Category: Daily Bread

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Know What To Hope For

Luke 24:25-26

[25] And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Jesus had just been hailed as the Son of David just a few days prior, and now, their Messiah, their Christ, was dead. Two days have passed. It’s now the Sabbath. And it’s been just silence. No whispers. No shakings. Just silence. A heavy silence. Their hope had been shattered. Now, keep in mind, Jesus had prophesied His death three or so times before it actually came to be, but because that wasn’t what they wanted the Messiah to be, they didn’t understand when He told them.

See, they wanted the Messiah to restore Israel to its rightful glory. To restore the House of David. To overthrow the Roman Empire. To be the military force they had so hoped for, but instead of silencing His enemies, Jesus seemingly was the one who was silenced. And their hope was crushed. See, His disciples couldn’t see what He was doing. Their spiritual eyes were closed just as Elisha’s man-servant’s eyes were closed to the Heavenly army surrounding them. They couldn’t see what Jesus was doing in the Spirit.

They didn’t realize, at the time, that Jesus was acting as the goat that took the sin of Israel (now the sin of the whole world) away from the presence of God. Away from the people of God. Jesus’ seemingly horrid failure was actually a great victory. In His death, we too died (to sin). In His death He killed sin and took it far away. In His death, that moment of despair for His disciples, He was able to give the entire world what they lost that day. Hope.

Hope is easily killed when you don’t know what it is you are hoping for. The disciples were hoping for a military leader that would lead a great conquest to restore Israel to its former glory under King David. The Son of David was to take His rightful place on His father’s throne and rule, but instead they received the opposite. They received a Messiah that didn’t come for physical victory, but spiritual victory.

Jesus, in His death, made a way for all people of all walks of life of all backgrounds to be saved. To be redeemed. To be reconciled to God. That is a great military conquest. He fought and overcame our spiritual enemies, so that we might be able to be with Him in the spirit. And one day, when He comes back, we will be with Him in the physical as well.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know What To Hope For.

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2,000 Years Ago

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7 NKJV).

2,000 years ago, around this very season, our LORD Jesus faced the darkest hour of His life. He would be betrayed by one of His twelve chosen friends and denied by one of His three closest friends, and deserted by all. Left to face the chief priests who accused Him of crimes He did not commit and sins He was not guilty of, He stood there alone, silent, and unhindered. This was the very reason why He came into the world to die for a lost world, and without His innocent blood, we would be lost.

By His shed blood, anyone who will come to Him will receive forgiveness and inherit eternal life. By the chastisement that was thrust upon Him, He brought us peace that the world cannot even comprehend. A peace that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away. And by His stripes, or by the wounds on His back, we are healed. Everything that we need for life and for excellence, He has provided.

2,000 years ago, Jesus stood silent, not answering, not retaliating, not even defending Himself—He stood silent. Isaiah prophesied that as a lamb is silent before its shearers, Jesus would be silent. And as a lamb which is led to the slaughter is silent, so would Jesus the Messiah be silent. Jesus did not rebuff one accusation but accepted all that they blamed Him for. And for the Joy that was set before Him, that is you and I and all who will come in repentance, He endured the cross. Scorning its shame, but not resisting its excruciating pain, Jesus hung on the cross, the very emblem of suffering and pain, for six hours for you and me. He took all our sin, all of our guilt, and all of our iniquity upon Himself and bore it on dark Calvary.

May the love that Jesus showed us 2,000 years ago on Calvary, may it shine in our hearts today. And may His blood not be shed in vain for us, but that we live as obedient servants, loving our God, and serving our Savior, for He died in our place so that we might live unto righteousness.

Father, thank You for Your blessings on us. Thank You for the privilege of being called sons and daughters of the LORD God, Most High, and thank You for salvation. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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For The Joy That Was Set Before Him

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV).

The author of the book of Hebrews says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are encouraging us not to give up and not to give in, but to keep on pressing on. And to throw aside everything that weighs us down, and discarding every sin that tries to cling to us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us. And whenever we get discouraged and heavy-laden, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith. He is our example. We don’t look to the world, or even to modern-day Christians, but we look to the One who was in all ways tempted and yet without sin. The One who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, scorning or despising its shame, and has overcome. It is He who encourages us to keep on keeping on, telling us that we can make it, because He overcame the world, we too will overcome the world.

Now, about the saying, for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. It’s a little jarring to think that the cross that was the most humiliating, the most excruciating punishment imaginable, designed by the Romans to not only humiliate, but to intimidate, and severely punish lawbreakers, was the joy set before Jesus. Because, after all, what joy was there in that? The joy is bringing new sons and daughters to the Father. His blood purchased you for the Father, and now you are adopted into the family of God. Therefore, the joy that was set before Him was you and me, and all who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. We are His joy and His pride.

So when the Scriptures said, “For the joy of the LORD is our strength,” it is talking about that joy, the joy that was set before Jesus, it’s our saving grace. For the joy of the LORD, our LORD is our strength, because He strengthens us for good works.

Heavenly Father, I praise You for the good work that You have started, and I know that You are able to finish it. Thank You for the cross, LORD Jesus. Now, have Your way in my life, and help me live like the joy of the LORD is really my strength. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Prone To Stray

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way… ~ Isaiah 53:6a NKJV

My daughter has a Siberian Husky, and she is what we call an escape artist. If she finds even the smallest opening, she squeezes through it and off she goes, exploring. Now, she loves her family and her home, but for some reason, she loves to stray. Just wander off and explore like nobody’s business. We’ve spent countless hours looking and searching the neighborhood and the woods for that dog.

Sometimes she’s gone for a few hours before we find her, at other times she is gone for up to two days. Then someone on social media will contact my daughter and let her know that they have her dog. And when we drive over to that person’s home to get Venus, she is overjoyed to see my daughter. She comes bounding over, tail wagging, and something like a big smile on her face, if that is possible. But the thing is, she has never found her way back home. We always have to go find her. Thank God it rarely happens, but when it does, we have to go searching to find her.

You know, that is exactly how we are. The Scripture said, “We all like sheep have gone astray.” We are all prone to wander off the path following some dream, some excitement, some fantasy. Never meaning to stray, but straying we do, nonetheless. It’s not that we stop loving God. It’s not that we stop wanting to be in His Presence, but that we have this pull, a call of the wild, if you will. And if we are not careful, we will find ourselves on an unfamiliar path that leads us away from our Savior, and not toward Him, and we get lost and are unable to find our way back home to Him.

That’s why Jesus came, 2,000 years ago, to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to be bruised, for our iniquities, to have the chastisement of our peace placed upon Him, and to receive the stripes by which we are healed. With His own blood, He has given us a new and improved covenant. A covenant of love and peace and righteousness. He has given us the ability to live righteous and holy lives so that we need not stray ever again. For when we are tempted to stray from our God and our Savior, we echo the words of the Apostle Peter to remind ourselves, “Where would we go? For You alone, oh LORD Jesus, You alone have the words of life.”

There is nowhere we can go, and no one that we can run to, but Jesus, and Jesus alone, for it is He who has the words of life and Him alone.

Father, strengthen us and encourage our hearts today. Help us to remember and understand that it is Your Son, our LORD Jesus, who has the words of life. For in Him and in Him alone is the life and the light of men. Help us to run to that light and to remain in that light, in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Don’t Miss His Second Coming

Matthew 21:14-17 ESV

[14]  And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, [16] and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” [17] And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Matthew records that when the Chief Priests and the Scribes saw Him healing the people and the children declaring Him the Son of David, they were enraged. Why? They knew what those things meant. The Pharisees were those who studied the Law. They were supposed to know it the best. The Scribes were those who copied the Scriptures. They were the ones who were supposed to know the Law, the prophets, the histories. These are two groups of people who understood exactly what was happening and they despised every second of it. Why?

Jesus wasn’t who they wanted to be the Messiah. The Son of David. He wasn’t a great notable figure. He was born to just a regular mother. His father? A regular man. A carpenter. He wasn’t about starting a revolution. He wasn’t trying to overthrow Caesar. He wasn’t working towards establishing Israel to its former glory. He was simply a carpenter who had began preaching, healing, and casting out demons. Now, even the children saw who Jesus was and they couldn’t take it anymore.

This was not the Messiah they wanted. This was not the Messiah they were waiting for. See, they had a lot of head knowledge but they lacked one thing. The Fear of the LORD. Jesus checked all the boxes. Fulfilled all the prophecies, but because He wasn’t what they wanted or thought He needed to be in that moment, they refused to accept Him. They put their own ideas, biases, desires, feelings, etc. above the Scriptures. And in doing so, above God Himself.

Today, is not much different. There’s a lot of people who know the Scriptures, but because they have no fear of the LORD, they have no understanding of the Scriptures. They have no wisdom. They reject Jesus, just as the Pharisees and the Scribes did. This isn’t just the world, either. It’s not just atheists either. It’s pastors, bishops, deacons, worship leaders, church goers, etc. Jesus is being rejected by all who refuse to humble themselves before Him.

The Pharisees and Scribes missed the Messiah’s first coming. Instead of bowing down at His feet and worshipping Him, they crucified Him. They had Him beaten and scourged. They mocked and taunted Him as He hung on the cross in agony until He died. Jesus is coming back, but this time it’s not to die. This time it’s not to suffer.

When He returns it’s to gather His Bride from one end of the earth to the other. Then He will pour out His wrath on all who rejected Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Miss His Second Coming.

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Choose The Lamb

Matthew 21:12-17
[12]  And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [13] He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” [14]  And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, [16] and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” [17] And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Jesus entered Jerusalem Triumphantly. The crowds shouted hosanna. They laid down palm branches and their own clothes before Him. It was a joyous occasion, but when He entered the Temple the mood shifted. Righteous indignation filled Him. Why?

See, this was the day that Israel was to choose their Passover Lamb. When Jesus entered the Temple, He saw the sellers and the money changers. The sellers and buyers and He drove them out. Why would He do this? They missed the Passover Lamb. The one that would be the final sacrificial offering. The one that would finally wash them (and all who would believe) clean from all their sins. The one that would reconcile them to God Himself, and they missed Him.

They were caught up in the sale. The ritual, so much so that they missed the importance of the ritual. The very purpose and reason for the ritual in the first place. They missed the Passover Lamb entirely.

Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 2000 years ago and the majority of people missed Him. Today, 2000 years later, we are waiting for His return. We’re waiting for Him to break that Eastern Sky and collect His Bride. His Body. His Church. The men and women of His generation missed the signs and the times. They were too busy with rituals that they missed the purpose of the ritual, the foreshadowing of the Messiah who was now before them. The times and signs are all around us today. We are getting close to the end. Are you ready? Are your loved ones ready? Are your friends, co-workers, neighbors ready?

Just as Jesus removed those from the Temple who weren’t ready for His Triumphal Entry, those who missed His coming, those who chose the animal over the Living God, so will He remove from His presence those who miss His Second Coming. Those who miss His Return. They will be forever removed from His presence. From His Temple.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose The Lamb.

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Trust Costly

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 21:1-4

This is a very simple basic verse in Christianity. Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. We all know it. It’s Palm Sunday. So, it becomes one of those verses that we often overlook and take for granted, but today something struck me as a ‘huh, never really noticed that before’ moment. Jesus told two of His disciples to go get a donkey from the village. Then He tells them, just let anyone who asks know the LORD needs it.

It’s simply the Greek word Kyrios which is used to translate both Yahweh and Adonai. It simply means Lord. Now, here’s what gets me. Both Mark and Luke share that some did in fact ask what they were doing and the two disciples answered with what Jesus told them. And just as Jesus said, they let them go with the donkey without any trouble.

All they needed to know was that the LORD needed the donkey. They didn’t need to why. What for. Where. How long. If he’d get it back. All of these questions didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the LORD needed them. Now, how many of us can say that we have that much faith and that much trust in the LORD’s plans?

I want to put this into perspective how much faith this owner had. This was a young donkey that had never been ridden before. The average donkey was worth anywhere from 20 to 50 denarii. That’s equivalent to roughly $2,500 to $10,000. So, a young donkey that had never been ridden before is on the higher end. This owner had no idea where the donkey was going, for how long, or even if he’d get it back, but it didn’t matter. The cost didn’t outweigh the reward.

He was willing to risk thousands of dollars for the sake of being used by the LORD. He took David’s words to heart:

I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.

2 Samuel 24:24

We know nothing of the owner’s story. His name, occupation, everything about him is lost to history, but the LORD remembers him. The LORD knows what he did. How he walked in faith and offered something that cost him much.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:4

His faith was indeed rewarded. Our God does not forget us. He is faithful. When we give, He doesn’t take it lightly. Especially when it is a sacrifice that costs us something.

This Palm Sunday, don’t let the day end without giving something to the LORD that costs you something. It doesn’t have to be money. It can be time. It can be a meal. It can be anything, but let it cost you something. Let this Palm Sunday be the beginning of stepping out and trusting the LORD regardless of what He’s asking. Regardless of how scary it feels. Regardless of how little He reveals. We are to trust the LORD with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Trust Costly.

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Put Some Effort Into It

[12] Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13] And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart NKJV (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

What if God actually means what He says? What if, when He says, “When you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me?” This might sound crazy, but what if, when God said “with all your heart,” He actually meant “with ALL your heart,” and not some metaphorical application? Yes, it’s an invitation, but not an invitation to lukewarmness or some watered-down no-effort therapeutic season, but a whole-hearted effort to seek the LORD.

Why is it so difficult for us to believe that the God who sent His only begotten Son to bear the sins of the whole world by being nailed to a tree wants us to put some effort into our worship and our seeking? Why is that so difficult to believe? And then to say “to seek God” is not about perfection, but about learning to stay close and learning to live with Him is sending mixed signals at best and contradictory at worst. God says, “Be holy for I am holy.” We are called to be like God, and you cannot be like God without some effort.

And then to say that you have no idea if you are seeking the LORD with all of your heart, therefore, implying that since you don’t know, then it cannot mean that is a poor, poor excuse for spiritual laziness. How about we get up out of our nice, warm beds early in the morning, as our Savior did, before the sun comes up, and pray, worship, and sing songs of praise to our LORD. How about we push ourselves away from the dinner table every now and then instead of feeding one of our pleasures of life, we feed our souls, and let our spirit commune with His Spirit. How about that? Have we tried that?

And how about this, let us stop using the excuse that we are only human, we cannot do better. And let us step up boldly and come with boldness and confidence into the Presence of our God. Come straight to His mercy seat and kneel in worship at His feet. How about showing some humility and share the Gospel face to face with our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers. Then, maybe then, we might begin to seek the LORD with ALL of our heart. But we will never meet that command unless we put some effort into it.

Father, forgive us for our lukewarmness and our complacency. Please do not withhold good things from us, like how we withhold our full and complete worship of You. Strengthen our hands for spiritual warfare, and lead us into paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake, in Jesus’ Name, amen.

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Fulfill Rituals

Romans 8:14-15

[14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

I recently heard of a marriage ritual that is done by the bride to be. Her mother and sister shave each strand of hair from her head, leaving her completely bald. Why? It symbolizes leaving her old life and preparing for her new one. These girls go through a physical transformation to symbolize the change in their lives that is about to take place. We, as Christians, do something similar as well.

When we get saved, something happens in the spiritual, the old man dies, so we do a physical action to express it to the world. We get baptized to symbolize that we have died with Christ. That He now lives through us. That to is Christ, to die is gain. Baptism is not our salvation, it’s a physical, public declaration of our salvation.

Baptism is similar to these girls who shave their heads. Shaving their heads isn’t the marriage, just preparation for it. Baptism isn’t our salvation, just preparation for its fulfillment when Jesus returns. For our marriage supper of the Lamb. Our faith and salvation do not come from baptism. Baptism, however, is step towards the marriage supper of the Lamb. A step to our salvation being fulfilled.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fulfill Rituals.

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Love His Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV

25 …the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Paul is trying to get the Corinthian church to see and understand that there is great wisdom in all that God does. What seemed like foolishness to the Corinthian Gentiles, because they thought themselves very wise, because the center of Greek wisdom…, the Areopagus, which heavily influenced Corinthian life, was just next door…

So, Paul is saying that the foolishness of God…, what appears to be foolishness…, is actually much, much wiser than “that” wisdom—Mars Hill’s wisdom…

Because it is the wisdom of Salvation, and there is no greater wisdom than that of the wisdom of salvation…, because that, my friends, is the greatest of all wisdom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love His Wisdom.

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