Key verse: “Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:37). George Foreman, at 45, was the oldest man in the world to win the heavyweight boxing champion. In his book, God in My Corner, he recounted how he achieved the feat. When he staged a comeback, nearly ten years out of boxing, he felt he needed to get rid of some excess fat, as he had
ballooned from 220 to 315 pounds, which was not good enough for him. Sequel to this, he engaged himself in fat-shedding exercises. He started with the basics –running every day. At first, he could not make up to a mile. Intermittently, he would stop to catch his breath, huffing and puffing. Apart from himself and his wife, no one else believed he could recapture the title, which he had won before. But with time, especially in the eight month, after a continuous exercise, he was able to shed much fat and finally got down to his fighting weight – 229 pounds. The rest was a testimony. Just as Foreman controlled himself, our text revealed the restriction, which God placed before the Israelites. For the first three years, they should not eat the fruits of their farm and on the fourth year, when the fruit had become holy, they should offer it to praise Him. Then, from the fifth year, they should start eating the fruits. For the greedy ones among them, this might prove an uphill task. They might start eating the fruit from the first year, thus disregarding God’s instruction, which, unfortunately, might attract God’s wrath upon their lives. Sometimes, God can give such a holdup directive concerning His will and it may be to teach us self-control or how to be patient. Unfortunately, some impatient and disobedient believers may not appreciate this waiting period. Our text equally stressed God’s warning against all forms of ungodly practices, particularly magic, charm, horoscopy, shaving because of the dead and tattoo, among others. If you are involved or giving approval to these evil practices, you had better repent.



Source: http://www.forwardchristians.com/2014/08/consecration-unto-god-alone.html