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Weekly Devotional

July 7, 2008
 

Exodus 13:20-22  ²⁰ They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.  ²¹ The LORD went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.  ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

             As I mentioned today in church, we have many members who are out and about.  Some have gone to see family, some are just on vacation, and some are preparing to leave.  Whatever the reason, taking some time off from our daily lives is important.  We enjoy having some down time, perhaps to unwind, or to refresh ourselves before we get back to the grind of everyday life.

            Taking time off is an important theme that we see in the Bible.  From the very beginning, God set aside a day each week so that the body could rest and refresh itself.  That day is now carried over to our Saturday (Friday for me :D).  It gives us a chance to take care of things that we normally don’t have time to do during the week. 

            To go along with that time off, being able to travel is also a theme we see throughout the Bible.  Travel, traveled, traveler’s, travelers, traveling, and travels are all words that are present in the Bible.  More often than not, sentences with these words in them also include a reference to God being present in some way.  For example, take the Bible verse below.  As the Israelites traveled out of Egypt toward the promised land, God was present with them, both day and night.

            For those of you that are (or getting ready to) travel this summer, know that God is with you.  Also, know that we as a congregation are praying for you, so that you may return to us safely.  We look forward to hearing all about your travels.

In our prayers this week:

Alma, the mothers of both Doris and Gail, Miona Fonville (Helen and Melton Roof’s friend).

God’s Peace,

Pastor Judson