February 2

Exodus 8

Additional plagues are inflicted upon Egypt.

INSIGHT

In the Old Testament, God makes a distinct difference between how He treats the Jewish nation and how He treats others. God lets none of the plagues that fall on Egypt fall upon Israel. How we wish sometimes that God would do the same for us in the church! How we wish that, because we are Christians, we would have none of the unpleasant things happen to us that happen to the world! We must recognize that in the Old Testament, God wants the recognizable difference between Israel and the world to be physical. In the New Testament, He wants that difference to be spiritual. In the Old Testament, God’s blessing is the fruit of the vine. In the New Testament, it is the fruit of the Spirit. We must focus on spiritual blessings to be the difference between us and the world.

PRAYER

Think about how you have been spiritually blessed as you offer your praise to God:
Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You, according to all
that we have heard with our ears (2 Samuel 7:22).

Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life
free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).

For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, voice your affirmation of God’s Word:
The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him,
but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him (Ezra 8:22).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Sensitivity to sin
• The ministry of your church
• Today’s activities

Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).