THE GOSPEL IS OUR ONLY HOPE

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1 Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord's temple.3 He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: "Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

5 "Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people.6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses."

7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king's own possessions.

8 His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God's temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle.9 Also Konaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people.14 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

16 So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered.17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.”

-2 Chronicles 35:1-19

THINK

We see Josiah unsatisfied with simply cleansing the land and having the people pledge to follow the Word of God in their lifetime. He goes a step further and reinstates the Passover festival to bring the nation to an annual remembrance of the greatness of God. What in your life is pointing people to the greatness of God?

The Passover was set to remember the salvation God provided for His children in Egypt. What is the salvation provided from God for you and me today?

In what ways does this generation need to see the delivery of salvation to this world? How can you be an example of that today?

PRAY

These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.

Pray that we will become focused on the fact that our only hope rests in the gospel of Christ.

Pray that the people you encounter in the days ahead will come to know Christ by your words and example.

DO

Take a moment and write down the names of three people that you know that need to experience the saving knowledge of the Gospel in their lives.

Download the guide here

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READ

12 Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."

14 The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

17 And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

-Exodus 33:12-18

THINK

We see a picture here of this guy Moses who is not content with the amount of God he has experienced, if we didn’t know the point in the story we might think that God had been distant from him, but in fact he’s already met with him through a burning bush, showed His power and concern for His people through the plagues in Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, and been alone with Him on the mountain giving Moses the first set of the law. Yet, Moses appears to be begging God to be with him, to “teach me your ways so I may know you…” Why do you think that is? Have you ever hungered for more of God like this?

Do you see the progression of Moses’s requests? What are they?

We see he’s moving deeper “who are you sending with me?”, “Don’t send us without you”, “show me your glory.” Moses is pursuing God deeper and deeper. He is so consumed by his God that all he can dwell on is going deeper with Him, knowing Him better, learning more from Him. It’s a passionate pursuit of God that is fueled by an unquenchable hunger and thirst for God.

PRAY

These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.

Are you content with your current level of relationship with God? Do you desire to have the kind of relationship where you can ask God to “show me your glory”?

Pray that your life will be hungry for knowing God, that a little of Him here and there will not do!

Do you really want to know God’s ways? Are you ready to live out what His word says?

Pray that your faith will be strengthened and your knowledge of God’s desires will lead your life.

DO

Take the list you made yesterday of where your spending your time and decide on something that you can cut out or reduce the amount of time to have time to seek God deeply.

Download the guide here