04/01 Luke 23:26-33
As they led Jesus away, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country just then, was forced to follow Jesus and carry his cross. 27 Great crowds trailed along behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains to fall on them and the hills to bury them. 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? ” 32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 Finally, they came to a place called The Skull. All three were crucified there – Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side.
JESUS
Put on the cross to suffer and die, Jesus was God’s only plan for the salvation of mankind.
4/02 Luke 23:34-56
Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched, and the leaders laughed and scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Chosen One, the Messiah.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A signboard was nailed to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself – and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you are dying? 41 We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the thick veil hanging in the Temple was torn apart. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. 47 When the captain of the Roman soldiers handling the executions saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Surely this man was innocent. ” 48 And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw all that had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. 50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he had been waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. 54 This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation for the Sabbath. 55 As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where they placed his body. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to embalm him. But by the time they were finished it was the Sabbath, so they rested all that day as required by the law.
JESUS
Jesus is fully God and fully man. He knows what we go through and He knows what it takes to obey the Father.
4/03 John 20:1-18
But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. 3 So they went in, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?” 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back to tell his eleven disciples – and everyone else – what had happened. 10 The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several others. They told the apostles what had happened, 11 but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
JESUS
He died for our sin. He was raised by the power of God and He is alive now. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so and I have experienced His life in me.
4/04 Luke 24:1-12
But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. 3 So they went in, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?” 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back to tell his eleven disciples – and everyone else – what had happened. 10 The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several others. They told the apostles what had happened, 11 but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
JESUS
The greatest story ever told. Christ came into our world. He lived a perfect life. He suffered the same way the we suffer but was totally obedient to the Father. He died for our sin and the power of God raised Him from the dead. He is alive now giving us life and light for living.
04/05 John 5:1-6
Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
QUESTION
Do you want to change? Obey God. Jesus asked a simple question. Are you going to do what it will take to be what you’ve always wanted to be? Obey God.
04/06 John 5:7
“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
DO YOU
Do you want to be healed? Do you? Obey Jesus. Spend time with Him and get to know Him. Jesus is the only way that we can be saved and the only one who can heal our sin problem. Jesus is calling you. Are you listening?
04/07 John 5:8-10
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
BELIEVE
Do you believe that Jesus can save you? Have you asked Him to save you? Do you believe He has? Questions are powerful tools to be used as we strive to lead an abundant life. We will find our short comings quickly when we ask the right question. The issue most of us deal with daily is do I really believe that Jesus loves me? If I do then I will change.
04/08 John 5:11-15
But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
JESUS
Jesus has our best interests upper most in His heart. He is seeking our best good. He is striving to teach us to change our back sliding ways. Christ wants us to have joy and peace but the tragedy is we most often just want to be in charge. Give yourself to Jesus and trust Him. That is the only way to find His way.
04/09 John 5:16-18
So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
RELIGION
Religion is always seeking to control man and God. Christianity is a belief in the man Jesus Christ. We believe what He said and that He is alive in us today therefore guiding us daily towards becoming more like Him. Christ in control of our life breaks the bondage of sin and equips us to live day by day under the control of Jesus. Let Christ have control of you. It must be a voluntary giving up of control for the Lord will not force it nor will He simply follow our lead. Surrender to Him for Jesus is light and life for living.
04/10 John 5:19
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
JESUS
Jesus is the Son of God. He is one of a kind and there is no other. He lived a perfect life and willingly died for our sin. He is the exact image of the Father that we are called to emulate: We want to be like Him. He will never forsake us and He will walk every step of our life with us. Jesus is Lord, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Jesus is the reason that we can live life with confidence and joy.
04/11 John 5:20-23
For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. He is the alpha and omega the beginning and the end. He will never forsake us. He holds us tightly in His grip. We can accomplish all things through Him. Jesus is Lord.
04/12 John 5:24
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
LIFE
Our old life is passing away. Death is finality. Our new life is hidden in Christ with God and Jesus gives us eternal life. We will never be separated from Him. He is Lord and Master and we belong to Him.
04/13 John 5:25
“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.
JESUS
A person without Christ is dead in their trespasses and sin. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus we pass from death to life. We will live with Christ forever. Heaven will be our home.
04/14 John 5:26-27
The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.
POWER
Jesus has all of the power He needs to make your life a life of victory. No matter what happens it cannot change the fact that we are beloved of God and when we surrender our life to Him He will accept responsibility for our life and give us eternal life. What can mankind do to you? Nothing for nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are important to Him.
04/15 John 5:28-29
Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.
ONE-WAY
There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. There are so many great blessings in this life from walking with the Lord but do not forget that Jesus came to save us from our sin and gives us eternal life. It is His indwelling in us that makes life joyous and valuable. You are loved!
04/16 John 5:30
I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
JESUS
The perfect Son, the perfect Gift, the Lord Jesus Christ came to die for us, a sacrifice that we couldn’t pay so He paid the price for the forgiveness of our sin. He was fully man, fully God and He lived and walked on our earth so that we would know how we should life. Jesus is life. Let Him have your life.
04/17 John 5:31-33
“If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. He is the beginning and the end, alpha and omega, He is the first born and the first to die for our sin. Jesus is what it is all about-life in Christ is real life. Life without Christ is not life, it is a living death. Jesus is Lord.
04/18 John 5:34-36
Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.
JESUS
Jesus came from the Father. He was foretold by the prophets, the law and psalms. He came as prophesied. He lived as the Father directed. He died as was required and now He lives seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us even now. One day He will come back and take us home with Him. Jesus is God’s everything.
04/19 John 5:37-38
And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.
ALIVE
Jesus is alive. He lives in those of us who ask Him to come into our life and take control. We have bent the knee to Christ Jesus and He leads us moment by moment day by day. He came for the Father to save us from our sin.
04/20 John 5:39-40
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
JESUS
Jesus is the only way to the Father. Our ideas and opinions don’t change a thing. God’s way of doing things is God’s way of doing things. We have an opportunity to choose Christ or in failing to choose reject Him. We can choose Jesus now.
04/21 John 5:41-44
“Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.
JESUS
Jesus knows who we are and what we do. He knows our thought processes and sees us when we wander away. He knows all things. His knowledge is so far beyond our ability to comprehend that it is embarrassing and yet still we seek to control God. Give it up. Let Jesus have control of you.
04/22 John 5:45-47
“Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
JESUS
Moses knew about the coming Messiah and believed God that He would send Him and that the Messiah would be an image of the living God. Moses knew this and yet today we have otherwise intelligent people denying God and His Son. Jesus is Lord. What I or we think will never change that.
04/23 Psalm 89:1-4
A psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the tender mercies of the LORD forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. The LORD said, “I have made a solemn agreement with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him: ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.'”
OATH
God’s oath will never change. He knows the end from the beginning and He will never forsake Israel. He will never forsake us. He loves us. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we must remember as we go that the Lord will never forsake us.
04/24 Psalm 89:5-7
All heaven will praise your miracles, LORD; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. For who in all of heaven can compare with the LORD? What mightiest angel is anything like the LORD? The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than those who surround his throne.
JESUS
It’s all about Jesus. The Christian life and faith is in Christ Jesus. We live to serve Him. We would that all know Him. We keep our focus on Jesus and daily live out what Jesus is putting into our heart.
04/25 Psalm 89:8-11
O LORD God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, LORD? Faithfulness is your very character. You are the one who rules the oceans. When their waves rise in fearful storms, you subdue them. You are the one who crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours — you created it all.
JESUS
The Word tells us that Jesus created all things and that all things created were created for Him. Do not forget that He is aware of what you are facing. Jesus is vast and particular. He knows all things and He knows you. We are kept by Him and all things are held together by Him.
04/26 Psalm 89:12-13
You created north and south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name. Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.
CREATOR
When we talk with the Lord we are talking with the Creator of all things. As Jesus tells us and the testimony to us is that Jesus is the Creator force of the Lord. Jesus we love you-speak to us in a way that will change us into your likeness.
04/27 Psalm 89:14-17
Your throne is founded on two strong pillars — righteousness and justice. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. You are their glorious strength. Our power is based on your favor.
WORSHIP
Worship the Lord. Worship Him for His great goodness to us. Worship Him for His complete and total forgiveness of us. Worship Him for His grace which is more than adequate for us. Rejoice in our relationship with the Lord. Christ is alive and He loves us.
04/28 Psalm 89:18-21
Yes, our protection comes from the LORD, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king. You once spoke in a vision to your prophet and said, “I have given help to a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king. I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil. I will steady him, and I will make him strong.
LORD
The Lord is on our side. He is looking for us. He gifts us with membership in His family. In Jesus we have value, worth, strength and wisdom to live a life that honors and glorifies God.
04/29 Psalm 89:22
His enemies will not get the best of him, nor will the wicked overpower him. I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him. My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and he will rise to power because of me.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. He is our conquering Lord victorious in every battle. He has won the victory over death and offers us eternal life. The Lord is a great and mighty elder brother who will not let us go. Jesus is Lord.
04/30 Psalm 89:25
I will extend his rule from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the east. And he will say to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
FATHER
Jesus is focused on doing the complete will of the Father. He lived a perfect life here on Earth. He is the Savior giving us light and life and guiding us in the path of truth. There is nothing else like Jesus. He is the unique, one of kind, Son of God.
