02/01/2026
A devotional from Pastor Greg:
Hello Temple family,
Our world has changed! The brown, dead of winter has been replaced with a shining layer of snow. The crisp, clean air is accompanied by a clean covering of fluffy white! I hope that you see the wonder of the snow piled up around you as from the Hand of a Loving Father! As the snow blankets the world around us, let us know the warm embrace (as a blanket) of our Creator God. Today is a gift.
If you have been following the Read-Thru-The-Bible-Plan from the Everyday Gospel Bible, then a new month (February) brings us a new book of the Bible (Leviticus). The following is the daily devotional for today, which happens to be another Lord’s Day, and another Sunday that we have not been able to gather for corporate worship. Let us worship today as individuals, families, and a church, though from a distance.
February 1- Leviticus 1–4
No greater gift has ever been given than the gift of atonement for sin. We will be celebrating this gift of grace for all of eternity.
A sad awareness eventually washes over every parent. At some point, early in the life of your little loved one, you see sin rear its ugly head. It is obvious and unavoidable. You had hoped your child would be the exception, but it turns out she’s not. She might refuse to do what you ask. She might shout “No!” to a command you have given. She might display selfishness or anger. You know the reason: your child is a sinner. It’s not just that your child does things that are wrong. No, you are confronted with something profoundly deeper and more controlling. If the problem were just an occasional behavioral problem, perhaps some system of behavioral modification would work. But, as we look at every human being, we realize our problem is not just a matter of behavior; we have a problem with behavior because we have a nature problem. Sin is not only a matter of what we occasionally do. Sin, apart from the restorative power of God’s grace, is who we are. We are sinners by nature, and that is why we have no ability to escape its power and penalty on our own.
I love the good news of Leviticus. This book in God’s word is like a finger pointing us to where God’s great redemptive story is going. Leviticus alerts us to the fact that God, in glorious grace, is very serious about providing atonement for sin. He makes a way for sin’s penalty to be paid, so that gracious forgiveness can be granted. If sin is our deepest, most destructive, and most inescapable problem, then atonement for sin is the best, most-needed news ever. If you understand that every sin is a direct rebellion against God, then the gift of atonement becomes even more amazing to you. Sinners offend God in innumerable ways, yet, with a love that is almost too wonderful for words, God moves to make atonement for sin possible.
Leviticus 4 uses a refrain three times: “The priest shall make atonement for him, . . . and he shall be forgiven” (4:26, 31, 35). These are glorious, hope-filled words. There is hope for us, no matter how strong the hold of sin is on us and no matter what dark hallways of sin we have walked. In these words, we are assured that an utterly holy God makes a way for thoroughly sinful people to have their penalty paid and their record wiped clean. But there is more. In these word,s we find a promise of the coming of the Great High Priest, Jesus. He will be the final sacrifice, the complete payment, and the ultimate means of eternal forgiveness. What better news could you ever want to hear?
For further study and encouragement: Hebrews 7:11–28
Source: Tripp, Paul David. Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life (pp. 39-40). (Function). Kindle Edition.
