With VBS being this week I thought I would post this blog earlier in the week since it is very applicable to our team of VBS Volunteers...
Ever served in the church? Ministered to children? Helped in the youth group? Assisted in the VBS program? Witnessed to a co-worker?
If so, you have led people and served in a similar way that the Levites served Israel. They were the spiritual leaders of people. They taught, prayed for and with the people, as well as offering the people’s sacrifices to the Lord.
While you may not be a Levite, you can still learn from their example. Use these principles not only as you volunteer at a church but also in the secular workplace.
Leviticus 8:18-24
Let me set the scene for you… Moses and the people have just finished building and putting together the Tabernacle. The vessels have been made. The tent has been sewn. The altar is ready to be used. Or is it?
You might think that the priests jumped right into it. They didn't. God instructed them to first not sacrifice for the people's sins but for the sins of themselves. This brings us to our first principle:
1. In order for you to serve God, you need to first take care of your own sin
The priests all put their hands on the ram at the beginning of the ceremony. This symbolized a transfer of sin from the person to the animal.
Sin distracts us from God. Keeps us from His presence. Nags at us. Lies to us. But most of all it distorts our view of God.
When sin shapes our view of God, it holds us back from properly worshipping our Creator. And in turn when we go to serve Him, we are doing it for ourselves not the One who commanded us to do it.
Make sure before you head out to serve God, you confess your sin. Get your heart right. It is in those times where your service to God, receives the most blessing in return.
If that sin is just too great for you to confess, maybe it would be better if you just stayed home.
2. Your ears hands and feet belong to God
Reading the passage, it may seem weird to you that Moses dipped his finger in the blood of the ram and then proceeded to touch their ears, thumb and toes.
After reading that, a natural reaction would be,“Weird...” But this act symbolized a spiritual truth: when God uses us, we need to surrender every part of us to do His service.
Our ears are His. Our hands are His. Our feet are His.
In our culture, it might be more relevant to say our eyes instead of our ears. They were very auditory, passing down stories from memory. Today we are very visual. Our stories are passed on through the TV, YouTube, and Netflix.
In order for us to serve God, we need to surrender what we do with our hands, where we go with our feet, what we watch with our eyes, and hear with our ears. Every part of us needs to be surrendered to God.
Our whole being needs to reflect our Creator.
3. You can’t be a priest of you don’t give yourself to God
Unless you hold yourself to a higher standard, unless you devote your time, unless you get yourself right with God, you have no reason being a spiritual leader.
It is a serious matter, teaching people spiritual truth. God holds these people to a higher standard (James 3:1). Whether you are teaching in front of the classroom, or teaching through your example tread carefully.
Make sure you serving for the right reasons; not to get attention, feel good about your self or even just because you like the authority.
Examine your heart, get it right with God and then seek to serve Him.
God delights in a humble heart.
Let me close with this verse:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” -1 Peter 2:9
Get yourself right with God. Surrender yourself completely to Him. Serve Him. This is what spiritual leadership requires.