The Daily Readings for THURSDAY, March 22, 2018

The Rich and the Kingdom of God
Mark 10:17-31

Daily Readings

THURSDAY, March 22, 2018

Exodus 7:25-8:19
The Plague of Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile. 8:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’” 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. 8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” 10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” 12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Gnats
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18
The Greater Glory of the New Covenant
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Mark 10:17-31
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
[Jesus] said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The Morning Prayer for THURSDAY, March 22, 2018

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your Fragrance everywhere I go by being your torchbearer. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me and be so in me, that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your Presence in my soul: let them look up and see no longer me--but only Jesus.

Amen

Verse of the Day - for THURSDAY, March 22, 2018

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV) “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Read all of Jeremiah 17

Listen to Jeremiah 17

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Chaplain Kenny - Torchbearers

Torchbearers

The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

~ 1 Kings 19:15-21 (NIV)

When it came time for the Olympic games in ancient Greece, athletes from around the country were handed a torch with a special flame. Every one ran his leg of the race and then handed off the torch to the next runner. Eventually the torch made it to an altar in Olympia and remained there. This Olympic tradition continues to this day.

At the beginning of time, God lit a flame and passed it on. It started with Adam and Eve. Later, Abraham passed the torch to Isaac, who in turn handed it to Jacob and thence to Joseph. In the Bible, passing the flame did not just happen between parents and children. Moses passed the torch to Joshua. Eli did the same with young Samuel. Jesus passed the torch to his apostles. The apostle Paul, as an old man, celebrated as he saw the flame of faith ignite in Timothy’s life.

In 1 Kings 19:15-21 Elijah asks Elisha to make an enormous sacrifice and follow in his footsteps as a prophet, to take a sacrificial step of faith. The Bible says nothing about Elijah’s background. He may well have been from a poor family and not have had too many career options. But Elisha is another story. This passage makes it clear that Elisha comes from a very wealthy family (they had twelve yoke of oxen). He will inherit a way of life that will keep him comfortable for the rest of his days.

But through Elijah, God has called him to walk away from his secure and wealthy lifestyle and follow him on a path that may easily lead to poverty, rejection, and the opposition of stubborn kings who want him dead. From the beginning, Elisha must have realized that following God’s plan for his life meant making significant sacrifices.

As they walk together, along the Jordan, waiting to see what God will to do, we can only imagine what is going through their minds. They have traveled so many miles together. God has used them to do amazing things. They have forged a wonderful friendship. But soon, Elisha will be alone.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a chariot of fire and horses appear, and the two men are separated from each other. Elijah is swept up into the arms of God; Elisha is left behind. Elisha cries out and tears his garments-a sign of grief and loss - as his friend, mentor, and leader is gone. Seeing Elijah’s cloak on the ground, Elisha takes it and rolls it up, just as he had seen Elijah do. He lifts his arm, just as he had seen Elijah do. He strikes the water of the Jordan, as he had seen Elijah do. And the water parts! Elisha crosses on dry ground. The mantle has been passed, the Spirit is alive in Elisha – he is ready to be a torchbearer for God.

From the beginning, God planned for his followers to be torchbearers. If we fail to rise up to this calling, each new generation is at risk! The question God is asking is clear: “Will somebody guard the flame? Will we continue the legacy and pass on the torch to the next generation?”

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your Fragrance everywhere I go by being your torchbearer. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me and be so in me, that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your Presence in my soul: let them look up and see no longer me--but only Jesus. Amen.

In Jesus,
Chaplain Kenny

Seeking God?
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
As Christians, we are called to be torchbearers.

Un dia a la Vez - No menosprecies tu llamado

No menosprecies tu llamado

Porque hemos buscado a Jehová nuestro Dios; le hemos buscado, y él nos ha dado paz por todas partes. Edificaron, pues, y fueron prosperados.

~ 2 Crónicas 14:7 (RV-60)

Muchos somos los que dedicamos nuestra vida a tiempo completo en el servicio a Dios. Hay quienes lo hacen en un medio de comunicación, una escuela o una iglesia. Otros lo realizan como pastores, líderes, cantantes, etc. Incluso, hay quienes son farolitos alumbrando el amor de Dios. Por mencionarte algunos casos, veamos algunas personas muy reconocidas y queridas por todos nosotros:

• Fernando Arau, un tremendo humorista en «Despierta América», de la cadena Univisión,y líder junto con su esposa de un grupo de apoyo a matrimonios.

• Yuri, presentadora de «Noche de Estrellas» por Univisión. Además, dedica su vida en el apoyo a su esposo, Rodrigo Espinosa, pastor de una iglesia de más de trescientos miembros en el Distrito Federal.
  
  
• Nuestro presidente del Grupo Génesis, el pastor Edwin Lemuel Ortiz, dueño de las estaciones La Nueva 88.3 y La Nueva 90.9, en Miami. Por más de quince años, la hermosa voz principal de la cadena Univisión.
  
  
• Nuestro Ernesto Suazo no solo es pastor y presentador por varios años del programa de «La Nueva» El Top 20, sino que también es una de las voces destacadas de la cadena Telemundo.

Y así te podría nombrar a miles de personas que Dios coloca como faros en diferentes lugares. Allí, de una manera única, llevan la Palabra de Dios a personas que nosotros nunca podríamos alcanzar. No menosprecies tu llamado, ni menosprecies el llamado de los demás.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Muchos somos los que dedicamos nuestra vida a tiempo completo en el servicio a Dios.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - WHY PERSECUTION AND MARTYRDOM?

WHY PERSECUTION AND MARTYRDOM?

…in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.

~ John 16:2b (NIV)

Today we begin a two-part look at the testimony of a terrorist persecutor named Maulana who ultimately gave his life to Christ and became a Christian missionary:

I was born in a Muslim family in a small town of Demak, central Java, Indonesia. My family was very strict in following Islamic Sharia laws. As a Muslim, I read a lot of the Koran, Hadits, the sayings of the prophet Mohammed, and all the other books that help me be a devoted Muslim.

I started to learn about a famous international Muslim named Ayatollah Komeini from Iran. I welcome Ayatollah Khomeini’s ideas and his call to revolution to all Muslims because it will be very nice to have Islamic Sharia law applied in our society. That would arrange all ways of life in this country according to the truth of the Koran. I don’t like the West because their lifestyle has affected the Eastern lifestyle, young people dress like those in the West, which is so far from Islamic propriety. I hate that.

And this has also caused me to hate tourists who come to Indonesia. They bring Western lifestyle and can’t be a role model for us in Islam. I see Christians as hindering Sharia teaching in Indonesia. Indonesia must be cleansed from the cross. It’s a must! Sharia must happen in civil society. The Christians worship Jesus, who is merely a man. For us this is sin, and we must stop this movement through churches.

The Indonesian government is committed to freedom of religion, as stated in our national constitution. But for Muslims this is not good. It will not bring any good to the country’s future. Because we do not get support from the government, we take law into our own hands. We attack churches; we shoot pastors while they are preaching to cause fear. We do it because the government does not back us up, so we do it by ourselves. We do not fear death because we were encouraged by Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini to spill our blood to the last drop to make this happen.

Remember the bombing in Bali? That was a combined expression of our frustration and our goal. Calling us terrorists is a big mistake, because we’re just Muslim God lovers.

The government supports Eastern Indonesia and the islands to be Christian, and is actually hindering us from teaching or implementing Sharia law there. So we devised secret plans to bring about Sharia law in Eastern Indonesia. I was one of the first 5,000 soldiers sent from east Java on a ship to the island of Ambon. En route from Surabaya to Ambon, we hijacked the ship in Solo. We searched the ship and checked each passenger’s identity. Anyone with a Christian ID was either killed or thrown into the ocean. And together our group took over the ship and headed for Ambon Island to eliminate the church of Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow the change that comes to Maulana’s life when he meets Jesus.

RESPONSE: Today I understand that it is Jesus in me which prompts persecution and martyrdom.

PRAYER: Pray for Christians in conflict zones like Indonesia who risk their lives living for Jesus.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

NIV Devotionals for Men - Risky Business

Risky Business

Read Acts 16:16–34
Recommended Reading: Matthew 6:21–26; 2 Corinthians 4:7–18; 1 Peter 4:12–19

After working together for nearly a year, John and Dave became good friends. Dave supervised John at work, but the two men shared a mutual interest in water sports. They even spent a few weekends wakeboarding together at a nearby lake.

One afternoon at the end of the workday, Dave asked John if he wanted to grab some dinner. While they were eating, Dave commented to John, “You know, you just seem different from the other people I supervise. What is it?” With that opening, John shared his faith in Jesus. Dave nodded his head politely but didn’t enter the discussion.

The next morning, the way Dave treated John suddenly changed. The joking stopped, as did their daily discussions about water sports. After he later lost a job promotion that required a positive reference from Dave, John finally confronted his former wakeboarding partner. “What happened at dinner last month?” he asked. “All of a sudden I feel like you’re treating me like a leper.”

“Look,” Dave replied, “I don’t appreciate people trying to ‘convert’ me. And I have no tolerance for any religion that claims to be the only way to God.” With that, the conversation ended. Within six months, John was laid off.

Let’s face it: Our faith sometimes causes us problems. It’s always been that way. When Paul and Silas delivered a slave girl from spiritual oppression, their actions resulted in a citywide uproar. Authorities accused them of advocating unlawful practices counterproductive to Roman society. The magistrate ordered them beaten and thrown into jail.

While we might not risk imprisonment or beating, when we follow Jesus we do risk accusations of proselytizing or of being too spiritually narrow. Our stand for faith might even result in ridicule, rejection and discrimination.

Paul and Silas responded by allowing themselves to suffer on behalf of Jesus. In the midst of their suffering, they even invited their jailer into a relationship with Jesus.

While we might not suffer to the extent Paul and Silas did, we can still choose to make spiritually correct choices, as they did. We can follow in their footsteps—standing for our faith and even inviting our enemies into a relationship with Jesus.

To Take Away

• Have you taken a risky stand for your faith? When? What was the outcome?
• Read Romans 5:1–5. What do you think suffering for your faith teaches you?
• How can you be better prepared to suffer for Jesus?

Let’s face it: Our faith sometimes causes us problems.

Girlfriends in God - When You Keep Repeating the Same Mistakes

When You Keep Repeating the Same Mistakes

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.

~ Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

Of all the activities ten-year-old Miriam enjoyed, she loved riding horses the most. Charlie, her favorite horse, had a sleek chestnut mane, well-defined muscular legs, and a fierce, strong will to match. Miriam felt powerful and self-assured when controlling this massive animal—except when he caught a glimpse of the barn. Whenever Miriam and Charlie returned from a jaunt in the woods, as soon as they got close enough for him to see the barn, he bolted homeward, forcing Miriam to hang on to the reins for dear life.

One day her riding instructor witnessed this strong-willed animal taking control of his master.

“Miriam! What are you doing?” she called out. “You cannot let that animal control you in that manner! Bring that horse back out of the barn this instant.”

Dutifully, Miriam mounted Charlie and led him a distance away from the stalls.

“Now,” the wiser, older woman instructed, “when you turn around and Charlie sees the barn and begins to run toward it, turn your reins all the way to the right. Do not let him go forward.”

On cue, Miriam steered her horse toward the stalls. On cue, Charlie began to bolt.

“Turn him! Turn him!” the instructor shouted.

Young Miriam pulled the reins to the right as hard as she could until the horse’s head was inches away from touching his right shoulder. But instead of obeying her lead, Charlie fought her with 950 pounds of bone and muscle. Round and round the horse and rider circled.

“Don’t let go,” the instructor shouted. “You must break his will!”

After ten long minutes of going in circles, Miriam and Charlie both grew exhausted and quite dizzy. He stopped circling. She stopped pulling.

“Now gently tap him to see if he will walk toward the barn instead of run,” the instructor commanded.

Charlie did not bolt, but walked at a steady pace. Miriam had broken this beautiful animal’s will and regained control of him as he submitted to his master.

I see myself in Charlie. I have the tendency to do what I’ve always done—to revert to old habit patterns and thought patterns. To keep making the same mistakes over and over.

Why does that happen? From the time we are born, we receive messages about ourselves—some true, some false. We go through our lives doing whatever we think necessary to feel safe, secure, and significant. Between the times we’re born physically and the time we’re born again spiritually, we form certain habit patterns and thought patterns. Our unique way of getting our God-given needs met by our own strength and our own means is our unique version of the flesh.

The word, flesh, has several meanings in the Bible. One meaning is simply our bodies—our literal flesh and bones. The Bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus came in bodily form—flesh and bones.

But another use of the flesh refers to our sinful thought patterns and actions that develop over time, our mechanism for getting our needs met apart from Christ. Once we become a Christian, the desire to do things our way and in our own strength apart from God does not instantly go away.

No one pushes the delete button on our old programming—our old thought patterns and actions. We experience a struggle between the flesh, with its pre-programmed thought patterns and actions that seek to please self, and the spirit, with its new thought patterns and actions that seek to please God.

When we become Christians, we’re born again and have a new spirit within us. We are saved from the penalty of sin. However, as long as we live in an earthly body, we will battle with the power of sin. Our old fleshly desires war against our new spiritual desires. While we fight battles with the world on the outside, we also fight battles with the flesh on the inside—our mind, will, and emotions.

The flesh’s lies will say:

• I’ve got to look out for myself because no one else will.
• I deserve to eat that bag of chips.
• I’m going to get even.
• I’m going to quit. This is too hard.
• I want what I want, and I want it now.
• I’m better than that person.
• My parents didn’t love me, so no one ever will.
• I’ve worked hard all week. I deserve as much wine as I want.

But you and I don’t have to be controlled by the flesh. Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His Sprit in us, we can control our actions…and it begins by controlling our thoughts.

Let’s conclude where we started: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2NIV).

Let’s Pray

God, there are certain mistakes that I keep making over and over again. I know that thoughts come before actions. Help me to renew my mind with Your truth so that I can live according to Your Word.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Go back to the list of “what the flesh says” in today’s devotion.

Can you think of any truths from God’s Word that would correct that faulty thinking?

I’d love to hear your answers. Click over to my Facebook page, look for today’s devotion, and leave your response.

More from the Girlfriends

Do you ever feel that you’re not good enough, smart enough, or just not enough, period? If so, it’s time to silence the lies that steal your confidence and awaken the truth that you’re amazingly created and equipped by God. Today’s devotion was adapted from my new book being released April 3, 2018, Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence. It is an expanded and revised version of the book, I’m Not Good Enough, with 50-percent new material. If you pre-order before April 3, you’ll receive a passel of free goodies including 3 FREE e-books: Your Scars are Beautiful to God, Listening to God Day-by-Day, and 5 Dreams of Every Woman.

Click www.sharonjaynes.com/enough for more details.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

Of all the activities ten-year-old Miriam enjoyed, she loved riding horses the most.

LHM Devotion - March 22, 2018 - Pain Killer?

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Pain Killer?"

Mar. 22, 2018

Read Matthew 27:33, 46-50

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when He tasted it, He would not drink it.

~ Matthew 27:33-34 (ESV)

The Roman executioners were not complete monsters. Before they nailed Jesus to the cross, they offered Him wine mixed with gall -- a painkiller, probably a bitter-tasting plant like opium poppy. No doubt there was a practical purpose -- it is easier to deal with a human body that is half-stupefied and can't fight very well. But there was mercy there as well.

Jesus refused it.

Why?

I am so afraid of pain that my house is stocked with several kinds of pain killers, and I make sure I have them stashed away at work, too. I know what pain is like. But then, so did Jesus. He had just been flogged. How could He bear to say no?

And yet He did. He would not refuse the least bit of the suffering He bore to redeem us all. "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me?" (John 18:11b)

It wasn't just the physical pain. Jesus would keep a clear, unclouded mind to the end -- enduring the horrific pain of being forsaken by the Father as Jesus became sin for us (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34). Paul describes why He did it: "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This is how much Jesus loves us. What can we do but love Him back?

THE PRAYER: Help us when we face pain, Lord. You know what it is like -- have mercy on us. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
When is the last time you felt pain, and why?

Devocional del CPTLN de 22 de Marzo de 2018 - UN CALMANTE

ALIMENTO DIARIO

"UN CALMANTE"

22 de Marzo de 2018

Leer Mateo 27:33, 46-50

Llegaron a un lugar llamado Gólgota, que significa "Lugar de la Calavera", y allí le dieron a beber vinagre mezclado con hiel; pero Jesús, después de haberlo probado, no quiso beberlo.

~ Mateo 27:33-34 (RVC)

Los soldados romanos no eran tan malos como parecían. Antes de clavar a Jesús a la cruz, le ofrecieron vinagre mezclado con hiel: un calmante hecho probablemente de una planta amarga de la familia del opio. Indudablemente, lo hacían con un propósito práctico: es más fácil manejar un cuerpo medio adormecido que no puede resistirse ni pelear mucho. Pero también había un poco de misericordia.

Jesús lo rechazó.

¿Por qué?

Yo le temo tanto al dolor, que tanto en mi casa como en el trabajo tengo todo tipo de calmantes. Sé lo que es el dolor. Pero Jesús también lo sabía. Acababa de haber sido azotado. ¿Cómo pudo decir que no?

Y, sin embargo, lo hizo. No rechazó siquiera una parte del sufrimiento que cargó para redimirnos. "¿Acaso no he de beber la copa que el Padre me ha dado? (Juan 18:11b).

No se trataba sólo del dolor físico. La mente de Jesús iba a estar clara hasta el fin, soportando el dolor terrible de saberse olvidado por el Padre al convertirse en pecado por nosotros (Salmo 22:1; Marcos 15:34). Pablo nos dice por qué lo hizo: "Al que no cometió ningún pecado, por nosotros Dios lo hizo pecado, para que en él nosotros fuéramos hechos justicia de Dios" (2 Corintios 5:21).

Eso muestra cuánto nos ama Jesús. ¿Podemos hacer otra cosa que no sea amarle a él?

ORACIÓN: Señor, ayúdanos a enfrentar el dolor así como tú lo enfrentaste y ten misericordia de nosotros. Amén.

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Los soldados romanos no eran tan malos como parecían. Antes de clavar a Jesús a la cruz, le ofrecieron vinagre mezclado con hiel: un calmante hecho probablemente de una planta amarga de la familia del opio.

Хлеб наш насущный - Передача наследия

Передача наследия

Читать сейчас: Псалом 78:8-13 | Библия за год: Иисуса Навина 10-12; Луки 1:39-56

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А мы, народ Твой и Твоей пажити овцы, вечно будем славить Тебя, из рода в род возвещать хвалу Тебе. — Псалом 78:13

Мой телефон издал знакомый сигнал, означающий, что пришло текстовое сообщение. Дочь просила бабушкин рецепт пирога с мятным мороженым. Я стала перебирать пожелтевшие от времени карточки в коробке с рецептами и вскоре увидела неповторимый почерк бабушки, а также несколько строк, добавленных мамой. Я вдруг осознала, что с просьбой дочери рецепт пирога с мятным мороженым переходит в четвертое поколение нашей семьи.

И я подумала: «Что еще может передаваться в семье через поколения? Как насчет веры? Пирог пирогом, а какую роль вера моей бабушки, а также моя собственная сыграют в жизни дочери и ее детей?»

В Псалме 78 автор оплакивает своенравный Израиль, который утратил доброе наследие веры. Он умоляет Бога спасти Его народ от нечестивых и восстановить Иерусалим. После этого он обещает возобновить и сохранить посвященность Божьим путям. «А мы, народ Твой и Твоей пажити овцы, вечно будем славить Тебя, из рода в род возвещать хвалу Тебе» (Пс. 78:13).

Я с радостью поделилась рецептом, чтобы сладкое наследие бабушки послужило новым поколениям нашей семьи. А еще я искренне помолилась, чтобы Бог помог мне передать дочери самое главное наследие – веру в Господа и Спасителя.

Боже, помоги нам со всей ответственностью постараться передать Твое доброе наследие своим детям и внукам.

Вера – лучшее наследство, которое мы можем оставить своим детям.

автор: Элиза Морган

© 2018 Хлеб Наш Насущный
Вера – лучшее наследство, которое мы можем оставить своим детям.

The Lesson of Jericho

The ancient land of Israel is a testimony, an evidence if you will, of the greatness of what God did in that country, a testimony to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of the Bible.

As one of the few gateways into the Judaean Mountains, Jericho was a natural place for the Israelites to begin conquering the Promised Land.

Jericho has a fascinating location and history. It is the lowest city in the world (more than 1,000 feet below sea level), and also appears to be the oldest. Archaeologists have discovered remains dating back to 8,000 BC, years before Abraham lived!

Come, follow Ray Vander Laan, Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Christian Leaders Institute, as he teaches about the Principals of First Fruits and the City of Jericho.