The Golden Thread

Exodus 39:2-3
Bezalel made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and blue, purple, and scarlet thread. He made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

Lord, with great skill and care, you work that same golden thread into my life. Even yesterday, my best friend and I discovered that you had spoken the same thing to both of us. We had not discussed this before hand, yet you put it in both our minds. That is a sort of golden thread, but I believe there is another.

Gold stands for the glory and deity of Jesus. You are infusing my life with an understanding of your deity and glory. I get constant glimpses of your majesty which sustain me until I get to see you face to face and place my crown at your feet.

Lord, please continue to give me peeks at your majesty, glory and deity everyday. These give me reassurance that you are in control and everything will work out for my very best good, even if the process is painful. In Jesus' name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Christ Paid the Penalty

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Christ Paid the Penalty

Who Is God?

Exodus 34:6-7
The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
"Yahweh! The LORD!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellions and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected -
even children in the third and fourth generations."

In Exodus 33:13 Moses asked You, Lord, to let him know your ways. You gave him a description of who you are and your character. You are the God of compassion and mercy. You are slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. You do forgive iniquity, rebellion and sin. Yet you do not excuse the guilty. They still must suffer the consequences of their sin. It doesn't just affect them, but also their entire family for generations.

Thank you, Lord, for this snapshot of who you are. I'm so thankful that you are not only a loving God, but you are also a Holy God. You demand holiness from your kids not because you are a tyrant, but because you know it's best for us and will bring us eternal life. Jesus, it's only by your blood that we are made holy. It's only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we are able to live a life that pleases God. I praise your holy name! In Jesus' name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Salvation Not By Works

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5

Salvation Not By Works

Justice for All

Exodus 23:1-13
You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor. If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help. In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor. Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent. Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. Plant and harvest your crops for six years, but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed. Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names."

Lord, this is a section of scripture where one aspect of your character really shines through. You are just so you insist that we give justice to others. You even made it a law that we are to treat our enemies and those who hate us with kindness.

You commanded us not to follow the crowd in doing wrong. Lord, this is not a command that I can obey on my own. I need your Holy Spirit to help me. It's far too easy to get caught up in the dynamics of the crowd. When I am tempted to do this, will you please remind me? In Jesus' name, amen.

MEMORY VERSES

All Have Sinned

Romans 3:23

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

All Have Sinned

All Have Sinned

Isaiah 53:6

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Isaiah 53:6
All Have Sinned