June 5, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:64-68 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION The reason Jesus’ words enrage the Jewish leaders is because He is claiming to be promised Messiah, as described by the prophet Daniel. “In my vision I saw One who looked like a son of man. He was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Eternal God. He was…
A time to speak, a time to be silent
June 4, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:57-63 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION “He was beaten down and made to suffer. But he didn’t open his mouth. He was led away like a sheep to be killed. Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off. In the same way, he didn’t open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7) It’s not that Jesus refuses to say…
This has happened so that…
June 3, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:55-56 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION “This has happened so that…” Jesus has a sense of destiny and purpose. He sees His life as a part of God’s big story, of what God is doing in and for the world. My purpose is not the exact same as Jesus, and yet it is similar to His. I…
Seeing myself in God!
June 2, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 36 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION God is the standard for goodness and love, and we need to see ourselves in His light. We were made to be like God, so any self-assessment needs to be made on that basis. This Psalm is echoed by Jesus in His famous Sermon on the Mount: You have heard that…
Judges 13-24
May 31-June 1, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Judges 13-24 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER
Overcome evil with good!
May 30, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:47-54 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION This past Sunday the reading was Psalm 35, where David feels betrayed: “They pay me back with evil, even though I was good to them.” (Psalm 35:12) This is what happens to Jesus too, He is betrayed by a kiss, at the hand of someone He has loved and served. Yet…
Even my spirit is weak!
May 29, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:40-46 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION The line that speaks to me today is ‘the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’ I can relate to this, my heart wants better than my life is realizing. This reminds me of Paul in Romans 7:18-20 — “I want to do what is good, but I can’t….
To want what God wants
May 28, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:36-39 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION The line that jumps out at me today is His final prayer: “But let what you want be done, not what I want.” He is sad, troubled, suffering, feeling close to death, and this is what He prays. I try to find a comparison in my own life, to…
I deny Jesus too!
May 27, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:31-35 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION This passage makes me think of songs that we sing as Christians: I surrender all, Stand up, stand up for Jesus, I love to tell the story, Blessed be Your Name (read these words carefully, do we really mean them?). Or Peter’s version of ‘I have decided to follow…
Believing is seeing
May 26, 2013 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 35 OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION Some people say ‘seeing is believing’, but David models ‘believing is seeing’. David is in crisis mode, he is being unfairly targeted by people he thought were friends. He is desperately calling upon God to intervene, to make these false friends taste their own medicine. But even though he…