21 Wednesday Mar 2012
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When we look for peace in this world we are often disappointed. In verse 27 Jesus talks about the peace that only He can give us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” God’s peace offers us comfort in place of the conflict that this world brings into our lives. God offers this peace freely, we just need to be willing to accept it.
20 Tuesday Mar 2012
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The passage describing Peter and Jesus’ interaction when He washes the disciples feet it’s humorous and a good parallel to how we sometimes choose to interact with God. When Jesus goes to wash Peter’s feet, he refuses. This is very much the way we sometimes react to God’s attempts to bless us. We feel unworthy and sometimes feel we need to earn it. Jesus takes the time to make Peter understand that he can not have a place in God’s kingdom if he doesn’t accept God’s gifts and blessings. While we may sometimes not be worth, Jesus’ mercy and grace are sufficient for us.
19 Monday Mar 2012
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Sorry about this, but I noticed our days were not in sync. I went back and saw that on Sunday, March 11th, I was a little eager and accidentally posted two (2) entries. So, today we are not posting anything new. We will be back on track tomorrow. Again, sorry I if I messed anyone up.
18 Sunday Mar 2012
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I love reading the different accounts of Jesus’ betrayal, death, and resurrection from each of the Gospels. Luke, in his typical detailed fashion, gives a lot of detail. One thing that stood out to me was in verse 36, He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” When Jesus originally sent out the disciples He sent them out with nothing. Now He is telling them to take money, supplies, and a sword. Jesus knows they will face trials and persecution and will need to be prepared.
Luke’s account also has a unique change to the the account of Jesus’ arrest. In Luke, Jesus heals the servants ear that is cut off by Peter. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. I think this is an important detail that Luke picks up on. It shows that even as Jesus is betrayed, He still has compassion on those who hate Him. Even in the end, Jesus is the perfect example to us.
17 Saturday Mar 2012
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There is a lot to absorb in today’s reading. The first thing that stood out to me was in verse 62 when Jesus answers the high priest’s question as to whether He is the Christ or not, “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Even when Jesus answers truthfully He is still called a liar and is beaten. This is something for us to remember. Just doing the right thing and telling the truth about Jesus does not guarantee that everything turns out ok. Notice that Jesus points to His reward in heaven, not here on earth.
The second thing that stood out to me was Peter’s denial of Jesus. It took Peter 3 times before he reaches verse 72, Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. The tough part is seeing Peter walking right into the middle of it. However, the really good news here is that Peter still becomes one of the foundations, The Rock, of our faith. No matter how bad we mess up, God can and will still use us.
16 Friday Mar 2012
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I think one of the most amazing passages in the whole Bible is in the second part of verse 39, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” It is amazing to me that even though Jesus realizes the amount of suffering he will have to endure for us, He still chooses to follow God’s plan. I’m not sure I could knowingly go into the kind of suffering Jesus had to endure. It makes it that much more incredible and precious to me that He has so much love for us.
15 Thursday Mar 2012
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Whenever I read verses 35-36 I am challenged to be a good and faithful servant. I hope that when I get to heaven Jesus is able to say this of me, For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ I order to fulfill God’s desires of me, I must be deliberate in the way I serve. Service will not come to me, I need to open my eyes and seek it out.
14 Wednesday Mar 2012
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When we read verses 4-8 where it says 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. we as Christian get very excited. We think, surely this is the “beginning of birth pains”. We all need to be careful that we not lose sight of our purpose here on earth and focus on the end. God has us here for a specific purpose and we are to focus on our relationship with Him and on being a reflection of Him. If we know Him well, we will not be deceive by those claiming to be Him.
13 Tuesday Mar 2012
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In verse 14 where it says, “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”, it is talking about acts of desecration of the temple. There were several times the temple was desecrated before Christ; in 597 BC when Nebuchadnezzar looted the temple and took Judea captive; and in 168 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the temple alter. This past summer I participated in a study of the book of Daniel and much of the book prophesied about the coming Messiah and the history before and after. Verse 14 is a reinforcement of prophesy of events that would end up happening in 70 AD when the Roman General Titus (no relation to the book of Titus) will place an idol on the site of the burned out temple. What is important to see here, in my mind, is that God knows, for the most part, the people of this earth don’t respect Him. Hard times for believers will come and we should not be a surprise. God knows what is coming and is certainly not surprised.
12 Monday Mar 2012
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Being a believer is the most important and rewarding thing I have ever done. And while it is rewarding and eternally sufficient, it is also not meant to be easy. We tend to want to water down our faith in order to increase our chances of the rest of the world liking us. The truth is we should not be surprised that most of the world either hates us or are are being told they should. In verses 17-19 Jesus makes it clear, “17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.” I tend to get upset when I see someone post something on Facebook or Twitter that makes believers look bad, but this is no surprise to God. All we can do is pray that we become as good of a reflection of Christ as we possibly can and God will work on the hearts men and women towards a loving relationship with Him. In the end, our reward is that we have gained eternal life.
Daily Devotion 