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4/4/21 Happy Easter

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TODAY'S VERSE: 4/4/21 Happy Easter “Jesus is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples.  He has risen from the dead!” - Matthew 28:6-7   TODAY'S DEVOTION: A few years ago about this time of the year I stopped at a local K-Mart to purchase a couple of photo albums, some film and some batteries for our camera. (This was before the era of smart phones.) We had accumulated quite a stack of pictures and needed to organize them, but we also wanted to be ready for taking more pictures at Easter. I had only been in this store once or twice before and had no clue where to find anything. So, I stopped at the information desk and asked directions. I said to the clerk, “Pardon me, could you please direct me to the area of the store where I can find photo albums, film and batteries?” She stepped out of the aisle where I was standing and pointed all the way down the aisle to the other end of the store and
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3/4/21 Day 40

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TODAY'S VERSE: 3/4/21 Day 40 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ Jesus has forgiven you.”  John 1:9   TODAY'S DEVOTION: Desmond Tutu rose to the position of Arch Bishop in the country of South Africa. He led in the struggle against apartheid. One of the positions he held during this time was chairing the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. “No Future Without Reconciliation” was its slogan. Archbishop Tutu believed in its truth that he made it a title of one of his books. He believed forgiveness to be the most powerful thing in the world. Forgiveness transforms like nothing else. It brings healing. It removes a burden that can crush the life out of a relationship and a family. Forgiveness allows us to stand up straight without pretending. It also possesses the power to release the quiet secret, horror
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2/4/21 Day 39

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TODAY'S DEVOTION: 2/4/21 Day 39 Sometimes the simplest reflections are the best. More often than not, the most direct reflections from God’s own words are the most appropriate. On this Good Friday, as we struggle to comprehend the immeasurability of what Jesus has done for us by surrendering His life for ours, let these words from Scripture wash over you in new and fresh ways. “When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive – right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the cross and marched them naked through the streets.” - Colossians 2:13-15 (The Message) “He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out all the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads and has completely annulled
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1/4/21 Day 38

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TODAY'S VERSE: 1/4/21 Day 38 “For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-25   TODAY'S DEVOTION: “Sorry, I’m too busy.” Have you ever said these words? Yeah, I have too. Sometimes we feel bad for not having the time. At other times, we wear it like a badge of honor. In fact, our society tells us we’re failing if we aren’t busy. We’re told we  should  work more than 40 hours-a-week, prepare organic-made-from-scratch meals for our family, and have our children involved in twelve different activities. If we can do all of
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31/3/21 Day 37

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TODAY'S VERSE: 31/3/21 Day 37 “He will wipe every tear form their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4   TODAY'S DEVOTION: You know that feeling when you wake up from a nightmare? For a moment, you wonder if it’s true – that you’re safe. Within a few seconds, an overwhelming sense of relief rushes through your soul because everything that was true in your nightmare came untrue. J.R.R. Tolkien puts it well in  The Lord of the Rings , when a wizard named Gandalf appears to one of his followers, Sam. Sam can hardly believe it because he watched Gandalf die with his own eyes. When Sam sees his leader… But Sam lay back, and stared with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last he gasped: ‘Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? God is in the business of making eve
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30/3/21 Day 36

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TODAY'S VERSE: 30/3/21 Day 36 “The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard Jesus’ teaching and began to look for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.” - Mark 11.18   TODAY'S DEVOTION: In divine revelation Jesus poured out teaching after teaching in the temple s they celebrated Passover the entire week. Jesus was on a mission to totally unveil his Lordship as his teaching pointed to his supremacy to define truth and love with justice and redemption in his heart. In this Holy Week we pause to contemplate our lives alongside the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the crowd of Jesus’ day. Where will you find yourself among these people? It’s probably easier for me to think that I would be in the crowd who was amazed at his teaching. But, for a moment, I also might consider if there is any desire within me to have my own sinful way apart from Jesus- and to what extent might fear rise up within me that wo
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29/3/21 Day 35

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TODAY'S VERSE: 29/3/21 Day 35 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:10-11     TODAY'S DEVOTION: As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on what became known as Palm Sunday, no one missed what his actions where saying. Everyone from the religious leaders to the common person laying down palm branches knew that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah referred to in Zechariah 9. This Old Testament text was penned around 500 years before Jesus stepped foot on the planet, and Jesus was fulfilling it before their eyes. Holy Week is all about the same question the people of Jerusalem were asking that day: “Who is this?” Everyone has an opinion about who Jesus really is. Your answer to this question will determine everything for you. So how would you answer the question? No serious scholars and historians believe Jesus never existed. Some people think
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