#013026

God, You invite me to live a life of obedience and trust-because You want the best for me. Please make me eager to follow You, even when I don't understand Your plan. Give me wisdom to recognize the difference between what I think is best and what Your will is for my life. I want to live out my faith in You with sincerity and passion. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING: EXODUS 23-24 MATTHEW 20:1-16 A CALL FOR JUSTICE “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. And do not slant your testimony. “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. THREE ANNUAL FESTIVALS Festival of Unleavened Bread. No one may appear before me without an offering. Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields A PROMISE OF THE LORD'S PRESENCE “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. 23For my angel will go before you. You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars. “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. 26There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives. ISRAEL ACCEPTS THE LORD'S COVENANT Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.” PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD WORKERS “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ 16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

PROVERBS 6:6-11 LESSONS FOR DAILY LIFE Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. INSIGHT In Proverbs 6, the reader is warned against folly and receives a call to action: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (v. 6). God calls us to be active, engaged, and industrious. An ant is all of that. Most of us have seen a line of ants scurrying about their business of searching for food and building their nest. The only other biblical reference to ants also tells us to follow the ant’s example: “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer” (30:25). Like an ant, God desires for us to be faithful in our everyday activities. In Colossians 3:23, Paul tells us: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” In all we do, we can strive to be faithful and look for His presence throughout the day—even in our mundane tasks.

By: Alyson Kieda

IN GOD'S PRESENCE In 1692, Brother Lawrence’s work The Practice of the Presence of God was first published. In it, he described how he invited God into his mundane daily activities. Brother Lawrence’s words still challenge us to prayerfully seek God in everything we do, like mowing the yard, getting groceries, or walking the dog.

Each day, I take our dog, Winston, for a walk. My goal for him is to exercise. Winston’s goal? Sniffing everything. Calling this time “a walk” is a generous fiction. More often, we’re going for a . . . stop. Lately, instead of getting frustrated by a lack of forward progress, I’ve been asking God to help me see these moments as a reminder that life is a lot like walking a dog. We experience God’s presence as we faithfully obey Him in life’s everyday activities, including their unexpected interruptions.

In Proverbs 6, Solomon offers a similar lesson, using the everyday, humble example of the ant to call us to work faithfully: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise” (v. 6). Solomon used ants as an example of everyday, patient labor (vv. 7-8).

Our relationship with God needn’t be compartmentalized into designated “spiritual” times alone, like church or a quiet time. Instead, as we faithfully obey Him, God invites us to see His divine fingerprints throughout each day.

By: Adam Holz

REFLECT AND PRAY When has God used something mundane to help you see Him better? In what everyday task is He calling you to be faithful?

Dear Father, thank You for reminders everywhere that You’re a part of every moment. in Jesus' name, Amen.

ALL THE FEELS-LEADING OUR EMOTIONS FEAR Like most things, there are two sides to this emotional "coin". Instinctual fear can be used to protect us from real danger, but unchecked—it can also limit us from incredible adventure.

If you were honest with yourself, is fear something you disguise as wisdom?

When we read the Bible, we see so many people who were faced with seemingly impossible odds and yet were asked to anyway step out in courage, in spite of their fear.

What are you missing out on because you are afraid to try or trust? One thing that always helps me find the strength to step out is by remembering that our job is obedience, God’s job is to work out the results.

Write out a list of things you would do if you knew you wouldn’t fail. Pray over it and ask the Lord to reveal which one He is leading you to try first.

ISAIAH 41:10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

JOSHUA 1:9 This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

DEUTERONOMY 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

PSALMS 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.