Exodus 25:2 “…You are to receive the offering for Me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.”
I am reminded in this passage of the fact that God loves us deeply. He wants a relationship with each one of us, and He has the ability to command such a relationship, to force us into a relationship, but He gives us the right to choose Him or not, knowing how rich a relationship with Him will be, allowing us to recognize our need for Him in our own lives.
Exodus 25:8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.”
As a fallible lump of humanity, it boggles my mind why He would even care about me, about any of us. He is the Creator of all the universe after all. But as a mother, a teacher, a compassionate human being, I get it. We are His creation, and He loves us simply because we are His. He wants to spend time with us. He wants a relationship with us. But He leaves it our choice.
Exodus 25:22 “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You love us and want a relationship with us. Thank You for giving us the space to choose You so that we understand our need before we even approach the foot of Your throne. Help us to shine Your light for all to see. Draw us closer. Amen.
Lamentations 3:22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
Have a blessed day.
Saying yes…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 24:3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”
The Israelites are coming off of some pretty heady God-moments: the parting of the Red Sea allowed them to escape certain death while crushing their enemies, literally. Manna from heaven assured them of physical sustenance. Without trying to be unkind, to say yes to God in the face of such overwhelming God-support seems like a no-brainer.
Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”
It is much harder to say yes while slogging through valleys, when God’s provision doesn’t feel like a given. To say yes based on the fact that I know He is loving, even when my circumstances are frightening, to say yes based on His past provision, which seems so distant, to say yes because you know He’s been there time and time again and you have no reason to doubt He’s still with you, even though you can’t feel His presence, that takes faith, perseverance, steadfastness, trust.
Exodus 24:13 Then Moses set out with Joshua at his side, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are with us always, even when we can’t perceive it. Thank You for the times that You show up so clearly in my life, and thank You that I can trust Your presence and provision even when I’m struggling. You are with me always, and I am eternally grateful. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 24:18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Have a blessed day.
Little by little…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. (NIV)
I am not a tremendously patient person. Like many, I would be fine with quick changes. But God isn’t just after the end result. He wants us to be transformed into His image in the process, and that requires time and patience, perseverance, endurance, steadfast faithfulness.
Exodus 23:30 Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land. (CEV)
His timing, which can often feel excruciatingly slow as we wait, is accomplishing so much, little by little. He is strengthening and growing us while He is working in our circumstances.
Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are in all things, that You have a plan and a purpose, that You are working in our circumstances little by little, regardless of what our feelings try to tell us. Help us to grow stronger in You, more steadfast and more faithful, as we wait in joyful hope. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 23:23 My angel will go ahead of you….
Have a blessed day.
Without judgement…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 22:27 …When they cry out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (NIV)
So often, I think, God’s word is used as a weapon, a dividing line, but if God is a loving, merciful, compassionate, gracious God, and I sincerely believe that He is, then His word and my actions should be used to pull people towards Him, not deem them unfit for Him. We are all unfit for Him, but He loves us, fiercely, anyway. In my quest to love God and love others, I try to leave my own prejudices and biases aside and love as He loves.
Exodus 22:27 …When he cries out to Me for help, I will answer him because I am merciful. (GNT)
A dear friend once said to me: Any time we draw a line between “us” and “them,” God is always on the other side. That remark has stuck with me and helped me to be more compassionate and less judgmental. And while I recognize that we need rules, that “anything goes” will certainly NOT go, I am incredibly leery of anything that divides us into “us” and “them.” I don’t think God’s kingdom contains such divisions.
Exodus 22:27 …And it will be that when he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious. (NKJV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for my absolute conviction that You are love and that You call us to love You and love others without judgement. So many people are lost and hurting, Lord. So many people already judge themselves as unworthy of Your love. Help me to shine Your light for all to see, Lord, so that Your people will know how deeply You love them. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 22:27 …and when they call out to Me, I will come to help them. (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Establishing rules and expectations…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 21:1 “These are the laws you are to set before them….” (NIV)
For reasons I can’t explain, I really struggle with Exodus 21. Maybe it is the rankling that comes from someone telling me, essentially, that I can’t do something. Maybe it is the free use of terms like “slaves,” though commentary assures me that the concept of a slave then was quite different than my own connotations of the word. It is only when I think of this chapter in the context of my career that I can begin to make peace with it.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the regulations you must present to Israel….” (NLT)
I am a teacher. One of the first things we do each semester in the classroom is to establish rules and expectations. Once everyone knows what’s expected and what’s allowed, we can get about the business of learning. I think that is what is happening in Exodus 21. God is establishing rules and expectations so that, once they know what’s allowed and expected, they can then get about His business.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the rules that you shall set before them….” (ESV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to dig deeper into Your word. Some chapters baffle me, some chapters frustrate me, some chapters sadden me, but with each new chapter, I feel like I see a bit more of You and I am deeply thankful. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them….” (BSB)
Have a blessed day.
The heart of God’s commands (devo reflection)
Exodus 20:18 When people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance….
Rules are important. Especially when a group is going from 400 years of slavery to freedom, rules can be crucial. But they can also be deeply abused, knowingly or otherwise. The commentary I’ve been reading through Genesis and Exodus thus far has been incredibly enlightening, especially historical background and details that I am ignorant about. But in the span of this one chapter, that commentary has treated derisively—by name—two religions and a recording artist, and that seems so grossly opposed to what God was trying to accomplish in Exodus 20.
Exodus 20:19 …and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we shall die.”
My personal paraphrase of all God’s commands is “Love God. Love others.” I have no clue where I first heard this. It’s certainly not original to me, but it helps me keep myself on track in my walk. God wants a personal relationship with each of us, and He doesn’t employ guilt or shame to bring that deep, loving, intimate relationship about. Relationships based on guilt and shame don’t typically lead to deep, loving intimacy. God knows that. So do we.
Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, even for this commentary, which doesn’t fulfill Your mandate to love You and love others. Rules, laws, and commandments are important, Lord, but we are human and fallible, and we often use them to wound each other instead of to draw closer to You. Help us to love, respect, and cherish You and Your people, Lord. Help us to remove the plank from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from our brother’s (Matt 7:5). Help us to keep the heart of Your commands instead of using them as weapons. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 20:21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Have a blessed day.
Put God first…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words….
I have always been taught to put God first in my life, that I should love God before all others. As a child, I struggled with the thought that I should love God more than my parents. They brought me into this world. They fed, clothed, and guided me. How could I love God more? It was a difficult concept to wrap my head around. As an adult, I understand more fully that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17).
Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
I have prayed fervently for those whom I love who were sick, prayed that God would heal them here, prayed that as much as I love them, I know that He loves them more and wants what’s best for them, prayed that He would give me the strength to carry on if He called them Home to Him for healing. That’s why God has to come first. That’s why He has to be the Alpha and the Omega in my life, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6). It doesn’t mean that life, death, and loss will be any easier or will make any more sense, it just means we know we can trust the One who holds us securely in the palm of His hand.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (NIV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are my beginning and my end, that You are my center, You hold me together. Thank You that having You at my core means that I can trust You explicitly, even when I am confused, even when I am afraid, even when life makes no sense. Thank You for the precious people You have placed in my life, people You love even more than I do. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Exodus 20:3 “Do not worship any god except Me.” (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Grateful for this time with You…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 19:3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called him from the mountain….
Lord, I know You are here. I know You have called me to read Genesis and Exodus thus far. You meet me every morning, and You show me how Your word applies to my life. I am so thankful, so grateful for this time with You.
Exodus 19:5 “Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out if all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine….
Lord, This morning, for some reason, I’m having a difficult time hearing Your voice, seeing the parallels in Your word that have been so easy and abundant before. My default is that maybe you are done with me in Exodus, but with the revelations of the past few days, it seems odd that You would end our walk through Exodus so abruptly.
Exodus 19:12 “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your loving presence as I go through Your word. Show me what you would have me to do, where You would have me to go from here. Help me to listen and obey. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active….
Have a blessed day.
What’s ours to do…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “…Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
Delegating is hard for me. I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” But Jethro brings up a very important point in his conversation with Moses. When you take on more than your share, it leads you to burnout and robs others of the chance to join in God’s work.
Exodus 18:15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.
So how do we go about figuring out what’s ours to do and what belongs to someone else? Unfortunately, I have no go-to answer, but I think it begins with paying attention. If we are exhausted, worn out, that could be a sign we are taking on more than He’s calling us to. As I enjoy the time and space to breathe and relax this holiday season, I definitely need to seek His guidance about what he’s calling me to do.
Exodus 18:17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we need to seek Your will daily so that we can do what You have set aside for us without taking someone else’s opportunity to serve. Help me to know what You call me to do and what You call me to delegate to others so that we all can take part in your kingdom work. Give us rest and peace as we partner with You and with each other. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 18:18 “You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”
Have a blessed day.
Just like the Israelites…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 17:3a But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses….
I have seen God work through my circumstances enough that I should not doubt His presence and providence, and yet, just like the Israelites, I find myself, when dealing with a certain situation that’s been an issue for a decade or more, asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Ex 17:7). Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:3b …They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
The irony is not lost on me that on the one hand I am thinking, “What is wrong with the Israelites? They have so much evidence of the LORD’s presence and provision, yet they doubt His sovereignty,” while on the other hand I have just as much evidence of His presence and provision in my own life, and I’m still whining about the fact that there is no sense of resolution for this ongoing issue in my life. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people?….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this wake-up call that I am being just as bitter, just as stubborn, just as whiny and hard-hearted as the Israelites in my attitude. I believe that You are with me in all things, even this. Help me to lay down my anger, bitterness, defensiveness, and fear and to trust that You’ve got me, that You’ve got all of us, that You are in control, that You are making a way, even if we cannot yet perceive it. Draw me closer. Help me surrender this issue completely to You. Amen.
Exodus 17:7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Have a blessed day.