praying effectively: Obey God's Statues (Lev.)

(Leviticus 18:1-5)  Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.

(Leviticus 19:1-2)  Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy..."

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:
- that we do not do what the "world" does (Lv.18:3)
- that we do not partake in other religions (Lv.18:3)
- that we obey God in order to live in peace with others (Lv.18:4-5)
- that we obey God in order to live in peace with God (Lv.18:4-5)
- that as children of God, we are to be holy because our Father is holy (Lv.19:2)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You so much for giving us commandments that are practical and make sense in order to get along with others.  Thank You that You want the best for us, and that You do want us to live in peace with each other.  And most importantly, thank You that Your desire is for us to live in peace with You.

Help us to desire to be more like You, holy in every aspect of our lives.  Amen.