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Exodus 31:1-18; Psalms 79:1-80:19; Acts 18:24-19:20

And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. John 12:23

Christ was glorified at the cross. The gospel of John speaks several times of Jesus being “lifted up.” The word translated “lifted up” in John is in other places translated “exalted.” Calvary was the moral culmination of an obedient life. His cry of “finished” (John 19:30) was the crowning achievement to a victorious life. Bearing our sins, He was the seed that died to bear much fruit (John 12:24). Having been exalted to heaven, He offers salvation to all peoples. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). —George Ferrier

Lifted up was He to die; “It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior!  —Philip P. Bliss

Exodus 30:11-38; Psalm 78:32-72; Acts 18:1-23

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Isaiah 6:8
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 28:19

Although the word “trinity” is not used in either the Old or New Testaments, the truth of the trinity rings throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis (1:26) to Revelation (14:12-13). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14). —E. C. B.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee,
Holy, holy holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. —Reginald Heber

Exodus 29:38-30:10; Psalm 78:1-31; Acts 17:16-34

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1 NKJV

Note the downward progression in this verse: walks, stands, sits. It surely reminds us of Lot. He looked at the plain of Jordan, pitched his tent toward Sodom, dwelt there and finally sat in the gate of Sodom. Our text tells us that the blessed (happy) man is the one who does not follow that downward trend, but delights
in and meditates on the law of the Lord. Both are a challenge and solemn warning to us all. —Wm. H. Gustafson

I need Thee ev’ry hour, stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.  —Mrs. Annie Hawks

Exodus 29:1-37; Psalms 76:1-77:20; Acts 17:1-15

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

When we put our problems in God’s hands He puts His peace in our hearts and minds. Complete trust equals complete peace. So often we try to reason and scheme when difficult circumstances cross our pathway but the Lord doesn’t need these things—just our trust! —Philip A. Kaye

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear—
All because we do not carry,
Everything to God in prayer.  —J. Scriven

Exodus 28:15-43; Psalms 74:1-75:10; Acts 16:16-40

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. Deuteronomy 8:2

Have you wondered about your life? Why these trials? Our time on earth is a proving ground, to prove whether we will yield all that we are to our Creator, our King, our loving Saviour, or whether we will seek our own temporal gain and happiness. “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). —D. Pickup

Yielded to Thee I come, dear Lord. Save me from sin and strife.
I give myself to Thee, not only Saviour to be,
But Lord and King of my life to walk thru’ me,
Talk thru’ me, Thine image to be, that I might win others to Thee.   —Arthur S. Flick

Exodus 27:20-28:14; Psalm 73:1-28; Acts 15:36-16:15

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God. Acts 27:25

It looked inevitable that the ship carrying Paul would be shipwrecked in the storm and all lives would be lost. Like you, I have been in seemingly impossible circumstances—whether in health, business or other of life’s experiences. When we turn to the Lord and His Word, God gives us the victory. If we don’t experience
the problems we would never get to know the God who could solve them! —Brian Russell

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms! —Elisha A. Hoffman

Exodus 26:31-27:19; Psalm 72:1-20; Acts 15:22-35

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:3-4

This psalm has wonderful promises for us. As we trust in Him, He gives us all we need. As we delight ourselves in Him, we find that His desires become our desires and so naturally we will receive them! As we commit our ways to Him and trust in Him, so He brings these things to pass. We just have to learn to rest in Him and patiently wait for these things to happen. —G. Frear

We must trust, be led each day,
Delight in Him, commit our way;
Rest in Him, and meekly wait,
God’s time will come; He’s never late.  —G. F.

Exodus 26:1-30; Psalms 70:1-71:24; Acts 15:1-21

This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. Joshua 5:9
Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king. 2 Samuel 19:15 NKJV

Gilgal was a special place to the children of Israel. There they crossed into the promised land. There, centuries later, Judah met King David as he returned to Jerusalem. Our King, the Lord Jesus Christ is returning one day for His bride. At the cross He bore the reproach for us. He has redeemed us to Himself and He is coming back! —Annette Baal

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah! What a Savior! —Philip P. Bliss

Exodus 25:1-40; Psalm 69:1-36; Acts 14:1-28

Pilate, when he was determined… Acts 3:13

Pilate presided at the trial of Jesus and found Him innocent. So he made a decision and “determined to let him go” (Acts 3:13), but eventually he handed Jesus over to be crucified. It’s one thing to know the facts—to even make a decision based on those facts. But it’s another thing to follow through. Pilate failed because he
wanted “to gratify the crowd” (Mark 15:15 NKJV). Perhaps you are a young person who was raised in a Christian home. You’ve heard the gospel many times but, like Pilate, you care more about pleasing the crowd. Think about this: Where will you go when you leave this world and the crowd behind? —Brian Cretney

What hinders you from being saved? The pressure of the crowd?
Don’t let your “friends” laugh you to hell. They cannot laugh you out.  —B. C

Exodus 24:1-18; Psalm 68:1-35; Acts 13:26-52

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Isaiah 9:6
And when he hath found it (the lost sheep), he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Luke 15:5

How precious. He holds all the governments of this world on one shoulder, but when it comes to one sinner, he lays it on both shoulders. How important one soul is to the Lord. He gives more of Himself to one person than to all the governments, politics, programs and opinions of this world. So dear believer, take courage
and trust your loving Saviour to get you through whatever you are facing today. You are a much loved child. Believe it. —Eleanor Isaacson

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast.
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul doth rest. —F. Crosby