Set Apart for Worship

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Leviticus 10, 11; Psalms 33, 34

Leviticus 10:10-11 (NIV)

10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.

Leviticus 11:45 (NIV)

45 I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Psalm 34:4-5 (NIV)

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Good morning!

One of my friends from Faith Church snapped an amazing photograph while walking through the woods last fall. Beams of sunlight pour through the clouds into a tiny clearing. It looks as if the Lord has reached down to earth and touched it with His Almighty Hand. The photograph is framed and hangs by the entrance to the Faith Church office. If you haven’t seen the picture, stop by this weekend and take a closer look. Can you see the holiness of God?

We are set apart to worship the Lord in holiness. What does this mean? My Lord is pure and perfect. I am so unworthy and imperfect. I have no right of my own to enter into His holy presence, and yet, I’m drawn to Him each and every morning. In the book of Revelation, we hear the angels, ten thousand upon ten thousand, singing to the Lord, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” (Rev. 7:10-11).

When I approach the throne of my Lord in worship, I gain entrance not because of my work, achievements or sacrifice. I am allowed an audience with the Almighty because I am clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is His blood alone that covers me; His perfection that I wear; His righteousness I proclaim; His love that sets me apart. I am His beloved, and He is my risen King. His blood is all I will ever need; it washes away my sin, cleanses my heart, and transforms me into a vessel that the Father can use to continue His saving work in the world. When you begin to understand how the blood covering of Christ works to bring you into His holiness and grace, it will change you forever. You will never be the same again.

Like the beams of sunlight shining along the wooded path, the Lord lights my life with His love and grace. I am free to worship Him in spirit and in truth. His redemptive work on the cross is more than enough to free me to become holy, as He is holy. I am no longer common and unclean. I am washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is His love that radiates from my heart. It is His life that I long for. It is His holiness of heart that I worship.

Will you come to worship the Lord in His holiness this weekend? Will you call upon the name of Jesus to save you, redeem you for His very own, and allow you to approach the throne of God clothed in His righteousness alone? We are set apart to worship Him in holiness. May our lives become living worship, as we radiate the love of Jesus to a world that desperately needs Him.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: the holiness of Jesus Christ to capture your heart, clothe you in righteousness, and radiate from your life. May you find all that you’ve ever wanted and needed in Jesus. We are set apart to worship and glorify Him.

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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