The Essential Jesus, Day 16 All will bow to Jesus. As we look at day 16 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we see a focus on people in positions of authority. Read Psalm 2. All authorities are under Jesus, whether they realize it or not. All will bow before him and all should be warned to fear the Lord. Are we lifting up those people in authority around us in prayer? They must be able to recognize Jesus for who he is and ensure that they are goving him the position in their lives that he deserves. If we are in a position of authority, do we…

The Essential Jesus, Day 15 What do we cling to? As we read today in The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we see the story of Jonah. Reading through the entire book, we see a man who clung to anger and prejudice. While Jonah may have stated a lot of the right things, he didn’t always live them. He wanted God to be just for his people and he got angry that God would forgive and give mercy to the people of Nineveh. The people of Nineveh didn’t cling to their worthless idols. They repented and sought the forgiveness and mercy from the Lord. That is how we are…

The Essential Jesus, Day 14 How do we sense God’s presence? As we look at day 14 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we look at how we can see God. How do we recognize his presence. We can see God’s presence in so many things and here in 1 Kings 8:1-21, we find that God makes his presence known by filling the temple with a cloud that represented his glory. When we look around our life, are we recognizing the presence of God in everything that we do? Do we see God moving and working. We can see and feel God in everything around us. As we…

The Essential Jesus, Day 13 Does God answer your prayers? Are answers what you expect? For the people of Israel, God answered their prayer, but not in the way they expected. Looking at Day 13 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com we read Numbers 21:4-9. They sinned, God allowed judgment to fall. The people repented and prayed that God would remove the snakes. God did provide deliverance, but not the way they expected. The snakes remained, but God provided a way to be saved. When we are facing God and repenting, or when we are asking for God to deliver us, God doesn’t always give us what we…

The Essential Jesus, Day 12 Jesus is our provider. As we look at Day 12 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we read through Exodus 16:1-35. The people of Israel had left and were following God as he delivered them from the Egyptians. However, they were not always thankful or grateful for what God did for them. Sometimes they grumbled and complained. Here they felt that God should have provided more for them. Then when God did provide for them, they didn’t follow instructions. Are we thankful for God’s provision for us? Do we recognize all that he does for us? When we truly think about it, are…

The Essential Jesus, Day 11 The blood of the lamb. As we read through day 11 of The Essential reading plan from YouVersion.com, we find ourselves in Exodus chapter 12, verses 1 through 30. Reading this account of the original Passover reminds us of the importance of the blood of the lamb. The blood of the lamb was what separated those who were in need of salvation from judgment. Instead of receiving judgment, they were saved. This is a direct foreshadow of why Jesus is so essential to all of us. All of us are in need of salvation and his blood as the sacrifice on the cross is what…

The Essential Jesus, Day 10 Our civic responsibility. As we read the Day 10 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we see just how important it is that we pray for our government. Read Amos 5:1-27. As we see, when the government becomes corrupt, everything tends to fall apart around. Those in power desperately need the grounding and direction that Christ provides. Without it, it is way too easy to lose their way as they try to lead. As we are following Jesus, we need to keep focused on the importance of loving what Jesus loves and hating what he hates. Are we leading others to Jesus and…

The Essential Jesus, Day 9 Salvation. Jesus brings us salvation. As we look at day 9 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we see just how completely sin separates us from God. Read Isaiah 59:1-21. We cannot truly understand the dept of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ until we understand just how utterly and completely lost we were. Our sin completely cut us off from God and because of that, we were completely hopeless. When we truly understand that, we see just how amazing God’s plan of salvation is. We are able to be saved through Jesus. His salvation is always enough. It is never too short or…

The Essential Jesus, Day 8 Are we a fool? When we look at day 8 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we realize that as we don’t know or understand God, that makes us a fool. Read Psalm 14:1-7. A fool doesn’t look for God, understand God, or even realize that God is still there. When we look at our lives, can we see God in our life? So often it is easy to just think about God when it is convenient, but then not include God in anything else. Are we focusing on God and on following Him, or are we a fool?

The Essential Jesus, Day 7 What do we worship? As we look at day 7 of The Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we realize that if there is a true savior in Jesus Christ, then there are plenty of fake things out there to worship. The people of Israel understood fake things. They got tired of waiting for Moses and the real God, so they decided to make a fake one. Read Exodus 32. When we really think about the true Jesus, we recognize all that he is and the way in which he genuinely saves. What do we spend our time worshipping? Are we focused on worshiping Jesus…