Jim Gallagher

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 14-15 & Luke 8-9
Old Testament: Leviticus 14- Mission Impossible

Leviticus 14:1-2
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest.’”

Moses was given detailed… Read More

Leviticus 15- New Nature

Leviticus 15:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.’”

As we read the Scripture it is not difficult to see how things like theft, murder or extortion are considered sin and will… Read More

New Testament: Luke 8- Mystery

Luke 8:10
“ To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…”

I love a good mystery; as a child I had a book titled “2 Minute Mysteries.” It was a book of short stories, in… Read More

Luke 9- You Gonna Answer That?

Luke 9:1
“Then He called His twelve disciples. . . “

When the Lord calls us to serve Him, there seems to be a universal response. Our hearts cry out, “I can’t.” This was the same response of Moses, Saul and Gideon. We feel this way because the Lord always seems to call us to do what is beyond our capacities. A young woman with small children senses a call to teach in children’s church, or a retired couple hears the call to the mission field, or a young man has a burning in his heart to become a pastor, and the voice in our head cries out “I can’t.” I think there is something encouraging here as Jesus calls the … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 12-13 & Luke 7
Old Testament: Leviticus 12- Bad Connection

Leviticus 12:7
“Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.”
… Read More

Leviticus 13- Unclean

Leviticus 13:45
“Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean! ’”

Leprosy is a skin disease that effects the nervous system; resulting… Read More

New Testament: Luke 7- Much Love?

Luke 7:40
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”

The event which occurs in the house of Simon the Pharisee stands out to me as one of the most fascinating in the New Testament. No miraculous healing takes place: the deaf do not hear, the blind do not see, nor are the dead raised. Yet this story is both priceless and timeless in the truth it reveals. It is the story of two people and their view of Jesus. Simon was a religious man that showed interest in… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 10-11 & Luke 6
Old Testament: Leviticus 10- Holy Life

Leviticus 10:9-10
“It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”

Perhaps, the clearest message from the Book of Leviticus is, God is Holy and requires holiness from His people. Rather than… Read More

Leviticus 11- Forbidden Food

Leviticus 11:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.’”

If we go back to the call of Abraham, we realize Israel was a nation chosen and established by God. Abraham was told that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Later, we read God’s purpose in choosing… Read More

New Testament: Luke 6- Forgive

Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”…Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 8-9 & Luke 5
Old Testament: Leviticus 8- By The Blood

Leviticus 8:30
“Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.”… Read More

Leviticus 9- Let’s Worship

Leviticus 9:23-24
“Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
… Read More

New Testament: Luke 5- Jesus Saves Sinners

Luke 5:30
“Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

The scribes and Pharisees are complaining about Jesus’ actions. They do not think He should meet with sinners. I hear this complaint every time we… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 6-7 & Luke 4
Old Testament: Leviticus 6- Always Burning

Leviticus 6:13
“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

The Old Testament offerings served a duel purpose. First, they were designed to provide a way for man to have relationship with God. Second, they were designed as… Read More

 

Leviticus 7- Giving Your Best

Leviticus 7:3-4
“And he shall offer from it all its fat. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove;”

In Biblical times, fat was a sign … Read More

 

New Testament: Luke 4- The Brokenhearted

Luke 4:18
“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, . . .”

Since man’s greatest problem is sin, man’s greatest need is for a savior. We don’t have to look too far to see that we are… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 4-5 & Luke 3
Old Testament: Leviticus 4- Oops

Leviticus 4:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of The Lord…’”

Leviticus 4 addresses… Read More

Leviticus 5- Restitution

Leviticus 5:16
“And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.”… Read More

Luke 3- In Need

Luke 3:8
“We have Abraham as our father.’”

John the Baptist had a thriving ministry. We read that multitudes, or large gatherings of people, came out to hear him preach. We read that this crowd was made up of a cross section of society. There were religious people, tax collectors, and soldiers, as well as what we might call the everyday man; all of whom had come out to hear John speak.… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Leviticus 1-3 & Luke 2
Old Testament: Leviticus 1-Sweet Aroma

Leviticus 1:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.’”

Leviticus is a book… Read More

Leviticus 2- Leaven

Leviticus 2:11
“No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire.”

Leaven is a substance (such as yeast) that makes dough rise and become light before it is baked. Because it is a small ingredient in the dough and has the tendency to spread through the whole lump, it is used in Scripture to illustrate sin. Sin always starts small, but never stays that way. When a person falls … Read More

Leviticus 3- Confession

Leviticus 3:2
“And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.”

The opening chapters of Leviticus speak of 5 different sacrifices that were presented to the Lord. These sacrifices… Read More

New Testament: Luke 2- New Opportunities

Luke 2:37
“This woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”

Sometimes, we wonder if our … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Exodus 39-40 & Luke 1
Old Testament: Exodus 39- Dress For Success

Exodus 39:1
“Of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread they made garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

In order for the Old Testament priest to serve the Lord, he must be clothed in the proper attire. Moses referred to his clothing as the garments of ministry. These garments included an ephod, breastplate, robe, tunic and a turban. It was clear that those… Read More

Exodus 40- Glory Of The Lord

Exodus 40:34
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

What the church needs today more than anything else, is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit; like the one received on the day of Pentecost, and the day… Read More

New Testament: Luke 1- Raising Godly Children

Luke 1:80
“So the child grew and became strong in spirit, . . .”

Every parent has the same goal. We desire the best for our children. We want to see them achieve more than we have. We… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Exodus 37-38 & Mark 16
Old Testament: Exodus 37- Utensils

Exodus 37:16
“He made of pure gold the utensils which were on the table: its dishes, its cups, its bowls, and its pitchers for pouring.”

Here in the closing chapters of Exodus, the focus is upon building an elaborate tent designed as the focal point for Israel’s worship. This tent went by many names; it is called the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle, and the Holy… Read More

Exodus 38- Got Talent

Exodus 38:22
“Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses.”

Six times in Exodus we… Read More

New Testament: Mark 16- Preach The Gospel

Mark 16:15
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel . . .”

Paul explained to the Corinthian church the simplicity of the Gospel message. He stated that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day; all according to the Scriptures. That was the message the first believers declared to their world. They went into their homes,… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Exodus 35-36 & Mark 15
Old Testament: Exodus 35- Willingness

Exodus 35:5
“Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; . . .”

Moses had been instructed to build the Tabernacle. It was to be an elaborate facility with a solid silver… Read More

Exodus 36- Foundations Of Faith

Exodus 36:30
“So there were eight boards and their sockets—sixteen sockets of silver—two sockets under each of the boards.”

The Tabernacle was… Read More

New Testament: Mark 15- Response Required

Mark 15:20
“And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.”

We have come to the most solemn and most important of all Biblical events. The entire life and ministry of Jesus, as well as the whole of human history, has been leading up to these events. Jesus declared, no one could take His life, but that He would lay… Read More