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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 5 February 2025:
Exodus 34:3 — No one shall come up with you.
Everyone must develop their own relationship with God.
Exodus 34:6, 7 — The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
Pay attention to how God introduces Himself and defines who He is? He is Mercy, Grace, Love, and Faithfulness, but He is equally Justice. He forgives, but He also demands holiness and holds His followers accountable. Trust in God’s grace but don’t presume upon it.
Exodus 34:10 — And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
God wants to reveal Himself to others through the miraculous things He does in your life.
Exodus 34:11 — Observe what I command.
God’s direction for you starts with “Obey me.”
Exodus 34:12 — Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.
Immediately after God commands obedience, He warns against being influenced by the unfaithful, knowing our tendency to compromise for others.
Exodus 34:13 — You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim.
God tells you that you must make the commitment and the effort to remove temptations from your life.
Exodus 34:16 – …and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.
Your closest relationships must support your sanctification and not threaten it.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 — Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Exodus 34:21 — Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.
Rest is required. Mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion makes you vulnerable to spiritual failure. The Sabbath rest has many practical benefits, but the main point is that it is an act of faith and a public, corporate testimony of that faith. Proverbs 3 tells us that we must trust God rather than our own understanding. From a human perspective, the Sabbath is counter-intuitive, particularly during times of extreme need. Tithing, another public and corporate command, is also counter-intuitive. Why would you work less and give away a tenth of what you have when you need so much? Remember, the Israelites were doing this in the desert while surrounded by enemies. The Sabbath command and the command to tithe are acts of commitment that say, “God is the Provider, not me…. God is in control of my future, not me…. God comes first in my life.” Much like the Sabbath rest and tithing, forgiving and giving are also counter-intuitive commands, requiring faith to obey. As the Bible says, without faith, it is impossible to obey God.
Exodus 34:26 — The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God.
Only bring your best to the Lord. What do you do with the first part of your day? How much of your time in a day is fully dedicated to God? How much of your daily labor is dedicated solely to God’s serving and advancing the Kingdom? What would be a tithe of your time? First, let’s look at your week: There are 168 hours in a week. If you fully rested on the Sabbath, you would have 144 hours remaining in the other six days. One tenth of 144 is 14.4, divided among six days is 2.4 or about 2.5 hours. Could you dedicate 2.5 hours a day to discipleship, evangelism, ministry, fellowship, and worship? If you took your sleeping hours out of the picture, you daily tithe of time would be about 1.5 hours. Could you dedicate that? Interestingly, according to the NY Daily News, the average American spends five hours a day on social media and watching TV.
Exodus 34:28 — So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water.
Isolation and fasting can help your clarity and focus. The first step to following Jesus is getting self out of the way.
Exodus 34:29 — Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
People will see change in you that you can’t even see in yourself.
Exodus 34:35 — And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Many people will not be ready for all you have to offer, and you might have to filter what is presented based upon the maturity of the audience. You are salt and light, but too much salt can be distasteful and unbearable to some, and too much light can be too painful to stand for those who have been living in complete darkness. Don’t compromise the truth, but know your audience.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 5 February 2025: Today, focus on your holiness before the LORD. Honor Him with your purity, your priority, and your very best. Strive to mirror the character of God to others through your behavior.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 