April 1 1 Thessalonians 4:14
For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.
ETERNAL LIFE
This is hard for us to comprehend. Here is the truth. Jesus will never leave us. We will never be second place with Jesus. We are in the family of God. It is that simple.
April 2 1 Thessalonians 4:18
So comfort and encourage each other with these words.
WORD
The Word of God is alive and active. It is used by the Lord to help us live our daily lives. The Word convicts, encourages, directs and any other thing that we need to become more like Jesus. Read it. Live it. Believe it.
April 3 1 Corinthians 1:17-19
For Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the Good News and not with clever speeches and high-sounding ideas for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.”
WISDOM
The Lord Jesus is no respecter of persons. He loves each one of us as if there were no other. This is hard to comprehend but simple to understand. Jesus loves me and you.
April 4 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God.
SALVATION
God’s power is not subject to the world. What nations think or do will not compromise our relationship with Jesus. Our life is in His capable hands and we are saved unto eternity.
April 5 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
POWER
Power belongs to Jesus. He is the strategic planner and His plan is effective and effectual in our life. He uses individuals to impact humanity. Often the one He uses is seen by the world as nobody. In the plan of God and the power of Jesus a nobody becomes the activity of the living Lord among men. To God be the glory.
April 6 1 Corinthians 1:30
God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.
VALUE
God created you and me with value. When I am myself and obeying the Lord His value comes out of me. My life and your life are critical in the family of God and we are valuable to Jesus. My value is a gift. Using that gift is my choice.
April 7 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it – unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
SALVATION
Good news Jesus has come. The Messiah came into our world, lived under the same rules we live under and did not sin. He walked straight to the cross and died for my sin. The Father raised Him from the dead and He is alive today. I serve a risen savior.
April 8 1 Corinthians 15:3
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me – that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
TRUTH
Jesus gives us access to the Father. He brings us into the family and enables us to live as a child of God. Our sins are forgiven. It is the gift of God. We are alive and free because of the work that Jesus did on the cross.
April 9 1 Corinthians 15:4
He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
RESURRECTION
God’s power is complete. It is adequate to save me and you. His power offers us life in Christ. The Lord Jesus is alive and gives us His life.
April 10 1 Corinthians 15:5
He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles.
TESTIMONY
Seldom can three people agree on anything. Yet the twelve apostles saw Jesus and bore testimony to this. Without exception they all spoke of the risen savior. Jesus is alive.
April 11 1 Corinthians 15:6
After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now.
TESTIMONY
The people testified to what they had seen not what someone told them. They all had the same story. Jesus who died on the cross to pay the price for my sin and yours was alive. He is alive today. A relationship with Christ brings life to our lives.
April 12 Romans 5:1-11
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
SALVATION
Jesus brought us a gift. That gift is life. His presence gives us light to live. We no longer are left to our own resources. We belong to the Lord and He wants us to know Him. He knows you and me. Now we can know Him.
April 13 1 Corinthians 15:10
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
SERVICE
I serve. The Lord prospers. This is the way the spiritual life works. Our Lord blesses us and uses us. Our service is the cornerstone of our relationship. The more we serve the more we have to talk with Jesus about. The more time we spend with Jesus the more we get to know Him. The more we know Him the more we serve. Use my Lord. Use me up.
April 14 2 Timothy 1:10
And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News.
TODAY
I will always live today. I cannot change the past. I cannot serve in the future. Now is the time of service. The Lord went to the cross at the exact right time. His service of sacrifice for you and me was on the day the cross exacted His death. Now is the time to pray. Now is the time to grow. Do it now.
April 15 2 Timothy 1:14
With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard what has been entrusted to you.
FAITHFULNESS
This world does not determine our usefulness. Jesus is at work in us to do that which He has laid out as our service. The Holy Spirit works in our lives to use us where we are needed. Do not despair. Do not let the world overrun you. Be encouraged because Jesus loves you. What you are doing as unto the Lord is critical in His kingdom.
April 16 Luke 24:1-3
But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
ALIVE
We serve a risen Savior. He is alive today. He is active today. Today is when we can spend time with Him. The victory has been won. Today is when we can be victorious.
April 17 Luke 24:4-7
They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 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? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you remember what he told you back in Galilee, 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?”
VICTORY
Do not let your failures control you. Jesus is alive and His work is done now. Change your focus to Christ and His presence. Be usable and be confident. You are defined by Christ and not by the world.
April 18 Luke 24:10-11
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, but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn’t believe it.
CHRIST
Christ in you is your hope of glory. This is a concept that is hard to explain but easy to experience. He said He would be with you. He said you had something important to do for Him. Be obedient and do not despair. Jesus is alive and He is alive in you.
April 19 Luke 24:25-26
Then Jesus said to them, “You are such foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?”
BELIEF
Belief is personal and practical. It shapes the way we see ourselves and others. Belief is rooted in our growing relationship with the Lord. I read His Word, apply it to my life and let His Word change me. No one else can believe for you. Only you can believe the Word of the Lord and let it be effective and effectual in your life.
April 20 Luke 24:36
And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. He said, “Peace be with you.”
PEACE
Our peace is a gift from the Lord. We will have peace when we let the Lord have control of us. It is available for us as we navigate the vagaries and variables of life. Amazingly we can often have the greatest peace in the midst of the greatest conflict because the Lord Jesus is with us.
April 21 Luke 24:47-48
With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.’ You are witnesses of all these things.
SALVATION
Turn to the Lord. Jesus will forgive you and give you eternal life. Turn to the Lord daily and He will give you life for living. Each day you are in need of His healing touch.
April 22 1 Corinthians 15:12-14
But tell me this – since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.
ALIVE
Jesus is alive today. He lives in you and me. He equips, enables, guides, forgives and any other thing that we need for the normal Christian life. Your life is special. Let Him lead you.
April 23 Isaiah 25:6-8
In Jerusalem, the LORD Almighty will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world. It will be a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken!
FINALLY
One day the Lord will reveal His kingdom. Today by faith we live under His direction and control. One day by sight we will live under His direction and control. The truth is that this very moment we are living under His direction and control and it is as solid and eternal as it will be in that day of revelation.
April 24 1 Corinthians 15:20
But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.
LIFE
Life in Christ is real life. You and I are alive and under the direction of the creator of the universe. He knows all about us. He loves us. He has a plan for us. Life is good. Jesus loves you.
April 25 1 Corinthians 15:25-27
For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has given him authority over all things.” Of course, when it says “authority over all things,” it does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.
AUTHORITY
I want us to be careful as we look at this and think about Christ returning in judgment. He is holding off judgment because of His great love. He called us because of His great love. Love is what we are called to do. Judgment belongs to the Lord Jesus. Obedience is our responsibility.
April 26 Isaiah 25:9
In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”
REJOICE
This I understand. Christ has saved me from eternal death to eternal life. I trust the Lord. His Word and His powerful work in me has guided me faithfully every day of my Christian life. I know that Jesus loves me.
April 27 Mark 14:32
And they came to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.”
STRENGTH
I cannot live with Jesus. I am not strong enough, wise enough or good enough to walk with Him. He gave me life. His gift gives me the right to ask Him to lead, guide and direct my life.
April 28 Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
VALUE
My value is in Jesus. My standing today and into eternity is not based on my job, my wealth or the world’s approval. Jesus gives me everything I need to live a Christian life, to serve Him, to be obedient and to live an abundant life. Jesus is God’s everything.
April 29 Psalm 23:2
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
LIFE
Life is quick and difficult. All of us struggle with the unknown. When we know Jesus, we the One who knows the unknown. He loves us. He will not leave us alone. He will not abandon us. He will bring us peace and joy in the midst of life.
April 30 Luke 24:50-52
Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.
RETURN
Jesus is coming back. Like a thief in the night He will return when we least expect it. I am to live a life of obedience and expectancy. Jesus is Lord.
