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.