February 1st
I sustained you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself...
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ¤ In a desert wilderness I found you, in a barren and howling waste. I shielded you and cared for you and guarded you as the apple of My eye; like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young ones and carries them on its wings. ¤ I have upheld you since you were born, and carried you along since your youth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will bare you up. I have made you and I will care for you; I will sustain you and I will come and rescue you.
¤ For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. ¤ Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His mercies— Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, Who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
¤ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases in strength. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and utterly fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. ¤ He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the dimly burning flame; He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. ¤ Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!
¤ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young and now am old, yet, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging for bread. A righteous person is at all times merciful, and lends, and his descendants are blessed.
Exodus 19:4,5 Deuteronomy 32:10,11 Isaiah 46:3,4 Psalm 48:14 Psalm 103:2-5 Isaiah 40:28-31 Isaiah 42:3 Psalm 27:14
Psalm 37:23-26
February 2nd
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
¤ Now Joseph was well built and handsome, and after a while Potiphar's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused... "My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants were inside. Potiphar's wife caught him by the cloak and said, "Lie with me!" But Joseph fled from the house, leaving his cloak in her hand. Since she had his garment in her hand, she called her household servants and said to them, "Look! That Hebrew slave has come here to make sport of us! He came in here to try and sleep with me, but as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak here and fled from the house." When Potiphar heard the story and his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me", he burned with anger, and took Joseph and put him in prison, where the king's prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners, and made him responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
¤ Hear me, O God... Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords, and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man, they shoot at him suddenly without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans... They plot injustice and say, "We have devised a perfect plan!" Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning. But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. ¤ May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, so that His ways may be known on earth, His salvation among all nations... Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will respect Him.
Proverbs 14:34 Genesis 39:6-23 Psalm 64;1-4, 6, 8 Psalm 67:1, 2, 6-8
February 3rd
Household gods give false advice, fortune tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce comfortless falsehoods... Only God can interpret dreams.
¤ Joseph had been in prison a few years when the Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream. In his dream, he was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven fat cows, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven lean cows came out of the Nile and stood beside those on the river bank. And the seven lean cows suddenly ate up the seven fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep once again and had a second dream: Seven healthy heads of grain were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the wind. Then the seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy heads. Again Pharaoh woke up, and was troubled. He sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. He told them of his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, and things shortly turned out exactly as he had interpreted them to us; I was restored to my position, and the other fellow was hanged."
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." Joseph then replied to Pharaoh, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires, and will set your heart at ease." Pharaoh then related his dreams to Joseph.
¤ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord... The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from among your own brothers. He will be the One to listen to. ¤ To you, God has raised up Jesus and sent Him to bless you, by turning each of you from your iniquities.
Zechariah 10:2 & Genesis 41:16 Genesis 41:1-24 Deuteronomy 18:9-13, 15 Acts 3:26
February 4th
I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one in the same... God has shown Pharoah what He is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them, in which the abundance in the land will not be remembered because the famine will be so severe. The reason that the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and He will do it soon. And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance...
This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will follow, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." The advice seemed good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and also in the eyes of all his officials. Pharaoh then asked his servants, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is therefore no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all of my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne, will I be greater than you."
¤ The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all of mankind. From His dwelling place He watches all who live on the earth—He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do... The eyes of the Lord are on those who respect Him, on whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
¤ As Jesus and His disciples were journeying along their way, they came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to them. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He had to say. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. So she came to Him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all this work by myself? Please, tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about so many things, yet only one thing is truly needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Psalm 16:7, 8 Genesis 41:25, 28-34, 36-40 Psalm 33:11-15, 18, 19 Luke 10:38-42
February 5th
My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare...
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied. Free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies; for they are many, and they hate me with a cruel hatred. Guard my life and deliver me. Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I hope in You.
¤ Is anything too hard for the Lord? ¤ Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create. ¤ This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? Where will My resting place be? Has not My hand made all of these things, so that they came into being?" declares the Lord. "This is the one I esteem: the one who is humble and repentant in spirit, and who trembles at My word. ¤...My chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain, or bear children doomed to misfortune. For they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together..."
¤ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift a hand or foot in all of Egypt."
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name, Zaphenath-Paneah (meaning the one who furnishes the substenance of the land), and gave him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt. He was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Psalm 25:15-21 Genesis 18:14 Isaiah 65:17, 18 Isaiah 66:1, 2 Isaiah 65:22-25 Genesis 41:41-46
February 6th
From the ends of the earth I will call to You. I call as my heart grows faint. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I...
¤ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
¤ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it by men. Rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how I intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it... But now Paul, the man who formerly persecuted Christians, is preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.
¤ The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me; "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings forth grass from the earth."
¤ You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning. My God turns my darkness into light... As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
¤ What person can discern their errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins, may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
¤ During the seven years of Egypt's abundance the land produced plentifully... Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. He named his firstborn Manasseh (making forgetful), and said, "It is because God made me forget all my toil and my fathers' household." The second son he named Ephraim (fruitfulness), and said, "It is because God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my suffering." Then the seven years of abundance came to and end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said.
Psalm 61:2 Romans 1:16 Galatians 1:11-13, 23 2nd Samuel 23:3, 4 Psalm 18:28, 30-33
Psalm 19:12, 13 Genesis 41:47, 49-54
February 7th
Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?
¤ Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name... and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
¤ When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the other countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph as well, because the famine was severe in all the world. ¤ When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other? I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israels' sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan also.
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where did you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected." "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies."
"No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected." But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you; You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your younger brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" And he put them all in custody for three days.
Job 39:27 Psalm 103:1-5 Genesis 41:56, 57 Genesis 42:1-17
February 8th
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth... But on the third day, He shall rise again.
¤ On the third day, Joseph said to his brothers, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But, you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die."
This they proceeded to do, and they said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen. And that is why this distress has come upon us." Then Reuben said, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." As they were speaking, they did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. He turned away from them and began to weep, but he soon turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw the silver in the mouth of his sack. "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "It is here in my sack!" Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them... And as they emptied their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Their father Jacob then said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"
Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you. His brother is dead and he is the only one left of the children of my old age. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."
¤ Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." ...Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may not die. I myself will guarantee his safety. You can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all of my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."
Matthew 12:40, & 20:19 Genesis 42:18-29, 35-38 Genesis 43:1, 2, 8-10
February 9th
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! So, in everything, do for others what you would have them do for you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
¤ Then Israel said to his sons, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm, a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go to the man at once. And may God Almighty grant you mercy before him so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
So the sons of Israel did as they were told and took the gifts, double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also, and they hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw his younger brother with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal, and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon." The steward did as Joseph told him and took the men to his house. Now the brothers were frightened when they were taken to Joseph's house, and thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. And now he will use this against us, seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."
So they spoke to the steward at the entrance of the house. "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food, but at the place where we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight we paid for the food—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put the silver back into our sacks!" "It's all right," the steward replied. "Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." And he then brought Simeon out to them. He then took them all into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat there. When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.
Joseph asked them of their welfare and said, "Is your father also well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still living?" They then replied, "Your servant, our father, is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. And Joseph looked and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, and he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" He then said, "God be gracious to you, my son." And being deeply moved at the sight of his younger brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He entered into his private room and wept there. After he had washed his face, he came out and, doing the best to control himself, said, "Serve the food."
Matthew 7:11, 12 Genesis 43:11-31
February 10th
Dear friends, don't be surprised by the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange was happening to you. Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in His suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.
¤ Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house; "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver back in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And the steward did as Joseph said. As morning dawned the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? What do you mean by stealing the cup my master drinks from, with which he also sees into the future? This is indeed a wicked thing you have done...' "
When the steward caught up with them, he repeated Joseph's words to them. But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that. We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside our sacks, so why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants are found to have it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."
"Very well then," the steward said. "Let it be as you say. But whoever is found to have it will become my slave. The rest of you will be free from blame." Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest brother and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this they tore their clothing in despair, loaded the donkeys again, and returned to the city. Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him. "What were you trying to do?" he demanded. "Don't you know that a man like me can know things through divination?"
"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. We are now all my lord's slaves—we ourselves and our brother who had the cup in his sack." But Joseph said, "No, I would not do such a thing. Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go home to your father in peace."
1st Peter 4:12, 13 Genesis 44:1-17
February 11th
A wise child brings gladness to a father... You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of sorrow and clothed me with gladness.
¤ Then Judah said to Joseph, "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants if we had a father or a brother. We said, 'Yes, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, his youngest son. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him very much.' And you said to us, 'Bring him here so I can see him.' But we said to you, 'My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.' But you told us, 'You may not see me again unless your youngest brother is with you.' So we returned to our father and told him what you had said. And when he said, 'Go back again and buy us a little food,' we replied, 'We cannot unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We won't be allowed to see the man in charge of the grain unless our younger brother is with us.'
Then my father said to us, 'You know that my wife Rachel had two sons, and that one of them went away and never returned—doubtless torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since. If you take away his brother from me also, and any harm comes to him, you would bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.' So now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy.
Our father's life is bound up in the boy's life. When he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We will be responsible for bringing his gray head down to the grave in sorrow. My lord, I made a pledge to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, 'If I don't bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.' Please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. For how can I return to my father if the lad is not with me? Do not, I pray thee, let me see the misery that would come upon my father."
¤ Then Joseph could no longer control himself before his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" He wanted to be alone when he made himself known to his brothers. Then he broke down and wept aloud. His sobs could be heard throughout the palace, and the news was soon carried to Pharaoh's household. Joseph then said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers were unable to answer him because they were unable to comprehend that it was Joseph, standing right there in front of them!
Proverbs 10:1, Psalm 30:11 Genesis 44:18-24 Genesis 45:1-3
February 12th
Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory, for in all its strength, it cannot save you.
¤ "Come over here," Joseph said to his brothers. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for it was to preserve lives that God sent me ahead of you. These two years of famine will grow into seven, during which there will be neither plowing or harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here and not you! He made me a counselor to Pharaoh—manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord over all the land of Egypt. Come down then to me and don't delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will take care of you here, for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you and your household will come to utter poverty.' "
...The news soon reached Pharaoh: "Joseph's brothers have come!" Pharaoh was very pleased to hear this and so were all his officials. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers to load their pack animals and return quickly to their homes in Canaan. Tell them to bring your father and all of their families, and to come here to Egypt to live. Tell them, 'Pharaoh will assign to you the very best territory in the land of Egypt. You will live off the fat of the land!' And tell your brothers to take wagons from Egypt to carry their wives and little ones and to bring your father here. Do not worry about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours."
¤ And God spoke to Israel in a vision, and said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that you become a great nation there. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring your descendants back again..." So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons brought him to Egypt. They carried their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them. They brought their livestock also, and all the belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. And Jacob and his entire family—sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, and all his descendants, arrived safely in Egypt.
¤ Trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you... Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others, it only leads to harm... Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive a reward that lasts forever. They will survive through hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
Psalm 33:17 Genesis 45:4-11 & 16-20 Genesis 46:1-7 Psalm 37:3-5, 8, 18, 19
February 13th
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
...The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have altogether become corrupt; there is no one who does good, no, not even one. Will evildoers never learn—those who devour My people as men eat bread, and who do not call on the Lord? There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.
¤ Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
¤ The Lord was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore tell the people, this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Return to Me, and I will return to you. Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to Me. Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not My words and My decrees, which I commanded My servants and the prophets, overtake your forefathers?" Then they repented and said, "The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as He determined to do."
¤ Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. But He is being patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Yet the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. In that day the heavens will disappear with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat, the earth also and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and Godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming!
Psalm 14 Psalm 15 Zechariah 1:2-6 2nd Peter 3:8-12
February 14th
Not one of the Lords' promises have ever failed; every one was fulfilled.
¤ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life... I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. ¤ God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
¤ How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in Him will ponder them. Everything He does is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. Who can forget the wonders He performs? He is gracious and full of compassion.
¤ Gather the people together, and I will give them water. ¤ Water shall gush out in buckets; their offspring are supplied with all they need. ¤ Jesus said, "If you only knew the gift God has for you, and who I am, you would ask Me and I would give you living water." A woman replied to Him, "But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket, and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?" Jesus replied, "People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them will cause them to thirst no longer. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, welling up to eternal life." Then the woman said, "Please, sir, give me some of that water. Then I will never be thirsty again and I won't have to come to this well to haul water." ¤ The counsel of the Lord is as deep waters within the heart, but a man of understanding draws them out.
¤ You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our Savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail the distant seas. You formed the mountains by Your power and armed Yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves, and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, You inspire shouts of joy. You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The rivers of God will not run dry; they provide a bountiful harvest of grain, for You have ordered it so. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The wilderness becomes a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!
Joshua 21:45 Joshua 1:5 Numbers 23:19 Psalm 111:2-4 Numbers 21:16 & 24:7
John 4:10-15 Proverbs 20:5 Psalm 65:5-13
February 15th
Now, you are no longer slaves, but instead, God's very own children, adopted into His family, and calling Him "Father, dear Father."
¤ Now Joseph and all his brothers eventually died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly, becoming exceedingly numerous, so that the land of Egypt was filled with them. Some time after Joseph, a new Pharaoh came to power in Egypt who knew nothing of the great things Joseph had done. And he therefore said to his people, "These Israelites are becoming a threat to us because there are so many of them. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."
So the Egyptians put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly... Then Pharaoh gave the order to all of his people, "Every Hebrew (Israelite) male that is newborn you must throw into the Nile River, but you shall let every girl live."
¤ Yet we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose... What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is it then who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
So, in all things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:15 Exodus 1:6-13, 22 Romans 8:28, 31-39
February 16th
And Jesus said, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." ...After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside, where He spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, for there was much water there, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.
¤ About the time of Pharaoh's decree to kill all newborn male children, a husband and wife from the tribe of Levi gave birth to a son. And when his mother saw how beautiful the child was she kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she weaved a basket of papyrus reeds for him and waterproofed it with tar. Then she laid the child in the basket and set it adrift in the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby's sister watched from a distance to see what would happen to the child.
Now Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She soon saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When her maid had delivered it to her she opened it and saw the baby inside. The child was crying and she felt compassion for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
Soon, the baby's sister approached the princess and asked her, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse this baby for you?" "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, not knowing she was the mother of the child, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him back to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. The princess named him Moses (meaning: drawn out or born of water), saying, "For I drew him out of the water."
¤ "Let all the house of Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?!" Then Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for whom the Lord our God will call."
John 3:5, 22, 23 Exodus 2:1-10 Acts 2:36-39
February 17th
My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
¤ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own Hebrew people were and watched them working under the conditions of their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian slave driver beating a Hebrew, one of his own brethren. Moses looked this way and that to be sure no one was watching, then killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The next day he was out among the Hebrews again and saw two of them fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your own Hebrew brother like that?" The man replied arrogantly, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." When Pharaoh heard of this, he sought to slay Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. There, he sat down and rested beside a well.
¤ Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights, and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? ¤ Many shepherds will ruin My vineyard and trample down My field; they will turn My pleasant field into a desert wasteland. It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before Me; the whole of the land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares. Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other; no one will be safe. They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. So bear the shame of your harvest because of the Lord's fierce anger.
¤ Know that he love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered form the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, man or woman of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
¤ And the Ethiopian confessed, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." ...And they went down into the water, both Philip and the Ethiopian, and Philip baptized him. ¤ For all of you who were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.
Job 9:25 Exodus 2:11-15 Isaiah 10:1-3 Jeremiah 12:10-13 1st Timothy 6:10-12
Acts 8:37, 38 Galatians 3:27
February 18th
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land, and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
¤ Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?" They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock." "And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat." Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."
During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
¤ The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.
¤ "I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them," says the Lord, "and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. "The days are coming when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely, and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."
¤ And there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were indeed afraid. But the angel said to them, " Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord... Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to men on whom His favor rests.
Deuteronomy 28:4 Exodus 2:16-25 Deuteronomy 28:7, 8 Jeremiah 23:3-6 Luke 2:8-11, 14
February 19th
I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been spared.
¤ Now Moses was tending the flock of his father-in law, priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert where he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up." Now when the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
¤ The Jews gathered around Jesus, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." And Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My Father's name speak for Me, but you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand. For you see, I and the Father are One."
¤ And Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. As it is written in the prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Therefore, everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him, comes to Me."
¤ And the Lord said to Moses, "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt... I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey... I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. And this you now see will be the sign to you that I have sent you. And when you have brought My people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
Genesis 32:30 Exodus 3:1-6 John 10:24-30 John 6:44-46 Exodus 3:7-12
February 20th
God said to Moses, "I Am Who I Am. You are to say to the Israelites: 'I Am has sent me to you.' "
God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you. This is My name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation... And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt, into a land flowing with milk and honey.' The elders of Israel will listen to you... And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go out empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
¤ O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens... When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what are mortals that You should think of us, mere humans that You should care for us? For You have made us a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned us with glory and honor. You made us rulers over the works of Your hands; You put everything under our feet: all flocks and herds, and beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of Your name fills the earth!
¤ Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Then the Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." ¤ My son, if you accept My words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
¤ My son, do not forget My teaching, but keep My commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life for many years and bring you prosperity.
Exodus 3:14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22 Psalm 8:1, 3-9 Exodus 4:10-12 Proverbs 2:1-6, & 3:1, 2
February 21st
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
¤ Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand... The Lord said to Aaron, Moses' brother, "Go into the desert and meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about the miraculous signs He had commanded him to perform.
When Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, they brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. ¤ Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: 'Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival to Me in the desert.' " And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go."
¤ And Paul said to the elders of Ephesus, "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning you day and night with tears. Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
¤ Watch out for false teachers. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves... Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he/she who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. ¤ My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
Matthew 10:16 Exodus 4:19, 20, 27-31 & 5:1, 2 Acts 20:25-32 Matthew 7:15, 21 John 10:27
February 22nd
After bringing nine plagues on Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, "I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and upon Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely."
¤ The Lord said, "This month is to be for you the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family... The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect... Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all of the people are to slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of their houses, where they eat the lambs...
On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not touch upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."
¤ For He has rescued us from the power of darkness, and has brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body; the Church. He is also the beginning and the firstborn among the dead, so that in everything He might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
¤ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished upon us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure. ¤ Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!
¤ For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free. ¤ For all of you who were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.
Exodus 11:1 Exodus 12:1-3, 5-7, 12, 13 Colossians 1:13-20 Ephesians 1:7-9 Romans 5:9
1st Corinthians 12:13 Galatians 3:27
February 23rd
For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.
¤ When Pharaoh let the people of Israel go, God did not lead them on the road N/E through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people eastward through the desert toward the Red Sea. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their journey, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
¤ Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant.
¤ In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness. Turn Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue; be my rock and refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead me and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth. ¤ I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And the earth has nothing I desire besides You. My health fails and my spirit grows weak, but God is the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.
¤ He turned their rivers into blood, so that no one could drink from the streams. He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them and hordes of frogs to ruin them. He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts. He destroyed their grapevines with hail and shattered their sycamores with sleet. He abandoned their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He unleashed against them His hot anger, His wrath, indignation and hostility—a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death, but gave them over to the plague. He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the oldest son in each of the tents of Ham. But He brought out His people like a flock; He led them like sheep through the desert. He guided them safely, so that they were unafraid.
Psalm 48:14 Exodus 13:17-22 Psalm 25:8-10 Psalm 31:1-5 Psalm 73:23-26 Psalm 78:44-53
February 24th
You will not have to fight this battle. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! Fear not, nor be discouraged.
¤ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?' It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
And Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." ¤ Be silent, and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. ¤ Is anything too hard for the Lord? ¤ Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You... O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are Your purposes and mighty are Your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; You reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still Yours...
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?" ¤ "You who are men of symbolic things to come: I am going to bring My servant, the Branch," says the Lord Almighty... "and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree."
¤ "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
2nd Chronicles 20:17 Exodus 14:5-14 Psalm 46:10 Genesis 18:14 Jeremiah 32:17-20, 26, 27
Zechariah 3:8-10 Isaiah 1:18
February 25th
The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
¤ Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters became a wall on the right hand and on the left, and the Israelites went through the midst of the sea on dry ground, between the walls of water.
But the Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night, the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and the cloud at the Egyptian army, and He threw them into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty maneuvering. And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!" Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place, covering the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them... Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
¤ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men... The end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
¤ Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not let yourselves be entangled again by the slavery of sin.
Psalm 33:18, 19 Exodus 14:15-28, 30 1st Corinthians 15:19, 24-26 Galatians 5;1
February 26th
Do not be afraid or terrified because of the world, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
¤ O, Lord, I know it is not within man to map out his life or plan his course. So, correct me, but with gentleness—not in Your anger, for I would be reduced to nothing. ¤ If You are not going with us, don't let us move a step from this place. For if you do not go with us, how will anyone ever know that Your people have found favor with You? How else will they know that we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth? ¤ If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand... For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. They will be protected forever... Wait for the Lord and keep His way.
¤ When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet, I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Who have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You... It is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell everyone of Your deeds.
¤ When I am with those who are oppressed, I share in their oppression so that I might win them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings. Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. Therefore I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. No, I discipline my body daily, to bring it into subjection, so that it will do what it should and not what it wants. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified.
¤ Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens while here on the earth. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good behavior and give honor to God when He comes to judge the world.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Jeremiah 10:23, 24 Exodus 33:15, 16 Psalm 37:23, 24, 28, 34
Psalm 73:21-25, 28 1st Corinthains 9:22-27 1st Peter 2:11, 12
February 27th
Jesus asked the man, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The man replied, "Lord, I want to see." Jesus then said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus.
¤ Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things in Your law. I am a stranger on the earth, do not hide Your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for Your laws at all times. ¤ Then He opened the minds of the eleven, so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses to these things. I am going to send you what My Father promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
¤ As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the people of Thessalonia, for they received the gospel message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. ¤ And Paul said, "Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other that what you have received, let him be eternally condemned!"
¤ For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain... Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
¤ Then the blind man whom Jesus had healed, said, "Lord, I believe!" Jesus then said, "For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see, and so that those who see will become blind." Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind also?" Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but since you claim you can see, your sin remains."
Luke 18:40-43 Psalm 119:18-20 Luke 24:45-49 Acts 17:10, 11 Galatians 1:8, 9
Titus 1:10, 11, 13-16 John 9:38-41
February 28th
If anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him.
¤ We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The person who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him... This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. ¤ God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we behave like Him. There is no fear in love, and perfect loves drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. And we love because He first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, who he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
¤ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged and quit trying. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord.
Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, for the true Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil. ¤ You slave owners must also be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven. Everyone, devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart... Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.
¤ While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with loud cries and tears to the One who could deliver Him from death. And God heard His prayers because of His reverence for God. So even though Jesus was God's Son, yet He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. In this way, God qualified Him as a perfect High Priest, and He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
1st John 2:5 1st John 2:3-6 1st John 4:16-21 Colossians 3:18-25 Colossians 4:1, 2, 5, 6 Hebrews 5:7-9
February 29th (Leap Year)
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power...
Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For your old self has died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, shameful desires and greed, for that is idolatry, and because of these things the wrath of God is coming. You use to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all things such as anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and filthy language. Do not lie to each other, since you have put off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. There is no distinction between Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, uncivilized, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
¤ Brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him/her back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. ¤ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Colossians 3:1-17 James 5:19, 20 1st Peter 4:7, 8
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