Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Proverbs 10:18
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.

Words have power. They have the potential to encourage and build up or they can discourage and tear down. Solomon warns that when you cover up your true feelings with lies or gossip, that will end up hurting those around you. But speaking the truth in love, though it might sting a little, cultivates an atmosphere of integrity. Work environments would change drastically if people stopped pretending to like their difficult coworkers, and asked God to reveal how to love them instead. Let the power of your speech give others courage today.

Monday, April 1, 2024

Monday, April 1, 2024
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Wisdom. It’s is a virtue sought after by those in high positions like kings and presidents to those in lowly positions like shepherds and ordinary people. But the way you get it, isn’t by reading the dusty pages of ancient tomes, it’s by bending your knees in front of an awesome God. That one act of submission starts a posture of the heart that will inevitably shape your actions, decisions, and your attitude for the rest of your life. And it will lead to a knowledge that isn’t contained in the pages of books, but in the heart of a good God. Without it, you risk becoming a fool who hates wisdom and instruction. Instead, choose to follow the path for wisdom, but remember it’s paved in reverence and awe.

Friday, March 29, 2024

Friday, March 29, 2024
1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

God is irate with the evil in the world, not because it hurts Him, but because it hurts you and I. Sin corrupts, kills, and destroys the good that God meant for you to experience in life, and because He’s a God of love, He’s also a God of justice. Sin must be justly paid for in order for you to enter the kingdom of heaven, and that’s a debt too high for any human being to pay… except for one. Through the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that horrible cross, the debt for sin has been paid for anyone who believes in Him. Through His blood you have been washed clean, and by His wounds you have been healed.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Thursday, March 28, 2024
Luke 23:34
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

The book of Isaiah is full of prophecies about the Messiah, and if the Pharisees had swallowed their pride, they might have seen Jesus for who He was. The coming Savior was said to be a king, but also a humble servant. He would establish a new kingdom that would last forever, but He would also be led as a sheep to the slaughter. The book of Psalms speaks of a righteous man surrounded by evil, His hands and feet pierced, as His enemies cast lots and divide His garments. All of these spoken words became true history throughout Jesus’ life, and on the day of His death. It was a death long foretold by the scriptures, and a death that would change the course of the future forever.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024
John 19:1-2
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.

The flogging Jesus endured was agonizing and would have left Him bleeding and in immense pain. This wasn’t uncommon treatment for criminals in Rome, but the crown of thorns and purple robe was personal; a mockery designed specifically for the King of the Jews. The very thorns that God cursed the ground with when sin entered the world were wrenched onto Christ’s scalp, and the royal color that a King rightfully deserved was thrown haphazardly around His bleeding, stripped body. But this wasn’t enough to satisfy the crowd, and even Pilate, a Roman leader accustomed to torment, was taken aback by the hatred of the Jews as they shouted, “crucify him!” And yet Christ offered no opposition; it was the Lord’s will to be crushed for the sins of the cruel world, once and for all.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Tuesday, March 26, 2024
John 13:21
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

When it comes to the death of Jesus, it wasn’t just physical pain that He had to endure. His final day was far worse when you read of how He was treated by those who claimed to be His loving friends. Before it even happened, Christ knew that Judas would betray Him for thirty pieces of silver, and that His most devoted disciple would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. The rest of Jesus’ closest friends would scatter in fear at the first sign of danger, and the Messiah would be beaten and spat upon by the very children of Israel that He came to save. The betrayal of Judas, the empty promises of Peter, and the savagery of His own people all weighed heavy on Christ, as if the physical cross He carried wasn’t heavy enough.