The Essential 100, Day 70 Christ rose from the dead, but then he ascended into heaven right before the eyes of the disciples. Read Acts 1:1-11. The disciples were still trying to understand exactly what God’s plan was. They wondered if now was the time for a conquering army. God had other plans and he arose from the dead with a mission and purpose for them to share. When he left them and went back into heaven, he did so by giving them a mission and purpose. They were to go and share. As Jesus sent them, he also sent us. I often wonder if God would like to ask…

The Essential 100, Day 69 The Resurrection of Jesus is why we can have hope today. If Jesus had stayed dead, then we would not have the hope of salvation. Read John 20 – 21. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Jesus took our sins upon himself, was crucified and died. However, because he was not guilty of those sins, God raised him from the dead. He is resurrected in us and he is the one who lives through us every day as we continue to crucify our sinful thoughts and sinful nature. Just like Paul says in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer…

The Essential 100, Day 68 The death of Jesus is a terrible and gruesome event that is recorded in scripture. Read John 19. As you read through this account of the crucifixion of Jesus, John makes this statement that he witnessed everything and that the reason he was a witness so that we also maybe leave. Witness statements have such amazing value and weight to them, especially in a court system. How do we know what is true, what did a witness see? What did a witness experience? In the end, many people don’t believe that Jesus lived or that Jesus died, but John records here that he wants us…

The Essential 100, Day 67 Do we betray Jesus? Peter did. Read John 18. When faced with difficult decisions, will we acknowledge the impact Christ has made on our life, or will we deny him. It’s very easy to read through this story and condemn Peter or talk about how we would have done things differently. Yet, if we were to put ourselves in Peter’s place, would we really have responded differently? How do we respond to similar situations today?

The Essential 100, Day 66 The night before Jesus was crucified, we see him with his disciples, honoring God and celebrating the Passover. Then, as he prays, we see his anguish. Still, he follows God. Read Luke 22:1-46. Jesus faced more temptation than any of us ever will. Jesus, in preparation for the crucifixion, was praying for all that was about to come. He was to be used by God in a powerful way. Are we willing to be used, broken, sacrificed and resurrected so that God’s will is done in our lives?

The Essential 100, Day 65 Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is able to work through any situation. We can trust in him and live both now and eternally. Read John 11. No matter what we are going through, Jesus is the resurrection. And just like Mary and Martha learned in this chapter, Jesus’s power does not just extend into eternal life, but Jesus has power over life now. Do we trust in Jesus to give us life and life more abundantly? Not everything in life is going to be perfect and roses. In fact, following Jesus is a life of sacrifice and surrender. Still, only through Jesus…

The Essential 100, Day 64 Even the evil know and recognize God. Read Mark 5:1-20. The man was possessed and the demons in him knew who Jesus was and why he was there. God is God over everything, including evil. Here in this story, we see Jesus coming face to face with Evil. Jesus overcomes and we realize that he is over evil. Do we recognize God is over the difficulties and evil, both in the world and in our lives. Are we focused on him in our lives today?

The Essential 100, Day 63 Jesus healed a man who was blind. Then the man was called in for questioning. Read John 9. Jesus did something amazing in this man’s life. He healed a man who had been blind from birth. God gave him his sight back but now, people wanted to understand what happened. They questioned whether God would be able to do a healing like that. When asked, the man responded that he didn’t have all the answers to the theological questions they were asking. What he knew was, he had been blind but now he can see. That is all witnessing is. Witnessing is simply sharing what…

The Essential 100, Day 62 Take courage. Jesus knows that the storms of life are a constant, but we can take courage. Read Matthew 14:22-36. The disciples faced the storm. But, they were not alone. Jesus was coming to them and he was in control the entire time. As Jesus walked to them on the water they were afraid. So many times in our life we experience storms and dark times, yet Jesus is right there with us and because of him we do not have to be afraid. When we are looking around us, are we looking at our circumstances and the waves and the storm, or are we…

The Essential 100, Day 61 God takes care of your needs. Read Luke 9. During this chapter we see God move in several different ways. First, God sends his disciples out to share and to minister to the people and the surrounding areas. Second, people are coming to him directly and Jesus meets their needs in an amazing way by feeding over 5000 of them with just a small lunch. Finally, we see Jesus discussing the importance of following him and see Jesus display all of his glory on the mountain top with his disciples. Such amazing and fantastic recognitions of exactly who Jesus is. Do we recognize who Jesus…