Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“These are the instructions regarding land animals, birds, marine creatures, and animals that scurry along the ground. By these instructions you will know what is unclean and clean, and which animals may be eaten and which may not be eaten.”
– Leviticus 11:45-46
He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
– Colossians 2:14
“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean. But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
– Acts 10:14-16
Devotion
There are three important facts about the dietary laws: 1) God gave these laws only to the Jewish nation: 2) obeying them made one ceremonially pure but did not make the person holy in character; 3) these laws were temporary and ended at the cross (Colossians 2:14).
God clarified these facts in Acts 10:9-16 before he sent Peter to minister to the “unclean” Gentiles. It is wrong for us to judge others on what they eat, as long as they believe what they are eating is “clean” (1 Timothy 4:1-6).
The Israelite had to decide whether they wanted to obey God or eat any foods they liked. There was no middle ground. Today, we can apply this principle to other areas of “consumption” in our lives. Do we understand what is clean or unclean in what we watch, talk about or participate in?
The Big Question
Is there an area of “consumption” in your life, the things you watch, talk about or participate in, which are “unclean”? What can you do to better obey God in these areas?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.