Tag Archives: Salvation

2012 Day 89 – John 19

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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We tend to worry a lot about authority and who is in control (especially during election season). In verse 11 it says, Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” All authority is given by God. We don’t need to worry because without God’s authority our leaders would not be in power. Ultimately, we need to remember that God has a perfect plan. When things seem to be going poorly for us, we simply need to remember He is in control. Even on the day they killed Jesus, God’s plan remained intact and the Savior of the world saved us all. Trust in God and obey Him because He is in control.

2012 Day 87 – Luke 23

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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There was an interesting note in my Bible about Barrabas. It says it was ironic that he was accused of the same thing they were accusing Jesus, mounting up an insurrection, and yet he went free while Jesus paid the price for his crime. It was also interesting that Barrabas is simply referred by his first name and is never referred by his given name (as in Simon Peter, son of Jonah). He could have been anyone’s son – and that’s just the point. Barrabas’ freedom is a perfect example of the freedom we experience through salvation from Christ’s death and it is available to us all.

2012 Day 85 – Matthew 27

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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This is always an emotional section of the Gospel for me. It paints the picture of how much Jesus suffered on the cross. One of the areas that stood out to me this morning was how obviously innocent Jesus really was. How many times did the religious leaders hear they were killing an innocent man; Judas in verse 4 says, “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”; in verse 19 Pilate’s wife testifies to Pilate, “Don’t have anything to do with this innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”. How blind did the religious leaders need to be to go after such a blatantly innocent man? In the end, the requirement for the forgiveness of our sin was the sacrifice of perfection. I feel unworthy and humbled by my savior’s love for me.

2012 Day 78 – Mark 14

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.

2012 Day 77 – Matthew 26

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.

2012 Day 73 – Luke 21

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.

2012 Day 69 – Matthew 22

09 Friday Mar 2012

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Today’s reading in Matthew 22 shows how much the religious leaders wanted to stump Jesus. Both the Sadducees and Pharisees worked very hard, but at ever turn Jesus had an answer. What stood out to me today was verse 22, “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” In this verse Jesus is making it clear that heaven is for real. God is the God of the living and not the dead. I love knowing that I will see the people I love once again in heaven. It brings me comfort and joy knowing that those who believe in Christ and His saving grace will be with me for eternity.

2012 Day 63 – Matthew 20

03 Saturday Mar 2012

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Here is another verse so many of us take out of context; verse 16, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The verse talks about non-Jews having equal access to the Kingdom of God as Jews. Somehow we love to use this verse as some sort of “get to the front of the line” verse. It is important to know what Jesus is saying and why he says the things he says. For this verse we must remember that Jesus died for everyone, not just a select few. It is not up to us to figure who to impact, but to remember we are a reflection of Him in all that we do.

2012 Day 61 – Matthew 19

01 Thursday Mar 2012

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I know we often take this verse out of context, but I love what Jesus says in verse 26, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” The truth is there are a lot of things that are impossible for us as imperfect humans. With God there are no impossibilities. He is the creator of the universe and as such He can do anything and everything. We need to remember that we do not stand alone. When we think we cannot do something, we need to remember that with God anything is possible.

2012 Day 57 – Luke 15

26 Sunday Feb 2012

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This chapter focuses on the lost and the joy it brings to Jesus when the lost are found. The parable of lost son is a great illustration of what it is like for God when those who are lost are found. The interesting thing to me in this story is about the older brother. It wasn’t until recently that I understood Jesus was talking about the Pharisees. Here they are, people who have followed the law and Jesus comes along and changes everything; even allowing Gentiles to receive salvation. Verses 31 shows the love The Father still has for His chosen people, ” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” The important part of this parable is that they story does not have a real ending. The story is still being written and Jesus is still waiting for the lost to come home and His chosen people to know He still loves them.