Month: March 2021

Gethsemane

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Verse of the Day:  Matthew 26:36-46                        

Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”           

The Last Supper

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Verse of the Day:  Matthew 26:17-30

The Last Supper

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.” 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Plot Against Jesus, Jesus Anointed at Bethany and Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

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Verse of the Day:  Matthew 26:1-5; Matthew 26:6-13 and Matthew 26:14-16

The Plot Against Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.           

Palm Sunday

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Verse of the Day:  Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Unashamed and Courageous

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Verse of the Day:  Philippians 1:20   

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.   

God’s grace and the hope He gives us means we don’t have to be ashamed of any suffering we may encounter for Christ. We must have the courage to follow Jesus and declare Him to be the Son of God, the Messiah and the Lord of our lives no matter what is going on around us. People may mock or ridicule us for our faith and as believers in Christ when things are not going well or when we face troubles but do not be shaken for we serve a mighty God. Be courageous and determined to always do your very best to obey the call of God in all circumstances.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing grace and the hope that is found in Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Help me to be courageous in the face of adversity and to stand firm until the end for I am unashamed of my faith in Jesus Christ! Amen

Obedience and Service

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Verse of the Day:  Isaiah 6:8 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”   

If your desire is for God to use you, first you need to deal with any sin in your life. Second, build a relationship with God, get to know Him and recognize His voice. Third, you need to offer yourself to Him through obedience and service. You may think of yourself as unworthy or unqualified to be used by God but you have been washed by the blood of the lamb, you are a new creation. God doesn’t always call the qualified, but He definitely will qualify the called and those who are willing to be used for His purpose.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts and talents You have given me. Help me, Lord, to use them for Your honor and glory. I give myself to You so You can use me for Your purpose. Amen

Love One Another

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Verse of the Day:  John 13:35           

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.          

When you have the love of God in your heart it shows. Your love for God is not found in your outward appearance but in the way you treat others. If you truly have the love of God in your heart you will show it by being kind, generous and loving so all may see God’s love through you. Especially in this current climate, we have the opportunity to share the love of God with others. A couple of ways you can show love to one another are to check up on elders and neighbors and donate goods to food pantries or homeless shelters. There are also some volunteer opportunities available in your local community for those in need. Above all else, pray for the sick, for healthcare workers, first responders, our government and everyone else affected by this global crisis.

Lord, thank You for the love You have shown me. Help me to show that same love to others by being kind and generous. Help me to share Your love with those who need it most. Let them see You in me, Lord. Amen

Courage for Today

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Verse of the Day:  1 Samuel 17:37   

The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”         

You may be going through adversity at this very moment, but you can still have courage in your current situation. Just like the Lord rescued David from the paw of the lion earlier, David believed that God would also rescue him from this new situation. The same is true for you. God brought you through difficult times before, and He’ll do it again. God was with you then and He’s with you now. Instead of worrying about your present circumstances, remember the times God brought you through the storms. Thank God for all that tribulations He’s brought you through and thank Him in advance for getting you through whatever is going on in your life right now.

Lord, thank You for all the times You have gotten me through difficult situations. You were with me then and I know You are with me now. I trust in You to give me the courage I need to face whatever comes my way. You alone are my refuge and strength, my ever-present help in trouble. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Amen

Life’s Instruction Manual

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Verse of the Day:  Proverbs 3:1-2     

Do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.                                                  

People often joke about life not coming with an instruction manual. It actually does, it’s called The Holy Bible. The Book of Proverbs is an excellent place to start if you’re looking for instructions. It is an example of Biblical wisdom and raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct. (Wikipedia) It is for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair (Proverbs 1:2-3) If we live our lives according to God’s commands and keep His Word in our heart we can avoid many problems and live a long, peaceful and prosperous life.  

Lord, thank You for Your Word that guides me through life. Help me to treasure and keep your commands in my heart as I trust in You and submit my life to You. Amen

Praise the Lord!

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Verse of the Day:  Psalm 119:164     

Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.      

There is no set number of times a day we must praise God each day but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we just stopped what we were doing throughout the day to delight and please God with our praise, to give thanks and honor to the one who is worthy of all praise? We have so much to be thankful for and it doesn’t take but a few moments to say, “Thank you God!” It doesn’t even matter what we are going though, even in difficult times, through faith we can still lift up our hands to praise our God. Praise God with your words and with your songs, give God all the glory!

Dear God, I lift up my hands to You, Lord. With all of my heart I praise You for You alone are worthy of all praise. Thank You, Lord, for everything that You are. Thank You for Your Word, thank You for Your love and thank You for Your amazing grace. Amen