Year 4, Day 108: Leviticus 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Up

• Up: Up is the word we use for what we worship.  If we are following God’s will, God will occupy the Up position.  Our life, our identity, our mission, our family on mission is all derived from Up.  This is why God needs to be in our Up position.

Up is an interesting concept through which to view Leviticus 19.  Most of Leviticus 19 appears at first blush to be about us and how we interact with others and the creation around us.  We don’t glean our fields to the edges.  We don’t pick fruit from trees that are less than three years old.  We don’t engage in the practices of sex with people who are not for us.  In general, we are to watch out for the people around us.  From a discipleship perspective, that sounds like a healthy mixture of In and Out.

So what am I doing talking about Up in a post about community?  Leviticus 19 starts off with a reminder that God is holy.  Holy is a word that means “separate” or “different.”  God’s holiness is the beginning of godly community.  If we want to be godly, we must start with God.  If we want to have godly community (In and Out) then we must start with Up.  Living in a manner different than the world expects assumes that we will look to a different (holy) model for living.  It all begins with God’s holiness and our desire to pause, reflect upon, and then imitate His holiness.  Godly living flows from God and it starts with our desire to look towards Him.

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