February 8

Exodus 28:1-43, Matthew 25:31-26:13, Psalm 31:9-18, Proverbs 8:12-13



Pray: The Psalm today begins with, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.” What is distressing you? What is there in your life, world, being that needs to be handled by God and God alone? Pray today to give God ultimate authority and dominion over those things in your life that cause distress for you. Ask for discernment to begin to take steps to overcome those things in your life that cause you distress so that you can live more fully into the life that God has planned for you. Maybe there is some assistance you need to seek through Christian counseling, maybe some financial counseling to overcome debt, maybe some sort of relationship help, whatever it is, ask God for His mercy in that part of your life.


Read: In the Exodus text, God is teaching people how to worship Him. To do so, He needed ministers to oversee the operations of the Tabernacle and to help the people maintain their relationship with God. The priests performed the daily sacrifices, maintained the Tabernacle and counseled people on how to follow God. They were the people’s representatives before God and therefore were required to live lives that were worthy of their office. The clothing of the priest set him apart from all others in the Tabernacle. Each piece was crafted specifically to the smallest of details as given by God. In Matthew, we begin the road to the death of Christ. We read of the beginnings of the plot to kill Jesus followed by a beautiful story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ head with expensive oil.  The disciples voiced their indignation, while Jesus praised the woman for her service.


Edify: Each piece of the High Priest’s garment was custom tailored and crafted by skilled artisans. All of us have special skills. God wants to fill each of us with His Holy Spirit so that we will use those skills for His glory. The woman who anointed Jesus saw the opportunity to worship the Son of God by lavishing Him with expensive perfumed oil. This charity was seen as a waste to the disciples but to Jesus, He was thankful knowing what He knew was going to take place very soon. 


Practice: Think about your special gifts and abilities and the ways you could use them for God’s work in the world. A talent must be used, or it will diminish. Where in the life of the church could you plug in to use your gifts and talents? Where could you get involved in the community to be the “hands and feet” of Christ? Seek opportunities around you to invest in the world to make it a better place, to be more like Jesus.

February 7

Exodus 26:1-27:21, Matthew 25:1-30, Psalm 31:1-8, Proverbs 8:1-11



Pray: Pray today that God will provide opportunities to practice what we preach, that we would be given the chance to share the love of Christ in a practical way. Maybe it’s a friendly conversation with that person sitting alone at lunch, or possibly paying for the coffee for someone at Starbucks, or maybe it’s being so bold as to engage in a conversation about faith with someone that you have felt a burden for. Whatever way the Holy Spirit leads today, pray for a faithfulness as we strive to be ready for Christ’s return through the life we live today.


Read: The Exodus reading tells of the detailed majesty of what the Tabernacle was to look like. Don’t miss the simple elegance that was built into this Tabernacle building scene. The Tabernacle was the first set-up and tear down campus of a church. I know the Lincolnton and Northside readers out there can appreciate this. God gave Moses specific instructions as to how this House of the Lord was to be built. Can you build it in your mind? Jesus also told today’s parables to clarify further what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes. 


Edify: In the story of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13, we are taught that every person is responsible for their own spiritual health and well-being. There is a responsibility upon each of us to remain vigilant in our efforts to be well prepared for the day of Christ’s return. The story of the three servants demonstrates for us the necessity of using what God has entrusted to us well. We all have gifts and talents that must be utilized for the good of the Kingdom. It is our responsibility to share and multiply those gifts rather than keep them secret and safe. 


Practice: Psalm 31:3 says, “You are my rock and my fortress.” If we really believe that, then why would we ever fear? We serve an awesome God who wants nothing but the best for His children. We mess that up when we start to chase after our own desires and start trying to do things our way rather than staying grounded in what is best for us, and that is trusting God. What gifts and talents are you hiding away rather than sharing and multiplying? Making ourselves vulnerable in the sharing of our gifts may be scary to begin with, but time after time, Scripture reminds us that God is “a great rock of safety” who wants to celebrate with those who have been “good and faithful servants”.

February 6

Exodus 23:14 – 25:40, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalm 30:1-12, Proverbs 7:24-27



Pray: Newton’s Third Law states, “For every action, there is an equal opposite reaction.” While our readings today aren’t exactly physics (thank you Jesus!), they do talk about there being consequences (reactions) for our actions. As followers of Christ, we must be aware that our actions have consequences. The early believers had to learn that lesson as well as learn that living as someone who believed in God was going to take some getting used to. There were rules and expectations. Pray today that you will live up to the expectations that God has given us as followers of Christ.


Read: Today, we read of the institution of the covenant between God and His people, Israel as well as a warning from Christ Himself to remain vigilant because no one knows when Christ will return and the end of time as we know it will be over.  Moses comes to the end of his sharing of “all the teachings and regulations the Lord had given him”. In the very next breath, the Bible tells us that all of the leaders of Israel replied in unison, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.” This commitment to following God is what set the Israelites apart from all other people on the Earth. These were God’s chosen ones. The New Testament reading reminds us of what is in store for those who are faithful to the covenant made by the Israelite leaders, when Jesus says, “If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.” Oh that we may be those faithful servants awaiting the return of the Master. 


Edify: There are many in our culture that are convinced that there will be no sort of consequences for living a life of selfishness and lust. As children of God, we must fight the temptation to fall prey to this lifestyle ourselves. The Israelites covenanted with God to follow His Word yet found themselves embroiled in situation after situation, time after time where they battled with the desires of the flesh versus the desires of God.  Jesus alluded to this battle talking about the people of Noah’s time having no clue what was about to happen to them until the floodwaters came and swallowed them up. Let us not be swallowed up by the temptations of this world. May we be ever-vigilant servants, managing God’s household here on Earth knowing that a greater reward awaits. 


Practice: For those who have yet to experience the forgiveness of Christ, Psalm 30 will be difficult to fully appreciate, but for those who have experienced the forgiveness that only Christ can offer, we read a psalm of deliverance and faithfulness. Today, make an effort to share this kind of love and forgiveness with others. May we lay our heads down tonight with a heart full of joy as we sing from the Psalm, “Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning!”

February 5

Exodus 21:22-23:13, Matthew 24:1-28, Psalm 29:1-11, Proverbs 7:6-23 



Pray: Lord, thank You for another day in which we can be reminded of Your glory. As the Psalm says “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” You deserve all glory and honor Lord because You are perfect in all of Your ways. May our focus today be on You as we seek for You to direct our steps.


Read: Exodus 21:22-25, the first verses in our reading today remind us that God makes it very clear that a child in a mother's womb is a life. And if you purposefully take that life according to the law, your life was also to be taken. This is justice to God. Just because the person is smaller or not fully developed had no bearing on the sinful act of taking the baby's life and the sentence was death. Let’s think long and hard on this one today. The last verse of our reading today reminds us to pay attention to everything the Lord has told us and to not even make mention of the names of other gods, they shouldn’t even be on our lips.


Edify: How do you feel about the world ending? In our New Testament reading today, Jesus gives us some signs of the end of the world. The most encouraging promise is that the one who endures to the end will be saved. The other exciting news is that the gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed throughout the whole world and then the end will come. So if you want Jesus to come back sooner share the gospel. If you are fearful of the end of the world, trust in the salvation of the Lord and see Him coming as our great King at the end of the age.


Practice: In the reading from Psalm today, David reminds us of the power of the word of God. It had the power to create and the power to save. God’s word also has the power to keep us from sinning. In Proverbs we see the imagery of a man led away by a seductive woman. May we trust in the power of God’s words today to direct our steps aright. Too many men are led away by this seductive power when we should be led away to the truth of God’s word.

February 4

Exodus 19:16-21:21, Matthew 23:13-39, Psalm 28:1-9, Proverbs 7:1-5 


Pray: Lord, hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your most holy sanctuary. Lord, may I humble myself today and recognize my earnest need for You in my life. You, God are my only hope and the only source of my salvation. I love You, Jesus. Amen.


Read: In today’s reading we see the law of God given to Moses. Has there been anything that has stood the test of time more faithfully than the Ten Commandments? Most people still know at least a few of the Ten Commandments. But what is the true purpose of the commands? The Bible tells us that the commandments help us to see ourselves for who we really are, like a mirror. When we really take the time to look at the commands, we see that we are lawbreakers in need of grace. We have all lied, stolen or taken God’s name in vain. The punishment for crimes like these is serious, mainly because of whose laws we have broken.


Edify: How wonderfully the Bible weaves together! In our New Testament reading in Matthew we see Jesus pronouncing “woes” on the Pharisees. These were religious leaders who prided themselves in knowing and keeping the law. But Jesus is showing them just how sinful they are and exposing their hypocrisy. Just like we see in the Ten Commandments that we are lawbreakers, we see in our New Testament reading that overtly religious behavior doesn’t please God either. Repentance and faith in Jesus are the only way to truly be saved. Praise God!


Practice: I hope we can take an honest look at God’s law today. It seems to be a subtle theme. Let’s humble ourselves under the power of God’s law and see ourselves as lawbreakers. It is only when we do this that we can see the desperate need we have for the gospel. The good news for lawbreakers! Jesus came to save lawbreakers by keeping the whole law perfectly and sacrificing Himself. Will you stop trusting in your own works and wholly trust in Jesus' perfect work today?

February 3

Exodus 17:8-19:15, Matthew 22:34-23:12, Psalm 27:7-14, Proverbs 6:27-35



Pray: Lord, one of the hardest things to do is sit and wait. Would You give each of us an extra measure of patience and courage to trust You and wait for You to work on our behalf? Your word constantly reminds us that You will show Yourself strong on behalf of those who wait on You. Help us with this today Lord. Amen.


Read: There is a lesser-known story in our reading today about how the Israelites defeat the Amalek. It says that whenever Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. Moses’ hands got heavy because of gravity so the community got busy and lifted up Moses’ withering hands, because God demands that we trust in Him and His plans to win. It is only when we recognize fully that God and the brothers and sisters in Christ around us who can hold us up are our only source of help that you and I will get victory over our giants.


Edify: Sometimes we can make our faith such a complicated thing. In our New Testament reading this morning we see Jesus simplifying it for us. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s simple, right? But yet, these commands are also some of the most difficult to live into regularly. Just as the cross itself is pointing upward to God and out towards man, may God grant us the strength to love vertically and horizontally every day.


Practice: Sometimes we get so caught up in “doing” that maybe we forget what the Psalmist encourages us to do in our reading today in Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord." Just as Moses had to sit and wait for the Lord to work. Let’s be patient and let Jesus do His thing!

February 2

Exodus 15:19-17:7, Matthew 22:1-33, Psalm 27:1-6, Proverbs 6:20-26 



Pray: Jehovah Jireh, God our provider, may we take great confidence in this wonderful attribute of Your character today. May we never forget how You fed Your people, how You gave them drink in a dry place. How You led them is how You lead us today. Help us Lord to trust in Your perfect provision for everything we need. Amen.


Read: In Exodus we see the people of Israel grumbling again. They are worried about what they will drink and what they will eat. First, the Lord reassures the people with this beautiful promise “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” The people soon forget this and begin grumbling again for food. The people arrogantly say they wished they would have died in Egypt with full bellies rather than die out in the wilderness with nothing. It is at this point that the Lord rains down bread from heaven. It is important to recognize that this was a gift undeserved from a complaining people.


Edify: In Matthew we see a beautiful parable about a wedding feast. But this feast has an uninvited guest. The only condition for this wedding feast is the proper attire. Jesus makes it clear that we must “Put on” the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way you and I can be certain of our seat at the wedding feast is if we are wearing the righteousness of Christ. Our works are only filthy rags unfit for such a celebration. But if we put on Christ we will be a part of the greatest celebration one day ever known to man!


Practice: The theme for today's reading is summarized with one word, provision. God gives us everything we need from our daily bread to our very salvation. Let’s practice relying on this perfect provision. Jesus tells us specifically not to worry where our food or clothing come from but to trust in Him.