Ps. 145:18 "The Lord
is close to all who call on Him."
Prov. 30:5 "Every
word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection." NLT
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.
REJOICE.
April
Devotional
05/01 Psalm
89:27-28
I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth. I will
love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end.
JESUS
Messianic comments from God Himself simply stating He is eternally connected
with Jesus. The Lord is able and willing to connect with us. Let Him
change your view of your life. Ask Him to let you know His plan for you.
Be about the master’s business.
05/02 Psalm
89:29-32
I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the
days of heaven. But if his sons forsake my law and fail to walk in my ways,
if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will
punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating.
OBEDIENCE
The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice. We are called to obey Him
because He knows what is right. The Lord knows the end from the beginning
and He knows what we need and what we are able to do. Jesus loves you and
me.
05/03 Psalm
89:33-37
But I will never stop loving him, nor let my promise to him fail. No, I
will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I
have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty
will go on forever; his throne is as secure as the sun, as eternal as the
moon, my faithful witness in the sky!"
JESUS
The Lord is eternal. He has a plan. We can be included in His plan if we
accept His offer of a family relationship-salvation in Jesus Christ. The
Lord is mighty and is able to keep us safe throughout eternity.
05/04 Psalm
89:38-40
But now you have rejected him. Why are you so angry with the one you
chose as king? You have renounced your covenant with him, for you have
thrown his crown in the dust. You have broken down the walls protecting him
and laid in ruins every fort defending him.
SUFFERING SERVANT
Jesus suffered and died for us. His death was overcome by the power of God
and Jesus was raised from the dead, defeating death and providing for us
exactly what we need: salvation.
05/05 Psalm
89:41-45
Everyone who comes along has robbed him while his neighbors mock. You
have strengthened his enemies against him and made them all rejoice. You
have made his sword useless and have refused to help him in battle. You
have ended his splendor and overturned his throne. You have made him old
before his time and publicly disgraced him.
SUFFERING
We do not understand suffering. We think the way things are right now is
forever but the only thing that is forever is our relationship with the
Lord. Put aside your mourning clothes and praise God. Praise and Glorify
the Lord for He is wonderful. Bless the Lord O my soul!
05/06 Psalm
89:46-48
O LORD, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How
long will your anger burn like fire? Remember how short my life is, how
empty and futile this human existence! No one can live forever; all will
die. No one can escape the power of the grave.
LIFE
Our life is very short. The Lord is eternal. The Lord is seeking to bring
us into His family. In Christ we live eternally. In Jesus we become a
member of God’s family.
05/07 Psalm
89:49
Lord, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David with a
faithful pledge. Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced! I carry
in my heart the insults of so many people. Your enemies have mocked me, O
LORD; they mock the one you anointed as king. Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and amen!
PRAISE
Praise the Lord. Praise Him now today. We don’t understand a lot of
things. Praise the Lord. We get some of the things we think we understand
wrong. We are hateful creatures. Praise the Lord. We can’t fix things our
self but we can praise the Lord, in all things give praise to the Lord God
Almighty.
05/08 John
6:1-2
After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea
of Tiberias. And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because
they saw his miracles as he healed the sick.
JESUS
People need Jesus. Those in His day knew that He had something they
needed. They saw the healing and they heard His words and it changed their
life. For the first time someone cared for them, someone with authority
cared and they were willing to do whatever it took to find out about Jesus.
05/09 John
6:3-6
Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around
him. (It was nearly time for the annual Passover celebration.) Jesus soon
saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to
Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these
people?" He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to
do.
JESUS
Does God really want your help? Are you willing to help Him? He can do it
without you but Jesus would that we become partners together with Him. What
is the Lord asking you about? Has He given you a word of healing, a word of
ministry or some other word about the yearning of your heart? If He has
then He is simply calling you to obedience and obedience always starts right
now-do the next right thing.
05/10 John
6:7-9
Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune to feed them!" Then
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. "There's a young boy here with
five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge
crowd?"
SUFFICIENT
Jesus
is sufficient for my life. He will meet my needs. He will equip me to
pray, work for and befriend the needy. His work is worthy work that uses
our obedience to accomplish His ministry among mankind. No apology ever
needed for serving the Lord.
05/11 John
6:10-11
"Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. So all of them -- the men
alone numbered five thousand -- sat down on the grassy slopes. Then Jesus
took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people.
Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were
full.
NEED
Jesus knows our need. He loves us. He is sensitive to the things happening
in our lives. Jesus meets us at the point of our need and is willing to
walk us through it. Give your heart and mind to Christ and He will not
disappoint you.
05/12 John
6:12-13
"Now gather the leftovers," Jesus told his disciples, "so that nothing is
wasted." There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve
baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat!
PEOPLE
People count most with Jesus. He did not come to create a wealthy empire
but instead to offer participation in an eternal kingdom. He is concerned
about our daily needs, our heartache and pain, and our eternal destination.
05/13 John
6:14
When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is
the Prophet we have been expecting!"
PEOPLE
People need a leader. All of us like sheep are easily led astray. Jesus,
the great shepherd, leads us in paths of righteousness. He is Lord and He
will bring us into His kingdom under His leadership and guidance.
05/14 John
6:15
Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so
he went higher into the hills alone.
JESUS
Jesus knew what people thought. They sought Him because they wanted someone
to ease their daily struggle. There was little thought about kingdom
issues. Their view of God was limited to their needs and their life.
05/15 John
6:16-17
That evening his disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But
as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat
and headed out across the lake toward Capernaum.
JESUS
Jesus is the Son of God. He had told the disciples that but they didn’t
understand what He was saying. He was away praying and they were on the
shore doing their own thing. They knew of His devotion to the Father. They
also knew that He was trying to train them to follow in His footsteps. They
didn’t get it and decided to leave Him there.
05/16 John
6:18-20
Soon a gale swept down upon them as they rowed, and the sea grew very
rough. They were three or four miles out when suddenly they saw Jesus
walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out
to them, "I am here! Don't be afraid."
JESUS
Jesus
is here. He knows what we are facing. He will help us deal with our life.
He isn’t an armchair quarterback; He knows the pain we feel for He has felt
our pain. The disciples left without instructions doing their own thing.
Jesus cared for them and was coming to their aid. One of the great truths
about our relationship with Jesus is that He always knows what we need and
is striving to meet our need.
05/17 John
6:21
Then they were eager to let him in, and immediately the boat arrived at
their destination!
JESUS
People want to evaluate Jesus based on their own concept of who Jesus is.
Jesus is Lord and as such calls for our obedience not our evaluation.
05/18 John
6:22-24
The next morning, back across the lake, crowds began gathering on the
shore, waiting to see Jesus. For they knew that he and his disciples had
come over together and that the disciples had gone off in their boat,
leaving him behind. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where
the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. When the crowd saw
that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into the boats and went
across to Capernaum to look for him.
WHY?
Why were they looking for Jesus? Did they want Him to do their bidding or
were they willing to obey Him? Obedience is usually a last resort. Today
let us consider the Lord’s will and note that He values obedience as the
number one thing we can do. Obey Him and everything else falls into place.
05/19 John
6:25-27
When they arrived and found him, they asked, "Teacher, how did you get
here?" Jesus replied, "The truth is, you want to be with me because I fed
you, not because you saw the miraculous sign. But you shouldn't be so
concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the
eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has
sent me for that very purpose."
DO?
What
would we have Jesus do? Are we seeking Him to be our Lord and Master or are
we seeking to make Him our spiritual butler? Jesus calls us to radical
obedience. He wants us to do the Father’s will. We generally don’t know
our own will let alone God’s will. Spend time with Jesus so that you can
follow Him.
05/20 John
6:28-29
They replied, "What does God want us to do?" Jesus told them, "This is
what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent."
OBEDIENCE
Obedience affects everything we do. It critically shapes the way I think
about and approach God. He is worthy of all honor and glory. The people I
come into contact with are also due respect and proper treatment. Help me
Lord to be as concerned about people as you are.
05/21 John
6:30-33
They replied, "You must show us a miraculous sign if you want us to
believe in you. What will you do for us? After all, our ancestors ate manna
while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the Scriptures say, 'Moses
gave them bread from heaven to eat.' “Jesus said, "I assure you, Moses
didn't give them bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the
true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down
from heaven and gives life to the world."
BLIND
Lost people are blind. They are dead to spiritual things. A person who is
lost has no relationship with the Father. They cannot think spiritual
things. This is why the world is in the shape it is. This is why people
have put everything first except people. The lost are truly lost. It is
our responsibility to tell them what God is doing in our life.
05/22 John
6:34-37
"Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives." Jesus
replied, "I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry
again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. But you haven't believed
in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me
will come to me, and I will never reject them.
SOURCE
Jesus is the source of our relationship with the Father. He is Lord and
calls us to Himself for our daily life. Obedience and attitude are critical
characteristics of the Christian life. Our obedience permits Him to lead,
guide and direct us. An attitude of faith and belief enable us to see Him
at work in our life. Jesus is the source of our strength and our peace so
we want to be consistent and persistent in our daily walk.
05/23 John
6:38-40
For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not
to do what I want. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even
one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal
life at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son
and believe in him should have eternal life -- that I should raise them at
the last day."
JESUS
Jesus is holding on to us. He brought us into the Family of God and now He
lives so that we might grow and mature spiritually as a servant of the Lord
High God. Jesus brings us everything we need to live a victorious life.
05/24 John
6:41-44
Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I
am the bread from heaven." They said, "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We
know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?" But
Jesus replied, "Don't complain about what I said. For people can't come to
me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I
will raise them from the dead.
DOUBT
If you don’t believe in Jesus no one will make you believe. When we accept
Jesus as our Lord we begin a journey of getting to know Him. He already
knows all about us but knowing Jesus becomes our life quest. Spend time
with Him and let Jesus teach you about life.
05/25 John
6:45-48
As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.'
Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (Not that anyone
has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) "I
assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. Yes, I am
the bread of life!
JESUS
Real life begins with Jesus. We learn from Him. He has a “hands on”
approach to our life, He holds us in His hands. Troubled? Turn to Jesus.
Need wisdom? Ask Jesus. He is available to give us direction for living.
05/26 John
6:49-51
Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. However,
the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. I am the
living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will
live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live."
LIFE
We have eternal life from Jesus. It is not based on what we can do it is
based on the Lord Jesus Christ and is a free gift from Him to us. When you
come to Jesus you get eternal life. He is generous and understanding but
there is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ.
05/27 John
6:52-57
Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How
can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked. So Jesus said again, "I
assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you cannot have eternal life within you. But those who eat my flesh and
drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day.
For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. All who eat
my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. I live by the
power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake
of me will live because of me.
SACRIFICE
Jesus was our sacrifice and He paid for our sin with His body and blood, He
died for us. When we accept Him we are accepting the sacrifice He made for
us and we become members of God’s family. He dwells in us and in Him we are
alive forever. We have His life in us.
05/28 John
6:58-60
I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live
forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna."
He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Even his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone
accept it?"
SIMPLE
The Christ life is actually simple. We surrender control of our life to
Jesus. We get to know Him and go to Him for guidance. Jesus willingly
guides us. In Jesus we surrender our life to Him to succeed.
05/29 John
6:61-63
Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so he said
to them, "Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see me,
the Son of Man, return to heaven again? It is the Spirit who gives eternal
life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to
you are spirit and life.
JESUS
In Christ we have life. That life is underwritten by the work of the Holy
Spirit. In Christ we become members of God’s family, He is our Father and
we are His children. Life in Christ is right living.
05/30 John
6:64-66
But some of you don't believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who
didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Then he said, "That is
what I meant when I said that people can't come to me unless the Father
brings them to me." At this point many of his disciples turned away and
deserted him.
CHRIST
The human mind is self-centered and grasping. Only when we surrender
ourselves to Christ and ask Him to forgive us of our sin and lead us will we
become children of God and in Jesus we are but it isn’t on our terms or our
timetable. It is God who is at work seeking the lost.
05/31 John
6:67-71
Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you going to leave,
too?" Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the
words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy
One of God." Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a
devil." He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve,
who would betray him.
ONLY
Jesus
is the only one in whom we can find life. He is alive and seeking us. He
wants to give us the free gift of life but we have to let Him give it to us
and accept it.
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contact Clay:
clay@lifesongs.com
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Scripture quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
NASB Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New American
Standard Bible, copyright 1975. All rights
reserved by the Lockman Foundation.
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