When was the last time you spent some time in the good old book of Leviticus? If you are like me, you tend to avoid this book like the black plague. After all, why do I need to read a book about a bunch of different laws? Because I am called to obey the law and am under the law, that's why.

 So obediently I started in Leviticus and immediately what does HE slap with me...confession. What does my life of confession look like? A lot of forgive me for all of my sins...please forgive me for anyway that I have failed you today...I am worthless and need your forgiveness...that is what it looked like in the life of this one. As I read through the first several books of Leviticus, HE shows me how I need to confess every sin specifically to HIM. This general confession is not what HE wants from me. So have you ever tried to recall every sin that you committed in one day? I know all of you reading this are a lot more holy than I but I was literally confessing for hours and have since just started confessing in the AM when I wake up. It has definitely made me think before I speak and has refocused me on HIM and HIS glory.

But today I am reading about this ceremony when Aaron was being consecrated as a priest. It says that Moses took the blood from the “ram of consecration”, which had killed by Moses. Then he put the blood on their right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe. So this jumps out and screams...Kendall, this has meaning for you...dig deeper...you need to understand this completely. So, I dig. And I dig. And this is what I find out about Moses' actions. He used the "ram of consecration" because its death signified the death to self which Aaron and his sons should experience in order to be fully dedicated to the will and service of HIM. Hmmm...interesting! And then placing the blood on them symbolized cleansing and forgiveness of personal sins, in order that he might be an acceptable intermediary between HIM and the people. Hmmm...interesting! And my favorite, the locations of where he placed the blood signified that the priest must have ears willing to hear HIS' Word, hands willing to do HIS' work and feet willing to carry HIS' message wherever HE led. YEP, are you listening?

How cool, right? And then I started to think...scary, yes I know. We are all priests called and set apart for HIS work. What if we are missing out on this amazing ceremony as we accept HIM and start out our lives in service to HIM? Think about it, would it have been more memorable and maybe made you take the commitment of giving HIM your life in radical obedience? I am not suggesting that we regress back to sacrificing bulls because there is no need for another sacrifice, The LOVE of My Life did that once and for all. But what if our mentors or we as mentors would teach this passage to the new believers and consecrate them in the same way Moses did to Aaron and his sons? There is a reason that HE told Moses to do this and I think that the 21st century could use some Leviticus in their lives! Just some random thoughts from my aching head on this very hot day...hope HE uses them!
 
The blessings that HE shares with his disciples have been a form of accountability for me this past week. So as I dug and continue to dig deeper in what each of these characteristics mean, I am confronted by Our Dad with what my life and heart truly look like. And what HE found was an evil, malicious, prideful, ugliness in my life and heart that only HE can take away. I believe if we all sat and looked into the face of Our Dad, I would hope you wouldn't find the ugliness that HE found in my heart but in reality looking into HIS face and making that comparison, who can be found any other way? I mean, HE is perfect. HE is Holy. HE is what we desire to be.

So as I swallowed HIS findings and listened to what HE had to say to me this past week, one of the places HE took me was Matt. 5, the Beatitudes. I am sure you have read these a million times and many have them memorized but this time it was like HE used them as wrecking balls to this life of mine. I will just hit one or two of them and allow HIM to do the rest in your own personal life...it hurts, let me just warn you!

I will just start with the first "poor in spirit". What does that mean exactly? I have read commentaries over the years that have explained it and have read the words of David to try to find out what this phrase means. This week HE showed me that for me, right now, this poor in spirit is an acknowledgement that I am poor (not just because I live on Lottie D) but so poor in fact, I cannot do anything at all. I have no ability to provide food, shelter, clothing, etc for myself because of my poverty. I am completely defenseless, just like a baby who cannot do anything for themselves. It is in this poverty that I realize my needs, my great needs. It is in this realization of my needs that I cry out to HIM and HE hears me. I don't go looking for a way to provide for myself or call up my best friend to see if she can help me. Nope, I being poor in spirit recognize my inabilities and my attitude of being "in want" of something and see HIS arms open wide to provide me with all I could ever want and more. How are you on this one? Well, HE finishes that verse by saying that "theirs is the kingdom of heaven"...might be kind of an important one, huh?

This one dropped me from my knees to laying prostrate in front of of HIM. " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see HIM." Do you want to see HIM? Heck yes, I do without a shadow of a doubt! I want that more than anything!! Really, then why does your heart look anything but pure, Kendall? I am an adulteress from the word go, I am a lier, a murderer, a thief, and selfish one at that! How did I get there? HIS Words tell us that the heart is evil and I would say as HE showed me mine, I could not agree more. So getting your cleaned up to me is the easy part of confessing your sins and HE mercifully washes them away by The Love of My Life's blood. But how do I keep it from returning again to the filth I see now? And this was the brutal part for me and I am sure it will be for you as well. Identifying in what areas I have been an adulteress to my Savior, my Groom, searching HIS WORDS for help to hold me accountable of these sins, and then asking someone to call me out on this aspect of my life. I want to see HIM more than anything and it is about time I start living my life with a pure heart. Cleaning out my thoughts, words, and actions...all to bring HIM glory!

Not sure if any of this made sense, but this is where I am...being beaten up by these 7 little verses and looking for fruit of them in my own life. They will recognize me by my fruit...what does my life really say to others? If it says anything other than, GLORY TO HIM then I have lots of work to do! K


 
Yes, I will just admit it...I do like this song! It is just a fitting title to what HE is showing me over the past couple of weeks. And HE taught me so much on the same theme yesterday through a club service I watched online.

The leader was talking about serial killers and all the serial killer shows that are out there now. He said the thing that is most scary about these serial killers is that they generally targeted someone they know. This could be someone you invited into your house or even have entered into theirs. The only way that a serial killer will stop killing is if he/she is caught.

It is the same in our lives. There is a smooth criminal constantly lurking around our lives and we have invited him into our lives in various ways. Many of the ways are the cultural "norms", his personal favorite in my life. Solomon warned us saying " There is a way that seems right to men, but it leads to death." And that is so true. I am seeing clearly just how he has consumed so much of my culture and the things that seem right to the world, in reality leads to death!

It is in this moment that we need HIM to come and illuminate now only the party that we like in our life. But we need to let HIM take HIS flashlight to the dark, deep corners of our heart and shine HIS light there. Does that mean that we will be exposed for who we really are? Yes. Does that mean that other people will see our deepest, darkest secrets that we have tried for so long to keep hidden? Yes. But more than that, it means that HE will receive so much glory for what HE has done in our life! We are forgiven of all the crap we like to hide from the world, why not let go of it and be set free from the guilt and shame? Why not allow HIM to use our screw-ups to glorify HIMself and encourage other people?

HE, HIMself warns us that the "thief comes ONLY to steal and kill and destroy but I have come that they might have life and have it to the full". What? Those cultural norms that the smooth criminal has used for centuries have one point and one point only...to steal, kill and destroy us. He wants to steal the joy of a truly intimate relationship with Our Father, kill any chances that we have to live a life to glorify HIS Name, and destroy our idea of what it means to live life to the full! Why do we consistently allow the criminal to enter into whatever corner of our life but are so resistant to allow HIM to shine HIS Light into all parts of us and illuminate us for the world to see HIM?

And so HE reminds Kendall again, "If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples." What do HIS teachings say? Am I holding to them? I want to be HIS disciple, I call myself HIS discple but I want to REALLY be HIS disciple. So, what am I doing? Asking HIM to shine HIS light in my life, no matter how much it hurts, and revealing the serial killers in my life. I want them caught and out of my life. I know it is going to hurt. I know I will be embarrassed in my flesh. I know more than anything, that HE WILL BE GLORIFIED! I know that I will have an even more intimate relationship with HIM! Nothings else matters.

So, be in pryr for me as HE identifies these serial killers/cultural norms that are a part of my life and HE catches them and gets rid of them. Be in pryr as HE takes HIS flashlight to the deepest parts of me and exposes me for who I am, a horrible sinner! Be my friends/family who love me in spite of my ugliness and are quick to give HIM glory for how HE has saved my life and slow to judge me for my sin!