Daily Reading Week 49
Sunday
Exodus 25 (Scripture Focus 8–9)
Discover:
A Puritan pastor named John Eliot (1604–1690) used to say that a true Christian who loves the Lord’s Day and walks closely with God is no stranger to heaven even while still on earth. Every faithful Sunday, and many ordinary days filled with prayer, family worship, and loving God’s people, feel like short visits home. So when a believer finally steps through the gate for good, he doesn’t look around confused—he smiles and says, “I’ve been here a thousand times before.”
That’s the heart of biblical worship. God always gives His people a meeting place. In the Old Testament it was the tabernacle and temple—beautiful buildings designed by God Himself so Israel would never doubt, “He is here with us.” The glory in that house was the proof that Immanuel had kept His promise.
Today there’s no temple made of stone, but God still meets us when we gather in Jesus’ name, open His Word, pray, sing, and love one another. Every Lord’s Day He opens the gates of heaven and lets a little glory spill into our Sunday gatherings. Faithful worship is practice for eternity.
So come expecting Him. When we worship the way He asks, something wonderful happens: heaven touches earth, and our hearts quietly learn the way home.
Respond:
1. Why do you think God asked His people to build Him a dwelling place?
2. How does God’s desire to dwell among His people encourage you?
3. What “sanctuary” spaces in your life help you notice God’s presence?
Monday
Numbers 1 (Scripture Focus 50–51)
Discover:
Every time the pillar of cloud lifted, the camp held its breath. Then the Levites stepped forward, slipped their shoulders under polished poles, and lifted the house of God. Gold boards, embroidered curtains, the ark itself, all of it rested on human muscle and bone. The holy things never floated magically through the desert; they were carried by men who loved the God who lived inside.
That was no burden of drudgery. It was the closest any Israelite ever stood to the blazing mercy seat. The men who bore the tabernacle lived inches from glory. Their sweat fell on the same sand that had once glowed with the fire of Sinai. Every aching mile reminded them: the presence is not far off; it is here, on our shoulders, moving when we move, resting when we rest.
God still refuses to travel without His people. He could advance His kingdom with angels or miracles, but He has chosen ordinary hands—yours and mine. When you cradle a crying baby in the nursery so a weary mom can hear the sermon, you are carrying the tabernacle. When you drive an elderly saint to worship, set out chairs, visit the sick, speak a timely word of truth, you are bearing on your shoulders the place where God has promised to dwell.
And the rule has never changed: only those who come on His terms come near. The outsider who rushed forward in the wilderness met death; the Levite who served in obedience met God. Today the terms are gentler but no less real—love, forgiveness, humility, faithfulness. When we walk in them, the presence rides with us. When we step outside them, we step away from the glory we were meant to carry.
So feel the weight today. It is not punishment; it is intimacy. The Holy One has chosen to travel on human shoulders again. He is nearer than you think, waiting for you to lift, to carry, to move at His signal.
Respond:
1. Why was it important that the people served by carrying the Tabernacle?
2. How does service draw you closer to God’s presence?
3. What role does obedience play in dwelling with Him today?
tuesday
1 Kings 8 (Scripture Focus 27–30)
Discover:
Solomon stood in the glow of fresh cedar and gold and dared to speak the astonishing truth: “Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You—how much less this house I have built!” Yet the same God who cannot be boxed by galaxies stooped low and promised, “My Name shall be there… I will hear from heaven.” The untamed, unmeasurable God chose a single address on planet earth. He moved in.
That was breathtaking power. The nations around Israel worshiped gods of stone who never answered, never noticed, never came near. But Israel’s God planted His flag in Jerusalem and said, “Here I will listen. Here I will forgive. Here sinners may call and find Me waiting.” Every sacrifice that burned, every psalm that rose, every trembling prayer whispered in that courtyard carried the electric certainty: the Holy One has a home among us.
The Temple became Israel’s true north. No matter how far they wandered (in exile, in battle, in despair), they turned their faces toward that house and knew exactly where mercy lived. It was the fixed point that kept a scattered people from losing their way back to God.
Centuries later the wood rotted, the gold was carried off, and the glory cloud lifted forever. But the promise did not end; it only widened. Jesus stood in that same spot and said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was speaking of His body. Then, on the day of Pentecost, the fire fell again—this time not on a building but on people.
Now the meeting place is no longer one city on a hill. It is wherever two or three gather in His name. It is the Sunday gathering where His people open His Word and lift cracked voices together. It is the living room Bible study, the hospital bedside prayer, the parking-lot conversation that ends in tears and repentance. Wherever His covenant people love Him together, there heaven still touches earth.
That is your home base now. Not a location you travel to, but a people you belong to. The same God who once filled Solomon’s temple with glory now fills His church with Himself.
Respond:
1. Why is it powerful that God chose to dwell in the Temple?
2. How did the Temple give the Israelites a “home base” for worship?
3. Where is your “home base” for meeting with God today?
Wednesday
2 Chronicles 7 (Scripture Focus 1–3)
Discover:
Throughout the Old Testament, God loved to show His delight in His people’s worship by sending fire from heaven to accept their sacrifices—like on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) or when David offered sacrifices (1 Chronicles 21). So, when Solomon finished building the temple—the very place God chose for Israel to meet with Him—it makes perfect sense that God put His stamp of approval on it in the most dramatic way possible!
Right at the dedication, fire flashed down from heaven and consumed the offerings, and God’s glorious presence filled the temple so powerfully that the priests couldn’t even go inside (2 Chronicles 7:1-2). Everyone fell on their faces in awe and joy!
What followed was a massive, week-long party! Solomon and the people brought so many sacrifices that they ran out of room on the regular altar and had to set up extra ones in the courtyard. Then came seven full days of feasting and celebrating God’s goodness (vv. 3-10).
The first readers of Chronicles—Jews who had just returned from exile and were rebuilding a much smaller temple—needed to hear this story. It reminded them: “God joyfully accepted the first temple, and He’ll accept ours too!” And it reminds us today to throw our whole hearts into worship and to celebrate big when we see God keep His promises.
Just in case anyone still wondered, God personally appeared to Solomon that night and said, “I’ve heard your prayer—this temple is now a house of prayer, and I will hear My people when they call.” But He also gave a loving warning: the temple itself isn’t a lucky charm. If the king and people turn away and stubbornly refuse to repent, they’ll lose the land. God saves us by grace and keeps us by grace, but true faith always shows itself in a life that loves and follows Him (Ephesians 2:8-10).
When God’s people do wander off, He stands ready to forgive and heal the moment we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn back to Him (2 Chronicles 7:14). That promise belongs to the church today—whenever we repent and return, our gracious God restores us with open arms!
Respond:
1. How would you have responded if you saw God’s glory fill the Temple?
2. What places or moments have made you feel awestruck by God?
3. How can awe lead you to deeper dwelling with God?
THursday
2 Corinthians 6 (Scripture Focus Verse 16)
Discover:
Stop for a moment and let the impossible sink in: the God who once hid behind curtains of linen and clouds of incense now makes His home inside ordinary, stumbling, forgiven people. The same voice that shook Sinai now whispers from within your chest. The fire that lit the desert tent now burns quietly in you. You do not have to climb a mountain or cross a sea to find Him; you only have to breathe.
This changes everything about worship. No longer do we travel to a building hoping God will show up; we walk into the room already carrying Him. When we sing, we are not trying to attract heaven’s attention; heaven is already leaning in, listening through our lungs. When the Word is read, the Author is present in the same room, nodding, correcting, smiling. Every prayer is face-to-face. Every chorus is sung from inside the Holy of Holies. The veil is not torn in half; it is gone completely, replaced by your very skin.
And because God now walks among us in one another, the church becomes the most sacred place on earth. Your brother’s laugh carries the echo of the joy of God. Your sister’s tear is noticed by the Man of Sorrows. When we forgive, heaven moves in. When we gossip, we drag mud across the temple floor. When we serve the weakest member, we set a chair for the King. When we ignore the hurting, we shutter the windows of the house God loves.
You are not waiting for a future glory. You are living in the middle of it. The living God has moved in, taken off His sandals, and asked to stay forever.
Respond:
1. What does it mean to you that God’s Spirit dwells within you?
2. How does this truth change the way you think about worship?
3. How should it shape how we live together as the church?
Friday
Ephesians 2 (Scripture Focus 21–22)
Discover:
Scripture shows us that God isn’t a distant king—He loves to live right among His forgiven people!
In the Old Testament, He made His presence especially real in one place: first the tabernacle, then the temple in Jerusalem. He was still everywhere, but that’s where you could feel Him most strongly.
The new covenant is amazing: God no longer limits His special presence to a single building or city. Now He promises to be present wherever His people gather to worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). We don’t have to travel to Jerusalem anymore—whenever believers meet in Jesus’ name, He’s there with us.
Paul explains it beautifully in Ephesians 2:21: the church—you and me, from every nation—is the new temple, growing together into a holy dwelling place for God. Jews and Gentiles together are now the living house where the whole world can come and meet the true God (just like Isaiah dreamed!).
The Holy Spirit lives in every single believer, making each of us a temple. But when we come together, those individual temples become one big, glorious temple where God’s presence is fully experienced. As John Calvin put it: each of us is a temple on our own, but when we’re joined to one another in love, we become one great temple together.
Respond:
1. How does dwelling with God connect us to each other?
2. Why is community essential for experiencing God’s presence?
3. What role do you play in helping your church be a dwelling place for God?
Saturday
Ephesians 3 (Scripture Focus Verse 17)
Discover:
Like all the churches Paul wrote to, the Ephesians had real struggles – though we have to read between the lines a bit more than with, say, Corinth or Galatia. From what he says, it looks like they were feeling down because Paul was in prison (Eph. 3:13), and they definitely needed solid teaching. So in today’s passage he prays a prayer for them – and for us – asking God to lift their spirits and strengthen them deep inside (vv. 16-17). Discouragement hits every Christian at some point, so this prayer is pure gold for us too.
Paul prays with confidence because he knows exactly who he’s talking to: the Father whose “riches in glory” never run out. Think of an ocean that never gets smaller no matter how many buckets you take – that’s God’s supply of power, love, and grace. He gives the Holy Spirit without holding anything back, so we can boldly ask Him to strengthen our inner selves – our hearts, minds, and wills – to face anything and keep going with joy.
Paul’s request that Christ would truly “dwell” in our hearts through faith (v. 17) is a prayer for something deeper. He knows that Christ dwells with us from the moment we are saved. He wants Jesus to feel completely at home in us, like a welcomed guest who has the run of the whole house, no rooms locked or closets we’re embarrassed for Him to see. In other words, he’s asking God to keep growing us, changing us, making us more like Jesus so the world sees a beautiful picture of Him when they look at us.
We never outgrow the need for this prayer. As John Calvin said, even the godliest believers in this life haven’t “arrived”; the mark of real maturity is that we still long to grow more.
Respond:
1. What does it mean to you that Christ “makes His home” in your heart?
2. How has trusting God deepened your sense of His presence?
3. What habits or attitudes can help your faith grow deeper roots this week?