Jesus made it crystal clear that obedience to His teachings were essential to be included in a loving relationship with Him and His Father in Heaven. “He who has my commands and KEEPS THEM, he it is that loves me.” [Jn. 14:24]

What better way to know His commands than to read (or listen to) the Bible every day.

As I age, my respect and need for God’s Word grows and my value upon material things diminishes.

Its amusing to see young people covet MORE MONEY. What can you do with it that has eternal value? Investing in God’s Kingdom is a good place to start.

PRAYER: Lord, I keep my eyes upon You. I guard my heart from chasing after materialism and other idols that try to displace You.

READING: John 14-16

Jesus made it clear that He was on a mission. He was “Co-Missioned” by His heavenly Father to redeem us from our sinful estate and to usher us into God’s eternal kingdom.

In that He was sent by His Father, He also made it clear that He brought His Father’s message when He said, “I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” [John 12:49]

When we speak the words of Jesus, we are taking up the same commission to be faithful to God’s message to men.

PRAYER: Father, fill my mouth with Your Words. Fill my heart with Your love and compassion. Jesus, apart from You, I can do nothing.

READING: John 12,13

Christ was a compassionate man. When he heard of the passing of Lazarus, He wept with the others who were grief stricken.

The author of Hebrews said, “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses …” [Heb. 4:15] There you have it. Christ has emotions that are deeply moved by our sufferings here in this life. Count on His lovingkindness as you pray and pour out your heart to Him concerning the trials of life you experience everyday. He cares.

PRAYER: Lord, we cry out to You about every little thing that troubles us, because Your Word instructs us to “Cast all our cares upon You because You care for us.”

READING: John 9-11

Jesus described the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit as being a river. It is a moving body of water that receives its contents from a source, but flows where a channel is provided, bringing life to everything it touches.

God’s Holy Spirit in our lives does just that … it brings life to everything it touches. Don’t dam up the source. Drink deeply of God’s Word and His presence EVERY DAY!

PRAYER: Father, fill me, use me, flow through me today. Bring Your life to everyone I come in contact with today.

[By the way, every prayer we pray is in the name of Jesus]

READING: John 7,8

Jesus said everyone who would look to Him and believe in Him would have eternal life and would be raised up on the last day. He described this as doing the works of God.

For each of us to point to Christ with our lives is the work God really wants us to do.

Paul said, “We proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. This is what I am working at all the time, with all the strength that God gives me.” [Col. 1:28]

PRAYER: Father, we accept our role as witnesses of our saving power through Christ. Empower us with Your grace to get the job done.

READING: John 5,6

Drawing insight from the way Jesus zealously uprooted the con men who were extorting too much profit from worshipers making temple transactions, we infer an attitude of reverence for the buildings in which we worship. Actually, not so much for the building, but for the act of seekers meeting with their God.

Far be it from us to actually try to unjustly profit from any enterprise associated with the church, we esteem to rightly respect and cultivate the appropriate attitude towards the frequent experience we have with God when we meet together with other worshipers.

PRAYER: Lord, we don’t want to place undue reverence on the building we meet in on Sunday, but we want to reflect Your attitude on this point. Jesus, You are our perfect example for living. 

READING: John 2-4

Jesus clearly did not come the way the Jews thought He would. He came to model God’s way to live, suffer the rejection of men, and die for their sins. Their expectation of Him did not deter His obedience to His Father’s will . They wanted a triumphant military champion.

We find God’s plan in His Word. As we study it, we find the Words of Life to live by. The more acquainted we are with His plan through His Word, the more successful will be our role in this life.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for forging our own plan to do Your will. We repent and look to Your Word for the direction vital to our purpose in Your Kingdom.

READING: Luke 24, John 1

Peter denied he ever knew Christ when challenged in the yard of the High Priest. This man who was to become the foremost evangelist of the new Kingdom failed so miserably in being faithful to Jesus Who was about to lay His life down for Peter’s sin. Can we imagine how Peter felt as he saw the events of Christ’s crucifixion unfolding?

We fail the Lord on a daily basis, but His great love and understanding continue to redeem us and draw us to Himself. Hallelujah, what a Savior.

PRAYER: Lord, we humbly come to You with our faults and shortcomings. Forgive us and use us in Your Kingdom like You did Peter.

READING: Luke 22,23

As Jesus taught listeners in Jerusalem about the end times, He described fearful events happening that would signal the conclusion of life on this planet as we know it.  His advice: ask God to exempt us from these calamities, and stand firm in our faith to the end. He gave comfort to them that they should simply look up (to the the all powerful Messiah) when these things happen … that their Redeemer was coming for them.

His Words bring comfort to us who know Him.

PRAYER: Lord, cause us and those we love to be exempted from the sufferings and challenges to come … keep us as the apple of Your eye. We trust You.

READING: Luke 19-21

Jesus spoke these words to the leper who returned to in gratitude for the healing he had received.  This is a key to receiving and walking in healing for your own body. You may know that I have a great need for healing. I want to walk in sufficient faith to receive my healing.

Before we run to the doctor, we should pray the prayer of faith with thanksgiving to Christ for being the healer. Then, you can go to the doctor to perform your due diligence.

PRAYER: Lord, You have the Words of Eternal Life. You also have the power to heal our bodies. We ask in Jesus’ name for complete healing. We praise and thank You ahead of time for the miracle You can perform.

READING: Luke 16-18