28 Mar 2024
Does our ego get in the way of God’s will? Are we so preoccupied with self that we cannot see God’s will? May the Lord speak to us whenever that happens and may we be quick to allow Him to have His way, so that we are not described like the people in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. BLESSED EASTER.
Carrying My Cross
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, The verses below give you some of the details about the horrendous way I was treated during My journey to Golgotha. You see hatred in action. You see a mob that had been manipulated into a frenzy. You see the people in that mob lose their ability to think clearly and act fairly. You also see people in abject sorrow, “shrieking and wailing in grief.” In addition, pay attention to My ominous words of warning at the end of these events. I also want you to notice one small touch of grace in the horrific circumstances that I faced. This touch of grace shows up in the midst of an awful, violent, and out-of-control set of brutalities. These brutalities were fueled by the hate and fear of religious leaders determined to kill Me. What is that touch of grace? Simon of Cyrene is chosen to help Me carry My cross to Golgotha. This touch of grace came after a night of no sleep, unceasing ridicule, bitter mockery, being slapped, being spit upon, being beaten, being scourged, being paraded before leaders, being rejected by the mob, and being sentenced to death by Pilate. I had to carry My cross to the place of My execution, but I was exhausted and physically weak. So I was given someone to help Me by carrying My cross. I had been forsaken by My closest followers. Judas betrayed Me. Peter denied Me. The rest abandoned Me. In the end, I was given someone to help Me carry My cross the last part of the way to Golgotha. Out of this well of deep misery inflicted upon Me, I was given the grace of someone to help Me carry My burden. Over the years, My disciples in different parts of the world have seen Simon as a reminder of how important it is to lift the burden of those who are dying. Others have seen Simon as a great image of someone who picks up his cross and helps Me in My mission. Who is someone that needs you to help carry his or her burdens? Verses to Live You are about to read about the ridicule I faced and the scorn I bore on the way to the cross. This disrespect was part of the price I paid to communicate the Father’s love to you. I hope you will be moved to choose to honor Me and Simon, who helped Me by carrying My cross. I want you to commit to carrying My cross. You can do this by joining Me in My mission to reach the hearts of unbelievers. One possible way to do that is to help ease the burden of someone who is dying. In the horror of what happens in life, may you be Simon to someone who needs help with life’s burdens! So the whole council [the Sanhedrin] got up and took Jesus to Pilate. They brought accusations against Him. Sanhedrin: We have observed this man leading our nation astray. He even forbade us to pay our taxes to Caesar. He claims to be the Anointed One and a King Himself. Pilate: Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus: It’s as you say. Pilate (to the chief priest and crowd): I find this man guilty of no crime. Sanhedrin (growing more intense): He has been stirring up discontent among the people all over Judea. He started up in Galilee, and now He’s brought His brand of trouble all the way to Jerusalem! Pilate: Just a minute. Is this man a Galilean? When Pilate learned that Jesus was indeed Galilean — which meant He was officially under Herod’s jurisdiction — Pilate sent Him over to Herod, who was currently in Jerusalem. Herod was fascinated to meet Jesus for he had heard about Him for a long time. He was hoping he might be treated to a miracle or two. He interrogated Jesus for quite a while, but Jesus remained silent, refusing to answer his questions. Meanwhile, the chief priests and religious scholars had plenty to say — angrily hurling accusations at Jesus. Eventually, Herod and his soldiers began to insult Jesus, mocking and degrading Him. They put expensive clothing on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. This ended a long-standing rift between Herod and Pilate; they became friends from that day forward. Pilate assembled the chief priests and other Jewish authorities. Pilate: You presented this man to me as a rabble-rouser, but I examined Him in your presence and found Him not guilty of the charges you have leveled against Him. Herod also examined Him and released Him to my custody. So He hasn’t done anything deserving the death penalty. I’ll see to it that He is properly whipped and then let Him go. It was the custom for Pilate to set one prisoner free during the holiday festivities. Crowd (all shouting at once): Away with this man! Free Barabbas instead! Barabbas had been imprisoned after being convicted of an insurrection he had led in Jerusalem. He had also committed murder. Pilate argued with them, wishing he could release Jesus, but they wouldn’t be silenced. Crowd (shouting): Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate (countering a third time): Why? What has He done that is so evil? I have found in Him no offense worthy of capital punishment. As I said, I will punish Him and then release Him. But they would not relent. They shouted louder and louder that He should be crucified, and eventually Pilate capitulated. So he pronounced the punishment they demanded. He released the rebel and murderer Barabbas — the insurrectionist they had pleaded for in His place — and he handed Jesus over to them to do with as they desired. On the way to the place of crucifixion, they pulled a man from the crowd — his name was Simon of Cyrene, a person from the countryside who happened to be entering the city at that moment. They put
Daily Prayer for March 28
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1–2, NIV Lord God, we thank you that you have given us atonement, an atonement that delivers us from all evil, from all that is temporal and perishable, and that allows us even now to live in eternity. Grant that many people become aware of the greatness and freeing power of the redemption you have offered us. May a people be born to you, serving you with light in their hearts as they look to the future coming of Jesus Christ. Be with us, strengthen us, and protect us from all the deception on earth. For we want to be your children and nothing else; with our whole hearts we want to look always to you. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Calling Upon the Vanished God George MacDonald On Good Friday God withdrew, that the perfect will of the Son might arise and go forth to find the will of the Father. Read now Turning Henry Drummond There is something much greater than Peter’s sin: few of us grasp the wonder of his repentance. Read now Serving in the Spirit of Christ François Caudwell Are we serving Jesus as a slave, as a mercenary, or as a friend? Read now Holy Saturday and the Journey to Emmaus Joel Clarkson Josef Rheinberger’s motet “Abendlied” juxtaposes sorrow and joy. Read now Beauty for the Least of These Ellie DuHadway A unique depiction of the stations of the cross welcomes guests at the Lamb Center, a ministry to people experiencing homelessness. Read now
Today’s Verse – Romans 3:27-28
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. —Romans 3:27-28 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God’s salvation leaves us no room for boasting. We couldn’t live up to the righteous demands of the law. We couldn’t live up to the character of God. When we were broken and sinful, God bought our salvation by sending Jesus for us and having him pay the debt of our sins (Romans 5:6-11). We have nothing to boast about except the overwhelmingly generous grace of God and the incredible sacrificial love of our Savior, Jesus. My Prayer… Thank you, Father, for redeeming me from the righteous judgment of the law. Thank you, Jesus, for paying my debt for sin. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for cleansing me, making me holy, and living inside me. Thank you, God, for your incredible grace. 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.
27 Mar 2024
Dying to self should produce christ-like character in us. It makes us understand His mission and our role in it better and this ought to increase our conviction to live for Him. 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Daily Prayer for March 27
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, NIV Lord our God, from whom great promises are given for all humankind and especially for your people, we gather in your presence. We rejoice before you, for your promise is sure and your works will be revealed to the glory of your name. Grant us steadfast faith in the grace of Jesus Christ. Grant us faith to hold firm, and in spite of all evil to trust that you are ruling and will set everything right. Lord our God, our Father, we cry to you. As the deer pants for refreshing water, so in our time our souls cry out to you, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as in heaven.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Turning Henry Drummond There is something much greater than Peter’s sin: few of us grasp the wonder of his repentance. Read now Serving in the Spirit of Christ François Caudwell Are we serving Jesus as a slave, as a mercenary, or as a friend? Read now Holy Saturday and the Journey to Emmaus Joel Clarkson Josef Rheinberger’s motet “Abendlied” juxtaposes sorrow and joy. Read now Beauty for the Least of These Ellie DuHadway A unique depiction of the stations of the cross welcomes guests at the Lamb Center, a ministry to people experiencing homelessness. Read now Waiting for Judas Madeleine L’Engle Jesus offers a love that is too strong for many of us to accept. Read now
Today’s Verse – Galatians 3:26-27
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. —Galatians 3:26-27 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What are you wearing today? I hope you are clothed with Christ. Anything else is simply out of style by heaven’s standards, no matter whose designer fashions you may be wearing. You can be clothed with Christ by surrendering your life to Jesus as your Savior through faith (Romans 13:14), believing that he is God’s Son who died for you, and trusting in God’s power that raised him from death to give you life (1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Colossians 2:12; 3:1-4). Confess Christ as your LORD and Savior, trust him for your salvation (Romans 10:9-13) as you share with him in his death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Romans 6:3-14; Acts 22:16). He promises to send his Spirit to live inside you and to forgive you all of your sins as he gives you new birth into his family (Titus 3:3-7). You will be God’s child and have a home waiting for you in heaven. For those of us who are Christians, these thoughts are a reminder of what God has done for us. If you are not a follower of Christ, the world doesn’t have to be a cold and lonely place; the LORD Jesus can be with you everywhere you go if you respond to him in faith. My Prayer… Father, thank you for providing a way for me to become your child. Thank you for clothing me in Jesus’ righteousness. Thank you for making it possible for me to call you Father and to have Jesus as my older brother. Thank you, dear Father, for Jesus, in whose 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.
Love before Nightfall
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Satan tries to mess up every act of genuine love. What you read in the verses below is one of My most precious moments with My closest disciples. They still did not understand what was about to happen to Me. They were clueless about what the next few days would mean to them some day and what price I would soon pay. They were teetering on the brink of striving for religious position and privilege just like the folks who were trying to kill Me — the very same folks whom I rebuked in yesterday’s verses. I had often spoken to My disciples about the greatest in My kingdom being servants (Mark 10:43). Rather than give a theological discourse on the nature of being a servant, I knew they needed a demonstration of serving that showed them My love as I faced My own death. I think you will find this time with My disciples to be quite precious. My actions, centered in sacrificial love, showed that in My kingdom, the greatest is a servant. Greatness is not found in the person of position and power at the head of the table and receiving all the attention while being waited upon hand and foot. Greatness is found in the one who is willing to do things like wash feet and who cares genuinely for others while facing difficult challenges himself or herself. Of course, Peter, as he so often did, got things a little confused. The others were mystified by what I was doing. Why would I, their Lord and Teacher, stoop down, pick up the towel, and wash their feet? Washing feet was the job of a house slave. These disciples I loved so dearly needed to know that serving is the nature of genuine leadership. As the minutes I was going to have with them were speeding quickly into the past, I wanted to leave them a memory that would stick in their hearts and transform their attitudes. Judas, in the moment of My demonstration of love, was biding time until he could turn Me over to those who wanted to kill Me. He was close to Me. He shared this meal with Me. We shared the same cup. We shared the same bread. He had spent three years with Me. No one else suspected what was in his heart — his heart that he had given to Satan to control fully. On your worst days, you may be shown disloyalty even in the face of your love, just as I was. You give all that you have to someone, then he or she lets you down like all those at the table with Me in the verses below let me down. Some overstate their commitment to you and then can’t live up to their promises. Some sell you out for what they think is a better offer. Others simply abandon you in your hour of need. No matter what people might do to you — even people whom you have loved with all that you have and all that you are, you know you can always come to Me and talk to Me about how you feel. I know the hurt. I know the gut-wrenching ache of abandonment. I know the disappointment of hours of love invested in someone who doesn’t fully appreciate your love for him or her. I know the loneliness of facing the ridicule of others while having no friend there for you. I know because this is what I experienced. When Judas left our table, John’s words hauntingly state the truth with brutal finality: “So Judas took his piece of bread and departed into the night.” I hope you never know the feeling of such heartbreaking nightfall. If you do, remember this: I know what it feels like, and I will help you through it if you will call out to Me! Verses to Live Love is demonstrated by what it does. So what do the following events say about Me? What do they say about those around Me? What does this love I demonstrated call you to do? Before the Passover festival began, Jesus was keenly aware that His hour had come to depart from this world and to return to the Father. From beginning to end, Jesus’ days were marked by His love for His people. Before Jesus and His disciples gathered for dinner, the adversary filled Judas Iscariot’s heart with plans of deceit and betrayal. Jesus, knowing that He had come from God and was going away to God, stood up from dinner and removed His outer garments. He then wrapped Himself in a towel, poured water in a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with His towel. Simon Peter (as Jesus approaches): Lord, are You going to wash my feet? Jesus: Peter, you don’t realize what I am doing, but you will understand later. Peter: You will not wash my feet, now or ever! Jesus: If I don’t wash you, you will have nothing to do with Me. Peter: Then wash me but don’t stop with my feet. Cleanse my hands and head as well. Jesus: Listen, anyone who has bathed is clean all over except for the feet. But I tell you this, not all of you are clean. He knew the one with plans of betraying Him, which is why He said, “not all of you are clean.” After washing their feet and picking up His garments, He reclined at the table again. Jesus: Do you understand what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and truly, that is Who I am. So if your Lord and Teacher washes your feet, then you should wash one another’s feet. I am your example; keep doing what I do. I tell you the truth: a servant is not greater than the master. Those who are sent are not greater than the one who
26 Mar 2024
Someone cuts in front of me in traffic and I have to swerve or brake and he deserves to be reprimanded. I need the grace to ask the Holy Spirit what to do and the grace to hear and follow what He asks me to do. My natural reaction may not have been what He expects me to do. That’s dying to self. Psalm 119:41-48.
Daily Prayer for March 26
It is not that the Lord is slow in fulfilling his promise, as some suppose, but that he is very patient with you, because it is not his will for any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9, NEB Dear Father in heaven, we thank you with all our hearts that you have given us your living promise. We thank you that again and again our faith can receive a clearer vision through this promise. For you have promised that at last the greatest day of all will come, will conquer the whole world, and bring salvation to all people to the glory of your name as Father throughout all nations. Strengthen us in every way, especially when we are in need and distress. Strengthen the sick and those who are tempted. May they wait in expectation for fulfillment of the promise, and may they see help come. May your name, Lord God, be honored among us. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Serving in the Spirit of Christ François Caudwell Are we serving Jesus as a slave, as a mercenary, or as a friend? Read now Holy Saturday and the Journey to Emmaus Joel Clarkson Josef Rheinberger’s motet “Abendlied” juxtaposes sorrow and joy. Read now Beauty for the Least of These Ellie DuHadway A unique depiction of the stations of the cross welcomes guests at the Lamb Center, a ministry to people experiencing homelessness. Read now Waiting for Judas Madeleine L’Engle Jesus offers a love that is too strong for many of us to accept. Read now Clean House, Clean Heart Mary Grace Mangano Spring cleaning is an ancient tradition. It has spiritual roots, and might offer spiritual benefit. Read now