4/7 John 20:11-31
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.”Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16 “Mary!” Jesus said.She turned toward him and exclaimed, “Teacher!” 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.” 18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. 19 That evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord! 21 He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.” 24 One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin ), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” 30 Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.
WHO
Who are you looking for? Jesus is Lord therefore you do not have to look any longer. Accept Him as Savior and live a resurrected life.
Category - Devotionals
4/6 John 20:1-10
1 Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. 4 The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, and he saw and believed — 9 for until then they hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.
SEEING
Seeing they didn’t understand. Sight isn’t always help for our belief. We live with an awareness of His presence. We trust His promises. He loves us. Jesus is Lord. We don’t make Him Lord we simply trust that He is and that He rewards those that believe in Him.
4/5 Psalm 22:1-11
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.” My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, 8 “Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!” 9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you when I was a nursing infant. 10 I was thrust upon you at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born. 11 Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.
CONFIDENCE
We trust God based on His Word. We begin with confidence and yet the world is a scary place. We struggle but we believe. His Word effectively speaks to our situation. His deliverance is forthcoming. We remember. Now we hear His promise and have experienced His promise. We struggle and we believe.
4/4 Isaiah 53:7-12
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins — that he was suffering their punishment? 9 He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. 10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.
SUFFERED
He suffered and died for you and me. He created us. He knew our need. He offers forgiveness of our sin. Jesus loves you and me.
4/3 Isaiah 53:1-6
Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? 2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected — a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! 5 But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! 6 All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.
GUILTY
Jesus accepted my sin, I was guilty and He suffered and died for me and for you. He bore our sin. He paid our price. As a result of His sacrifice we can be set free. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive your sin. He will.
4/2 Isaiah 52:8-15
The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD bringing his people home to Jerusalem. 9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD will demonstrate his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. 11 Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon behind you, with everything it represents, for it is unclean to you. You are the LORD’s holy people. Purify yourselves, you who carry home the vessels of the LORD. 12 You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind. 13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 Many were amazed when they saw him — beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. 15 And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.
CHOOSE
Will you take counsel of your fears? Will you let that great deceiver Satan cause you to lose hope in your future? Trust God. Live today. Give Christ tomorrow. The Lord will take care of you. The Lord loves you. Accept His love and trust His guidance. Live today for Christ.
4/1 Isaiah 52:1-7
Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourselves with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will no longer enter your gates. 2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Remove the slave bands from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For this is what the LORD says: “When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without paying for you.” 4 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Long ago my people went to live as resident foreigners in Egypt. Now they have been oppressed without cause by Assyria. 5 And now, what is this?” asks the LORD. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is being blasphemed all day long. 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that it is I who speaks to them.” 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
ACTIVE
We serve and alert, active God. The Lord God Almighty is knowledgeable about His creation. He knows us. He wants to be involved in our life. If we are to grow we will spend time with Him. He knows what we need and seeks to give it to us.
3/31 Genesis 12:14-20
14 And sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt, everyone spoke of her beauty. 15 When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to their king, the pharaoh, and she was taken into his harem. 16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her — sheep, cattle, donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17 But the LORD sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh’s household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called for Abram and accused him sharply. “What is this you have done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why were you willing to let me marry her, saying she was your sister? Here is your wife! Take her and be gone!” 20 Pharaoh then sent them out of the country under armed escort — Abram and his wife, with all their household and belongings.
TRUST
You do not have to lie or cheat to accomplish God’s plan for your life. Listen to what the Lord says. Be faithful and ready to respond to His direction. Trust the Lord to see you through the difficult days of your life.
3/30 Genesis 12:8-13
8 After that, Abram traveled southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar and worshiped the LORD. 9 Then Abram traveled south by stages toward the Negev. 10 At that time there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to wait it out. 11 As he was approaching the borders of Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, “You are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ 13 But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of their interest in you, and they will spare my life.”
TRUST
Trust the Lord. You do not have to make complicated and risky plans for you life. The Lord will guide your path and you can walk in His strength and wisdom. Humility and love are by-products of a closer walk with the Lord.
3/29 Genesis 12:4-7
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth — his livestock and all the people who had joined his household at Haran — and finally arrived in Canaan. 6 Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I am going to give this land to your offspring. ” And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the LORD’s visit.
FOLLOW
Follow the Lord. He will guide you carefully through the pitfalls of life. Follow the Lord and He will not let you down. You follow the Lord.