Jesus is one of the most talked about figures in history. Some love Him. Some hate Him. Many are indifferent. No matter where you stand on that spectrum, He’s notable enough that it’s worth looking into His teachings, promises, and resurrection.
DAY 1
Grief Overturned
Part 1
Today’s Bible Reading: John 20:1–18
“I have seen the Lord!” -John 20:18
According to Jim and Jamie Dutcher, filmmakers known for their knowledge of wolves, when happy, wolves wag their tails and romp about. But after the death of a pack member, they grieve for weeks. They visit the place where the pack member died, showing grief by their drooping tails and mournful howls.
Grief is a powerful emotion we’ve all experienced, particularly at the death of a loved one or of a treasured hope. Mary Magdalene experienced it. She’d traveled with and helped support Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:1–3). But His cruel death on a cross separated them. The only thing left for Mary to do for Jesus was to finish anointing His body for burial—a task the Sabbath had interrupted. But imagine how Mary felt when she found not a lifeless, broken body but a living Savior! Though she hadn’t at first recognized the man standing before her, when He spoke her name, she knew who He was—Jesus! Instantly, grief turned to joy. Mary now had joyful news to share: “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).
Jesus entered our dark world to bring freedom and life. His resurrection celebrates that He accomplished what He set out to do. We too can celebrate His resurrection and share the good news: He’s alive!
When have you experienced a time when your sadness turned to joy? How will you share the news of Christ’s resurrection this week?
Jesus, I celebrate Your resurrection and the new life I can experience in You.
DAY 2
Look and Be Quiet
Part 2
Today’s Bible Reading: Luke 23:44–49
Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by? -Lamentations 1:12
In the song “Look at Him,” Mexican composer Rubén Sotelo describes Jesus at the cross. He invites us to look at Jesus and be quiet, because there is really nothing to say before the type of love Jesus demonstrated at the cross. By faith we can imagine the scene described in the Gospels. We can imagine the cross and the blood, the nails, and the pain.
When Jesus breathed His last, those who “came to see the crucifixion . . . went home in deep sorrow” (Luke 23:48). Others “stood at a distance watching” (v. 49). They looked and were quiet. Only one spoke, a centurion, who said, “Surely this man was innocent” (v. 47).
Songs and poems have been written to describe this great love. Many years before, Jeremiah wrote about Jerusalem’s pain after its devastation. “Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by?” (Lamentations 1:12). He was asking people to look and see; he thought there was no greater suffering than Jerusalem’s. However, has there been any suffering like Jesus’ suffering?
All of us are passing by the road of the cross. Will we look and see His love? This Easter, when words and poems aren’t enough to express our gratitude and describe God’s love, let’s take a moment to ponder Jesus’ death; and in the quietness of our hearts may we whisper to Him our deepest devotion.
How do you express your gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done? Who in your life needs to hear the message of the cross?
Dear Jesus, as I look at Your cross, I have no words to express my gratitude for Your perfect sacrifice. But I thank You for Your love.
DAY 3
Not So!
Part 3
Today’s Bible Reading: Luke 23:49–56
The women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching. -Luke 23:49
“I wanted somehow to make it not so,” lamented the man, eulogizing a friend who died young. His words gave poignancy to humanity’s ageless heart-cry. Death stuns and scars us all. We ache to undo what can’t be undone.
The longing to “make it not so” might well describe how Jesus’ followers felt after His death. The gospels say little about those awful hours, but they do record the actions of a few faithful friends.
Joseph, a religious leader who secretly believed in Jesus (see John 19:38), suddenly found the courage to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body (Luke 23:52). Ponder for a moment what it would take to remove a body from a grisly crucifixion and tenderly prepare it for burial (v. 53). Consider too the devotion and bravery of the women who stayed with Jesus every step of the way, even to the tomb (v. 55). In the face of death, undying love!
These followers weren’t anticipating a resurrection; they were coming to terms with grief. The chapter ends without hope, merely a somber, “Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law” (v. 56). Little did they know the Sabbath intermission was setting the stage for history’s most dramatic scene. Jesus was about to do the unimaginable. He would make death itself “not so.”
Where do you turn for comfort when the worst happens? Do you live as though the resurrection is real?
Today, Father, we pause to remember how it must have been that day between Your Son’s crucifixion and His resurrection. We’re so grateful that He has reversed sin’s curse for us.
DAY 4
The Real Deal
Part 4
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12–22
[Christ] was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. -1 Corinthians 15:4
Sometimes cleaning out Grandpa’s attic pays off. For an Ohio man, it paid off in the discovery of a more than 100-year-old set of mint-condition baseball cards. Appraisers placed the cards’ value at $3 million.
One key to the high value of those cards was the fact that they were well-preserved. But beyond that, the true worth of the cards rested in the fact that they were authentic. If they’d been fakes or counterfeits—no matter how good they looked—they wouldn’t have been worth the cardboard they were printed on.
The apostle Paul had something similar to say about Christianity. He said that our faith would be completely worthless and counterfeit if Jesus’ resurrection were not the real deal. It took bravery and confidence in God’s plan for Paul to say, “If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Corinthians 15:14) and “if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins” (v. 17).
The Christian faith rests on the authenticity of this story: Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead. Praise God for the clear evidence of Christ’s death and resurrection (vv. 3–8). It’s the real deal, and we can stake our eternity and our total dependence on God on its truth.
What helped you to see that Jesus was the real deal? How do you seek to show that He’s real?
Lord, we’re eternally thankful for the truth confirmed in Your Word and in our hearts that You died and rose again for us. We love You, Lord, and lift our voices in praise!
DAY 5
A Good Man
Part 5
Today’s Bible Reading: Romans 3:10–18
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. -Ephesians 2:8
“Jerry was a good man,” the pastor said at Jerald Stevens’ memorial service. “He loved his family. He was faithful to his wife. He served his country in the armed services. He was an excellent dad and grandfather. He was a great friend.”
But then the pastor went on to tell the friends and family gathered that Jerry’s good life and good deeds were not enough to assure him a place in heaven. And that Jerry himself would have been the first to tell them that!
Jerry believed these words from the Bible: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). Jerry’s final and eternal destination in life’s journey wasn’t determined by whether he lived a really good life but entirely by Jesus—the perfect Son of God—dying in his place to pay sin’s penalty. He believed that each of us must personally accept the free gift of God, which is “eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 23).
Jerry was a good man, but he could never be “good enough.” He, like us, had to learn that salvation and righteousness aren’t the results of human effort. They’re gifts by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8).
“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). —Cindy Hess Kasper
How is it freeing to know you’ll never be “good enough” to get into heaven? How will you approach someone who believes their good works will earn a place for them there?
Dear God, thank You for Your freely given gift of eternal life to all who have faith in You. I’m so thankful I don’t need to earn my way into heaven.
DAY 6
How to Get a New Heart
Part 6
Today’s Bible Reading: Ezekiel 36:26–31
I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. -Ezekiel 36:26
A friend who’s a heart transplant cardiologist has an appreciation of Ezekiel 36:26 that not many of us can understand. Mike manages the pre-operation and post-operation care for heart-transplant patients. He’s often in the operating room as surgeons remove diseased, discolored hearts and replace them with vibrant, pink “new” donor hearts.
Mike explains that the process for selecting who gets a “new” physical heart is similar to who can get a “new heart” from God (Ezekiel 36:26). In both cases, need alone is the criterion.
Ezekiel’s mention of the people of Israel someday getting a “new heart” is a foreshadowing of the change that takes place at salvation. Ephesians 4:24 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 refer to it as “new nature” and “new person.” For the Israelites of Ezekiel’s day and for those of us living today, only one criterion must be met for us to acquire a “transplant.” We must need it. It matters not whether we’re rich or poor, respected or scorned. Citizenship, social status, and ethnicity are inconsequential. If we need a new heart from God, we can have one through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
What indicates that need? As sinners, all of us need a new heart. Have you had a spiritual heart transplant?
How is it comforting to know that the only requirement for a new heart is need alone? If you’ve received your new heart, how’s it working?
Thank You, God, for giving a new heart to all who ask. Help our new hearts to beat in time with Yours
DAY 7
Always Accepted
Part 7
Today’s Bible Reading: Luke 19:1–10
The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. -Luke 19:10
After several years of struggling to keep up in her studies, Angie was finally taken out of her elite primary school and transferred to a “normal” one. In Singapore’s intensely competitive education landscape, where being in a “good” school can improve one’s future prospects, many would see this as a failure.
Angie’s parents were disappointed, and Angie herself felt as if she had been demoted. But soon after joining her new school, the nine year old realized what it meant to be in a class of average students. “Mummy, I belong here,” she said. “I’m finally accepted!”
It reminded me of how excited Zacchaeus must have felt when Jesus invited Himself to the tax collector’s home (Luke 19:5). Christ was interested in dining with those who knew they were flawed and didn’t deserve God’s grace (v. 10). Having found us—and loved us—as we were, Jesus gives us the promise of perfection through His death and resurrection. We are made perfect through His grace alone.
I’ve often found my spiritual journey to be one of constant struggle, knowing that my life falls far short of God’s ideal. How comforting it is to know that we are always accepted, for the Holy Spirit is in the business of molding us to be like Jesus.
Where do you need God to continue to mold you? How does it help to know that through God’s grace you are made perfect?
Father, thank You for loving me as I am, and for making me perfect through Your Son’s sacrifice. Teach me to submit to Your daily renewal.
DAY 8
A New Calling
Part 8
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6–14
God saved us and called us to live a holy life. -2 Timothy 1:9
Teenage Casey led his gang to break into homes and cars, rob convenience stores, and fight other gangs. Eventually, Casey was arrested. In prison, he became a “shot caller,” someone who handed out homemade knives during riots.
Sometime later, he was placed in solitary confinement. While daydreaming in his cell, Casey experienced a “movie” of sorts replaying key events of his life—and of Jesus, being led to and nailed to the cross and telling him, “I’m doing this for you.” Casey fell to the floor weeping and confessed his sins. Later, he shared his experience of God’s grace with a chaplain, who explained more about Jesus and gave him a Bible. “That was the start of my journey of faith,” Casey said. Eventually, he was released into the mainline prison population, where he was mistreated for his faith but felt at peace, because he’d “found a new calling: telling other inmates about Jesus.”
In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul talks about the power of Christ to change lives: God calls us from lives of wrongdoing to follow and serve Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9). Through the Holy Spirit’s enabling, we too have a new calling to share the good news (v. 8).
When have you shared the gospel with someone? What was the result? Did it ever lead to suffering? What happened?
Dear God, thank You for offering us a new calling through Your Son. And thank You for giving us the Spirit to live inside us to guide and empower us to serve You.
DAY 9
This Is Grace
Part 9
Today’s Bible Reading: Acts 2:32–41
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah! -Acts 2:36
Les Miserablés begins with paroled convict Jean Valjean stealing a priest’s silver. He’s caught, and he expects to be returned to the mines. But the priest shocks everyone when he claims he’d given the silver to Valjean. After the police leave, he turns to the thief, “You belong no longer to evil, but to good.”
Such extravagant love points to the love that flowed from the fountain from which all grace comes. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told his audience that less than two months before, in that very city, they had crucified Jesus. The crowd was crushed and asked what they must do. Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Jesus had endured the punishment they deserved. Now their penalty would be forgiven if they put their faith in Him.
Oh, the irony of grace! The people could only be forgiven because of Christ’s death—a death they were responsible for. How gracious and powerful is God! He has used humanity’s greatest sin to accomplish our salvation! If God has already done this with the sin of crucifying Jesus, we may assume there’s nothing He can’t turn into something good. Trust the One who “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28).
Have you given yourself to Jesus? If you have, why not give your fears to Him as well?
Dear God, thank You for Your extravagant love toward us! Help us to trust in You and Your continuing work in our lives.
DAY 10
Absolutely Everything
Part 10
Today’s Bible Reading: Colossians 3:1–14, 17
Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus. -Colossians 3:17
A high school basketball team faced a challenge because of the religious convictions of its star player. The accomplished athlete played every game, usually leading his team to victory—except on Friday nights. A devout Jew, the young man stayed at home because Friday evening is the beginning of the Sabbath. And his team would typically lose. “His absence on the Sabbath,” one teammate wrote, “was a witness that something else had hold of his time, something even more important than basketball. He was different. He had . . . a calling, a commitment.”
As believers in Jesus, we have a calling that should impact every decision of our lives. Our decisions communicate what we value. There’s no portion of our life, however small, that we should hold back from God. We surrender everything, absolutely everything, to Jesus. “Whatever you do or say,” Paul says, “do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). In whatever we do—in every relationship, every business decision, every choice about our future, every passion—we do it all in Jesus’ name, surrendering each and every piece of us to Christ’s authority. It’s through these everyday details that we “set [our] sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits” (v. 1).
Devotion to Jesus will require us to make some hard sacrifices. Let’s not hold back. Let’s give Him everything!
What part of my life have I thought too small for God to care about? How does it change my perspective to think that He wants even the small bits?
God, I’ve thought I could keep parts of my life to myself. But You want absolutely everything. Help me give it to You. All of me.
DAY 11
Every Moment Counts
Part 11
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1–8
Keep a clear mind in every situation. . . . Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. -2 Timothy 4:5
When the Titanic hit an iceberg in April 1912, Pastor John Harper secured a spot for his six-year-old daughter in one of the limited number of lifeboats. He gave his life-vest to a fellow passenger and shared the gospel with anyone who would listen. As the vessel sank and hundreds of people awaited an unlikely rescue, Harper swam from one person to another and said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31 kjv).
During a meeting for survivors of the Titanic in Ontario, Canada, one man referred to himself as “the last convert of John Harper.” Having rejected Harper’s first invitation, the man received Christ when the preacher asked him again. He watched as Harper devoted the last moments of his life to sharing Jesus before succumbing to hypothermia and sinking below the surface of the icy water.
In his charge to Timothy, the apostle Paul encourages a similar urgency and dedication to selfless evangelism. Affirming God’s constant presence and the inevitable return of Jesus, Paul charges Timothy to preach with patience and precision (2 Timothy 4:1–2). The apostle reminds the young preacher to remain focused, though some people will reject Jesus (vv. 3–5).
Our days are limited, so every moment counts. Like Paul and Pastor Harper, we can be confident that our Father secured our spot in heaven as we proclaim, “Jesus saves!” (vv. 6–8).
How does knowing your days are limited increase your urgency to share the good news of Jesus’ love? Who do you want to reach today?
Jesus, please give us opportunities to share You with others today and every day until the day You call us home.
DAY 12
Innocence Found
Part 12
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14–21
See how very much our Father loves us. 1 John 3:1
“I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.”
Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. Once addicted to heroin, Geoffrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. Now he sees himself as a child of God.
The Bible proclaims: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter our past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new. Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sins separated us from God, but He has now “brought us back to himself through Christ . . . no longer counting [our] sins against [us]” (vv. 18–19). We are His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1–2), made new in His Son’s likeness.
Jesus is innocence found. He liberates us from sin and its dominating power and restores us to a new relationship with God—where we are free to no longer live for ourselves but “for Christ, who died and was raised for [us]” (2 Corinthians 5:15).
What does it mean to you to know that a new beginning is possible with God? How can you live as His new creation today?
Abba, Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save me so that I could be Your child. Please send me to someone who needs to come home to You today!
DAY 13
From Mess to Message
Part 13
Today’s Bible Reading: Mark 5:1–20
Tell them everything the Lord has done for you. -Mark 5:19
Darryl was a baseball legend who nearly destroyed his life with drugs. But Jesus set him free, and he’s been clean for years. Today he helps others struggling with addiction and points them to faith. Looking back, he affirms that God turned his mess into a message.
Nothing is too hard for God. When Jesus came ashore near a cemetery after a stormy night on the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, a man oppressed by darkness immediately approached Him. Jesus spoke to the demons inside him, drove them away, and set him free (Mark 5:1–13).
When Jesus left, the man begged to go along. But Jesus didn’t allow it, because He had work for him to do: “Go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you” (v. 19).
We never see the man again, but Scripture shows us something intriguing. The people of that region had fearfully pleaded with Jesus to leave (v. 17), but the next time He returned there, a large crowd gathered (8:1). Could the crowd have resulted from Jesus sending the man? Could it be that he, once dominated by darkness, became one of the first missionaries, effectively communicating Jesus’ power to save?
We’ll never know this side of heaven, but this much is clear. When God sets us free to serve Him, He can turn even a messy past into a message of hope and love.
What has Jesus set you free from? How can you share what He has done with others today?
Beautiful Savior, I praise You for Your amazing power! No darkness can stand against You! Help me to walk in Your light today.
DAY 14
Divine Escape
Part 14
Today’s Bible Reading: John 11:45–53
From that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. -John 11:53
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mystery The Clocks features antagonists who commit a series of murders. Although their initial plot targeted a single victim, they began taking more lives in order to cover up the original crime. When confronted by Poirot, a conspirator confessed, “It was only supposed to be the one murder.”
Like the schemers in the story, the religious authorities formed a conspiracy of their own. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38–44), they called an emergency meeting and plotted to kill Him (vv. 45–53). But they didn’t stop there. After Jesus rose from the dead, the religious leaders spread lies about what happened at the grave (Matthew 28:12–15). Then they began a campaign to silence Jesus’ followers (Acts 7:57–8:3). What started as a religious plot against one man for the “greater good” of the nation became a web of lies, deceit, and multiple casualties.
Sin plunges us down a road that often has no end in sight, but God always provides a way of escape. When Caiaphas the high priest said, “It’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed” (John 11:50), he didn’t understand the profound truth of his words. The conspiracy of the religious leaders would help bring about the redemption of mankind.
Jesus saves us from sin’s vicious grip. Have you received the freedom He offers?
What road are you going down that could take you further away from God? He offers real freedom. What do you need to confess to Him today?
Dear Lord, if not for You, I don’t know where I’d be. Thank You for providing a way of escape.
DAY 15
Surrendering All
Part 15
Today’s Bible Reading: Mark 10:26–31
Two men remembered for serving others for Jesus left careers in the arts to commit themselves to where they believed God had called them. James O. Fraser (1886–1938) decided not to pursue being a concert pianist in England to serve the Lisu people in China, while the American Judson Van DeVenter (1855–1939) chose to become an evangelist instead of pursuing a career in art. He later wrote the hymn, “I Surrender All.”
While having a vocation in the arts is the perfect calling for many, these men believed God called them to relinquish one career for another. Perhaps they found inspiration from Jesus counseling the rich, young ruler to give up his possessions to follow Him (Mark 10:17–25). Witnessing the exchange, Peter exclaimed, “We’ve given up everything to follow you” (v. 28). Jesus assured him that God would give those who follow Him “a hundred times” as much now and “in the world to come . . . eternal life” (v. 30).
No matter where God has placed us, we’re called to daily surrender our lives to Christ, obeying His gentle call to serve Him with our talents and resources—whether in the home, office, community, or far from home. As we submit to His call, He’ll also inspire us to love others.
Who comes to mind when you think of someone who’s sacrificed for Christ? How is God calling you to surrender?
Father in heaven, I surrender all to You. Help me to love and trust You and to serve others.
DAY 16
Giving Our All
Part 16
Today’ Bible Reading: Mark 12:41–44
She, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on. -Mark 12:44
When Bobby, who was raised in a poor Scottish family, attended a missions meeting at the local village church, he made a decision to receive Jesus as his Savior. When the offering plate reached him, he asked the usher to place it on the floor. Stepping into it with his bare feet, he said, “I don’t have any money to give to God, but I give myself!”
Bobby was Robert Moffat, who later became a missionary in South Africa. He worked tirelessly to share God’s love, including translating all of the Bible into a local language. Moffat and his wife gave themselves to serving God.
His story of wholehearted giving brings to mind the story in Mark’s gospel of a poor widow placing what appeared to be a small offering at the temple. Jesus, observing and knowing she gave “everything she had to live on,” told His disciples that she gave “more than all the others . . . making contributions” (Mark 12:43–44). While the others gave from their wealth, she gave from her heart.
Giving our all might mean serving people in another country as Robert Moffat did, but it could mean serving God with passion right where we are. We can give of our time, our financial resources, our prayers of intercession, and so much more.
Just as Jesus recognized the widow’s offering as a gift, God will see our heart and receive our offering with love.
How do you think those in the temple hearing Jesus speak reacted? If you had been there, how might you have responded?
Father God, all we have comes from You. Help me to give generously and with a glad heart, for You are the source of all things.
DAY 17
Called to Tell
Part 17
Today’s Bible Reading: Romans 1:1–6, 16–17
I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes. Romans 1:16
In 1959, Ancherai, a member of the Tipperahs, a tribal group in Bangladesh, endured months in a filthy, crowded prison infested by rats, with no room to stretch out. When acquitted, he shared, “Those three months are horrible for me to think of except for one thing”: He got his heart right with God. He’d been a Christian but hadn’t been living as one. Sleeping crouched in a corner of that jail, he had a dream in which he experienced great peace and felt God calling him to preach the gospel to his people. Over the next eighteen years, Ancherai diligently studied the Bible and joyfully shared the gospel, despite ridicule and opposition, eventually becoming known as the “Apostle Paul of the Tipperahs.”
Ancherai was nicknamed after Paul, who was called by God “to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News” (Romans 1:1). After Paul’s transformation from persecutor to apostle (Acts 9:1–18), he dedicated his life to spreading the gospel despite severe hardship and persecution. That’s why he could say, “I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
God beckons us to leave our past behind and to follow Jesus (v. 17). Like Paul and Ancherai, we were “called . . . out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). And we too can share the amazing news.
When have you shared the good news? What did you experience? Who might benefit from hearing the story of God’s work in your life?
God, thank You for calling us from the darkness to share Your good news with family, friends, and neighbors—no matter where we are in the world.
DAY 18
Shattering Hope
Part 18
Today’s Bible Reading: John 12:23–26
Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels. -John 12:24
Poppy seeds pop. Apple cores crash to the ground. Corn kernels crack. In nature, the very act of reproduction requires a seed to shed its hull and shatter its container. In her classic book, The Measure of My Days, playwright and author Florida Scott-Maxwell observes, “Life does not accommodate you, it shatters you. It’s meant to, and it couldn’t do it better. Every seed destroys its container or else there would be no fruition.”
The playwright’s observation reminds me of Jesus’ words as He approached His death in John 12. Sharing that the hour had come “for the Son of Man to enter into his glory” (v. 23), Jesus offered a kind of shattering hope to his listeners. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels” (v. 24). His death would bring about life for many. Jesus erases any doubt by prefacing His point with the phrase, “I tell you the truth.”
God offers this shattering hope to us today, nudging us toward growth. Jesus goes on, “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity” (v. 25).
We all face sufferings, disappointments and losses. How might God bring about new life in us through the daily “deaths” we encounter?
Dear Lord, may I embrace the shattering hope You offer in my days, that I might see You reproduce more of You and Your desires in my life.
DAY 19
The Miracle of Forgiveness
Part 19
Today’s Bible Reading: Romans 12:9–21
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. -Romans 12:21
In 1994, when South Africa made the transition from government by apartheid (imposed racial segregation) to a democracy, it faced the difficult question of how to address the crimes committed under apartheid. The country’s leaders couldn’t ignore the past, but merely imposing harsh punishments on the guilty risked deepening the country’s wounds. As Desmond Tutu explained in his book No Future Without Forgiveness, “We could very well have had justice, retributive justice, and had a South Africa lying in ashes.”
Through establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, the new democracy chose the difficult path of pursuing truth, justice, and mercy. Those guilty of crimes were offered a path to restoration—if they were willing to confess their crimes and seek to make restitution. By facing the truth, South Africa began to find healing.
In a way, South Africa’s dilemma mirrors the struggle we all face. We’re called to pursue both justice and mercy (Micah 6:8), but mercy is often misunderstood to be a lack of accountability, while pursuing justice can become distorted into pursuing revenge.
Our only path forward is a love that not only hates what’s evil (Romans 12:9) but also longs for the transformation and good of our “neighbor” (13:10). See the link below to view Grant Stevenson’s “In Pursuit of Jesus” account of the end of apartheid. Through the power of Christ’s saving grace, we can all experience the miracle of forgiveness and overcome evil with good (12:21).
Have you witnessed times when the goal of mercy and grace seemed distorted to enable injustice? When have you seen both justice and mercy at work harmoniously?
Loving God, when the pain and injustice around us breaks our hearts, help us to still believe in Your love and power to transform and heal. Help us to point with our lives to Your justice, mercy, and love.
DAY 20
The Wonder of the Cross
Part 20
Today’s Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:1–4
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. -Hebrews 12:2
While visiting Australia, I had the opportunity on a particularly clear night to see the Southern Cross. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, this constellation is one of the most distinctive. Mariners and navigators began relying on it as early as the fifteenth century for direction and navigation through the seas. Although relatively small, it’s visible throughout most of the year. The Southern Cross was so vivid on that dark night that even I could pick it out of the bundle of stars. It was truly a magnificent sight!
The Scriptures tell us of an even more magnificent cross—the cross of Christ. When we look at the stars, we see the handiwork of the Creator; but when we look at the cross, we see the Creator dying for His creation. Hebrews 12:2 calls us to “[keep] our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
The wonder of Calvary’s cross is that while we were still in our sins, our Savior died for us (Romans 5:8). Those who place their trust in Christ are now reconciled to God, and He navigates them through life (2 Corinthians 1:8–10).
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the greatest of all wonders!
How have you felt God navigating you through a particular situation? Where do you need His guidance today?
Jesus, I am in awe that You died on the cross for me!
DAY 21
Washed Clean
Part 21
Today’s Bible Reading: Jeremiah 2:13, 20–22
The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
I couldn’t believe it. A blue gel pen had hidden itself in the folds of my white towels and survived the washing machine, only to explode in the dryer. Ugly blue stains were everywhere. My white towels were ruined. No amount of bleach would be able to remove the dark stains.
As I reluctantly consigned the towels to the rag pile, I was reminded of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah’s lament describing the damaging effects of sin. By rejecting God and turning to idols (Jeremiah 2:13), Jeremiah declared that the people of Israel had caused a permanent stain in their relationship with God: “No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. I still see the stain of your guilt. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (v. 22). They were powerless to undo the damage they’d done.
On our own, it is impossible to remove the stain of our sin. But Jesus has done what we could not. Through the power of His death and resurrection, He “cleanses [believers] from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Even when it’s hard to believe, cling to this beautiful truth: there’s no damage from sin that Jesus can’t totally remove. God is willing and ready to wash away the effects of sin for anyone willing to return to Him (v. 9). Through Christ, we can live each day in freedom and hope.
Where do you go with your guilt? How might you live differently today knowing that Jesus’ death has the power to completely remove the guilt and “stain” of your sin?
Loving Father, thank You for removing the stain of my sin through the saving work of Your Son! Help me to move forward in freedom.
DAY 22
Despised for All of This
Part 22
He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. -Isaiah 53:12
Susannah Cibber gained fame in the eighteenth century for her talent as a singer. However, she was equally well known for her scandalous marital problems. That’s why when Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, many in the audience didn’t approve of her role as a featured soloist.
During that inaugural performance, Cibber sang of the Messiah: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3 kjv). Those words so moved Rev. Patrick Delany that he jumped to his feet and said, “Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!”
The connection between Susannah Cibber and the theme of Handel’s Messiah is evident. The “man of sorrows”—Jesus the Messiah—was “despised and rejected” because of sin. The prophet Isaiah said, “My righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins” (v. 11).
The connection between Messiah and us is no less apparent. Whether we stand with the judgmental audience members, with Susannah Cibber, or somewhere in between, we all need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. Jesus, by His life, death, and resurrection, restored our relationship with God our Father.
For this—for all Jesus did—be all our sins forgiven.
When you did you feel the freeing forgiveness of the Father? Who might you tell of God’s forgiveness?
Father in heaven, we all stand in need of Your forgiveness. We stand too in awe of Your Son Jesus, who was despised and rejected for our sins. Thank You for coming to us in Jesus so that we might know You now.
DAY 23
Alive Again
Part 23
Today’s Bible Reading: John 11:1–14, 40–44
The dead man came out. -John 11:44
Henry Ossawa Tanner burst onto the art scene in 1896 with his masterpiece The Resurrection of Lazarus. The painting earned a medal at the Paris Salon, making Tanner a phenomenon. The most stunning feature of Lazarus is the many evocative expressions painted on the faces of those gathered round Jesus and Lazarus. Tanner explained his desire to illuminate the biblical narrative while also adding the human touch “which makes the whole world kin.”
Tanner knew that whatever our differences, we’re all bound together by the inevitability of death. And we all together find our hope in Jesus who is victorious over death. In John, it was “a man named Lazarus [who] was sick,” but the truth is we’re all sick (11:1). We’re all, one way or another, doomed to the grave. Though Mary and Martha asked for Christ’s help, Lazarus died before Jesus arrived. Surely, then, this was the end of the story. Everyone knew death owned the final word.
Jesus disagreed. Standing before the dead man’s tomb and the astonished crowd, He thundered, “Lazarus, come out!” (v. 43). And Lazarus walked out of his crypt.
All of us know the weight and fear of death. The death of our bodies and our relationships and our hopes. Jesus has the final word. His transforming ways continue to bring light and life to our world.
How have you experienced the bitter effects of death? Where do you sense God speaking life into you and your experience?
Jesus, there’s death everywhere. Would You bring me Your life? Would You speak the final word?
DAY 24
The Highest Place
Part 24
Today’s Bible Reading: Colossians 1:15–23
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. -Colossians 1:17
My husband invited a friend to church. After the service his friend said, “I liked the songs and the atmosphere, but I don’t get it. Why do you give Jesus such a high place of honor?” My husband then explained to him that Christianity is a relationship with Christ. Without Him, Christianity would be meaningless. It’s because of what Jesus has done in our lives that we meet together and praise Him.
Who is Jesus and what has He done? The apostle Paul answered this question in Colossians 1. No one has seen God, but Jesus came to reflect and reveal Him (v. 15). Jesus, as the Son of God, came to die for us and free us from sin. Sin has separated us from God’s holiness, so peace could only be made through someone perfect. That was Jesus (vv. 14, 20). In other words, Jesus has given us what no one else could—access to God and eternal life (John 17:3).
Why does He deserve such a place of honor? He conquered death. He won our hearts by His love and sacrifice. He gives us new strength every day. He’s everything to us!
We give Him the glory because He deserves it. We lift Him up because that is His rightful place. Let’s give Him the highest place in our hearts.
What does Jesus mean to you? How can you express your praise to God today?
Jesus, You are my Savior and my Lord, and I want to give You the highest place of honor in my life.
DAY 25
Impossible to Hold
Part 25
Today’s Bible Reading: Acts 2:22–36
Death could not keep [Jesus] in its grip. Acts 2:24
Swimming with friends in the Gulf of Mexico, Caitlyn encountered a shark, which grabbed her legs and pulled at her body. To counter the attack, Caitlyn punched the shark in the nose. The predator unclenched its jaws and swam away in defeat. Although its bite caused multiple wounds, which required over 100 stitches, the shark was unable to keep Caitlyn in its grasp.
This story reminds me of the fact that Jesus delivered a blow to death, ending its power to intimidate and defeat His followers. According to Peter, “Death could not keep [Jesus] in its grip” (Acts 2:24).
Peter said these words to a crowd in Jerusalem. Perhaps many of them had been the ones yelling out, “Crucify him!” to condemn Jesus (Matthew 27:22). As a result, Roman soldiers fastened Him to a cross where He hung until they confirmed He was dead. Christ’s body was carried to a tomb where it stayed for three days until God resurrected Him. After His resurrection, Peter and others spoke and ate with Him, and after forty days they watched Him ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9).
Jesus’ life on Earth ended amidst physical suffering and mental anguish, yet God’s power defeated the grave. Because of this, death—or any other struggle—lacks the ability to keep us in its grip forever. One day all believers will experience everlasting life and wholeness in God’s presence. Focusing on this future can help us find freedom today.
How does it bring hope to know that one day all our suffering will be no more? Who needs to hear those freeing words today?
Dear Jesus, Your victory over death gives me hope! I praise You as the resurrected One who died so that I could have eternal life.
DAY 26
You’ll See Her Again
Part 26
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:3–22
Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 1 Corinthians 15:22
The room was dim and silent as I pulled a chair close to Jacquie’s bed. Before a three-year battle with cancer, my friend had been a vibrant person. I could still picture her laughing—eyes full of life, her face lit with a smile. Now she was quiet and still, and I was visiting her in a special care facility.
Not knowing what to say, I decided to read some Scripture. I pulled my Bible out of my purse and turned to a reference in 1 Corinthians and began to read.
After the visit and an emotional time in the seclusion of my parked car, a thought came to mind that slowed my tears: You’ll see her again. Caught up in sadness, I had forgotten that death is only temporary for believers (1 Corinthians 15:21–22). I knew I’d see Jacquie again because both of us had trusted in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin (vv. 3–4). When Jesus came back to life after his crucifixion, death lost its ultimate power to separate believers from each other and from God. After we die, we’ll live again in heaven with God and all of our spiritual brothers and sisters—forever.
Because Jesus is alive today, Christians have hope in times of loss and sorrow. Death has been swallowed up in the victory of the cross (v. 54).
How has God comforted you in times of sorrow? How might He want to use you to comfort someone who is grieving today?
Dear Jesus, thank You for dying for my sin. I believe You are alive today because God raised You from the dead.
DAY 27
“Feed My Sheep”
Part 27
Today’ Bible Reading: John 21:15–19
Take care of my sheep. -John 21:16
In a lecture in 1911, Oswald Chambers reflected on being a young shepherd in the highlands of Scotland: “hen you have to carry across your shoulders a dirty old [goat] and bring it down the mountain-side, you will soon know whether shepherding is poetry or not.” He didn’t want to romanticize this form of labor as “poetry” but rather called it “the most taxing, the most exhausting, and the most exasperating work.” This hard work of shepherding people is what Jesus entrusted to Peter, for Peter would face many challenges in caring for His flock.
Chambers reflected, “To whom did He say, ‘Feed My lambs?’ To Peter. Who was Peter? A very wayward sheep.” Even though Peter had denied knowing Jesus (see John 18:15–27), Jesus met him on the beach and lovingly restored him in front of the other disciples (21:15–19). Peter’s bitter experience taught him to be tender and watchful over the Lord’s sheep. Having received the Holy Spirit, he was ready for the toil and joys of being a shepherd.
Like Peter, we may have failed Jesus through denials, wrongdoing, selfishness, or pride. But He seeks us out and forgives us, just as He did Peter. See the link below to view the “In Pursuit of Jesus” video and learn more about God’s forgiveness and restoration. He restores us and gives us a new commission. As we follow Jesus, we share our love for Him others.
How do you think Peter felt while eating the bread and fish Jesus prepared for him? How do you react when you’re extended love and forgiveness?
Jesus, You said we’d face trials in life. Give us strength to keep trusting You in the hard times.
DAY 28
Of Saints and Sinners
Part 28
Today’s Bible Reading: Luke 22:54–62
A third time [Jesus] asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” . . . [Peter] said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” -John 21:17
Before she followed in the footsteps of John the Baptist by living in the desert, Mary of Egypt (c. ad 344–421) spent her youth pursuing illicit pleasures and seducing men. At the height of her sordid career, she journeyed to Jerusalem in an attempt to corrupt pilgrims. Instead, she experienced deep conviction of her sins and thereafter lived a life of repentance and solitude in the wilderness. Mary’s radical transformation illustrates the magnitude of God’s grace and the restoring power of the cross.
The disciple Peter denied Jesus three times. Only hours before the denials, Peter had declared his willingness to die for Jesus (Luke 22:33), so the realization of his failure was a crushing blow (vv. 61–62). After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter was fishing with some of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them. Jesus gave Peter a chance to declare his love for Him three times—one for each of his denials (John 21:1–3). Then, with each declaration, Jesus charged Peter to care for His people (vv. 15–17). The result of this stunning display of grace was that Peter played a key role in building the church and ultimately gave his life for Christ.
A biography of any one of us could begin with a litany of our failures and defeats. But God’s grace always allows for a different ending. By His grace, He redeems and transforms us.
In what ways have you experienced God’s transforming grace? How can you express His grace to others?
Thank You, Lord, for entering into my story and giving it a new direction and ending!
DAY 29
A “New Man”
Part 29
Today’s Bible Reading: Colossians 1:3–14
Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. -Colossian2 1:23
As a group of teenagers visited a home for the elderly in Jamaica, one young woman noticed a man at the end of the room. He appeared to have little in this world but a bed to sleep on—a bed from which he could not move because of his disability.
The teen shared with him the story of God’s love and read some Bible passages. As she did, she said later, “I started to feel his eagerness to hear more.” In response, she explained the wonder of Jesus’ sacrificial death. “It was hard for this man, who had no hope and no family,” she recalled, “to understand that Someone he’s never met would love him enough to die on the cross for his sins.”
She told him more about Jesus—and then about the promise of heaven (including a new body) for all who believe. “Will you dance with me up there?” he asked. She saw him begin to imagine himself free of his worn-out body and crippling limitations.
When he said he wanted to trust Jesus as his Savior, she helped him pray a prayer of forgiveness and faith. Then she asked if she could get a picture with him. He replied, “If you help me sit up. I’m a new man.”
Praise God for the life-changing, hope-giving, available-to-all gospel of Jesus Christ! It offers new life for all who trust Him (Colossians 1:5, 23).
Who or what helped draw you to the Savior? What thrills you most about the prospect of heaven?
Lord, thank You for the new life we have in Jesus Christ. Help us to share the hope of that new life with others so they can be made new as well.
DAY 30
A Clean Slate
Part 30
Today’s Bible Reading: Psalm 51
Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. -Psalm 51:2
After being released from prison, Michael was eager for a fresh start on life. As he ventured back into the world, he wanted to have the gang-related tattoos that covered his body removed. The tattoos were reminders of the way he’d lived before serving fifteen years in prison; removing them helped him move forward into a new life.
When we go to God for forgiveness, we begin a new life too. He performs an inward cleansing on our hearts—one that removes the “tattoos” of our wrongdoings. The psalmist, King David, describes his inward cleansing from sin in Psalm 51. He writes with pained awareness of the ways he’s wronged God, knowing he has “done what is evil in [His] sight” (v. 4). David trustingly asks God to wash away those stains: “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow (v. 7).
We can’t see the physical evidence of God’s inward cleansing of us. Yet when we trust in the sacrifice Jesus made to purchase that forgiveness, we can be assured that we’ve been washed clean. Even though the consequences of our actions may remain—the son born of David’s adultery died—our hearts are free from the “tattoos” of our past. Lord, we too have done evil in Your sight. Please wash us clean!
What “tattoo” would you like to remove? How have you been inwardly cleansed?
God, we love You! Help us to come to You for cleansing and forgiveness.