Leviticus 18:1-5  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the LORD your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the LORD your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the LORD.” (NLT)

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Today is the last day of the first month of the year 2025. It feels like this year has begun on Fast Forward, doesn’t it? 

Next month is probably going to fly as well. We have a busy weekend ahead with our daughter-in-law and granddaughter arriving this evening, our Houston-area daughter and my mother arriving tomorrow, and a Sprinkle for our local daughter, who is a few weeks away from giving birth to her second daughter. 

For those who do not know, as I did not until a few weeks ago, a Sprinkle is a Baby Shower Lite. The original baby shower and the last two-and-a-half years have provided lots of baby stuff. Many things are reusable; others require replenishing. This includes diapers. Lots of diapers. 

Also, our house is now officially on the market. We are in the process of moving across the county to be closer to those two locally-grown granddaughters and their parents. We are not moving across the street from them like the television show Everybody Loves Raymond. That house sold a few months ago before we were looking. We will be a few minutes away whereas we are now a half hour of busy freeways away. 

Now, if we can get the other granddaughter’s father stationed in Texas . . .

And if our grandson, who is planning to begin his career in law enforcement in the next couple of years, will come to the Metroplex, well, a grandfather can dream.

This is a pretty good life we’re living. Our Father in Heaven has enriched our journey beyond what we could have imagined. He tells us how he plans to enrich them beyond what we yet have known. As he told Moses in the text above, 

“If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the LORD.”

Obedience to God is not burdensome; it is blessingsome. 

Notice the name God calls himself here. He says, “I am the LORD.” “I am” is the name he gave Moses at the Burning Bush incident (Exodus 3 and 4). God is the Everlasting One. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is in charge here. He gives us instructions that make life blossom, bloom, and become ever more beautiful. 

This is a direct contrast in Moses’ day to how the Egyptians and Canaanites lived. Leviticus has a lot of stuff about animal sacrifices. Those other civilizations often went so far in the wrong direction that they sacrificed people, including children. God said, “So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life.”

There are ways of life that edify and provide peace and safety. There are ways that grasp, grab, steal, and kill. God’s instructions give and protect life. They provide meaningful relationships in homes and communities. God says we are to do more of this and none of the evil others do. 

God’s ways lead to life. God’s ways are always good. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect. We simply cannot improve on it. 

So, I get to go to work now with some of the most wonderful people alive. I get to celebrate with many of the dearest people in the world to me. We get to enjoy God’s goodness together at work, at home, and where we dine, shop, and find entertainment. Whatever God asks of us, our every Yes improves life for all concerned. 

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I will live a more blessed life by agreeing with God and living in the fullness of all he provides. 

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Our Father, you are better to me than I would be to myself. You are kind, compassionate, and perfectly loving. Your every Don’t is matched by a wonderful Do. Empower me to live a life of blessed obedience and to enjoy all this makes possible. Amen.