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Christian Devotional – April 13, 2022
Holy Week, Day 3 Epic fail. Peter denying Jesus is certainly one of the more commonly referenced happenings of Holy Week. Read Mark 14:53-72. Why do we resonate with Peter’s betrayal of Jesus so much? Often I think it’s because we know our own shortcomings and our own ways in which we have let Jesus down. We want to be true to be true to him. We may even have boasted about how good we are or how are or how much we follow Jesus. But, in the difficulties and tough times, do we follow through? Or, like Peter, do we betray him? The beautiful piece about Peter and this…
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Christian Devotional – April 12, 2022
Holy Week, Day 2 How did the disciples respond to holy week? Jesus had been prepping them for 3 years, yet when it came time, they ran. Read Mark 14:27-28. Jesus knew the disciples would run. Jesus knew everything about them. Still, he chose them and loved them and used them anyway. Jesus knew they would return and so he told them that even before they left. Jesus knows all about us. Everything that we do, have done, and will do, He knows. We can’t keep secrets from him, so are we open to him with our entire lives? How do we glorify him in the situations that we find…
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Christian Devotional – April 11, 2022
Holy Week, Day 1 This week is Holy Week. We are going to look back through the events that lead up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now that we have spent so much time understanding him, let’s understand what he was here to do. Read Isaiah 53. Jesus Christ came to be the perfect sacrifice for you and me. Our sins had created separation between us and God. We are not able to bridge that separation on our own. Jesus took that punishment, just as it was foretold in Isaiah chapter 53. Have we ever thought about what it means for someone to take our punishment? Have…
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Christian Devotional – April 10, 2022
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.…
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Christian Devotional – April 9, 2022
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…
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Christian Devotional – April 8, 2022
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?…
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Christian Devotional – April 7, 2022
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.…
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Christian Devotional – April 6, 2022
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…
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Christian Devotional – April 5, 2022
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…
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Christian Devotional – April 4, 2022
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…