"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 29-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 

Whose Will, Mine or His?

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 26:39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

OBSERVATION: A question we have to be willing to face in our life is this; whose will is going to be done? For Jesus to commit Himself to His Father's will meant facing a horrible, painful death. No wonder He was asking that it be taken away from Him. For us it is very unlikely that it would ever be God's will for us to suffer like this. Yet, even in the petty sufferings, in being asked to give up things that are not good for us anyway, to step out and obey God at the cost of nothing more than our time and possible embarrassment we find ourselves struggling to choose His will over ours.

At the heart of being a servant  of God (the word really is "slave") is a willingness to give our will over to Him; to be ready to do what He asks, when He asks, how He asks. We have to be able to say; "not my will but Yours."

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I still want to retain the right to choose whether to obey or not. It's not that I want to be disobedient. I choose, at least most of the time, to obey. But God wants more, He wants my will to be His--that I would decide once and for all that it is His will and not mine that will control my life.

PRAYER: Conquer this rebellious heart. I want to give up control to You but I find it so hard. Please give me the grace to give You my will and to take on Yours.

Defeating Temptation

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 26:41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

OBSERVATION: What will help us to resist temptation? Here Jesus suggests two important things; keep watch and pray. Our flesh is weak. It is vulnerable to temptation. So, if we are going to resist sin we have to be on the watch for its appearance. It can sneak up on you. We may not even realize that we are about to be tempted and then, suddenly, there it is--the dessert in the refrigerator that we shouldn't eat (and we didn't expect!), the erotic web page that pops up unexpectedly, the relationship that takes a sudden and unexpectedly immoral turn. We have to be constantly on watch--looking for the schemes of Satan to trip us up. We need to be aware of the warning signals that the Holy Spirit will give us, if we are listening for them. We need to be aware of our own souls and those times when we are especially vulnerable. We can be sure that Satan's hoards know when those times are.

What do we do in those times of unexpected temptation? Pray!! Instead of simply trying to push forward and ignore the temptation, stop the process and pray. Nothing kills the temptation cycle like spending some time in prayer and worship. In God's presence we find hope and strength to stand.

APPLICATION/PRAYER: It is the unexpected temptations that are hardest for me. I need to react more quickly by resorting to prayer at the first hint of a problem. I must never forget that my flesh will always be weak and erect barriers around my soul that will help me to stand strong against temptation.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for these words of warning. Please let me know when temptation is coming and keep my head in the game--help me be aware at the very beginning before cycle even starts. I need Your grace and help.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13

Entertaining Evil

SCRIPTURE: Prov. 8:13 All who fear the Lord will hate evil.

OBSERVATION: Our world has a strange relationship with evil. Some forms of evil are reviled and despised (child abuse, terrorism or murder for example) while others (using God's name in vanity, drunkenness or sexual immorality for example) are not just tolerated but celebrated as something to make light of and to enjoy.

When we truly fear God, a characteristic our world has little of, we hate what He hates and He hates evil. It is a constant struggle to "renew our minds" so we don't start looking like the world but, instead, look like Him.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: Too often I find myself, in my mind, simply going with the flow in regards to evil. I don't indulge but I also don't hate it. In fact, I can find myself intrigued by it, entertained by it instead of disgusted by it. I must continually renew my mind in God's Word and learn, more and more, what it means to fear Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I do fear you. I want to fear You more rightly and deeply. Please help me and help me to hate evil--to see it the way You see it. Reveal to me the utter evilness of evil so that I don't just see the pretty wrapping Satan has put on it, but its ugly, awful reality that destroys lives and sends people to hell.

Giving the Most to The Least

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 25:37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

OBSERVATION: Just imagine Jesus hungry, needing a place to stay, in the hospital, or in jail and how eager we would be to serve Him. This is the standard Jesus gives us to measure our service to others. We must never forget that when we serve them, especially those devalued and rejected by the world, we are actually serving Jesus Himself.

It is so easy for us to serve those that most like us; those who can reciprocate or repay us in some way. Yet, it is those who will never "pay us back" that God tells us we are most responsible to reach out to. In fact, in the verses that follows these, He suggests that we will be judged by God Himself for refusing to help "the least of these".

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: It is easy for me to serve people who have served me or will help me achieve my goals in life. I have to actively resist the temptation to even think in those terms. My job is to serve everyone God gives me to care for, no matter what I may get back.

PRAYER: Lord, when You call me to serve, help me to see You in them. Help me to remember that it is You, the Lord that I love and have committed all of my life to, that I am caring for when I serve "the least of these". Never let me shy away from them.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 26-27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11

God Loves But Does He Know?

SCRIPTURE: Psa. 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles,  and you care about the anguish of my soul.

OBSERVATION: Why can we trust so much in the love of God for us? Not merely because He has committed to loving us. That is a wonderful thing. How great to be loved by God Himself. Still, we need to know more; does the God that loves me know what I am going through? The love of a God that stands distant, unaware and unconcerned about the difficulties in my life is no kind of blessing to my soul.

Here the Psalmist makes it clear: God does know and He does care. We can take confidence in the fact that He understands our pain and cares to do something about it.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I need to be ready, always, to run into His arms knowing that He cares for me and knows what I am going through.

PRAYER: Lord, may I never forget that no only do You love me, but You care to know me and You care about my suffering. I love You. May I always run to You when I am hurting.

Jewels In The Drawer

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.  Nothing you desire can compare with it.

OBSERVATION: There are so many things we "desire". We forget the comparative value of wisdom. Wisdom brings wealth. Wisdom brings satisfaction in life. Wisdom keeps us safe. Wisdom makes our relationships run well. Wisdom gives us direction. Truly, nothing can compare with it.

How often, though, do we pursue everything except wisdom. How much time do we really spend trying to become wise? Imagine how we would act if there were rubies to be found in our desk drawer. Nothing could keep us from looking for them and grabbing a hold of them. Yet, in this book (Proverbs) there is wisdom that is worth more than jewels and yet we neglect looking for it day after day.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I know that for me, it is easy to allow my mind to pursue entertainment rather than wisdom. My mind wants to be lazy and flaccid. The pursuit of wisdom requires commitment and work and no one will ever demand that I do it. I have to motivate myself to continue the search. It's not easy, but it is worth it.

PRAYER: Lord, You have so much wisdom for me. I want to be wise in the way I deal with my family, my ministry, and my friends. Please give me the strength to find the wisdom that You offer. Remind me that it is more valuable than rubies.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27

The Hard Times Are Only Seasonal

SCRIPTURE: Psa. 30:5b Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You that You bring joy in the hardness and that You give hope in the hard times. Never let me despair. Remind me that morning is coming.

You Had Better Be Ready

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 24:42 So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

OBSERVATION: As Evangelical Christians we spend a lot of time trying to figure out when Jesus will return; look at the millions of dollars made by the Left Behind series. Everybody wants to know what will happen in the End Times. Here Jesus makes a simple but important point; you don't really need to know when He is coming if you are ready at all times. In fact, we are warned that He will come "when least expected."

There is nothing wrong in trying to figure out the mystery of Christ's return. In fact God gives us lots of hints. More importantly, though, our focus ought to be on being ready at all times. Every moment of every day we should be striving to be able to stand with confidence before Jesus if He returned right then. 

PRAYER: Come quickly Lord Jesus. This world needs Your ultimate intervention. But Lord, remind me to be ready at all times and convict me when I am not.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 21:22-23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23

The Seductive Power of Flattery

SCRIPTURE: Prov. 7:21 So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery.

OBSERVATION: In my observation and counseling it seems that what entices men into affairs is often flattery. It is built into everyone of us to want to hear that we are "so wonderful". It seems more true of men than of women. What we want is to believe that we have no need of change, that we are "just fine" the way we are. Our wives are usually not accommodating enough to entertain such a fantasy. Living with us day in and day out, they are only too aware of our failings and areas that need change.

Men, knowing this, we must guard are hearts against the seductress that would play on this desire and pull us into a relationship that will destroy us. We have to remember that it is healthy to have to face our weaknesses. It is a good thing to be pressed to continue to grow and change. As it says elsewhere in Proverbs; "as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

We may not like the fact that our wives point out our flaws, but they are being true friends when they do and we are giving into our immature impulses when we opt for someone who can't see them or is unwilling to point them out. The end of that road is utter destruction.

PRAYER: Lord, please warn me when I am even getting close to listening to the flattery that will pull me astray. I want to remain faithful to my wife. Keep me safe from every temptation that would injure my marriage and destroy my family.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5

The Commandment Most Broken

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 20:3-4 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods."

OBSERVATION: It seems that the first commandment is the one most broken as well. As humans we are always finding something to worship, give ultimate value to and look to believing that it will meet our needs. In a media saturated culture we have images everywhere and, as much we look back on the ancient cultures and wonder how they could ever worship a man made idol, we do the same thing with the images in our culture. Pornography is nothing less than image worship. People worship movie stars and yet have never seen anything except their images in film, TV and pictures.

We make idols of money and materal things--things that people have made.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I must do as Proverbs says and, "keep my heart with all diligence". There is so much in this material world that would like to steal away my attention and affection and I have to be very aware of Satan's schemes to draw me away. I am very media oriented and while enjoying wholesome entertainment, I can not give into the tempation to let anything I see take God's place of central devotion in my heart.

PRAYER: It is wonderful to know that you, God, are jealous of my affection toward you. Why would You want me that much? Help me to keep you first in my heart, my affection and my obedience.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 17:8-19:15; Matthew 22:34-23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35

 What Are You Really Accomplishing?

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 18:14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”

OBSERVATION: "What are you really accomplishing here?" is a great question to ask of ourselves very regularly. Moses had a firm sense of what needed to be done: the people needed their disputes resolved. He also had a method for dealing with the problem: bring the dispute to me and I will tell you who is right. The problem was that his solution wasn't really solving the problem. He was only one person and there were too many who needed his counsel.

How often do we keep doing what we have been doing not because it is effective--not because it is accomplishing what needs to be done, but because we have simply fallen in the habit of doing it. This is a danger in how we deal with our kids, fulfill our ministry or do our jobs. We don't need to wait for a Jethro to show up and challenge us, we can ask ourselves; "What am I really accomplishing"? If what we are doing is not effective, we can find a new way of doing it.

If we read on, we discover what Jethro gave Moses some simple but profound advice; only do what only you can do and train others to do what they can do well for you. In order for us to be effective, our lives need to be focused on the unique contribution that only we can make. There are some things that we can do uniquely well, things that God has created us specifically to do. If we focus on those things then we will be much more effective.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I know that no one can take my place as the father to my kids and the husband to my wife. I know that God has created me to be the pastor of the church I lead. Even in that position, I need to recognize that there are some things I am created to do well and some things that I need to train and release others to do--things that they are created to do.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for what You have created me to be and to do. Thank You for the unique gifts, callings and responsibilities You have given me. Help me not to take on, through guilt, pressure or a mistaken sense of responsibility those commitments that You have for others to fulfill.

Preparing For God to Show Up

SCRIPTURE: Exo. 19:10-11 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. 11 Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch."

OBSERVATION: We all want God's presence in our lives. Here it tells us how to get ready for that presence; God comes to those who are consecrated and clean. This means that if we want God to come near--then we need to be consecrated; to see ourselves as set aside for His purposes, not our own. It is truly a matter of submission. We must decide that our lives will be His not ours.

Then, we need to deal with the uncleanliness in our lives. God will not come near to sin. As Christians the guilt and punishment of sin has been dealt with, but if we live with sin in our lives, our fellowship with God is impaired.

We can not make God come. As in this passage, it is God's initiative to decide to come near, but we can get ready, prepare, make a place that is compatible with that coming.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I often forget that my life is not my own, that it is God's. I really want God to be intimately present in my life but I need to pay the cost; to stay clean and live as one owned, heart, soul, mind and body by God.

PRAYER: Lord, I want to see You. I want to know You. I want Your presence in my life, my church and my ministry. Help me. Remind me. Give me the grace to live in a consecrated way and free from the control of sin.

God, I Want To Hear You

SCRIPTURE: Psalms 27:8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

OBSERVATION: Our hearts need to be attuned to hear God invite us to come and talk with Him. What an incredible honor that the God who created the whole universe and holds it together would humble Himself to talk to us--lowly humans. Our response must come rushing out of the depths of who we are; "Lord, I am coming!! I will will not be restrained, I will not be distracted, I will not be denied."

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: It saddens me to think of how often God has said to my heart, "come and talk to me" and I have ignored it or been distracted from it. I so want to have David's responsive heart--LORD I AM COMING!!!

PRAYER: Lord forgive me and give me the grace to keep calling me. Give me the grace to respond. Whenever You are ready to talk, I want to hear what You have to say to me.

I Hate to Wait

SCRIPTURE: Psa. 27:14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

OBSERVATION: It is hard for us to wait. We want to take action, to get something, anything, done. It takes courage to wait because we have to believe that God will respond.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: The opposite of being brave is to be controlled by fear. I recognize the tendency that I struggle with to act out of fear instead of waiting for God. I decide that if He is not acting fast enough, then I will. I want to learn, more and more, how to simply wait for His timing.

PRAYER: Lord help me to wait. Help me to see what You are doing in me during the waiting time. Help me to be brave enough not to put my hands on those things that You will act on in your time.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26 

 The Most Important Thing In Life

SCRIPTURE: Psa. 27:4-5 The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek most, is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,  delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary.  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

OBSERVATION: David discovered the same bit of truth that Jesus' friend Mary demonstrated hundreds of years later--there is nothing more important that we can invest our lives in than simply hanging out in the presence of God. It is so easy to get so busy serving Him, like Mary's sister Martha did, that we miss the more important pursuit--being with Him, delighting in Him, meditating on His goodness.

David says that he wants to "live in the house of the Lord". Its not that he wants to put his kitchen and bedroom in the temple, but he wants to be where God is at all times. Our challenge is to find Him in our "living room". In that place where He lives inside of us--where He meets us when we take time to look for Him. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and if we slow down enough and wait we have the chance to encounter Jesus at anytime inside His temple--our hearts.

David knew something important; when we are consistently pursuing that presence of God inside of us, and troubles show up (as they do, from time to time), we have a place to run to escape anxiety and fear--the temple, the sanctuary, our own hearts where we have discovered a God who is personally meets us there to comfort us.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I know my own tendency to do rather than to simply be with Him. I so desire to learn more and more the simple and profound pleasure of intimacy and closeness to Him. I am learning to prioritize being with Him over doing things for Him. Its a whole new way of looking at and living life but one that expresses the values of God's Kingdom instead of the Kingdom of this Earth.

PRAYER: As St. Paul said, Lord I want to know You. I want to come so close to You that I can learn the secrets of Your heart and become like You. Give me the grace to lay down my busyness, even when my ego is attached to it, and pursue knowing You as first priority in my life. Remind me that this is the path to peace and even effectiveness.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19

WHEN TO SIT, WHEN TO MOVE

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 13:13-16 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground."

OBSERVATION: Poor Moses seems to be contradicting himself. It is the same confusion we often feel when we wonder what we are supposed to do when we face challenges in our lives. First he says (inspired by God), "stand still", then God says through him, "get moving!" It reflects our confusion. When faced with a problem are we just supposed to sit and wait for God to do something, or stand and move--or even fight for the victory?

It seems the answer is both. The people are told to stand still--that is, don't be filled with anxious thought and action. Know that God will battle on our behalf, no matter what we're facing.

On the other hand, God says to them and to us, "get moving"--do what I tell you to do. Putting his staff out over the sea, the people walking into it did not defeat the Egyptians; God did that, but their obedience put them in a place where God needed them to be in order to win the victory. So God says to us; I'm not asking you to win the battle or to worry it to death, I am asking you to obey. I'm asking you to take action, as I direct you, that will put you where I need you to be so that I can defeat the enemies in your life.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: In my life, as I care for my family and my wife, I need to do both. I certainly need to pray and give over the worry and the battle to God. He is the one who will provide for my family, help my children to stand against temptation, challenge my heart and my wife's in order to make our marriage as good as it can be. That is good, but it is not enough--I need to get moving. I need to train my kids. I need to be a good steward of my resources and I need to very actively love and serve my wife. These actions are not enough to win the battle but as I am obedient, then God will do the rest.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, teach me when to sit and watch You work and when to get moving. Even in my obedience teach me to rely on You for the victory--You are the only one who can win the battles in my life.

Divided We Fall
 

SCRIPTURE: Pro. 6:16 There are six things the Lord hates  . . .  19 a person who sows discord in a family.

OBSERVATION: We have a million excuses for dividing people; "I have a new revelation", "I don't like this new kind of worship", "we've discovered a new way of doing things." The church of Jesus Christ, the family of God, is hopelessly divided. The Church divides into denominations, denominations split over doctrine and congregations split over worship styles. There is so much pain that people have experienced and the church has injured it's witness in the world simply because we don't recognize how much God hates the sowing of discord.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: As a Pastor I need to lift high the value of unity. I need to make sure that people know that when they have legitimate concerns that they will be fully heard, so that they won't feel compelled toward division and discord. My lack of a willingness to listen can be a huge contributing cause to "discord in the family." I want to promote unity through love at all times.

PRAYER: Lord, help us. We are so divided as a larger church family. Teach us to promote unity and never sow discord. You hate it, so should we. Help me Lord, to provide an atmosphere where people care share their concerns and grievances and receive love so that division will become less likely.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15

Who Is Really Blind?

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 20:30-33 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

OBSERVATION: We are in a similar situation as these blind men. While we have physical sight, there is so much we can't see. We have sight but we don't have insight. We need to do what these men did; cry out for the mercy of God--His grace for our blindness. James tells us; "if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God." The truth is, we all lack wisdom, it is just that only some of us realize it.

There will plenty of voices telling us to "be quiet". Our own ego is the primary culprit. We want to believe that we can figure out life on our own, that we don't need to ask for help. But there is Jesus asking us that simple but profound question; "What do you want me to do for you?" and we have to be humble enough to ask for our sight. He will give it to us, James promises that, but we have to ask.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I want to see but I don't want to have to admit I am blind. I am learning to admit to God every day that I need His wisdom. It's on my prayer list!! I want to see more than I want to retain my pride.

PRAYER: Lord, I want to see. I really do want You to give me wisdom and insight. The ability to see in the spiritual as well as the natural. Forgive me when I have depended on my natural sight and refused to ask You for supernatural sight.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.

OBSERVATION: How much more clear can this statement be? We don't persist in praying and we don't receive what we want because we really don't believe that God will do it.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I want, so much, to have greater faith. There I things I want in my life, in my ministry, in my family that only God can do. I don't persist in asking because my faith is weak. I need to learn how to, more deeply and really, have faith.

"One Year Bible" Reading

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Exodus 10-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11