One Year Bible

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

After God lays out the details of the Tabernacle, He turns to the role that the priest was to play. You see, the people could not approach God directly so they needed an intermediary. The priest served in that role. He represented God to the people and the people to God.

A role this significant had to have the right appointments. From the turban to the breastplate, each item has significance. The Breastplate had 12 stones, which represented all the tribes of Israel. So, when the priest ministered before the Lord, the priest stood in for all of Israel.

The priest represented everyone. This priest was only a type or foreshadowing of the Great High Priest, Jesus, who would come. Jesus today is praying for us– each of us! Whatever you need, or are facing, Jesus is calling your name out to God.

What a powerful image! Jesus praying to His Father for you! How could you ever worry or fret knowing that Jesus is praying for you? Trust His prayers for you! They really work!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26

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

The Tabernacle was made with such precision. From the smallest detail, each element of the Tabernacle’s construction had significance. This is the first “home” that God designed for himself.

Not only were the outer walls and appointments carefully crafted but the layout was also significant. The centerpiece of the tabernacle was the altar where the sacrifices were made. God prepared the best for his Tabernacle. From the precious metals to the purple, scarlet and blue fabrics to the goatskin, God made certain that His Tabernacle would bring Him glory.

This Tabernacle was to be a temporary dwelling for God. It was not meant to house His presence forever. Fast forward to the New Testament: Paul says that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. No longer does God desire to dwell among curtains and brass and gold. But, He desires to live inside of us!

The greatest difference is that the Tabernacle was made with human hands. God’s Temple today is hand crafted by God Himself. God made you a masterpiece so that He can dwell within you. Invite Him today to live within.

“Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and Holy, Tried and True. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, Sanctuary for you!”

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13

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

Angels are an underutilized spiritual resource that God makes available to us. In the middle of listing all the “Do’s” and “Don’ts,” God makes a powerful promise: He is dispatching an angel to lead, guide and protect them.

Do you see how much God is committed to your success? He had his Pillar of Fire and Cloud and God sent angels to lead and protect. His only admonition was to listen to them. Angels are messengers from God who are assigned to do God’s bidding on the earth.

Do you know that Angels are watching over you right now? God has Angels assigned to your life. It is their sole assignment. You have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit and you have the powerful ministry of Angels available to you. God’s Angel’s will fight on your behalf and they will also minister encouragement to you as well.

Don’t neglect this ministry. Just like Israel needed Angels, so do we. Every day we need to know that we have supernatural protection over our lives. If we will let them lead and protect us, we will always be in the right place at the right time.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 26:1-27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11

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

When will the end of times come? For centuries people have attempted to pinpoint a specific date and all have been wrong. Some have looked at the many wars raging around the world. They have looked at the strange weather patterns that have caused hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes. We have seen inexplicable earthquakes and other “natural events” which seemed to harken the end of time.

All of these things are signs that the end is near but they are not what will trigger Jesus’ return. As darkness spreads around the world the gross darkness will not hasten his return. What will trigger Jesus’ return is people coming to know who He is. “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

When we share with others the love of Jesus that is what will hasten His return. Every time you perform an act of kindness and let people know how much God loves them, you are speeding up Jesus’ return. It’s not the bad that happens it’s the numbers of people who hear the Good News. Will you commit today to sharing your faith so that others join God’s family?

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27

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

The introduction of the Law was an awe-inspiring event. Moses was summoned to the top of Mt. Sinai and a strict prohibition was placed on the children of Israel not to approach the mountain. There, God gave the law to Moses. These 10 commandments were the cornerstone of civil society.

Though they were so simple and straightforward, God knew that humans could never keep them completely. And, the way the law works is this: if you break one, you break them all. In truth, the first one is the one we break the most: “You must not have any other God before me.”

God knew our tendency was to wander and go looking for other gods to serve. Try as we may, we cannot perfectly keep all the tenets of the law. God knew this. In fact, it was the giving of the law that showed us how much we needed a savior.

So now, we are not under the law but grace. In Jesus, we don’t have to adhere to a bunch of rules and regulations. We have the perfect law of liberty at work in our lives. All our trespasses are forgiven. All of our failings are washed in the blood of Jesus. What a burdensome way to live when you live under the law! You can never have true relationship with a bunch of “do’s” and “don’ts.”

God loves us and wants us to come to Him drawn by His love not fearful of His wrath. Thank God today that you are not under law but under God’s Amazing Grace.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 21:22-23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23

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

We are better together! Many people have the misconception that all they need is God on their side and they can dismiss people. That could not be farther from the truth. God actually draws people to us so that He can work through them to help us accomplish our purpose.

Joshua was assigned to fight the Amalakites. Moses’ job was to hold up his staff. After some time, Moses’ arms became tired. As soon as he put his arms down, the battle turned against Israel. Thank God for his foresight. God had Aaron and Hur with Moses because he needed some help. Aaron and Hur had Moses sit down and they held his arms up for him until the battle was over.

Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, comes for a visit and sees Moses trying to lead Israel by himself. Jethro gives Moses a plan for how he can delegate some of the responsibilities to others. It lightened Moses’ load.

There are people God has assigned to your life to help you. Be sensitive to those God-sent people because they have the answer to a challenge you will face. They could be in your small group or serving with you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you because we really are better together.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5

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

Israel had experienced the greatest natural miracle ever seen on earth! God took the water and separated it, dried the ground and held the water back until more than 700,000 people walked through it. Then, once His people were safe, God sent the water crushing down on the Egyptians. What a miracle!

After such a great victory, you would think that the Sovereignty of God would be settled and they would know (not only believe but know) that God would use His Mighty power to help His children. Of this, they should have had no doubt!

Three days after this great water miracle, Israel needed water. Instead of crying out to God for help and allowing Him to help them, they started to complain and long for the days of Egypt. Wow! Isn’t this a true picture of us as humans? We are so quick to forget the awesome victories that God has done for us in the past. It’s as if God has to keep on proving Himself with each problem or challenge we face. For Israel, it became progressively worse. God supernaturally purifies the water so that they can drink and a few days later, they complain about food. So what does God do? He provides a Divine Food Delivery service and they get Manna each morning.

How could someone complain about their challenges when God has a proven track record? How could someone worry about a situation when God has shown that He is a Helper in our time of need? One word: Fear! Our fear of failure, fear of lack, fear of abandonment and fear of death leads us to doubt God’s faithfulness to us. Complaining is a symptom of fear! Today, make the quality decision to reject fear whenever it rises.

Remember: “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) You don’t need to be when God is on your side!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 17:8-19:15; Matthew 22:34-23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35

Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19

God’s ways are truly not our ways. After all that Israel had been through for 430 years, you would think God would bring them through the fastest route to the Promised Land. But, not so! God took them the long way around but it was for their own good.

God understood that if they were on the straightest route and they encountered resistance, the attraction to return to slavery would be too great to resist. And the bondage from which He had so gloriously freed them would be their new home. God knows how to lead us—oh yes He does. I can admit that it does not feel good when you are going on that road but as long as your steps are ordered by God, you will end up where God wants you and You will see His Mighty Miracles along the way.

The direct route may seem fastest but it may not be the best! When God sends us on a journey, the great part is that He goes with us. With Israel, He was a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud during the day. He lit the way at night and shaded them from the scorching sun during the day.

You may question the path that you are on but if God is leading your steps, rest assured you will end up in the right place and along the way you will see God’s mighty hand at work on your behalf! You may have to cross through Red Seas but that’s what makes it a miracle! You don’t cross Red Seas on the direct route!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26

Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15

The Passover is a significant event in the life of Israel! It marks a great victory for them. God instructs them to remember this deliverance each year by a 7-day observance. What made this Passover so special?

The Passover is a foreshadowing of a greater event which would take place thousands of years later. The last plague on Egypt was the death of the first born of Egypt. In order for the death angel to pass over the Israelite homes, they needed to take the blood of a pure lamb and put it on their doorposts. Once applied to the doorpost, no one was to leave their home.

This Lamb’s blood was the key to Passover! This blood was representative of another Lamb’s blood: The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World, Jesus! As the Son of God, He came to offer his life as a ransom for ours. His Blood is what cleansed us from all our sins.

In the same way that the lamb’s blood protected the lives of the Israelites, the Blood of Jesus protects our lives. Use today to remind yourself of the power of Jesus’ blood not only to wash away your sin but protect your very life!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19

Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11
Have you ever encountered someone whose heart is so hardened that they refuse to hear logic, reason or common sense? Do you know of someone who completely rejects the things of God and has no use for God?

You should not allow this to intimidate you! Because we have free-will, God cannot violate our will. But, God does know how to make an unwilling person willing. You may even have people for whom you are praying and it seems like the more you pray for them, the worse they get.

When you pray for someone, God does two things. First, He dispatches angels to go to work on their behalf. Angels will bring the right people around them who will show them the right way to God. These angels will also protect them in dangerous situations. Next, God will have the Holy Spirit convict the person of their behavior and show them the way back to God.

Pharaoh was completely unwilling to obey God! Yet, when God’s children are involved, God will do what it takes to get the job done. If you are facing a stubborn person or situation that appears immovable, be encouraged! God will work on your behalf to get you the victory. Pharaoh had to change his mind and they will too!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15