The Roman soldier’s intent was to ridicule, harass, and torture Jesus. These hardened warriors were skilled at killing and intent on intimidation. But the theatrics they forced Jesus to endure were in fact most fitting for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…they just weren’t aware.
Month: April 2014
Luke 22:32 ” But I have prayed for you Simon Peter, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
“And when you have turned back..” Jesus knew the spiritual journey that Peter would take – from denying Him three times, to being reconciled back to Jesus following the Resurrection. There will come a point in every Believer’s life when their faith is tested…and most like Peter, will deny the Lord in one or another. But when we have turned back and received forgiveness, we truly then realize the immeasurable depth of God’s love for us…and we are changed.
John 13:5 ” After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disicples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”
When we say “Yes” to Jesus, our bodies are totally bathed in His forgiveness and grace. We are justified once, for all and can stand blameless before God. But daily, we must wash our feet – for our feet walk in the world and on every evil thing that clings to it. Daily, we need to make a decision to live a life of holiness and righteousness unto the Lord. Thus every day we need to wash our feet…and the Lord will dry them off.
Mark 14:10 ” Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”
Mark made a special point of showing that Judas had been one of the Lord’s trusted Disciples…that he had lived, traveled, and watched Jesus perform countless miracles over the span of those three years…but chose in the end to abandon Him for monetary gain. All of us would think to ourselves, “I’d never do such a thing to Jesus!” But every time we’re unfaithful to His teachings – we’re betraying Him. Every time we sell Jesus out for the things of the world – we’re turning our back on the Lord. Judas may have gone down in history as the great betrayer, but we’re all as guilty as he.
John 12:13 ” They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘
“Hosanna! Save us! Praise be to the one who comes with the power and authority of God.” This Palm Sunday, let us all examine ourselves…are we where we should be with God? Jesus is entering Jerusalem… would you be one of the crowd welcoming Him with Hosannas of praise, or would you be one of the scoffers and mockers? The choice is yours to make.
Mark 9:33-34 ” They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.”
Pride and arrogance rears its ugly head in the oddest of places, with the least likely of people. Here were the Lord’s Disciples, who had lived and been mentored by Jesus for almost three years, disputing amongst themselves who was the greatest. I can only imagine Jesus just shaking His head in disbelief…wondering if they had retained anything He had been teaching… about servanthood and self-sacrifice…about putting others first before themselves…about being humble.
Psalm 55:22 ” Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”
The other verse similar to this one is found in I Peter 5:7, ” Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you.” The Greek meaning for cast in both these verses shows movement and force…in other words, the Lord wants us to not just drop our troubles at His feet, but rather hurl or fling them at Him. So the next time problems and fears are welling up inside you, get rid of them – throw them at the Lord…He’ll catch them!
Ephesians 1:17 ” I keep asking God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
That I may know Him better…this is probably the heart cry of most Believers. We long for a depth of insight to discern readily what is the very best He wants for our lives. We desire to be filled with spiritual wisdom to know God’s Will for us, not only in the important life-changing decisions, but in the everyday mundane happenings. I pray that you too will be filled with a spirit of divine knowledge and understanding….that you may know Him better.
Genesis 32:28 ” Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.’ “
There comes a time in every Believer’s life when we grapple with the Lord…it may be struggling with something He wants us to do…it may be out right arguing with Him about a matter we feel is unfair. Contending with the Lord is a way to move through the thought process, step by step, until the final conclusion is reached. This wrestling with God, in the end, will enable us to be victorious over our flesh.
I Thessalonians 5:16 ” Be joyful always.”
When people are negative and critical…be cheerful always.
When circumstances are difficult and depressing…rejoice always.
When life is hard and cruel…be blessed always.
The world’s problems and difficulties will always be with us…but it’s how we react to them that not only make a difference in our lives, but also impacts those around us.
Safetypinlove 