Matthew 24 - 7.24.26
Scripture: Matthew 24:36-44
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Observation:
Jesus is coming back!
He told his disciples that He will give up His life, rise again, and send a comforter. They did not comprehend this at the time. Now, He is informing them of perilous times that will occur in the future before He comes again. He describes a normal day, but then one will be taken and another left. I wonder their thoughts as He told them this. They had not grasped that Jesus was leaving and now He is talking about coming again? He then tells them to keep watch and be ready for His return.
Application:
What does it mean to “be ready?” We need to look to what Jesus preached over and over again, The Gospel. His first coming fulfilled prophesy. He was born of a virgin, grew and dwelled as a human. He trained the disciples to seek the lost, do miracles, serve each other, then died for our sins, and rose again on the third day.
We need follow His example and share Him with others. Keeping Jesus as the center of all we do causes us to be mindful and ready. Even Jesus does not know the time He is to come again. He said he will come when it is unexpected, although there will be signs, wars and earthquakes for example. Hmm…. I know other generations have though the same, but wow, we are seeing this today.
When prompted by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel we shouldn’t think, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” We do not know if we will have a tomorrow.
Prayer:
Father God,
Way back in the Garden you orchestrated a plan to bring us back to you after Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus, your son, came to redeem us and He taught how to follow you and walk in your ways. He let the disciples know what is to come and they recorded it for us to learn from as well. Thank you for your care for us.
Lord, forgive me for not being expectant of your coming and not sharing your love and redemption with others constantly. Help me first seek your wisdom for those who are ready to hear. Then, help me to allow you to work through me as I share your love and plan for redemption leading to eternal life with you.
Thank you that we have the promise you will come again. Help me to be mindful, watching and waiting.
Amen
- Cindy Howard
Exodus 40 - 07.23.26
SCRIPTURE
“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the (Shekinah) glory of the Lord FILLED the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord FILLED the tabernacle.”
Exodus 40:34-35 NIV
OBSERVATION
Moses was given an assignment. To oversee and complete God’s Tabernacle. There were many highly specific details for every aspect. And God’s word says…at Last Moses finished his work.
The people must have watched in great anticipation to see what would happen. They didn’t have to wait long—because at completion—
“…The Glory of The LORD FILLED The Tabernacle”.
I cannot even imagine what this must have been like.
This was the equivalent of what Peter, James, and John experienced when Jesus brought them up the Mountain and allowed them to witness HIS Glory.
“And Jesus appearance changed dramatically in their presence;
and His face shone—with heavenly glory, clear and bright—like the SUN,
and Jesus clothing became as WHITE as LIGHT.”
(Matthew 17:2 AMP)
When the Lord FILLED the Tabernacle, what the people experienced was
apulsating brilliant radiating light beyond anything describable.
The Hebrew word for Filled is male. It was a Theophany.
a Holy sacred and very evident Presence of God’s Holiness.
Every curtain in the Tabernacle was glowing and pulsating with radiant LIGHT like Jesus clothing in the Transfiguration—which had become as white—as LIGHT.
God had come down among His people—God’s Holiness was there in Front of them. A Holiness—so pure and radiant that they were immediately struck by their own sinfulness. Access was denied.
“God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To HIM be honor and everlasting Power. Amen.”
(1 Timothy 6:15-16)
APPLICATION
Only ONE Pathway to Worshiping a Holy God — JESUS
Sin has a penalty. The wages of sin is death. Every time a sin was committed a death was required and the blood of an animal was shed as a reminder that God takes sin seriously. But Jesus came and made a way for us to worship a holy God.
“So Christ has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven…With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—
HE entered the Most Holy Place—ONCE for ALL time
and secured our redemption forever…
SO that we can WORSHIP the LIVING God.“ (Hebrews 9:11, 13 NLT)
God is HOLY. His holiness draws us and exposes us at the same time.
Like the Israelites trembling at Sinai, we feel the weight of our sin in the light of His radiant purity. Scripture tells us plainly: “Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). God says, “Be holy as I am holy,” yet we cannot produce holiness on our own. God, alone, is inherently holy; we become holy ONLY through Jesus.
To be “holy” means to be set apart for honorable use. Once we were “foolish, disobedient, led astray…but Christ …saved us.In Christ we are cleansed, renewed, and set apart. This is Salvation.
The pursuit of holiness doesn’t end at salvation—it BEGINS there.
We inherit positional holiness,
and then we grow in practical holiness—as we yield to the Spirit.
God calls us to “cleanse ourselves of all defilement…perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
We must consider ourselves “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11), becoming vessels “set apart as holy…for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Holiness is the mark of every true believer (1 John 3:9‑10). Not a list of dos and don’ts—but a life led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16‑18).
God’s ONE desire is to CONFORM us into the IMAGE of His Son.
“For God knew his people in advance, and HE chose them to become like his Son” (Romans 8:29 NLT) God knows that our flesh is weak (Mark 14:38)
God provides mercy: “If we confess our sins,HE is faithful and just and will forgive…” (1 John 1:9). And The Spiritstrengthens us, and produces fruit—in us(Galatians 5:22‑23).
If God redeemed us and gave us NEW life, the least we can offer is ourselves—“asliving sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).
One day, in heaven, we will be free from sin and all its effects. Until then, we “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and keep running the race set be us” (Hebrews 12:2) as we—keep seeking—the holiness that honors Him.
We speak often of God’s love, mercy, and grace—and rightly so.
But His holiness is no less true. Has our familiarity softened our sense of His Awesome Power and Holiness?
Isaiah 6:1, 3, 5:
“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe FILLED the temple. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” “I’m doomed!”, I cried. “Everything I say is sinful..”
Revelation 1:12, 14, 17 NIV: Apostle John seeing the Glorified Christ
“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. The hair on HIS head was white like wool, as white as snow, and HIS eyes were like blazing fire. When I saw him—I fell at his feet as though dead.”
PRAYER
LORD JESUS,
YOU Alone are HOLY and Worthy of my praise. I cannot begin to count YOUR blessings for forgiveness and mercies. YOU Came and You saved me by Your shed blood. Your death was the price of my salvation. Your resurrection is the reminder that in YOU I Live and Move and have my Being. Forgive me for my sins and holding onto arrogant pride of wanting things done my way. As a believer there is only One rightful way. YOUR way. Purge me and Humble me before YOU. Give me a greater understanding of Holy reverent Fear. Help me LORD to seek YOU first and ONLY above everything. Help me to pursue Holiness that pleases You. Help me to learn to be content and Trust YOU in every season like Paul. Be glorified in my life.
All honor and glory to YOU! In Jesus Name.
Here I am Lord. Please Send me.
Tina L Kudelka
Matthew 22 - 7.22.26
Scripture
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 37-40
Observation
The religious leaders of Jesus’s day were constantly trying to trap Jesus by asking him tricky questions. This was one of those. A pharisee asked him, “Which is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus quoted the Old Testament and spoke from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He said that the first commandment is to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all your mind. And the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. More importantly he said “all the law and the writings of the prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:40). Let us examine how.
If we look at the ten commandments (Ex 20), the first five is about our relationship with God, and the second five are about our relationship with others. The first five are - you will have no other Gods, you will make no idols, you will not take the Lord’s name in vain, you will honor the sabbath (Sunday as the Lord’s day), and you will honor your parents. If we love the Lord with all our hearts we will not break any of these commandments.
The next 5 commandments are - you will not murder, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal, you will not bear false witness and you will not covet what your neighbor has. If we love others as ourselves, we will not break any of these, which will hurt somebody else.
So we see that all the commandments of the Bible are directly related to one of these two commandments - love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Application
Let us examine our hearts to see if we love God with all our heart, all our soul and strength. Is he truly the first priority of our life? Do we truly live for him? Does it grieve us when someone takes our precious Lord’s name as a curse word?
God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). The Bible defines love in 1 Cor 13. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13:4-7). Do we love our brothers and sisters like this? However, if we have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth, cautions the Bible in James 3:14. Let us look carefully so that we do not fall short of the grace of God, and no root of bitterness springs up (Heb 12:15). Let us examine our hearts. If we find that our heart is not right, let us confess our sin before God, and get our hearts right before him. Ask him to pour his love in our hearts so that we can love as he loves.
Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for your love for me. I remember the first and greatest commandment and the second commandment that you have laid out for us. Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps 139:23-24). Please help me to listen to your voice convicting me and make changes in my heart as you require. Please help me to love you with all my heart, soul and mind. And please help me to love others like myself. I know I don’t have it in me. I can’t do it with my own ability or willpower. I need your help and your power to do this. Please help me, Lord. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). Please lead me in your way. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight (Ps 19:14). In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
Asha Chacko George