Ritually Prepared

I have a few rituals that I do every day, almost without exception. I make coffee in the morning, I shave, I shower – the morning ritual or routine. I can do some of the rituals while I’m half asleep. I like to rise early in the morning to have time to read and meditate upon the Word of God. I guess that my time in the Word is actually a ritual or routine as well.

The Lord had given Moses and His people several regulations as well as rituals to perform daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly. These were mostly rituals of worship and repentance. The Lord has expectations when they come before Him. He has just given them instructions about which animal was clean and which was unclean. He’s pretty specific on all of these instructions. He sort of wraps it up by giving a bit of logic regarding being clean. Check this out…

44 I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. 45 I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

46 ‘“These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”’ (Leviticus 11:44-47 NIV)

I believe that the Lord likes it when I prepare to come before Him. I believe He likes it when I’m prepared to spend time with Him in His Word. I also believe He likes the spontaneous times that I speak with Him and give thanks for Who He is and What He’s doing in my life. I don’t ever want my “ritual” (aka habit) of spending time in His Word to become mundane and drudgery. I want to prepare to meet with Him. I want to take time hearing Him speak into me. I believe that this is the best way to prepare for any day that I face. I do not get up in the morning and offer animal sacrifices because Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice for sin. I do think it’s important to submit my heart before Him and sacrifice my opinions and my ideas to His. He deserves my utmost Honor and Respect. I want to be ritually prepared to meet with Him and ritually prepared to take on today.

Pressing On!

Dwayne