|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 23, 2019 10:12:29 GMT -5
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
Luke 23:44-49
A CHILDHOOD PRAYER
"Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."
— Luke 23:46
The first bedtime prayer I was taught by my parents was “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” Perhaps you learned the same prayer as a child and have taught it to your children.
In Jesus’ day, little Jewish children were also taught a prayer. Every night, in houses all across the countryside, little children would pray the words of Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” As parents tucked little ones into bed, each child spoke those comforting words of trust in the Lord.
It’s likely that Jesus too was taught that prayer as a child. And some thirty years later it was the last thing he said before he took his final breath.
On the cross Jesus had reached the climax and the end of his entire mission. And as he took his dying breath, his final words were those of that prayer he learned at his mother’s knee: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
That’s the type of trust we’re all called to. Jesus had taught earlier that “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). Jesus approached his Father both in life and in death with that simple childlike trust, praying always “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Are your days permeated by that kind of simple prayer?
PRAYER: Father in heaven, teach me to trust in you with childlike faith. In life and in death, I want to commit my body, mind, and spirit into your worthy hands, as I trust in you. Amen.
— Written by Shawn Brix
|
|
|
|
Devotional
Mar 24, 2019 10:34:53 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 24, 2019 10:34:53 GMT -5
In this week’s devotions, we will ponder the ever-present and difficult issue of suffering. We will walk with Christ and his companions through their hours of deep suffering and explore the role of the cross in transforming unimaginable sorrow into joy.
SUNDAY, MARCH 24
Isaiah 53:1-6
A MAN FAMILIAR WITH SUFFERING
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
— Isaiah 53:3
You may have heard this statement, or even used it yourself: “You can’t truly know a person unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
It’s a great comfort to know that while Jesus was on this earth, he fully embraced this old adage. He walked in our shoes and showed that he genuinely knew the full range of human experience.
The Bible often reminds us that Jesus was one of us. He experienced joy and sorrow, feasting and hunger, the fruits of hard work and the setbacks of poverty. He also knew the grief of losing a close friend, which led him to weep (John 11:32-35). In addition, Jesus was sometimes discouraged by the spiritual numbness of his disciples (Matthew 16:8-12), and weary from hot, dusty travel (John 4:6). He became angry when people mistreated God and others (Matthew 21:12-13), but he also took children in his arms and taught and blessed them (Matthew 19:13-14). Through his crucifixion, Jesus experience unimaginable suffering and even, as Isaiah foretold, total rejection. And he experienced this all for you and for me!
Our salvation wasn’t won in the beauty and safety of a royal palace. Jesus pioneered our salvation through the experience of human living in this world. He faced all the temptations and struggles we meet daily, and yet he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). His words from the cross “I am thirsty” (John 19:28) assure us that he willingly and obediently dealt with all human experiences as he worked to defeat sin.
PRAYER: Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to enter the grit and grime of humanity to save me. There has never been a greater sacrifice! Amen.
— Written by Shawn Brix
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 25, 2019 5:03:29 GMT -5
MONDAY, MARCH 25
Luke 22:54-62
A LOOK OF LOVE
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter…And he went outside and wept bitterly.
— Luke 22:61-62
In today’s reading, Jesus warned Peter that before the rooster would crow he would deny Jesus three times. As unimaginable as this was to Peter, we know that he did exactly what Jesus warned. First one denial, then another, and finally a third.
Isn’t this often the case with people? One sin leads to another, and then another, until the situation snowballs out of control.
Can you imagine the moment when Jesus turns and looks at Peter? It’s after the third denial. Perhaps Jesus is being led from the house of the high priest Annas to the house of the high priest Caiaphas, and he walks past Peter. A rooster crows in the distance, and Jesus locks eyes with him. Remembering the Lord’s warning, Peter stumbles out of the courtyard with bitter tears filling his eyes.
Often times, in tears we find a glimmer of hope. I see a mother who looks into the eyes of a child who has done wrong. The child turns away, but the mother says, “Look at me!” The child sees the hurt and the love in the mother’s eyes and begins to cry. It’s the look of love that breaks the heart of that child. And it was the look of Jesus’ love that broke Peter’s heart.
But Jesus’ love did not leave Peter broken and wallowing in shame. Through the cross, Jesus’ love brought Peter unimaginable forgiveness, healing and hope.
Have you ever wept bitterly when you faced the bitter consequences of your sin? Maybe these words today are like the crowing of a rooster reminding you that Jesus has his eyes fixed on you, and he loves you deeply.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I know that I often fail. I am so grateful for your redeeming love which covers all my sins. Forgive me today, and bless me. Amen.
— Written by Jerry Hoytema
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 26, 2019 9:48:54 GMT -5
TUESDAY, MARCH 26
Luke 22:63-71
THEY BEAT HIM
The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.
— Luke 22:63
These words bring to mind the story Unbroken. If you read the book or saw the movie, you know that Louis Zamperini experienced unbelievable torture and abuse from his captors in Japanese prison camps. Anyone who reads the book or sees the movie will likely feel disgust and even anger at what he had to endure. How can any human being be so unbelievably cruel?
I can imagine that Luke wrote these words with those same sorts of feelings.
There are certain crimes that are particularly offensive to us, like when the strong oppress the weak, parents abuse their children, or trusted leaders take advantage of children or others in their care.
Here, it is the soldiers that are committing the unthinkable crime. The Bible says that those “who were guarding Jesus” were “mocking and beating him.” They poked fun of him; they rolled up their fists and pounded him; they spit on him; they mocked him in the most humiliating ways. Yes, the men who were being paid to guard the rights and protections of the person on trial, the soldiers who bore weapons to stop evil and protect right, the very ones who were supposed to stop others from doing this were doing it themselves.
There was more to come, from chief priests who did the same, from crowds at his trial and at the cross, and from one of the criminals hanging on a cross beside him.
All of this shows clearly that Jesus knew from personal experience the depths of injustice. He knew the cost of doing God’s work in a world that did not acknowledge him. And he bore it all for our sakes.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for your willingness to suffer in my place so that I might have a Savior who not only carries my sins, but also understands the depths of my suffering and pain. In your name, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 27, 2019 7:53:53 GMT -5
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27
Luke 2:21-35
A SWORD PIERCES MARY’S SOUL
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many...And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
— Luke 2:34-35
On the cross Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son,” and to John, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27).
What might Mary have been thinking as she heard those words? A hundred things could have raced through her mind. But at some point, she must have recalled the prophecy that Simeon had spoken when Jesus was only eight days old.
Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord for circumcision, according to custom. That’s when they met Simeon. He had approached them as they entered the temple, and he had scooped Jesus up in his arms. This was the child he had been waiting for! This was the child God himself had promised Simeon he would see before he died.
Then Simeon said, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation.” But as Simeon handed Jesus back to his parents, he declared that one day this child would cause the rising and falling of many, depending on whether they would receive him as Messiah and Savior. “And a sword will pierce your own soul too,” he said to Mary.
As she stood at the foot of the cross, watching her Son give up his life, Mary must have felt a stabbing pain in her soul, a sorrow too deep for words. Many of us know this kind of sorrow far too well. But we are not alone. And we can have hope that sorrow is not the final word. For it is from this very sorrow that Jesus brought the unimaginable joy of salvation.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the hope you give us in the midst of sorrow. Help us draw near to you in our sorrow and teach us to come alongside those who know sorrow too deep for words. Amen.
— Written by Shawn Brix
|
|
|
|
Devotional
Mar 28, 2019 10:00:31 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 28, 2019 10:00:31 GMT -5
THURSDAY, MARCH 28
Mark 15:33-34; Psalm 22:1-2
ENDURING FORSAKENNESS
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
— Mark 15:34; Psalm 22:1
The story of famous couple Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning is a classic case of forsakenness. Elizabeth’s parents so disapproved of her marriage to Robert that they refused to associate with her. In spite of that, every week for years she wrote a letter to her parents to say how much she loved them. She hoped that one day they would respond with love for her too. After ten years she finally received a large package in return, containing all her letters unopened.
Being forsaken is devastating!
But far more disturbing is the picture of Jesus on the cross crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” To pay the price for our sin, Jesus was abandoned by his eternal Father. God turned his face away, and his Son suffered the complete separation from God that we deserve.
Jürgen Moltmann, a German theologian, was born into a secular family and never felt the need for God. He became very skeptical when his best friend was killed in the fierce bombing of Germany during World War II. Entering the army, he was taken prisoner by the British. Receiving a Bible from a chaplain, he read until he came to Jesus’ cry. In Jesus’ forsaken cry, Moltmann said, “I found…somebody who understood me. And from that time, I became a Christian.”
By enduring the darkness of God-forsakenness for us, Jesus ensured that we need never be alone. Even though we may feel forgotten and forsaken by someone we love, we can know that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. What a blessing!
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for taking my place and bearing my punishment. Your cry of forsakenness creates within me exclamations of thanksgiving. Amen.
— Written by Dean Deppe
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 30, 2019 4:59:04 GMT -5
DAILY MEDITATION | MARCH 30, 2019
We are on a Journey
Where are we going? After a very short visit to earth the time comes for each of us to pass from this world to the next. We have been sent into the world as God’s beloved children, and in our passages and our losses we learn to love each other as spouse, parent, brother, or sister. We support one another through the passages of life, and together we grow in love. Finally, we ourselves are called to exodus, and we leave the world for full communion with God. It is possible for us, like Jesus, to send our spirit of love to our friends when we leave them. Our spirit, the love we leave behind, is deeply in God’s Spirit. It is our greatest gift to those we love.
We, like Jesus, are on a journey, living to make our lives abundantly fruitful through our leaving. When we leave, we will say the words that Jesus said: “It is good for you that I leave, because unless I pass away, I cannot send you my spirit to help you and inspire you.”
Henri J. M. Nouwen
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 CORINTHIANS 8:8 (NIV)
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Mar 31, 2019 9:25:40 GMT -5
SUNDAY, MARCH 31
John 12:1-3
A SPECIAL BANQUET TO VISIT
A dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.
— John 12:2
Here’s a banquet I would love to have attended! Many of us have had that experience; we’ve heard about a special event and wish we’d been included. Many of us can remember the look of broken-heartedness on one of our children’s faces when they heard about a birthday party and they were not invited.
Well, let’s imagine we’re at this banquet, given in Jesus’ honor. It must have been at the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany. These women were Jesus’ close friends, the ones he relaxed with, the ones whose brother was Lazarus. Yes, Lazarus, the one who had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus brought him back to life! (See John 11.)
Just look around the banquet room. There’s Jesus! His disciples. Mary and Martha. Some other friends. And there’s Lazarus, the same man whom Jesus had miraculously raised from the dead! You can’t have a man like that at a banquet without him being at the center of attention! The banquet was clearly in Jesus’ honor because the resurrection of Lazarus had established Jesus’ reputation in that community.
Wouldn’t you love to have been there celebrating with Jesus? I would. Would you have asked Jesus about his miracles? Would you have lavishly anointed his feet with perfume like Mary? Or would you have just sat there in quiet awe?
There are many other events from those days that I’d love to have witnessed as well. I often think about that during the season of Lent. As we follow the theme “Were You There?” this week, let’s imagine together that we’re “on location” at the times when some of the most momentous events in history took place.
PRAYER: Gracious Lord, accept my deep thanks for coming to this earth to be my Savior. As I look in to observe your life and death this week, stir my faith in you. In your name, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 1, 2019 7:35:24 GMT -5
MONDAY, APRIL 1
John 12:1-11
A DEATH WARRANT
The chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well.
— John 12:10
Suppose you had been there and witnessed the confusing chain of events that led up to the death of Jesus. For three years, tension and animosity had been building between the religious leaders and Jesus. It seems that every time he performed a miracle or made clear that he was the Son of God, the leaders became more upset. As their anger built, it blinded them to who he was; their hearts hardened and they came to believe that Jesus had to be killed.
Then the most spectacular and striking miracle of all took place. Lazarus had died, and his body had lain four days in a tomb while all his family and friends mourned. Then, in an act that can only be explained by the power of God, Jesus brought him back to life!
What an amazing thing to observe! What a motivation to believe in Jesus as God’s Son!
But this event led to a new tragedy. The religious leaders became even more agitated. They were angry at Lazarus because he was encouraging people to believe in Jesus. So the decision was made. Lazarus would have to die too. The evidence of Jesus’ power had to be destroyed.
If you had been there, you would have sensed the tragedy and irony in these events, but you would also have seen firsthand how determined unbelief can be and how angry it can become when threatened.
Can you see instances of determined unbelief in our world today? The powers of evil can often seem so strong. But we know that God is stronger yet, and he will ultimately reign. Hallelujah!
PRAYER: Lord, open the eyes of all who see the evidence firsthand but are so blinded that they refuse to recognize you as the Lord of life, the one and only Son of God. In your name, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 2, 2019 8:21:15 GMT -5
TUESDAY, APRIL 2
John 12:37-41
REFUSING TO BELIEVE
Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
— John 12:37
Many of us think that if only we’d been there during the time when Jesus lived on this earth, we surely would have believed in him.
After all, the evidence was so clear. He loved people so much. He talked so clearly about God as his heavenly Father. Jesus left no doubt about his claim to be the Son of God. Lame people walked again. Sick people were healed. Demon-possessed people were freed. To top it all off, even dead people were raised to life. Could there be any doubt about Jesus’ claims?
Yet even after all the miracles, people still would not believe in him. Why not? Belief with all that evidence would be far more reasonable than unbelief!
So why wouldn’t people believe in him?
I guess there really is no convincing answer to that question except to say that hearts can be hard. Very hard. So hard that even the best of evidence makes no impression. So hard that blindness sets in. It’s possible for people to resist so vehemently that eventually God takes away the ability to see. And then “would not believe” becomes “could not believe.”
Maybe you’ve seen that happening in people you know. Maybe you have loved ones who just won’t accept Jesus as their Savior. Pray that those who refuse Jesus will have a change of heart. Pray also that God will take away the blindness of those who have refused for so long.
PRAYER: Lord, I pray today for friends who are refusing to believe. I pray for your mighty Spirit to open their hearts, see the evidence, and put their faith in Jesus. For his sake, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 3, 2019 9:43:26 GMT -5
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
John 14:1-4
TRUSTING HEARTS
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
— John 14:1
If you and I had been there, our hearts would have been just as troubled as the disciples’ hearts were. And with good reason.
The disciples had seen the conflict develop between the religious leaders and Jesus, and they knew the leaders wanted to get rid of him. They had heard Jesus talk about his coming suffering and death. They’d also heard him talking about “going away.” They saw Judas leave the Passover table and wondered what that meant. And then they heard Jesus predict that Peter would disown Jesus three times. So with all these concerns, their hearts were carrying a heavy load. No wonder their hearts were troubled.
But now, still in the upper room at the Passover table, Jesus makes this astounding statement that their hearts should be trusting, not troubled. How could that be?
As always, Jesus gives his followers many reasons to trust him. Look again at what he says. He points to himself and says, “Believe. Trust in me.” He tells them about his Father’s house with many rooms. He explains that he’s going there to prepare a place for them! And then he’ll come back. And when he comes back, he’ll take them to be with him there. What a list of promises!
Don’t you wish you’d been there to hear those promises directly from the Savior’s mouth? It would be nice, but the good news is that we can read them in scripture and know that he was speaking to us too.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may your rich promises bring peace to my heart today. When I’m tempted to fear, remind me that you’re preparing a place for me. For your name’s sake, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 4, 2019 9:00:54 GMT -5
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
Luke 22:24-34
FAITH THAT WILL NOT FAIL
“I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”
— Luke 22:32
It must have been a jarring moment there in the upper room. So many important things had happened. Judas had left. Jesus had instituted a “new covenant” of love (Luke 22:20). And now he turned to Peter and stated that Satan wanted to ruin him.
Satan is the prince of evil. He rules the kingdom of darkness that Christ came to destroy. The prince of evil wanted to work intensely on Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples. He wanted to “sift [Peter] as wheat,” Jesus said. In those days a farmer would place his grain in a sieve and shake it vigorously. It wasn’t pleasant for the wheat, but it was the only way for the chaff and dust to be separated from the grain.
Yet at the same time Jesus gave Peter a precious promise. He reassured Peter that he had prayed for him. With all that must have been going through Jesus’ mind and heart as he faced his coming betrayal, trial, and crucifixion, Jesus was willing to focus his prayers on Peter, asking that Peter’s faith would not fail. Jesus was referring, of course, to the temptations Peter would soon face as the devil worked on him to deny his Lord.
I’ve been sifted too. Have you? Are you aware that your Savior, who now rules in heaven, is constantly praying for us, praying that our faith will not fail when those times come? (See Romans 8:34.)
PRAYER: O Lord, just as you prayed for Simon Peter, pray for me today. I can often feel Satan shaking me and tempting me. Pray, O Lord, that my faith will not fail today. And pray for my loved ones too. In your name I ask this. Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 5, 2019 11:10:48 GMT -5
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
Luke 22:39-42
FACING THE CUP
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
— Luke 22:42
Would you have wanted to be with Jesus when he spent his evening out in the Garden of Gethsemane? It apparently was a quiet, pleasant, beautiful place. It was a place someone could go to find peace and serenity.
But not tonight. This was the night for a “cup” in the garden; the cup of sorrow and suffering. Jesus had just identified Judas as his betrayer, warned Peter about his denials, instituted a new covenant, and given the disciples all the instructions they could handle for the night. Now it was time to be alone, alone with his Father, alone to face the cup of suffering that would soon come.
Jesus knew that once the suffering of that cup began to pour out, he would be arrested, taken to trial, beaten, condemned, and crucified. He faced the cup willingly, yet he recoiled from it. He asked for it to be taken from him. But he wanted the Father’s will to be done more than his own. So he accepted the cup that no one else would or could ever want to drink.
Were you there when he faced that cup? Yes, you certainly were. If you trust him as your divine Savior, you were in his mind at that very moment. He was willing to face the cup and experience its suffering for your and my salvation. He knew that our salvation from sin required the payment that only his suffering and death could provide.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, how I thank you this day for being willing to endure the agony and suffering for my sin! Thank you for making me a child of God. In your name, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 6, 2019 7:18:20 GMT -5
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Luke 22:39-44
STRENGTHENED BY AN ANGEL
An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
— Luke 22:43
I’d love to have been there when this event happened. I’ve never seen an angel, but I’d really love to have seen what happened there. Wouldn’t you?
The disciples hadn’t been much help to Jesus. They hardly knew what to say about all these rapidly happening events. Judas was gone now, arranging Jesus’ betrayal. Peter, James, and John were sleeping when they should have been praying for Jesus. Jesus was wrestling with the Father about the cup of suffering designed for him. Even though he was the eternal Son of God, this wrestling was real. His pain was intense.
So the Father sent an angel. Jesus was no stranger to angels. He had known them personally in heaven before he came to earth as a human. I’m sure he was also very conscious of them during his ministry as he encountered all the forces of evil in this world. Even Satan referred to them in his temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, quoting Psalm 91 to say that God would command his angels to guard Jesus (see Luke 4:9-13).
Yes, I think it would have been deeply meaningful to stand alongside while the angel strengthened Jesus in his anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, I doubt that my physical eyes would have been able to see the angel. After all, I’ve been told angels take care of me every day, and I have never seen that either. Yet I believe it. Do you?
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, how I thank you this day for being willing to endure the agony and suffering for my sin! Thank you for making me a child of God. In your name, Amen.
— Written by Howard Vanderwell
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Pate on Apr 7, 2019 8:53:40 GMT -5
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Luke 23:26-38
THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
— Luke 22:43
“They do not know what they are doing.”
Who was Jesus referring to when he spoke these words from the cross? Was he talking about the soldiers who had just driven spikes through his hands and feet and were now rolling dice for his clothes?
Or could Jesus have been referring to people who were walking by, mocking and insulting him?
Or was it possible that he was speaking of his own disciples? They had abandoned him in his hour of deepest need!
Or maybe Jesus was thinking of the religious leaders, whose scheming had led to his sentencing. Or of Pilate, who gave in to the demands of the angry crowd even though he knew Jesus was innocent.
The list of possible suspects is long. Where do we stop when we think of who Jesus had in mind when he said these words? Could we go so far as to say that he was referring to you and me?
The Bible teaches that Jesus’ statement includes all who “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). This includes you and me, but that is not a bad thing! This is because Jesus’ plea was not one of condemnation. It was a plea of forgiveness. Thankfully, this plea wasn’t specific to any one person or group of people. It was about forgiveness “for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Praise be to God!
PRAYER: O God, thank you that Jesus’ plea from the cross covers me and all my sins. I am overwhelmed by the forgiveness that he offers me each day. Amen.
— Written by Shawn Brix
|
|
