And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last - Luke 23:46.
The final word of Jesus on the cross was a word of prayer. Jesus willingly gave up His soul into the Father’s hands. Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma - Ephesians 5:2. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:14.
Jesus breathed His last after committing His spirit into the hands of the Father. During that time, the sun was darkened, the veil was torn into two from top to bottom, the earth quaked and the graves were opened. The Centurion who stood at the foot of the cross had the privilege to hear all the seven sayings of Jesus. He praised and glorified God of seeing what had happened on the cross. So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” - Luke 23:47.
Jesus laid down His life for us. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep - John 10:15. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep - John 10:11. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth - Psalm 31:5. Our times are in the hands of God. Like Jesus, let us also put our lives in God's hands by completely trusting in His perfect plan for us.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We commit ourselves
into Your hands. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
So when Jesus had received the sour
wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit -
John 19:30.
The sixth word which Jesus uttered on the
cross is “It is finished!” which is a word of victory. Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over
and the whole work His Father had given Him to do was fulfilled. The very reason and purpose that Jesus came to earth was finished. For the Son
of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost - Luke 19:10. God’s
will for Jesus was finished and accomplished in His perfect obedience to the
Father. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will
of Him who sent Me - John 6:38.
The
reason that the son of God came to world to destroy the works of devil was
finished. He
delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us freedom. Having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it
out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities
and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it -
Colossians 2:14,15. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed
us into the kingdom of the Son of His love - Colossians 1:13.
Jesus finished the work of salvation and
redemption for us on the cross. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus - Romans 3:23.24. The work of reconciling the sinful men to the
Holy God was finished through Jesus on the cross. Now all things are of God,
who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation - 2 Corinthians 5:18. Jesus had glorified the Father
on earth by finishing the work which He gave to Him. I have finished the work
which You have given Me to do - John 17:4.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for
finishing the work of salvation on the cross and saving us. In Jesus’ name we
pray. Amen.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all
things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I
thirst!” - John 19:28.
The
fifth word that Jesus uttered on the cross is “I thirst” which is a word of
suffering.Jesus expressed His thirst knowing
that He had accomplished the will of His Father and to fulfill the Scripture. He
was here fulfilling the prophecy from Psalm 69:21 which says that “They
also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink”.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You
have brought Me to the dust of death- Psalm 22:15.
God had provided a way for us to drink the
living water that completely satisfies our soul. Jesus answered and said to
her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But the water that I
shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life” - John 4:14. If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water - John 7:37,38.
Let us thirst for God and quench the thirst of
God by reaching the lost souls. As the deer pants for the water brooks, So
pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When
shall I come and appear before God? - Psalm 42:1,2. I am weary with my crying; My
throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God - Psalm 69:3. O God, you
are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water - Psalm 63:1.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for
the living water that You have given us to flow over our soul. In Jesus’ name
we pray. Amen.
Then the multitudes who went before
and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” -
Matthew 21:9.
The Palm Sunday is the day that
Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a small donkey. The Prophet Zechariah
prophesied how Jesus would come to Jerusalem. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold You king is coming to You; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt the foal of a donkey - Zechariah 9:9.
As
Zechariah prophesied, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a little donkey on the
Palm Sunday. People put their clothes on the road, waved the palm branch and shouted "Hosanna to the son of David". Hosanna means “Save us”. They shouted, “Hosanna!! Hosanna!!Son of David!! Blessed is the King of
Israel!!”. And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying,
“Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from
Nazareth of Galilee” - Matthew 21:10,11.
The
crowd praised Jesus calling Him the son of David. They rejoiced and praised God for all the
mighty works they had seen. Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the
Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and
praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “‘Blessed
is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in
the highest!” - Luke 19:37,38. Let us praise God for all His mighty works and
proclaim the salvation to all people.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We praise Your Mighty
name. Your are the Redeemer and the Blessed one. We thank You for saving us by Your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God,
My God, why have You forsaken Me?” - Matthew 27:46.
The
fourth word that Jesus spoke on the cross was a word of anguish as He cried out
with a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”. He who was
sinless became sin for us. He was cursed, abandoned and forsaken to save us
from our sins. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God - 2 Corinthians 5:21. Behold! the lamb of God who takes way the sin of the world - John 1:29. He was forsaken for us to be forgiven. My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My
groaning? - Psalm 22:1.
Jesus was forsaken for God to fulfill the
plan of redemption promised to Eve in the garden. And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your
head, And you shall bruise His heel - Genesis 3:15. He paid the penalty of our sins on the cross as all our iniquities were laid on Him. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own
way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all - Isaiah 53:6. Yet it
pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief - Isaiah 53:10.
Jesus was forsaken that we might never
be forsaken. He promises us that He will never leave us and forsake us. No man
shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with
Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you - Joshua 1:5.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord
your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake
you - Deuteronomy 31:6.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for Your sacrifice on
the cross. You have paid the penalty of all our sins on the cross. You will never
leave us nor forsake us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
When Jesus therefore saw His mother,
and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold
your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” - John 19:26,27.
The third word that Jesus uttered on the cross
was a word of compassion addressed to his mother. Mary, the mother of Jesus
stood near the cross with two other women and John. When Jesus saw His mother,
and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman,
behold your son!”. Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!”. It
shows the love, care and concern of Jesus towards His mother even on the cross.
The prophet Simeon prophesied
Mary that a sword will pierce her own soul at the time of Jesus’ birth. And a
sword will pierce your own soul too - Luke 2:35. It is a painful experience for
Mary to watch her son suffering on the cross. Jesus understanding the pain of His mother and His responsibility, committed her to be cared by John. From that time on,
this disciple took her into his home - John 19:27.
Like Jesus, let us also honor our
father and mother. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you - Exodus 20:12. And
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man - Luke 2:52. For
whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and
mother - Matthew 12:50.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to honor
and take care of our parents. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I
say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” - Luke 23:43.
The
second Word of God on cross spoken by Jesus is a word of assurance. Jesus was crucified on the
cross between two thieves. And when they had come to the place called Calvary,
there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the
other on the left - Luke 23:33. Because He poured out His soul unto death, And
He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made
intercession for the transgressors - Isaiah 53:12.
One of the thieves blasphemed Jesus whereas
the other thief was saved on the cross. Then one of the criminals who were
hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But
the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing
you are under the same condemnation? - Luke 23:40. The other thief had the fear
of God. He knew that Jesus was dying for him and recognized that Jesus is
sinless. And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong - Luke
23:41.
The dying thief recognized that Jesus is the
Savior. He asked Jesus to remember him when he comes into His kingdom. He
believed in a future life and in judgment. The thief said to Jesus, “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom” - Luke 23:42. Jesus promised the
thief that he would be in paradise and offered him the eternal life on the
cross. The faith of thief about Jesus as Savior and his supplication to Jesus is
amazing. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast -
Ephesians 2:8,9.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for
the gift of salvation You have offered us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they do” - Luke 23:34.
The first word of
Jesus from the cross is a word of forgiveness. Jesus prayed for those who
sinned against Him. Instead of praying for Himself on the cross, He prayed for
others. And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of
many, And made intercession for the transgressors - Isaiah 53:12. Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Matthew 5:44.
When asked by Peter how many
times should we forgive someone, Jesus answered seventy times seven(Matthew
18:21-22). Love your neighbor as yourself - Mark 12:31. God who is merciful had
forgiven all our sins and we are made alive with Him. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having
forgiven you all trespasses - Colossians 2:13. For I will be merciful to their
iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more - Hebrews 8:12.
Let us forgive those who have
hurt us. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not
forgive your transgressions - Matthew 6:14, 15. Be kind and compassionate to
one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you -
Ephesians 4:32. Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone
has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must
do - Colossians 3:13.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to forgive
others just as You have forgiven. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
However, this kind does not go out
except by prayer and fasting - Matthew 17:20.
The disciples were not able to cast
out the demon of epilepsy out of a boy. They could not cast out the devil
because of their unbelief. Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and
perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with
you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of
him; and the child was cured from that very hour - Matthew 17:17,18.
The disciples asked Jesus why they
could not drive the demon out of the boy and Jesus told them that this kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Faith as small as mustard seed will move mountain by the power of God. So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly,
I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and
fasting" - Matthew 17:20,21.
We will not be able to drive out some kind of
demons in our life unless we are in fasting and praying. Fasting and prayer brings deliverance and
healing in our body. It produces the faith that moves mountains. I tell you the
truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do
even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do
whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father - John
14:12, 13.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Increase our faith. Help us to be
victorious in our life by fasting and praying. In Jesus’ name we
pray. Amen.
Therefore be imitators of God as dear
children - Ephesians 5:1.
As God’s beloved children,
we are called to imitate God in all we do. We are called to walk in a manner
worthy of our calling and no longer to walk as unbelievers walk. walk worthy of
the calling with which you were called - Ephesians 4:1. You should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind - Ephesians
4:17. We need to imitate Christ by demonstrating humility, love, holiness, gentleness,
tolerance, love, unity, and righteousness in our life.
Esteem others better than ourselves
Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself - Philippians 2:3.
Walk in love
And walk in love, as Christ also has
loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma - Ephesians 5:2. By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another- John 13:35.
Do not love the world
Do not love the world or the things
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him -
1 John 2:15. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in
this world will keep it for eternal life - John 12:25.
Be Holy
But as He who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am
holy” - 1 Peter 1:15,16.
Be Patient
Rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer - Romans 12:12. By your patience
possess your souls - Luke 21:19.
Be Content
Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin
do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also - Mathew 6:19-21. But godliness with
contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can
take nothing out of it - 1 Timothy 6:6, 7.
Be Humble
Who is the man who desires life, And
loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from
speaking deceit - Psalm 34:12,13. God resists the proud, But gives
grace to the humble - 1 Peter 5:5.
Guard the mouth
Guard your lips to guard your soul. He
who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall
have destruction - Proverbs 13:3. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps
his soul from troubles - Proverbs 21:23.
Forgive others
Bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ
forgave you, so you also must do - Colossians 3:13. We are to recognize that we
are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand so we would walk in them - Ephesians 2:10.
Be Righteous
If you know that He is righteous, you
know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him - 1 John 2:29.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Fill us with Your heart. Help us to imitate
You in all our actions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The Lord is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made - Psalm 145:8,9.
Jesus had compassion for lost
souls. He was moved with compassion when He saw the people who were weary and scattered
like sheep without Shepherd. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with
compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having
no shepherd - Matthew 9:36. He fed the four thousand people miraculously as
He had compassion on them. I have compassion on the multitude, because they
have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat - Mark 8:2. He had compassion for his mother and so assigned John to take care of His mother when He was on the cross.
Jesus touched the eyes of two
blindmen in compassion and they received the sight immediately. So
Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes
received sight, and they followed Him - Matthew 20:34. He was moved with compassion when he saw a leper and cleansed him. Then Jesus, moved with
compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am
willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left
him, and he was cleansed - Mark 41.42.
Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain in compassion.
When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Then He came and touched the open
coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say
to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak - Luke 7:13-15. And
when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion
for them, and healed their sick - Matthew 14:14. Let us also be compassionate
with others like Jesus. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic,
love one another, be compassionate and humble - 1 Peter 3:8.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are the father
of compassion. Help us to be compassionate with others. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Surely He has borne our griefs And
carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we
are healed - Isaiah 53:3,4.
1. Station 1 - Jesus is condemned to death
So Pilate, wanting to gratify the
crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged
Him, to be crucified - Mark 15:15.
2. Station 2 - Jesus is given a heavy
wooden cross to carry to Golgatha
And when they had mocked Him, they
took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify
Him. Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of
Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to
bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is
translated, Place of a Skull - Mark 15:20-22.
3. Station 3 - Jesus meets the women
of Jerusalem
And a great multitude of the people
followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning
to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they
will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which
never nursed!’ Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and
to the hills, “Cover us!”’ For if they do these things in the green wood, what
will be done in the dry?” - Luke
23:27-31.
4. Station 4 - Jesus meets His Mother
Mary
“Now there stood by the cross of
Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved
standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to
the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her
to his own home” - John 19:15-27.
5. Station 5 - Jesus is stripped of
His garments
They said therefore among themselves,
“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the
Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots” - John 19:24.
6. Station 6 - Jesus is nailed to the
cross
And when they had come to the place called
Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and
the other on the left - Luke 23:33.
7. Station 7 - Jesus dies on the
cross
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all
things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I
thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a
sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus
had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He
gave up His spirit”- John 19:28-30.
8. Station 8 - Jesus is taken from
the cross
After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate
that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So
he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus
by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred
pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with
the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury - John 19:38-40.
9. Station 9 – Jesus is laid in the
tomb
Then he bought fine linen, took Him
down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been
hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid” - Mark
15:46-47.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for shedding
Your precious blood on the cross to save us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The harvest truly is plentiful, but
the laborers are few - Matthew 9:38.
Jesus preached the gospel of kingdom and
healed every sickness among the people in all the cities and villages. He saw
lost people as sheep without a Shepherd. Then Jesus went about all the cities
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw
the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary
and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd - Matthew 9:35,36.
God instructed Paul to preach in Corinth as
there was a harvest to be reaped. For I am with you, and no one will attack you
to hurt you; for I have many people in this city - Acts 18:10. God wants us also to be reapers. We are called
to have a burden for the lost souls. Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for the harvest - John 4:35. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age - Matthew 28:19,20.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon
us to preach the gospel, heal the broken hearted and to set the people free. The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to present deliverance
to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who
are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord - Luke 4:18-19. Let us work in the harvest field and reap
souls for God’s kingdom.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Let us go to all
nations and reach the lost souls. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
For to this you were called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His
steps - 1 Peter 2:21.
God
left His footsteps for us to follow Him. He humbled Himself and came to the world
in the appearance of a man. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross
- Philippians 2:8. He was obedient to the will of Father and suffered for us. Take
My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls - Matthew 11:28,29.
Let
our attitude be same as Christ. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ - 1
Corinthians 11:1. Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven
is perfect - Matthew 5:48. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than
the heavens - Hebrews 7:26. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy
in all your conduct - 1 Peter 1:15. He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as He walked - 1 John 2:6. My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me - John 10:27.
We will never walk in darkness but
have the light of life when we follow Jesus. Then Jesus spoke to them again,
saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of life” - John 8:12. We are called to follow the
steps of Jesus by denying ourselves and taking up His cross. Then Jesus said to
His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me” - Matthew 16:24. And he who does not take his
cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me - Matthew 10:38.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for leaving
us an example for us to follow Your steps. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
For if anyone thinks himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine
his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in
another - Galatians 6:3,4.
Self-examining ourselves and returning to God is
very important for our spiritual growth. Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed lest he fall - 1 Corinthians 10:12. Examine yourselves as to whether
you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus
Christ is in you? - 2 Corinthians 13:5. We need to examine ourselves when we
partake in the Lord’s Supper. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this
cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of
the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and
drink of the cup - 1 Corinthians 11:27,28.
The word of God which is a mirror
examines us, reveals our sins and cleanses us. Anyone who listens to the word
but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks
like - James 1:23, 24. Let us take the Word of God and examine ourselves in the
light of it. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form
of evil - 1 Thessalonians 5:21,22. Let a man examine himself - 1 Corinthians
11:28.
Let us examine our life in the perspective
of God and become more like Him. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me,
and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in
the way everlasting - Psalm 139:23,24.Beloved,
now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is - 1 John 3:2.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to examine
ourselves. May Your Word transform us and help us to walk in light. In Jesus’
name we pray. Amen.
But you, when you fast, anoint your
head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to
your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly - Mathew 6:17, 18.
God will reward us openly when we fast in
secret. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad
countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be
fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward - Matthew 6:16. Anna,
a prophetess of God never left the temple of God and spent fasted and prayed This
woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day - Luke 2:37.
Jesus spent forty days and nights in the
wilderness fasting and praying before He began God’s work on this earth. And
when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry -
Matthew 4:2. We need to spend time with God in fasting and praying to know what
God had called us to do. Nehemiah fasted and prayed when he learned that wall
of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates are burned with fire. So it was,
when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days;
I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven - Nehemiah 1:4.
Fasting in secret transforms our prayer life
and helps us to have a close relationship with God. Let us humble ourselves in
fasting and praying. I humbled myself with fasting - Psalm 35:13. When I wept
and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach - Psalm 69:10. Let us
seek God in fasting by presenting ourselves as living sacrifice before Him. God
who sees our secret fasting will reward us openly.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Let us seek Your
face in fasting and praying. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
For you were like sheep going astray,
but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls - 1 Peter
2:25.
Shepherd
Jesus is our Shepherd and we are the sheep
under His care. For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand - Psalm 95:7. We went astray like sheep
on our own ways but Jesus gave His life for our sins. All we like sheep have
gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid
on Him the iniquity of us all - Isaiah 53:6. For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus - Romans 3:23.
Overseer
Jesus is the overseer of our soul who always
watches us and protects us. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade
at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night -
Psalm 121:5,6. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve
your soul - Psalm 121:7. He guards our life and keeps our soul safe until the
day of glory.
Shepherd & Overseer
Jesus is our good Shepherd who gave His
life for us. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep
- John 10:11. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal
covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the
sheep - Hebrews 13:20. He is our caring
overseer who guides us, trains us and protects us. Let us return back to the
Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for
being our Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
And He took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of Me” - Luke 22:19.
As an offering
And walk in love, as Christ also has
loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma - Ephesians 5:2.
As a ransom for all
For there is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all,
to be testified in due time - 1Timothy 2:5,6. For even the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for man - Mark
10:45.
With love
In this the love of God was
manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins - 1 John
4:9,10. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:8.
To have everlasting life
For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life - John 3:16.
For our sins
Grace to you and peace from God the
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might
deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and
Father- Galatians 1:3,4.
To redeem and purify us
Looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself
for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works - Titus 2:13,14.
To live in us
I have been crucified with Christ; it
is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
for me – Galatians 2:20.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for
giving Yourself for us with an unconditional love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Therefore God also has highly exalted
Him and given Him the name which is above every name - Philippians 2:9.
Savior
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my
Savior - Luke 1:47.
Redeemer
Christ has redeemed us from the curse
of the law, having become a curse for us - Galatians 3:13.
Deliverer
The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And
He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob - Romans 11:26.
The Lamb of God
The next day John saw Jesus coming
toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world” - John 1:29.
Chief Cornerstone
Having been built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone -
Ephesians 2:6.
Advocate
And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous - 1 John 2:1.
Passover Lamb
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you
may be a new unleavened batch - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover
lamb, has been sacrificed - 1 Corinthians 5:7.
The Word
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God - John 1:1.
The True Vine
I am the true vine, and My Father is
the vinedresser - John 15:1,
Immanuel
“Behold, the virgin shall be with
child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is
translated, “God with us” - Matthew 1:23.
The way, the truth and the life
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” - John 14:6.
Resurrection and the life
Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall
live - John 11:25.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Your name is above all names. We thank You for who You are. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.