Category: Daily Bread

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Love He Who First Loved Us

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. 24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. ~ 1 Peter 2:22-24

As Jesus was on the cross, the crowd and soldiers reviled Him. They mocked Him and spit on Him. They taunted Him and even went as far as to gamble for His clothes in front of Him. The Roman soldiers beat Him until He was unrecognizable; nevertheless, He never returned evil for evil. Jesus only responded to their evil with good. He even went as far as to pray for their forgiveness as they reviled and mocked Him. This is the love of God.

While we were still sinners, God Himself set off His Godliness and took on the form of man so that He might take our sin upon Himself. Jesus overcame the world and made a way for all people to be saved. Our God’s love for us is greater than we could ever comprehend or imagine. Never forget the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who poured out His blood for us. Give thanks and praise to the LORD who first loved us by giving His life for us on the cross.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love He Who First Loved Us.

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Do Not Fear Death

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ~ Hebrews 2:14-15

Jesus didn’t just come down as God. Jesus came down as a man. He came down as flesh and blood. He was tempted in every way we are so that we could, in turn, overcome every sin through Him. He took our punishment upon Himself and paid the price for our sins.

Therefore, we have nothing to fear, especially not death, for to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Why? Because if we are crucified with Christ, then we will also rise with Christ. How is this possible? Because Jesus isn’t dead in the grave. No. Jesus is alive and well. He seated in honor and majesty at the right hand of the Father, full of grace and Truth.

Therefore, because Jesus lives, all who follow Him shall live as well. So, do not fear death. Do not fear the afterlife, for that is where our great reward will be. The things of this world will fade, but eternity and all of its rewards and riches will last forever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Fear Death.

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Be Careful What You Choose

39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. ~ John 18:39–40

Pilate had just finished interviewing Jesus again. He could not find any fault or any reason to put Jesus to death. No matter how desperately he sought to find a way out of crucifying Jesus because he knew Jesus did not deserve capital punishment.

So, thinking he could somehow catch the Jews between a rock and a hard place, so to speak, he offered them a deal he knew they could not refuse. “You know I always release one prisoner of your choosing at Passover. Now, I have here this murdering robber, Barabbas, whom I could release, but he is such a menace and a threat to society, I have no choice but to release Jesus, the King of the Jews, to you.”

But in unison, they all shouted, “No, no, not this man, give us Barabbas.”

They did not even use His name; they called Him this man. The one who came to redeem them. The One sent by God as their promised Messiah, they did not even bother to call  Him by His name.

Understand this, God does not force Himself upon anyone. We must choose to serve Him. We must choose to accept Him. It is never His choosing. If it was, the whole world would be saved since the Scriptures say:

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

God does not want anyone to perish, but we must choose not to perish. We must choose Jesus over Barabbas. The next time you are faced with choosing to do the right thing, as a pose to choosing the wrong thing, choose right.

Don’t worry about what others might say or what others might do, do what is right and choose Jesus. It is always in our choices. Even when the crowd is yelling crucify, do not be led astray; think before you choose. There is always a right way and a wrong way to choose. There is always a right thing, and a wrong thing to choose, so, be careful what you choose.

Father, please help us to choose the right thing. Open our spiritual eyes to see so that we are not misled by the crowd. Give us discernment that we might choose the right and forsake the wrong; in Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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Enter Through The Blood

22 And they brought Him to the place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. ~ Mark 15:22

Jesus was brought to Golgotha. There the Roman soldiers nailed His hands and His feet to an old rugged cross. Jesus hung there suffering for hours. At the time of the evening sacrifice, the time when the Passover lamb was to be slaughtered, Jesus, with a loud voice, cried out and gave up His spirit and died.

At the exact moment that Jesus died, something miraculous happened. The curtain in the Temple that separated the Holy place from the Most Holy Place where the Mercy Seat was and the Presence of God dwelt was torn from top to bottom. This was a very significant manifestation of God’s glory.

First of all, the curtain was approximately 45 to 60 feet tall and about 4 inches thick.
Second, it was torn from top to bottom.

This was a clear indication that it was not the power of man that tore the veil, but God Himself, letting ordinary men into His holy presence. Remember, the Holy of Holies was curtained off from the rest of the Temple, and only the high priest could enter in, and he could only enter once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. He could not enter without first offering the blood of a bull and a ram, but we now enter in through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, give thanks to Jesus, who paid our debt and made a way for us to enter into the presence of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enter Through The Blood.

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Be Encouraged By His Victory

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” ~ Mark 16:5-6

The angel said to the women, “Do not be alarmed.” In other words, don’t be afraid. Don’t worry; Jesus has everything worked out for you. Just trust in what He said. The just shall walk by faith. Then the angel says these beautiful words, “He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

Jesus is alive! He was crucified. He died and was buried. But on the 3rd day, He rose to life again. The resurrection power was in Him, and He stepped out of that grave victorious. The grave could not hold Him, death could not keep Him, for in Him is the life and the light, and darkness can never prevail over Him. He is the everlasting God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Encouraged By His Victory.

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Follow God’s Plan

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. ~ Mark 16:1-4

The women were worrying about who would roll away the stone because it was a very large stone. Sometimes our problems can seem so large, but they’re a small matter for Jesus. But even so, the women did not let that stop or hinder them. They had a plan, and they worked the plan. They did not let circumstances beyond their control, things that they could not fix, stop all forward progress. But instead, they continued on, and wouldn’t you know it, a miracle took place for them.

The very large stone, which they had no idea how to move or who would move it, was already moved. The hard work was already done. That is how Jesus is. He will not let us fail when we are on a mission for Him. He will make a way where there is no way.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow God’s Plan.

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Prepare For More Visitations

41As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” ~ Luke 19:41-44

All of this is happening on the first day of the week, a Sunday. It is the tenth day of Nisan. The High Priest is selecting the Passover lamb that will be slain on the 14th. Now all of this is interrupted by the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. They were busy with the requirements of the law as it pertained to the instructions for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They were doing all the right things at the right time, but they did not recognize the day of their visitation. The day when God Himself would visit them, and they would have the choice to receive Him.

It was like when Jesus told Martha that she was anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing was necessary, and Mary had chosen the good portion, and it would not be taken away from her. It was Mary’s day of visitation. Like Mary, we must be vigilant; we must watch and pray so that we will not miss the Day of Our Visitation.

We cannot get so busy, even with church stuff, that we miss The Day of Visitation.

The day that the LORD Himself shows up on our own front door
Or show up in time of worship
Or when He comes to answer our diligent prayers
We must keep vigil

If the Jews had only recognized their Messiah, and if they had only chosen and accepted Him, they wouldn’t still be wandering the earth looking for their Messiah. Maybe they would have remained and not been scattered. Maybe their Temple would have remained and not been torn down. We have to be sure we don’t miss the visitation of our LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For More Visitations.

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Get His Attention

9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” ~ Mark 11:9-10

There were more than fourteen generations between Jesus and King David, yet God never forgot David. God’s love for David transcended generations after generations, and sins after sins. God could have easily left Israel where they were. He could have easily said they were unworthy, but God never forgot His love for David. He never forgot His love for his forefathers. When you get God’s attention, He remembers you. And nothing anyone else does can change that.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Get His Attention.

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Let Your Actions Give Glory To God

9 And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” ~ Matthew 21:9-11

By the time Jesus reached Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. Why? Because the crowds that followed and surrounded Jesus were boldly proclaiming,

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

The praising and rejoicing of the crowd caught the attention of the entire city and stirred something inside of them that they had to seek out who all of these people were worshipping and praising. Genuine praise and worship will always catch the attention of others. Why? Because the Spirit of the LORD rests on the praise of His people.

Even if you don’t know all of the Scriptures, or can’t speak eloquently, or aren’t walking in the gifts of the Spirit, you can be used by God to get the attention of others just by your genuine worship and praise because it won’t be the you that’s catching their eye, but the Spirit dwelling in you. If you are saved, you have become the Temple of God. The very Spirit of God dwells within you, and Jesus lives through you.

You don’t have to be a theologian, preacher, scholar, or anyone of great influence for people to notice something different in you. You just have to love your life, genuinely worshipping and praising God with everything you do. In your actions, the way you speak, the way you treat people, your emotions, your personality, and the vibe you give off are all acts of worship because we are to do everything to the glory of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Actions Give Glory To God.

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Follow Without Reservation

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ~ Matthew 21:1-3

Jesus didn’t tell the disciples exactly where the donkey was or whose donkey it belonged to. Jesus just said, when you go in, you’ll see the donkey and her colt. In fact, Jesus goes even further, saying that if anyone tries to stop you, just tell them that the LORD needs them. The disciples had to be led by faith and the Spirit alone. They had to believe and put their full confidence in Jesus that He would make a way for them to untie the donkey and her colt without the owner calling them thieves, causing them to fall into big problems.

Many of us today are called by God to do something. Sometimes, it takes great faith that we feel we lack because of the possible consequences. But just as Jesus gave the disciples favor with the owner of the donkey and her colt, if they had the faith to do as He commanded, so will we have the favor to complete what we’ve been called to do if we do it in faith and obedience.

LORD, please strike fear from my heart so that I might abound and be transformed in Your perfect love, and my faith in You might grow and flourish. Help me to fully and heartedly believe that You are good and that Your plan for my life is good. Please remove all doubt from my mind and heart so that I can follow You without reservation or hesitation. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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