Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 109; Exodus 40
“On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.”
Exodus 40:2 ESV
One year earlier, God had established a new calendar for the Israelites, establishing the month of their Exodus to mark the first month of every year. Every year as they shout HAPPY NEW YEAR, they will remember when God delivered them out of their slavery in Egypt.
One year later, on the first day of the first month, the Israelites are now commanded to erect the tabernacle.
Coincidence? Not at all. God is a God of intentional timing. God has a plan and purpose in His foreordained timing. He is a “that very day” God. You can trust Him in the waiting.
Heavenly Father, Today as my baby boy graduates from high school, and I hang up my homeschooling mama hat, I thank you for every day that I had to train up my children in the way that they should go. I lift up all the mamas with empty nests they’re aching to fill, I lift up all the mamas who are in the thick of their mothering journeys and desperately need Your strength, and I lift up all the mamas whose children have already flown the coop. Show us, Lord, that Your timing is always right, and that You are never late. Help us to trust that You are always right on time. Always. We are the ones whose timing is wrong. Not You. Please grow our faith as we wait upon You. We want to follow Your lead. Help us to rejoice with hope, to be patient in affliction, and to be faithful in prayer, believing that we will rise up with wings like eagles, running without growing weary and walking without growing faint, as we wait for You to take the lead. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130) – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 108; Exodus 38-39
“According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.”
Exodus 39:42-43 ESV
The people had painstakingly carried out all the details of what the Lord had commanded through His servant, Moses, and when Moses saw their good work, he blessed them.
This reminds me of the parable of the talents that we read last month in Matthew 25. Both servants who invested well their talents – whether they had received two or five – were praised by their master with the very same words.
‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matthew 25:23 ESV
Heavenly Father, help us to serve You with a cheerful, willing, eager heart. Strengthen us to give back to You out of the abundance that You have lavished on us. Help us, also, to be encouragers, to speak honest words of praise and blessing to those we meet – our husband, our children, the cashier at the grocery store. Make us quick to give honor where honor is due. May we fix our eyes, hearts, and minds, on things that are above, looking forward to the day when we will see you face to face. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 107; Exodus 36 – 37
Why did God lead Moses to list all these details in His Holy, inspired Word?
Why do we need to know all about the curtains and the rods and the clasps and the ark and the table for the bread and the table for the incense?
Why do we need all these details about the lampstands and the altar and the basin?
Well, here’s one thing that was made more clear for me by the incredible amount of detail Moses shared:
He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
Exodus 36:12-13 ESV
The tabernacle was made of all these various things, things that were donated and constructed by various people, yet the tabernacle was a single whole. God wanted all these golden clasps, wooden frames, silver bases, and blue and purple curtains to fit together perfectly to make the tabernacle a single whole.Unique and United again.
There is one God, and there is no other. The perfect unity of Father-Son-Holy Spirit, one God eternally exists in three persons.
And, what about the bride of Christ, the wife of the Lamb, the church?
“Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed– on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb….
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day–and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Revelation 21:9-14, 19-27 ESV
Christ only has one bride, but this one bride is made up of thousands upon thousands of individual, unique souls who have been coupled together by God’s Holy Spirit and washed in the blood of the One Lamb Jesus Christ.
The tabernacle was a single whole, made of many parts, and so is the body of Christ.
Are you a member of that very special body? If not, what is holding you back? If so, how then shall you live? What does being a member of the body of Christ mean to you in your daily life?
Heavenly Father, Thank You for making me Your bride, for inviting me into this holy union between You, Holy Almighty God, and Your bride. Thank You for the beauty that is found in communing with You. It is a precious, priceless gift of infinite worth. I pray that I would be eager to contribute to the building of this sanctuary – to spend my time, talents, treasures, and testimony for the building up of this body, Your bride. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in Two Years: Psalm 106, Exodus 35
“All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.”
Exodus 35:29 ESV
God had called Bezalel and Oholiab by name, giving them special skills and abilities to craft the beautiful tabernacle for the worship of the Lord, yet God also had a purpose for the entire congregation. Every man and every woman in the whole nation, everyone whose heart stirred them, everyone whose spirit moved them, were invited to contribute to the creation of the tabernacle.
Do you have some blue, purple, or scarlet yarn? How about some rams’ skins or goats’ skins, goats’ hair or fine linen? God needs you.
Do you have anything made of bronze, silver, or gold? How about some stones, spices, or oils? God needs you.
They didn’t have to have any particular skills. They just needed to have willing hearts.
What do you have to offer Him? A house? A job? An education? A child? A marriage? These are all gifts from Him, and He can use them all. Are you willing?
Heavenly Father, every hour of every day is a gift from You. My life is a gift, but so is my stuff. Every piece of furniture, every article of clothing. Every room in my house. Every child around my table. My husband sitting next to me. I offer them back to You. Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Stir my heart. Move my spirit. For Your glory and praise. Amen.
My Worth is Not in What I Own – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 105; Exodus 34
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”
Exodus 34:29 ESV
His face was shining, not because he had just married the woman of his dreams, or because he was holding his newborn son, or because he’d successfully led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, but because he had literally been in God’s presence.
I know that my face will not physically radiate light from my time with the Lord … but how I wish for my countenance to radiate the joy, peace, and hope that comes from having communed with Him that day. It reminds me of 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
And 2 Corinthians 3:7-18,
“Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:7-18 ESV
Heavenly Father, May my face radiate Your glory. May my countenance reflect the joy that fills my heart. Let Your glory flow into me and out of me, that people would see YOU when they look at me. May they see my good deeds and give glory to You, my Father in Heaven. To the glory of Your Name we pray. Amen.
Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 104, Exodus 33
Please get out your Bible and read Exodus 33. It’s such a rich chapter of the Word. I’d love to spend a week just studying its 23 verses.
The LORD said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
Exodus 33:1-3 ESV
How would I feel if I heard these words?
How would you feel?
Well, here’s how the Israelites reacted –
When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.
Exodus 33:4 ESV
Lord, no news is good news if You’re not in it. If You won’t go with me, I don’t want to go. I don’t just want Your gifts. I want You. You are the center of my life. You are the purpose behind everything that I do. You are my strength, my shield, my fortress, my rock. I want to walk with You – whether in the garden or in the valley or in the desert. I want to see Your glory. Hide me in the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, who was pierced and broken for me, who shed His blood for me. In His Name I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 103, Exodus 32
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
What do I live for? My own comfort and pleasure? The praise of man? Wealth or fame? or the Lord God?
Like the sons of Levi, I have been ordained for the service of the Lord. I have been enlisted in the Lord’s army. I have become a member of the priesthood of believers.
What will this service cost me? Time wasted scrolling on my phone? A dear relationship that is pulling me away from the Lord?
It reminds me of Matthew 10.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:32-39 ESV
Whatever your commitment to Christ might cost you, let me encourage you with this: He is WORTH IT! True joy will never be found in your phone or on a plate. True happiness will never come out of a sinful relationship. True peace is only found in the arms and at the feet of Jesus. Is He Your Lord and Redeemer? If not, may today be the day.
Heavenly Father, You did not send Your Son to bring peace to this earth. You warned us that there would be division even within our own households. Let me not love anyone more than You. Make me willing not only to die for You, but also to live for You. You are worthy! Help me to remember that true joy is found only in Your arms and at Your feet. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Redeemer I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 102, Exodus 31
Next week my youngest son will graduate after 13 years of homeschooling, and I’ll become a retired homeschool mom. Where has the time gone? Will you please bear with me for just a few minutes as I take a trip down memory lane, looking back over 23 years of homeschooling?
My firstborn daughter was born creative … and bossy. Ever since she could speak, she’s been gathering children around her to tell them a story or make a craft or work on a project together.
My second child has always been super verbal with a fantastic memory for all things movie, TV, sports, and music related. He actually spoke at a younger age than his siblings, despite being adopted from Russia as a six-month-old!
My third child – my little princess – has always been a thoughtful, caring child. She has a fantastic eye for details. She’s the first one to notice a new haircut or shirt.
My youngest child didn’t start talking until he was almost two-and-a-half, but he loves to learn. He’s my book-smart child, enjoying workbooks and math and school stuff.
If you follow my blog for long enough, you’ll notice several things that I’m especially passionate about with regards to my faith, things that jump out at me again and again as I read through the Scriptures.
God’s heart for the nations.
God’s perfect timing – that He is a “that very day” kind of God.
God’s unique purpose for each and every person that He has created.
Well, here it is again. God has a unique purpose for Moses, to lead and speak; He has an equally important, though completely different purpose for Bezalel and Oholiab, to craft the things which God has designed.
“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.”
Exodus 31:2-6 ESV
Once again I am reminded that God has designed each person on earth intentionally. Moses, Bezalel, and Oholiab each have a purpose. Even though their purposes are very different, none of their roles are more or less important than another. If Moses doesn’t keep his end of the deal, then Bezalel and Oholiab won’t know what to do … but if Bezalel and Oholiab don’t implement what Moses says, then the tabernacle won’t get built.
Likewise, my four children have each been created for a special purpose.
Our school system tends to heap praise upon the book-smart kids, while overlooking the kind, thoughtful, detail-oriented ones. Our culture elevates the importance of the extroverted speakers and leaders, forgetting the essential roles of the quiet, hard-working, faithful followers.
Let me wrap up today with this word of encouragement: God has a purpose for each of you and each of your children.
Are you a quiet, creative type with an impeccable attention to detail? Use that gift! You’re an essential part of God’s body. Don’t be ashamed to stay behind the scenes and serve the body!
Are you a bold, leader type with a big-picture vision? Use that gift! You’re an essential part of God’s body. Don’t be ashamed to shine and lead and share!
Don’t be afraid to be who God created you to be
Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for each of my children. Each of them has been fearfully and wonderfully made, intentionally woven together by Your perfect hand. You make no mistake. You don’t make junk. Help me as a mother to encourage each of my children to pursue their unique callings, not to be ashamed of who You made them to be. Please protect my family from the traps of comparison and favoritism, and help us all to enjoy the beautiful variety of Your creative plans and purposes. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
You Have Searched Me (Psalm 139) – Keith and Kristyn Getty
If you’d like to learn more about God’s creative purposes in making each of His children “Unique and United,” I’d love to share more with you. Listen to part 1 and part 2. If you’re a member of a women’s ministry in your area, I’d love to share with you in person! Check out my “speaking ministry” page to contact me.
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 101, Exodus 30
And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.
Exodus 30:7-8 ESV
Every morning and every evening Aaron was commanded to burn fragrant incense on the altar of incense. Every morning. Every evening. Day after day. Night after night.
Romans 1:9-10a ESV — For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,
2 Corinthians 1:11 ESV — You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Ephesians 1:16 ESV — I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
Philippians 1:19 ESV — for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
Colossians 4:12 ESV — Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 ESV — We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
1 Timothy 2:1 ESV — First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
1 Timothy 5:5 ESV — She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day,
2 Timothy 1:3 ESV — I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
Let us faithfully pray, morning and evening, all day and every day, praying without ceasing, being constant in prayer, and prayi v at all times in the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18)
Anxious? Pray.
Thankful? Pray.
Scared? Pray.
Joyful? Pray.
Morning and evening, noontime and nighttime, all day and all night. Pray.
Heavenly Father, we want to be men and women of prayer. We want to be faithful, giving thanks always, praying without ceasing, faithfully giving thanks, faithfully interceding every hour around the globe for our families, our churches, our government leaders, our communities. May our lives and our prayers be a pleasing aroma to You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, who intercedes for us, we pray, Amen.
Pray Without Ceasing hymn – Tabernacle Cardiff
Need help growing your prayer life? I recommend two things. First, memorize scripture. Let the scriptures lead you. Second, get this book of Puritan prayers, “The Valley of Vision.” It has taught me so much! You can check out the Valley of Vision online devotional here.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 100, Exodus 29
Exodus 28, which I read yesterday, begins with these words to Moses. “Bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him … Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”
Today, reading Exodus 29, I noticed that it was not only the priest, Aaron, but also his sons who were to be washed and consecrated in preparation for ministry to the Lord.
Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the bull. (verse 10)
Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the heads of each of the rams. (verse 15, 19)
Moses was to spread blood on the right ears, thumbs, big toes, and garments of Aaron and his sons. (verse 20-21)
Aaron and his sons were to eat the flesh of the ram and the bread. (verse 32)
The Lord knew that the day would come when Aaron would pass into eternity, and He wanted Aaron’s sons to be prepared to carry on the office of priest.
Rather than using this time to talk about how much fathers ought to bring up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” like Ephesians 6:4 says … How about we talk about how we as mothers ought to bring up our children to follow the Lord?
Precious sisters, ladies, women of God, are we preparing ourchildren for adulthood – or are we expecting someone else to do it?
Are we discipling our children in the ways of God so they are ready for the day that we are no longer just an arm’s length (or a phone call) away?
Are we looking well to the ways of our own household with the teaching of kindness on our tongues? (Proverbs 31:26-27)
Are we following the examples of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice making sure that our children are well-acquainted with the scriptures from his childhood? (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15)
Are we being reverent older women, teaching what is good and so training the young women in our lives to love their husbands and children that the word of God may not be reviled? (Titus 2:3-5)
Let’s stop pointing fingers at our husbands and their shortcomings and start seeing our own need for an attitude adjustment. Our sons and daughters need us to train them up in the way they should go. It’s never too late.
Read the Bible with your children before they head to school today. Spend 10 minutes listening to them when they get off the bus today. Let them cook dinner with you today. Pray with them before they go to bed tonight. Start today. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
Next week marks the end of 23 years of homeschooling as my husband and I escort our youngest son across the graduation stage and he moves his tassle from the right side to the left. 100 days from today, he’ll go off to live in a dorm with other young men. I pray that I’ve prepared him well to carry the baton of faith and share it with the world.
“Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
Psalm 71:18
Heavenly Father, being a mother is a hard job. I can’t do it without You, Lord. Please give me the strength and wisdom I need to train up my children in the way that they should go. Help me to lock arms with them and do life side-by-side with them. Make my eyes and ears attentive to their needs. Give me a multi-generational vision, seeing my children as the next generation of leaders. Let me not grow weary of well doing. When my own children are grown with children of their own, help me to train the next generation of young women for Your glory, too. May I know that it’s never too late to do good! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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