Holy Week, Day 4 Which side will you choose? When it comes to Jesus, you cannot sit in the middle. You must choose a side. Looking at holy week, we consider the man Pilate. Read Matthew 27:11-26. As we think about the decisions that the governor Pilate was faced with, we realized just how challenging it can be to try to make everyone happy. Pilot was so focused on keeping the crowd happy and maintaining the peace that he missed the opportunity to understand who Jesus was and how Jesus could impact his life. Pilate sought to stay neutral, but Jesus is not a subject you can stay neutral about.…

The Essential Jesus, Day 100 Who is Jesus? As we wrap up this study with day 100 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we read in Luke 9:18-27. We have spent the last 100 days searching through the Bible and seeking to better understand who Jesus is. As we have been reading through and learning so many of the qualities and characteristics, it beings us back to the question of who do we say Jesus is. You see, as we have been learning and understanding the truth of who Jesus is, that still leaves each of us with the choice to accept Him and follow him. Or not.…

The Essential Jesus, Day 99 God evaluates us. As we look at day 99 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com we read Acts 9:1-19. As we read about the amazing transformation of Saul on the road to Damascus, I’m struck by how God knew his heart. Ananias had heard Saul’s reputation, but God knew where Saul was at that moment. No matter what we go through, God knows knows our intentions. Are we truly sold out in focus to him in every area of our life? If we are, God knows. If we are not, God knows. How can we continue to help our reputation and what others…

The Essential Jesus, Day 98 Jesus calls everyone, but everyone must choose for themselves. As we read John 4 for day 98 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com we see that believing in Jesus is an individual choice. When we share Jesus with others, do we explain to them the personal decision that we have made? Do we help them understand why believing in Jesus matters to us individually, right now, today? Believing in Jesus and choosing to follow him is an individual choice that each person must make. We can’t rely on the choices of others. Do we make the decision to follow Jesus on our own?…

The Essential Jesus, Day 97 God’s gift. As we read through day 97 of the Essential Jesus reading plan found on YouVersion.com, we find ourselves in the familiar passage of John chapter 3. As we read this chapter, we see Jesus explaining salvation and the concept behind salvation. We see a man struggling to understand why and how he can be born again and why he needs to be. As we seek to understand these truths ourselves, we can often find it difficult to put those thoughts into words. How do we explain “born again”? How do we help someone understand that the life they are living is not enough.…

The Essential Jesus, Day 96 With God. As we look at day 96 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com we see that nothing is impossible… with God. Read Matthew 19:16-30. As we read through the story and we thinknabout all that happens, we see an amazing distinction. With God, all things are possible. With God, we can do all things. With God, we have potential and progress and we are able to overcome. Without God… nothing. We can often start to think more ourselves than we ought to. We can often have pride in our own abilities, but as the young man learned, only through God are we…

The Essential Jesus, Day 95 Christ is coming again and will make all things new. As we read day 95 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we read Revelation 21 and 22. Jesus is coming and he will make all things new. There will be a new heaven and a new Earth and all of the pieces of creation that were damaged and tainted by sin will fall away. God will recreate everything exactly the way that he wants it. We have the opportunity to come and be part of this new creation and to be recreated by God as well. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as…

The Essential Jesus, Day 94 The Lord is returning. As we read day 94 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we read 2 Peter 3:1-18. The Lord is coming again. We can count on the fact that God will always keep his promises. However the timing of fulfilling his promises may not always be what we expect. It may feel like God is delayed, but he is truly just being patient. God wants everyone to accept his gift of forgiveness and God’s delay in returning is evidence that not everything has happened that he wants yet. Are we focused on using the time that God has given us…

The Essential Jesus, Day 93 The time when Jesus comes back is going to be challenging and full of difficulty. As we read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we see Paul reminding people that he is telling us about these difficulties now. Reading through these verses, we can see all that God wants to share with us to give us a heads up and an alarm that Jesus is coming. Do we heed the signs? Do we recognize the alarms? As we are working our way through all the situations and challenges, we realize that God is still there in the midst of everything. God is consistent and available and all that…

The Essential Jesus, Day 92 Encourage one another. Whether in life or in death, we are to encourage and lift up one another. Reading day 92 of the Essential Jesus reading plan on YouVersion.com, we read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. As we read all the verses that explain the importance of living for Christ and being with Christ in death, we see that our focus on Christ is the most important thing. Our life is not. Whether we are living or dying, we are to glorify God. Our ability to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ is about how we share with them and encourage them in the glory of…