Leviticus 7

A heart that honors God

_{If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. ~ Leviticus 7:12}

Have you ever noticed how even the smallest details of your day can influence the condition of your heart? A conversation, a distraction, a frustration, or even busyness can slowly pull your heart away from a place of peace and gratitude. With the Thanksgiving holiday just a few days away, this becomes even more important to pay attention to. This time of year brings joy, gatherings, memories, and blessings, but it can also bring pressure, hurry, and emotional weight. That is why grounding your heart in truth matters so much right now.

In Leviticus 7, God gave His people instructions for their offerings, including thanksgiving offerings. These offerings were not just rituals, they were expressions of the heart. God was teaching them that the way they came before Him mattered just as much as the offering itself.

This chapter helps you see that God cares deeply about the posture of your heart. He wants you to come to Him with sincerity, gratitude, and purity. He desires a heart that is whole and fully His, not burdened by hidden things or mixed motives. As the holiday season approaches, remembering these truths will help you stay centered, peaceful, and intentional.

Here are three powerful truths from today’s reading that you can use to develop a heart that honors God, not only today but throughout the entire year:

1. A pure heart begins with honest surrender.

The offerings had to be prepared in the way God instructed. Nothing extra could be added, and nothing could be hidden. This teaches you that peace with God grows when you bring Him everything in honesty.

• Start your day by giving God the parts of your heart that feel heavy
• Speak openly to Him about what is bothering you, even if you can’t fix it
• Ask Him to remove anything in you that doesn’t belong

Many times I have to remind myself to surrender things to God instead of trying to carry responsibilities that were never meant for me to hold. I often catch myself slipping into the mindset of trying to manage everything on my own. But every time I finally admit my limitations to Him, the peace that settles over my heart is priceless. In those moments I am reminded that truth and honesty always open the door to His presence, and His empowering grace gives me what I need to do the part He has actually called me to do.

2. Gratitude keeps your heart soft.

The thanksgiving offering in this chapter shows that gratitude is meant to be intentional. It keeps your focus on God’s goodness instead of life’s pressures. As Thanksgiving approaches, practicing gratitude daily will help you stay centered on God, even in the middle of seasonal demands.

• Write down three things each day that God has done for you
• Speak those blessings out loud
• Thank Him during small moments, not just big breakthroughs

At the beginning of this year, I started writing down three things each day that I am grateful for. It seemed simple, but it changed the way I saw everything. Instead of seeing what wasn’t happening yet, I began to see God’s hand in every step I take.

3. Peace grows through connection and obedience.

The peace offerings were shared offerings, symbolizing fellowship with God. When you obey what God puts on your heart and stay connected to Him, peace becomes your lifestyle. This truth becomes especially powerful during the holiday season, when routine changes and responsibilities shift.

• Spend time with God consistently, even if it is short
• Obey the small promptings He gives you
• Build relationships with people who help your heart stay focused on God

My life used to always feel stretched thin and disconnected. Finally, I realized that God had been trying to gently nudged me to meet with Him early each morning. I said yes, even when it felt inconvenient and costly. That simple act of obedience restored peace to my heart in a way nothing else ever could. Now I begin each day by following the Holy Spirit’s leading instead of trying to keep Him caught up with my plans. Letting Him guide the day has brought a steady peace and clarity that I could never create on my own.

Today I want to encourage you to bring your whole heart to God, just as the offerings in Leviticus were brought fully and sincerely. Give Him the honest parts, the grateful parts, and even the painful parts. As you move toward Thanksgiving and into the holiday season, let these truths shape the condition of your heart. His presence is your source of wholeness, and He is faithful to meet you every time you come to Him.

Today’s scripture reading: Leviticus 7

1 ‘Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering (it is most holy): 

2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the trespass offering. And its blood he shall sprinkle all around on the altar. 

3 And he shall offer from it all its fat. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, 

4 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; 

5 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a trespass offering. 

6 Every male among the priests may eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. 

7 The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. 

8 And the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered.

9 Also every grain offering that is baked in the oven and all that is prepared in the covered pan, or in a pan, shall be the priest’s who offers it. 

10 Every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to one as much as the other.

11 ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord: 

12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 

13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. 

14 And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as a heave offering to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.

15 ‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning. 

16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; 

17 the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. 

18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him; it shall be an abomination to him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear guilt.

19 ‘The flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. And as for the clean flesh, all who are clean may eat of it. 

20 But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people. 

21 Moreover the person who touches any unclean thing, such as human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 

23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat. 

24 And the fat of an animal that dies naturally, and the fat of what is torn by wild beasts, may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it. 

25 For whoever eats the fat of the animal of which men offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people. 

26 Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. 

27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 

29 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offering. 

30 His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the Lord. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. 

31 And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 

32 Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 

33 He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat, shall have the right thigh for his part. 

34 For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.’ ”

35 This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons, from the offerings made by fire to the Lord, on the day when Moses presented them to minister to the Lord as priests. 

36 The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the children of Israel, on the day that He anointed them, by a statute forever throughout their generations.

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecrations, and the sacrifice of the peace offering, 

38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day when He commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Journal:

• What part of my heart do I need to surrender to God today?
• What am I thankful for that I may be overlooking?
• How can I obey God in a small but meaningful way this Thanksgiving season?
• Where do I sense God inviting me into deeper peace through the holidays?