Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8.
Theme: We need to sanctify ourselves and become holy in all things before the Lord as He is holy in all things.
To become sanctified is to become free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the Atonement of Christ.
To be holy is to be set apart for a sacred purpose and to have moral character.
Jehovah would command His followers to become holy because they are to fulfill a sacred purpose. We have been given a special relationship with Christ as we have made covenants with Him such as at baptism, the temple, marriage, getting the priesthood for men. As disciples of Christ we have the obligation and the responsibility to fulfill all the covenants that we make. We have the purpose to bring others to Him. We need to be holy because Christ is holy. As we keep the covenants we have made, we are striving to become like him. This means that we will become holy as He is holy.
The Law of Holiness that was given in Leviticus 17-26 shows how the children of Israel were originally to become holy be means of these ceremonial observances. This would help them develop that holiness of character. However, this didn't work long term because later Jews became so focused on the ceremonies and the sacrifice rituals that they lost sight of the reason of them. They forgot that these things were to be done in similitude of Christ and thereby they neglected the spirit of the law. Today, we avoid this by remembering the reason that we do everything. Everything in the gospel is about families! It is about bringing families together, creating eternal families, and helping families to become stronger. I think even today we lose sight of that as we get caught up in our callings and doing all the little things, we forget about Christ that is at the center of the gospel and that the purpose is to bring families together! We no longer offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, but we offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit. As we truly offer those things to the Lord, He will guide us as we lead our families and help strengthen others around us. We can remain focused on the Lord and what He would have us do and who He would have us become!
I am going to remember these things that I have learned as I have been reading. I am going to remember that my relationship with my Savior and my Father in Heaven and then with my family are the most important things! As a mother I am set apart to the sacred work of raising my children in the gospel and bringing them up in light and truth. As I strive to become sanctified and become holy as the Lord would have me be, I will more fully be able to feel of His guidance in all that I do.
Leviticus 18:4-5 - The Lord has commanded us to do his judgements, keep his ordinances, and walk in his statues. We need to keep His commandments and live by His commandments in all things.
Leviticus 19:3-4, 11-20,
28-31; 20:10, 13
- Honor our parents
- Keep the Sabbath day holy
- Do not turn to idols or other gods
- Do not steal
- Do not lie
- Do not swear
- Be honest with those we work with
- Be kind to others and help rather than creating stumbling blocks for others
- Be righteous in all our judgements
- Love our neighbors
The commandment that I am going to work on improving is being more kind and loving those around me. I could work to be a little nicer each day to others. There are a lot of kind things that I think in my head but that I leave unsaid. I also often catch myself saying something that I don't really mean and that doesn't need to be said. So I am going to work to be a little nicer and more giving to those around me. I am going to work harder to reach out to my neighbors, friends, family members (especially extended family members) and work develop more meaningful relationships with them and strive to help improve their lives by being more kind.
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