Today’s Verse – Romans 4:25
[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. —Romans 4:25 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Why are the Cross and the Empty Tomb so important? Everything essential and truly lasting in this life and our salvation in the life to come depends upon Jesus’ death and resurrection! Jesus came to earth, lived among us as one of us, went to the cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and was raised victorious over death, sin, and hell for us — to erase our sins and bring us to life as God’s holy children. Jesus did what he did for us. The love of God demonstrated to us in Christ Jesus is staggeringly gracious! My Prayer… Thank you, dear Father, for paying such an awful price for cleansing me of my sins. Thank you, precious Savior, for sacrificing everything to save me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for cleansing me and living inside me to conform me to Christ. I pray in his name, Jesus of Nazareth, my Savior and Lord. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Your Baptism
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, My earthly ministry began with My baptism by My cousin, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River (Luke 3:21-23). The heavens were ripped open showing a new time — a new era — had begun in the Father’s work of salvation in human history (Mark 1:10-11). The Spirit descended upon Me as the Father spoke the words, “You are My dearly loved Son, and You bring Me great joy” (Mark 1:11 NLT). There in that moment, you are able to witness Us — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — together and share a glimpse of our eternal and heavenly glory. Unfortunately, My followers have fought about, divided over, and even forgotten about this great gift of baptism. We made baptism available to you as a moment when We as Father, Son, and Spirit are present together in your life as you are baptized. Matthew records my last words before returning to the Father, and these last words include instruction about baptism: Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT) So take a moment and read the verses below and catch a glimpse of some of what baptism means for you. Finally, hang on to the words in the last verse below where the apostle Paul tells you that you “were raised with Him [Me, Jesus] by faith in the resurrection power of God, Who brought Him back from the dead.” Notice especially the following phrases: “raised with Him” “by faith” “resurrection power” “brought Him back from the dead” Yes, that’s what your baptism, your being united with Me in My death, burial, and resurrection, means for you — not just getting wet and not just going through some ceremony. It is actively placing your faith in My victory over sin and death through the power of God. It is not only immersion in water, but it is also immersing your heart into a life joined to Me. It is your appeal to God from a “good conscience” as you call on My name for your salvation. The power that was set loose in the moment of My resurrection comes to meet you in your moment of being raised from waters of baptism as you trust in the Father Who brought Me back from death to give you new life. Everything begins new and fresh with My resurrection and your ultimate trust that this same power is now at work within you. Verses to Live Your English word “baptize” actually comes from a transliteration rather than a translation of the Greek word baptizo which means immerse, dip, or plunge. Several passages in your New Testament use this description for a person who believes in Me being buried under water and then raised up from it, actions that connect baptism with My death, burial, and resurrection. In baptism, you offer yourself to Me in faith trusting in what I did in My death, burial, and resurrection to save you. As you are raised with Me from the waters of baptism, you trust that you begin a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Anointed One suffered for sins once for all time — the righteous suffering for the unrighteous — so that He might bring us to God. Though He died in the flesh, He was made alive again through the Spirit. And in the Spirit, He went and preached to those spirits held captive. It was these who long ago lived in disobedience while God waited patiently as Noah was building the ark. At that time, only a tiny band — eight people — was spared from the flood. The water through which the ark safely passed symbolizes now the ceremonial washing through baptism that initiates you into salvation. You are saved not because it cleanses your body of filth but because of your appeal to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. Now He has entered heaven and sits at the right hand of God as heavenly messengers and authorities and powers submit to His supremacy. (1 Peter 3:18-22) You were buried with Him beneath the waters of … baptism and then were raised up with Him by faith in the resurrection power of God, Who brought Him back from the dead. (Colossians 2:12) Response in Prayer Thank You, Lord Jesus, for becoming human flesh, living among us, dying for our sins, and triumphing over death through Your resurrection. Thank You Father for Your divine plan and gracious gift of salvation. Thank You Holy Spirit for Your purifying and indwelling presence. Father, thank You for giving us baptism as a way to share in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection so that we can experience the beginning of our new life in Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit. All glory and praise be Yours, now and forevermore! Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Mark 4:24-25
“Consider carefully what you hear,” [Jesus] continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” —Mark 4:24-25 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “O be careful little ears what you hear … for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little ears what you hear.” Sometimes, our children’s songs say things in the easiest ways to understand. God doesn’t want just to be heard aloud; he wants his Word to enter our systems and change our lives. We must carefully filter out things we don’t need to hear and focus more intentionally on what we do need to hear! The more we receive the gift of God’s words and apply them, the more they will change us and bless us. My Prayer… Please open my eyes, ears, heart, and mind, dear Father, so that I can appropriate your message into my life. I want to hear your messages, and I want to apply each of those messages in my life each day. Bless me, please, dear Father, so that what I hear in your word becomes displayed in my life. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
‘Be Unshakable’
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, The writer of the “word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13:22) that you call the book of Hebrews wrote this: When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now He makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful… (Hebrews 12:26-28 NLT) Do you hear the profound truth in these words? As My disciple, you are part of something that can’t be shaken. You are part of an unshakable kingdom. The world will pass away. Your body will die. Your riches will fade. Your homes, clothes, mementos, and valuables will rust, rot, decay, fall apart and be lost. However, this is not true of you! You are eternal! What you believe and the One in Whom you believe connect you to what is unshakable. My resurrection from the dead means so many things that are good and precious for you, but today I want you to hear the apostle Paul’s words of exhortation in verses below: “be unshakeable!” What you do matters to Me. Everything done to honor Me is remembered forever. Who you are matters to Me. Your future matters to Me. I faced death, enduring the horrors and humiliations of the cross so that you could know My love. My lifeless body was wrapped in burial clothes and placed in a new tomb. The stone across My tomb was sealed, and a guard was posted to ensure that no one took My lifeless body from the tomb. However, I defeated the powers of sin, death, and hell. Then, on resurrection Sunday, the ground shook (Matthew 28:1-6), and all the powers of evil in all of its manifested forms were shaken — evil was shaken to its core and its grip was shaken loose from your life and your future. I arose from death and the tomb victorious… for you! Verses to Live Everything not eternal was shaken that resurrection day, but not Me, not My promises for you, not the future I purchased for you, and not My victory for you! So spend extra time pondering the last words in Paul’s powerful statement in the verses below. Contemplate what My resurrection means for you. Go “be unshakable” in your faith as you live for Me! Now listen to this: brothers and sisters, this present body is not able to inherit the kingdom of God any more than decay can inherit that which lasts forever. Stay close because I am going to tell you a mystery — something you may have trouble understanding: we will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be transformed. It will all happen so fast, in a blink, a mere flutter of the eye. The last trumpet will call, and the dead will be raised from their graves with a body that does not, cannot decay. All of us will be changed! We’ll step out of our mortal clothes and slide into immortal bodies, replacing everything that is subject to death with eternal life. And, when we are all redressed with bodies that do not, cannot decay, when we put immortality over our mortal frames, then it will be as Scripture says: Life everlasting has victoriously swallowed death. Hey, Death! What happened to your big win? Hey, Death! What happened to your sting? Sin came into this world, and death’s sting followed. Then sin took aim at the law and gained power over those who follow the law. Thank God, then, for our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, Who brought us victory over the grave. My dear brothers and sisters, stay firmly planted — be unshakable — do many good works in the name of God, and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58) Response in Prayer O Father, I look around and see the realities of my mortal world. I see the wounds that death afflicts on my heart and the hearts of those that I love. As I experience these things, I have to confess that I do not feel unshakable! Sometimes I feel very vulnerable to the earthquakes of life and death that I encounter. I ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. I ask that the Spirit work deep within my heart to help me truly believe in the power of Jesus’ resurrection for me and those I love. Help me believe that Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. I want to be unshakable. So I ask, dear Father, for the power of Jesus’ resurrection — the Holy Spirit — to awaken my heart to life eternal with the conviction that what I hold dear is truly unshakable. I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – John 4:23-24
[Jesus continued his message, saying:] “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” —John 4:23-24 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God seeks true worshipers. He seeks those who long to praise him passionately and authentically as they praise him spirit to spirit. To help us in our quest, he gives us his Spirit to help us worship (Ephesians 5:18-21; Philippians 3:3; Jude 20; Romans 8:26-27). Most of all, our Father wants us to worship him genuinely, according to his revealed will in Scripture, with each heart yielded to him in daily living. My Prayer… Loving Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit, who is now interceding to perfect this prayer. My heart thrills at the knowledge that you not only know me but also desire for me to come into your presence. Please accept my feeble words and hear the emotion of my heart as I say, “Thank you!” for all you have done for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray and praise you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Dead to the World
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Don’t fall in love with what cannot ultimately satisfy or eternally sustain you. Many around you chase after things that do not last and cannot supply them with genuine satisfaction. The world and the things of the world are passing away. They are in the process of decay. That doesn’t mean that the physical world is inherently evil. However, the allure to focus on the stuff of your world rather than focusing on Me is strong. Your trust in Me and your being joined to Me through faith and baptism mean that you have died to the world. You are now alive with Me. Your life and your future are tied to Me (Colossians 3:1-4). My indwelling presence within you through the Holy Spirit will sustain you and transform you (2 Corinthians 3:18). My life is alive in you, and this means that you “will never cease to be.” You trusted in My death to ransom you from sin. You believed in the power of My resurrection to give you new life. This life, empowered by the Holy Spirit, does not end with your physical death. No one can take this life from you. My resurrection from the dead is not just a historical fact that happened on a specific day nearly two thousand years ago. My resurrection also happens again, each day, as you offer yourself to Me. Verses to Live As you read these verses from My apostles John and Paul, notice the emphasis on being dead to the world that is passing away and alive to Me and through My power at work within you. Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s love living within them. All the things the world can offer to you — the allure of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of superiority — do not come from the Father. These are the rotten fruits of this world. This corrupt world is already wasting away, as are its selfish desires. But the person really doing God’s will — that person will never cease to be. (1 John 2:15-17) May I never put anything above the cross of our Lord Jesus the Anointed. Through Him, the world has been crucified to me and I to this world. (Galatians 6:14) I have been crucified with the Anointed One — I am no longer alive — but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One Who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. (Galatians 2:20) For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, Who raised Christ from the dead. (Colossians 2:12 NLT) Response in Prayer Father, may I never boast in what I can do, but only in what You have done, in what You are doing, and in what You will do in Me. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Who was and Who is and Who is to come, the great I AM. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 4:22-23
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds… —Ephesians 4:22-23 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God makes us new when we become disciples of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). Most of us, however, have moments when the old way of life erupts, makes its presence known, and tries to drag us back into the old way of living. So, being new is a lifetime decision we must make each day, offering ourselves to God, putting off our old self, and inviting the Holy Spirit to renew us (Romans 12:1-2). Throughout Ephesians, Paul talks about the Holy Spirit’s power working in us (Ephesians 1:17-20, 3:14-21, 5:15-21). As we commit daily to following the Lordship of Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowers and matures us to be more and more like him (Ephesians 4:12-16; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The newness of our life in Jesus never has to become old or stale! My Prayer… Almighty God and dear Heavenly Father, please bless me today as I seek to live as a new person — cleansed, made holy, and empowered by your Spirit. Give me a new and clean mind as I intentionally put aside my old habits and desires to pursue Jesus. In his name, and based on his authority, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Joined!
Note from Jesus Dear Partner in Grace, You and I are joined! You believe that I died for your sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead. By now, you should have shared in baptism with Me based on that faith. In immersion based upon your faith, we are “joined” together! Not only are you saved by My death, burial, and resurrection, but you also shared them with Me when you called on My name for salvation and were baptized. As you saw two days ago, the good news story of My saving grace is built on My death, burial, and resurrection. Your faith in Me and what I did make salvation from sin and death available to you. Your baptism is not just a step or a symbol, and it is not a work that merits your salvation. Rather, because of your faith in Me and through your immersion, we were joined in My death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-7). My sacrifice on the cross and My resurrection are what save you. Your faith that what I did — on the cross, in the tomb, and in being raised from the dead — satisfied all of God’s demands for righteousness is how you receive My grace. By faith, as you are baptized, we are joined together in these events and My new resurrected life becomes your new life. My future is now your new future. You don’t have to earn this grace. You don’t have to win the Father’s favor. You don’t have to pay for past sins. You are joined to Me. I paid the debt. I defeated death. I AM alive forever to the glory of God. And you are joined to Me and share in each of these eternity-changing realities! Paul explained it this way: Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One [Jesus], that person is a new creation. The old life is gone — and see — a new life has begun! … He [the Creator God] orchestrated this: the Anointed One, Who had never experienced sin, became sin for us so that in Him we might embody the very righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21) Verses to Live Notice the simplicity of the message and how you are “joined” with Me in My sacrifice to save you and “united” with Me as in the verse above! Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:3-4 NLT) For I passed down to you the crux of it all which I had also received from others, that the Anointed One, the Liberating King, died for our sins and was buried and raised from the dead on the third day. All this happened to fulfill the Scriptures; it was the perfect climax to God’s covenant story. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Response in Prayer Holy and Almighty God, I know that You are awesome in holiness and completely righteous. I confess that it is hard for me to understand how Jesus could become sin for me so that I could become Your righteousness. But, dear Father, I recognize Your overwhelming grace given to me in the gift of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. I come to You in prayer rejoicing that I am joined with Him and share in His triumph over sin and death. I am thankful that I don’t have to earn your love and grace. I am thankful that you chose to pay the price for my sins through the sacrifice of Jesus. I ask for the power of the Holy Spirit so I will live up to what You have made me by Your grace. In Jesus’ name and because of Jesus’ sacrifice, I thank You. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – 1 John 4:21
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. —1 John 4:21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Some things are very simple. We can’t love God and refuse to love each other. This is not hard to understand. On the other hand, some of our “kinfolks” in the LORD and in our families are just downright hard to love because they can be so difficult. But, we need to remember who we were when Christ died for us —powerless, ungodly, sinners, and enemiesof God (Romans 5:6-11). Yet God loved us and sent Jesus to save us even when we weren’t deserving. So before we whine about our “hard-to-live-with” fellow believers, we had better give thanks that God loved us when we were “hard-to-love” sinners. Then, we need to thank God for his grace by being more loving with each other. My Prayer… Almighty God, please give me the strength, compassion, and courage to love my fellow Christians as you have loved me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
According to the Scriptures
Note from Jesus Dear Friends, My resurrection should not have been such a big surprise to My disciples. While My resurrection was not something anyone would have expected in normal life, I lived My life in tune with the will of the Father and in fulfillment of the Scriptures. As I began to make My way to Jerusalem for the final time in My earthly ministry, I repeatedly talked about My death and My resurrection that would occur three days later (Mark 8:31; Mark 9:30-31; Mark 10:33-34). I also used earlier Scriptures that carry strong hints about My life, death, and resurrection (Mark 15:34 with Psalm 22:1-31) Later My followers did likewise (Acts 13:32-35 with Psalm 2:1-12 and Psalm 16:7-11; Acts 2:31 with Psalm 16:7-11; Acts 8:26-40 with Isaiah 53:7-12). Even those who viewed Me as their enemy worried about My prediction that I would rise from the dead after three days. They went so far as to take precautions to keep anyone from stealing My dead body and making a claim of resurrection (Matthew 27:62-66). As I had promised, as the scriptures had suggested, and as My enemies inadvertently had helped to validate, I rose from the dead. However, grief and loss closed My disciples to any expectation of a good outcome to the horrific events of the cross. I had to go to great lengths to show them that I was alive. I had to open their minds to understand the scriptures about My resurrection and their upcoming mission (Luke 24:45-49). What do I want you to do with this important insight into My resurrection that I have shared with you today? What difference does it make whether or not the scriptures spoke of My resurrection? Here are a few real-life applications that I want you to take away with you from the verses below. There are others, but please grab hold of these implications from what I have told you. First, what you call the Bible is really My family story. In fact, because you are joined to Me, it is also your family story. It is a gift to help you understand how grace worked its way through the religions of humankind and brought all blood sacrifices to an end in My sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 10:12 NLT). All humanity, regardless of race or social standing or gender or anything else, comes to the Father on equal ground — the ground at the foot of My cross — and can receive grace to be the Father’s children through faith in what I did (Galatians 3:26-29). Second, My life on earth was a fulfillment of that great story of grace (Matthew 5:17-20), and all of its greatest promises find their fulfillment in Me (2 Corinthians 1:18-20). So if you want to know Me more completely, then use the Scriptures of what you call the Old Testament. Learn more about Me and use your faith in Me to help you understand how to use those Scriptures to bring salvation to you and others (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Finally, realize that My resurrection helps you look at everything in a new way. My closest disciples weren’t bad or dumb because they didn’t expect My resurrection; they were grieving and broken and hopeless. However, My resurrection changed all of that for them… and for you… and “All this happened to fulfill the Scriptures.” Verses to Live As you read these verses, notice especially the last sentence. The cross and My resurrection were no accident. They were God’s plan… to redeem you! Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I preached to you when we first met. It’s the essential message that you have taken to heart, the central story you now base your life on; and through this gospel, you are liberated — unless, of course, your faith has come to nothing. For I passed down to you the crux of it all which I had also received from others, that the Anointed One, the Liberating King, died for our sins and was buried and raised from the dead on the third day. All this happened to fulfill the Scriptures; it was the perfect climax to God’s covenant story. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) Response in Prayer O Father, thank You for the Scriptures. Forgive me when I have taken them lightly and neglected to use them to draw me closer to Jesus and His wonderful gift. I ask that You use the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, to help me understand the message inspired by the Spirit’s grace. I ask this to honor You — Father, Son, and Spirit — in the name of Jesus. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.