[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 4

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 4

WORD OF WISDOM

Debt steals from your future to build someone else's.

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DAILY DEVOTION

When the Brook Dries Up


Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the
land.
(1 Kings 17:7, NIV)

	 In 1 Kings 17, God told the prophet Elijah to go hide from King
Ahab by the Brook Cherith where the ravens would deliver him bread and meat
daily. Just like clockwork, every day he had supernatural delivery service.
But one day the brook dried up and the ravens quit coming. God said,
"Elijah, now go to Zarephath, where a widow will provide for you." Elijah
could have thought, "This doesn't make sense. His blessing is here." But the
water and ravens were only temporary provision. When Elijah obeyed, that's
where his ministry began. He saw some of the greatest miracles recorded in
the Scripture.
 Sometimes God brings something to an end and shuts a door to get us ready
for the new thing He is about to do for us. Don't get discouraged when
things suddenly change and the blessing doesn't seem to be there. Thank Him
when the brook dries up. God has something much bigger, much better in mind.
New doors, new opportunities, and new relationships are about to open.
	 
A Prayer for Today

"Father, thank You for the times when You hide me from trouble and provide
for all my needs. Thank You for the other times when You call me out of my
comfort zone and take me where I've never gone. I look forward to wherever
You want to lead me and whatever You want to do in my life. In Jesus' Name,
Amen."

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Leviticus 16-18 New King James Version
The Day of Atonement
16 Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron,
when they offered profane fire before the Lord, and died; 2 and the Lord
said to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into
the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark,
lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

3 [a]"Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young
bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. 4 He shall put the
holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with
a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy
garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. 5 And
he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of
the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.

6 "Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and
make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 He shall take the two goats
and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8
Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the
other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the
Lord's lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which
the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord,
to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the
wilderness.

11 "And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for
himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill
the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. 12 Then he shall take a
censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with
his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud
of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.
14 He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his
finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he
shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 "Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the
people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with
the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the
mercy seat. 16 So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the
uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions,
for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which
remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 There shall be no
man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the
Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for
his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 And he shall go out to
the altar that is before the Lord, and make atonement for it, and shall take
some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it
on the horns of the altar all around. 19 Then he shall sprinkle some of the
blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate[b] it
from the [c]uncleanness of the children of Israel.

20 "And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the
tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 Aaron
shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all
the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions,
concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall
send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 The goat
[d]shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an [e]uninhabited land; and
he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

23 "Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the
linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall
leave them there. 24 And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place,
put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt
offering of the people, and make [f]atonement for himself and for the
people. 25 The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he
who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his
body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 The bull for the
sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in
to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And
they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. 28
Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water,
and afterward he may come into the camp.

29 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the
tenth day of the month, you shall [g]afflict your souls, and do no work at
all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who [h]dwells among
you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make [i]atonement for you, to
cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It
is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is
a statute forever. 32 And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to
minister as priest in his father's place, shall make atonement, and put on
the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 then he shall make [j]atonement for
[k]the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of
meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and
for all the people of the assembly. 34 This shall be an everlasting statute
for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins,
once a year." And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Sanctity of Blood
17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and
to all the children of Israel, and say to them, 'This is the thing which the
Lord has commanded, saying: 3 "Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills
an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, 4 and
does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an
offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of
bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man
shall be [l]cut off from among his people, 5 to the end that the children of
Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that
they may bring them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to
the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 And the priest
shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the
tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 7
They shall no more offer their sacrifices to [m]demons, after whom they have
played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their
generations." '

8 "Also you shall say to them: 'Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of
the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer
it to the Lord, that man shall be [n]cut off from among his people.

10 'And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell
among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who
eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of
the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul.' 12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'No one among you
shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.'

13 "Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell
among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he
shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; 14 for it is the life of
all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of
Israel, 'You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh
is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.'

15 "And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by
beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, he shall
both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then
he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then
he shall bear his [o]guilt."

Laws of Sexual Morality
18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel,
and say to them: 'I am the Lord your God. 3 According to [p]the doings of
the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the
doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor
shall you walk in their [q]ordinances. 4 You shall observe My judgments and
keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall
therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall
live by them: I am the Lord.

6 'None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover
his nakedness: I am the Lord. 7 The nakedness of your father or the
nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you
shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of your father's wife you
shall not uncover; it is your father's nakedness. 9 The nakedness of your
sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether
born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10 The
nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, their
nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. 11 The
nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, begotten by your father-she is
your sister-you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12 You shall not uncover
the nakedness of your father's sister; she is near of kin to your father. 13
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is near
of kin to your mother. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your
father's brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You
shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law-she is your son's
wife-you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the
nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. 17 You
shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you
take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her
nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. 18 Nor shall you
take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the
other is alive.

19 'Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as
she is in her customary impurity. 20 Moreover you shall not lie carnally
with your neighbor's wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not
let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you
profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with a
male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 23 Nor shall you mate with any
animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an
animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

24 'Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the
nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is
defiled; therefore I visit[r] the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and
the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore [s]keep My
statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations,
either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for
all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you,
and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you
defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For
whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall
be [t]cut off from among their people.

30 'Therefore you shall keep My [u]ordinance, so that you do not commit any
of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do
not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.' "

Footnotes
Leviticus 16:3 Lit. With this
Leviticus 16:19 set it apart
Leviticus 16:19 impurity
Leviticus 16:22 shall carry
Leviticus 16:22 solitary land
Leviticus 16:24 Lit. covering
Leviticus 16:29 humble yourselves
Leviticus 16:29 As a resident alien
Leviticus 16:30 Lit. covering
Leviticus 16:33 Lit. covering
Leviticus 16:33 The Most Holy Place
Leviticus 17:4 Put to death
Leviticus 17:7 Having the form of a goat or satyr
Leviticus 17:9 Put to death
Leviticus 17:16 iniquity
Leviticus 18:3 what is done in
Leviticus 18:3 statutes
Leviticus 18:25 bring judgment for
Leviticus 18:26 obey
Leviticus 18:29 Put to death
Leviticus 18:30 charge