Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Matthew 6:10
“…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”

As Christians, we know that Jesus will come again and make all things new. Praise the Lord that Christ will return, and that we won’t have to live in this broken world forever! But when you say, “Your will be done” it’s important that you’re open to the possibility that God’s will is for you to go talk to that person at the grocery store, or help out at your church, or become a missionary in your own home or abroad. God will call you to do extraordinary things for Him, and it’s your job to listen and obey. Until the Lord’s kingdom does come, we all have a job to do here on earth.

Monday, April 18, 2022

Monday, April 18, 2022
Matthew 6:9
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”

It doesn’t sound like a natural way to start a prayer does it? Jesus wasn’t trying to be fancy or ritualistic when He told us to pray this way. Instead, He was teaching us that God’s relationship with creation is one that deserves our attention and our reverence. He’s your Father, but He is beyond anything on earth or in heaven. His name holds all the authority in the universe, and when you pray “in Jesus’ name” it shouldn’t just be an idle phrase you put before “amen.” It’s claiming your right as a child of God to come before Him and ask for whatever you need.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Friday, April 15, 2022
John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Without a perfect sacrifice, your sins would have bound you to eternal darkness and separation from God. No matter how good of a person you strove to be, everyone falls short of the glory of God. But your Father in Heaven loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die in your place and seal your fate in eternity with God. This grace is a gift; you just need to accept it, putting your trust in the sacrifice of Jesus and believing that God raised Him from the dead. All that’s left is to answer the question this verse leaves you with: “Do you believe this?”

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Thursday, April 14, 2022
Mark 16:5-6

 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

This is the heart of the gospel, and the reason we celebrate Easter. To show that He had the ultimate authority over death, Jesus conquered it. He appeared to those who knew Him, and before He ascended into Heaven after forty days, He made His resurrection an undeniable truth; one that would change the world forever. Death was never the end, and it never will be again for those who are in Christ. The Messiah proved that it has no hold over those who belong to Him, and He invited you and I to join Him in everlasting life.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Mark 15:46

So, Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man, and a disciple of Jesus. When the Savior was crucified and killed, it was Joseph who gave His body a proper resting place, wrapping the lifeless form of Christ in linen and sealing the tomb with a stone. Grief, hopelessness, and fear were in the hearts of those who had known the Messiah, whom they thought had come from above to free their people from Rome. None of them had yet realized what Jesus meant when He had promised to rebuild the temple in three days. Soon, God’s children wouldn’t need a physical temple to come before Him; only faith and a willing heart.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Tuesday, April 12, 2022
John 19:29-30

A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus fulfilled many prophesies about the Messiah during his lifetime, but the most important ones were fulfilled during his death. He was hated without cause, His clothes were divided by the casting of lots, and He was given vinegar to quench his thirst. These events and more had been foretold in the Old Testament, and by allowing His own creations to do their worst, the Lord finished what He had started. The Son of God was tortured, crucified, and given a crown of thorns, but through the agony, it was love that held Him there… and when it was finished, the Messiah breathed His last.