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Christian Devotional – August 17, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 25 Are you prompted? Read Exodus chapter 25. Many times throughout the Old Testament, we see God telling the Israelites a specific offering they should give. Often, He details out amounts and specific criteria. However, in this case, we see God telling the people to give as they are prompted to. Are we listening for the prompting of God? Do we give as God prompts us to give? It’s important to understand that God impresses upon some people to do things and not others. We are to follow God’s leading and give when he tells us to give. We are not to follow the crowd and…
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Christian Devotional – August 16, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 24 Obedience. Read Exodus chapter 24. The people understood the importance of their committing obedience to Lord. Moses told the people everything the Lord had shared with him. He went through all of the laws and all of the requirements. How did the people respond? They told Moses that they would do everything the Lord had told them. They would be obedient. In John and other places in the Bible, we see that obedience to the Lord is actually a demonstration of our love of God. We show God we love him by our obedience to him. When we think about the things that God asks…
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Christian Devotional – August 15, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 23 Time. Read Exodus chapter 23. As God goes through additional details about what he is requiring of the people of Israel, God begins to explain to them what all he’s going to provide for them. God uses this verse as a way to explain that he cannot give them absolute and total success all at once. He must give that to them gradually over time, when they are ready. This verse is always so interesting to me because it’s a reminder that we are not always ready for all of the success that God has promised us. God knows what he wants to provide us…
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Christian Devotional – August 14, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 22 Treat people as God would treat them. Read Exodus chapter 22. The chapter provides the basics of a lot of property laws that we still follow to this day. It also is a good reminder that we should treat people like people. We are not to take advantage of others just because their situation may be different from ours. God treats each of us with love and compassion. As a result, we are to treat others with love and compassion as well. This includes people that we would normally be able to take advantage of. The fatherless and the widow were often people that were…
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Christian Devotional – August 13, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 21 The day to day. Read Exodus chapter 21. So much of what God told the people of Israel came across as counter intuitive to the way the people were used to living. They had just been in slavery for 400 years. Now they’re being told that if they have a servant, that servant should only be theirs for 6 years. This was very different from what they were used to. Sometimes, God changes things that we see as culturally normal. What we grow up with traditionally may not necessarily match what God’s plan is or how God wants us to live. Are we following God’s…
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Christian Devotional – August 12, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 20 The list of rules. Read Exodus chapter 20. Moses has received the list of the Ten commandments that he gives to the people of Israel. Now they understand what God is looking for and the demand of holiness and excellence that he has for them. Understandably, the people are afraid. They know that they can’t possibly measure up to the expectation that God has for them. As a result, Moses helps them understand that God is testing them so that they will fear God. Only by truly understanding how holy God is can we recognize our need for him. These rules and commands were given…
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Christian Devotional – August 11, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 19 The promise, with conditions. Read Exodus chapter 19. The people have been brought out of Egypt and now they are in a place where they are learning to worship the Lord. God is setting up expectations for the people so that they will understand what they are supposed to be doing and how. God reminds them that if they will do what he asks them, then he will be their God and set them apart beyond any other nation in the world. This is an incredible promise, but there is a condition that must be met. The people must obey him and seek him first.…
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Christian Devotional – August 10, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 18 Godly advice. Read Exodus chapter 18. Moses had a visitor. His father-in-law, Jethro, came to visit him with the rest of Moses’s family. While he was there, Jethro saw all that God had been doing for the people and he praised God and worshipped him. Then, Jethro got a chance to see what Moses’s day to day responsibilities included. That was when he realized that there was some opportunity for Moses to be more effective. Jethro gave Moses some great leadership advice about the importance of delegation and being able to share the responsibility with others. Sometimes, we can get so busy and focused on…
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Christian Devotional – August 8, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 16 Really?? Read Exodus chapter 16. One of my favorite emojis to use is the Face Palm 🤦🏼♀️ So often throughout my day, that sums up how I feel about situations that occur or the way people have responded. It’s an expression that says, “Are you kidding me? What were you thinking?” I’ve often wondered if that expression came into being during this time in history when God was dealing with the Israelite people. I think God must have used that expression multiple times as different people and situations continue to try his patience. However, God continued to be merciful and still met their needs even…
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Christian Devotional – August 7, 2023
The Coming Savior, Day 15 The praise. Read Exodus chapter 15. What happens in the aftermath of the Red Sea miracle? Well, praise of course. The people are so grateful and so in awe of all that God has done to save them, they spend the next bit in praise of God. Multiple songs are sung and God is exalted in all of his glory and majesty. When we think about all that God has done in our life, do we take the time to praise him for it? Do we sit in reflection and recognition of all that God has provided for us? The things that God has done…