transfer knowledge to index cards of varying sizes. They just have no idea how much they have been spared because they have never had to do it in the first place. I feel that.

Leviticus 1:8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You took my place and offered Yourself as a permanent substitute for my sins. Even though I don’t know the anguish of shedding the blood of sacrifice with my own hands, help me never to take for granted Your great sacrifice for me. Thank You is so inadequate, it’s all I’ve got. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 1:9 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

Drawing closer…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 1:1-2 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.

I began my trip through Exodus on September 21, 2025. (I looked it up!) It took me 39 weeks minus 1 day to go verse by verse through the entire book. Part of me is a little frustrated that I am going from the minutiae of Exodus to the regimented rules of Leviticus, but I know I have learned through the journey. 

Leviticus 1:3 “ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 

I have learned with Moses to trust God, even when I do not feel equipped. I have learned with the Israelites to trust God, even when it feels like it is taking too long. I have learned to give of my time and talents in ways that glorify God and point others to Him. 

Leviticus 1:4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the lessons learned in the 272 days that I have walked through Exodus. Thank You for drawing me closer. As I begin this journey through Leviticus, draw me closer still. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 1:5 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

Time with God…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 40:33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

I sincerely believe that when I set aside time to sit with God, He shows up. Some mornings, I can absolutely tell it as my reflection practically writes itself. Some mornings, I can tell it because I need to hear exactly what the verses are about or I need to work on the same issues in my own life.

Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Some mornings I think, “What am I even doing here? I’m just not sure. I’ve got so many questions. But I trust You, Lord. I know You are at work in this mess.” Ironically, those are usually the days when someone says, “I needed your words this morning. God was speaking to me. Thank you.”

Exodus 40:36-37 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 

Precious Savior, It is such a gift to sit with You each morning, to read Your word and listen for Your quiet voice to whisper to my heart. Thank You for the mornings that You speak directly to my life. Thank You for using my words to speak to others, especially on those days where I’m struggling. Draw me closer always. Amen.

Exodus 40:38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Just as the Lord commanded…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 40:28 Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 

I am again reminded that Exodus is coming to a close and that this book has a very specific story: The Israelites were in captivity for hundreds of years. While they were always “God’s people,” they had forgotten that fact and worshipped the gods of the Egyptians.

Exodus 40:29 He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him.

Exodus is about leaving Egyptian captivity and remembering both who they are and Whose they are. They have come a very long way from begging for an idol because Moses is taking too long to doing everything just “as the Lord commanded.” 

Exodus 40:30-31 He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that we are Yours and that You love us fiercely, completely, and unconditionally. Help us, each morning, to center ourselves on You, to draw closer to You, and to seek to be Your hands and feet in this world. Amen.

Exodus 40:32 They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

I can do something…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 40:21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him.

Today’s scripture led me to a quote by Edward Everett Hale: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.” 

Exodus 40:22-23 Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

It is easy to look at a situation and see only what you weren’t able to accomplish, what you didn’t do (or do right or do well), but it is much harder, at least for me, to look at a situation and say, “I did what I could. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Other lives are better because of what I was able to do. Thank You, Jesus.” 

Exodus 40:24-25 He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the impact we can have when we heed Your call. Help me not to beat myself up for what I failed to do and instead give You thanks, praise, and glory for all that I was able to do in Your name. Amen.

Exodus 40:26-27 Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him.

Have a blessed day. 

Posted on

With all our hearts…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 40:17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. 

The final chapter of Exodus is drawing to a close. Moses, who balked and argued when God first tapped him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, has grown into a man whose heart is for God, doing “as the Lord commanded him.”

Exodus 40:18 When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. 

The Israelites themselves have gone from captives in Egypt to demanding a golden calf to worship to giving their precious items for the building of the tabernacle and helping to craft that tabernacle from nothing. 

Exodus 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him.

Precious Savior, It has taken a long time, 40 chapters, to bring about these changes in Moses and in the Israelites. Thank You for the reminder that change is possible, becoming someone who puts You above all else, who chases You with all our hearts is possible. Help us to seek You, to draw closer to You, every single day. Amen.

Exodus 40:20 He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it.

Have a blessed day.