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God, even on the darkest days of my life, You are there. You are my source of protection and strength. You fight for me, and lead me through hard times. With You, I am never truly alone or abandoned. Thank You for rescuing me; for saving me. Please help me to encourage the people around me with Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God, You are so good to me! When I look around me, I am amazed at how great you are. I see evidence of Your power and love everywhere I turn. You are great and worthy to be praised! Today, help me to pause, be still, and notice your greatness. Today, I want to worship You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

MATTHEW 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light

What would finding rest for your soul look like today? Talk to God about anything that comes to mind.

1 JOHN 5:18 We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God;s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

Take a couple of deep breaths, and pay attention to any feelings of fear or anxiety. Allow God to reveal where you need to trust Him, and ask Him to show you How he has been protecting you.

DAILY BIBLE READING: EXODUS 31-33 MATTHEW 22:1-22 CRAFTSMEN:BEZALEL AND OHOLIAB INSTRUCTONS FOR THE SABBATH ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. THE GOLD CALF O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? 12Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! 13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” MOSES INTERCEDES FOR ISRAEL “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin. But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. ook! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.” 35Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made. MOSES SEES THE LORD'S GLORY If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.” 14The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.” 18Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” 19The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. PARABLE OF THE GREAT FEAST the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” TAXES FOR CAESAR Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” 22His reply amazed them, and they went away.

HAGGAI 2:1-9 THE NEW TEMPLE'S DIMINISHED SPLENDOR Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’ In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” INSIGHT Centuries before Joshua the son of Jehozadak heard the command to “be strong” (Haggai 2:4), Joshua the son of Nun heard similar words when tasked with taking God’s people into the promised land (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18). Though Moses was dead (vv. 1-2), God was alive and present. He declared, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (v. 9). People change and assignments change. But God’s plan and purpose for us doesn’t. When we’re discouraged, focusing on this truth can strengthen and embolden us for the tasks at hand.

By: Arthur Jackson

FOCUS ON GOD At least he passed, Jess thought, holding the test paper. He’d been helping his son with math, but with house chores and extra work from his boss lately, studying together had been tough. Discouraged, Jess thought of his wife, who’d passed away: Lisa, you’d know what to do. I’m not as good a keeper of the home as you were.

On a bigger scale, such discouragement may well have been what Zerubbabel felt. The governor of Judah had been called by God to lead the Israelites in rebuilding the temple after captivity in Babylon. When they’d laid the foundation, “many . . . who had seen the former temple, wept aloud” (Ezra 3:12). The memory of Solomon’s glorious temple lingered again now, as construction of a smaller structure resumed. Ours isn’t as good, everyone, including Zerubbabel, must’ve thought.

“But now be strong, Zerubbabel,” God said, as He did to all involved: “I am with you . . . my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear” (Haggai 2:4-5). Zerubbabel could take heart in God’s guiding presence, bound by His covenant with them (v. 5). Also, “The glory of this present house will be greater,” God said (v. 9), pointing to when Jesus Himself would visit the temple (John 2:13-25).

We may feel discouraged in a task God calls us to do, comparing our results with those of another season. Let’s focus on His plan for this season, because the work and its purpose are His, not our own.

By: Karen Huang

REFLECT AND PRAY What task has God given you? How can You focus on Him while carrying it out?

Dear God, please help me as I embrace the task You’ve called me to do. in Jesus' name, Amen.

ALL THE FEELS- LEADING OUR EMOTIONS JEALOUSY/ENVY How often do you take the time to cheer on or celebrate others? If you were honest, is it hard for you to see your friends or co-workers accomplishments?

If we experience jealousy often, these "feels" are telling us that we are lacking confidence and contentment that only can be found as we grow closer to Jesus and walk in His will for our lives. The more confident and secure we become in who we are in Christ, the more we can truly be content even when other people outshine and succeed around us.

Do you want to be released from the poison of envy? The less we make life all about us, the less we will struggle with jealousy. We really can choose to live from a posture of gratitude for all that we do have instead of focusing on what others have that we don't.

Write out a list of all the things you are thankful for in your life. Speak it out loud for the next seven days and choose to find one person to compliment, cheer on, or celebrate every day.

JAMES 3:16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

PROVERBS 14:30 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

GALATIANS 5:26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:11-13 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 2Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

HEBREWS 10:24 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.