Recommended Reading for June 15 – 21
Sermon Series: Stronger Together Week 7Sermon Title: Moses and Jethro: A Friend Speaks Truth When You Can't See It delivered on June 15, 2025
Day 1 READ: Exodus 2. How does his encounter with the shepherds help connect him to Jethro (Reuel) and prepare him for service to God?
Day 1 PRAY: Take a moment to pray and thank God for His providence over your life. Thank Him for guiding you and allowing you to grow in your faith in good times, challenging times, and in your friendships with others. Invite Him to use your passions to serve Him and to bring Him greater glory.
Day 2 READ: Exodus 3-4. How does God’s call on Moses and His patience for Moses give us a sense of confidence in God’s call in our lives? How did Jethro support and affirm God’s call on Moses' life and this daunting assignment?
Day 2 PRAY: Take time to pray and thank Jesus for His faithfulness and steadfast love for you during life’s joys and challenges. Ask Him to show you an area where he wants you to take a step of faith and follow Him closer.
Day 3 READ: Exodus 17. How did God provide for Moses in these two critical tests of his leadership of the people of Israel? What do we learn about our own abilities in times of drought and challenge?
Day 3 PRAY: Find a quiet space to spend alone with God in prayer. Thank God for the friends who have stood firm with you during times of struggle and spiritual battle. Ask Him to show you simple ways to say thank you to those friends and to encourage them in an area of their own life where they might be facing challenges.
Day 4 READ: Exodus 18. How does Jethro’s presence bring joy and encouragement to Moses? What was Jethro’s observation of the way Moses was leading the people, and how did Moses respond? How might you offer similar loving concern for a friend in your life?
Day 4 PRAY: Thank Jesus that He freely offered to carry our burdens on the cross, and still offers us peace, rest, and strength as our closest friend. Invite Him to show you a burden you have been carrying that needs to be lifted and released to Him. Ask Him to show you how you also might be an encouragement to a close friend today.
Day 5 READ: Exodus 20. How do the Ten Commandments reflect God’s desire to provide, protect, and offer us the best lives? How do the commandments also reflect God’s desire to love and honor others?
Day 5 PRAY: Thank Jesus for His perfect fulfillment of the Commandments and God’s Law passed down through Moses. Thank Jesus for His perfect sacrifice on the cross and the covering of your sin through His shed blood. Invite Him to show you how you can live with more gratitude for His grace and live it out more intentionally in your friendships.
Memorize and Reflect
Exodus 18:17-18
Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Life Challenge
- Set aside time this week to purposefully invest in and share words of encouragement with a Dad.
Invite a friend or family member to speak the truth to you in any areas of your life where they might have concerns for you.
Have a hard but right conversation with a friend and offer to help them.
Receive the Grace of Jesus and release the burdens of sin, shame, and striving to be good enough!
Series Challenge
Stronger Together Series Challenge:- Strengthen an existing friendship.
- Reconnect with a former close friend.
- Make a new friend.