Sorry this wasn't posted right away :(
Read John 13 Jesus meets with His disciples and institutes the Lord's Supper.
INSIGHT
More than 2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ ate a ceremonial meal with His disciples. This meal originated in the Passover and pictured Christ's death, our need to receive Him personally for our salvation, and the fact that all those who are His people are a communion of saints. During the meal, He instructed His disciples to observe this ceremony regularly and with gladness until His return. And so, whether called the Lord's Supper, Communion, or the Lord's Table, Christians today observe a solemn but joyous ceremonial meal which looks back to the redemption of the Cross and forward to the glory of the Second Coming.
PRAYER
Praise God that He is powerful enough to keep the promises pictured by Communion.
The Lord reigns;
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be moved!
The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name - He is holy (Psalm 99:1-3).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18).
As you contemplate the mercy of God, confess any sins which the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:19-20).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
greater understanding of other traditions within Christianity,
heart-felt worship at your local church,
your activities for the day,
whatever else is on your heart.
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!(Revelation 19:9)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Do you live like you are free to run?
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan -- this rebirth comes from God.
John 1:12-13 (New Living Translation)
SO WHAT?
Whatever things were in your past that pulled you down or made you feel like you were not worth anything, Jesus has set you free from them. You were born again and all of those old chains can be gone. Today you need to accept that Jesus has set you free and you need to live in it.
You are Free to Run!
John 1:12-13 (New Living Translation)
SO WHAT?
Whatever things were in your past that pulled you down or made you feel like you were not worth anything, Jesus has set you free from them. You were born again and all of those old chains can be gone. Today you need to accept that Jesus has set you free and you need to live in it.
You are Free to Run!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Freedom
Read John 8-Jesus teaches on truth.
INSIGHT
By nature, we want absolute freedom. But such freedom is not possible. In fact, no such thing as absolute freedom exists. To be free to sail the seven seas, we must make ourselves a slave to the compass. This subservience irritates us. All of life is a contrast between freedoms and corresponding bondages. We can be slaves to Jesus and free from the bondage of sin, or we can be free from Jesus and slaves to the bondage of sin. We can make ourselves slaves to truth, and the truth can set us free.
PRAYER
The heart that has been set free by truth can offer praise to the Lord of all truth:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by. . . .
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth (Psalm 57:1, 9-11).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
When I kept silent,
my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. . .
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:3, 5).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
greater faithfulness with the finances God has entrusted you with,
revival to spread among American Christians,
your activities for the day.
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25, 27).
INSIGHT
By nature, we want absolute freedom. But such freedom is not possible. In fact, no such thing as absolute freedom exists. To be free to sail the seven seas, we must make ourselves a slave to the compass. This subservience irritates us. All of life is a contrast between freedoms and corresponding bondages. We can be slaves to Jesus and free from the bondage of sin, or we can be free from Jesus and slaves to the bondage of sin. We can make ourselves slaves to truth, and the truth can set us free.
PRAYER
The heart that has been set free by truth can offer praise to the Lord of all truth:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by. . . .
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth (Psalm 57:1, 9-11).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
When I kept silent,
my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. . .
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:3, 5).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
greater faithfulness with the finances God has entrusted you with,
revival to spread among American Christians,
your activities for the day.
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25, 27).
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