Reading:    Matthew 26:47-56

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.  But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.  Matthew 26:55-56

They planned to be together forever, but he had a heart attack a month after their wedding.  She hoped to have a big family, but the doctor told her she will never be able to conceive.  They had high hopes for their son, but a car wreck took his life.  Sometimes the best laid plans never come to pass.

The disciples had big plans about what was to come with Jesus as the Messiah.  But even the best laid plans of faithful men don’t always come out the way they wish.  What they dreamed of as a great gathering of growing faithful ended up in a meeting of fearful men.  Things didn’t go the way they had planned, and so they began to question the plan of God.

God’s plans will always be fulfilled over ours.  Even when life goes against our plans and the perfect plan of God, He will use those changes to bring about His will.  Our best laid plans may not work the way we want.  They may not even work the way God wants.  But we can trust that God will still bring about good from broken plans.

Challenge:  Looking back at your life, what good has come out of situations that at the time seemed bad?  Thank God for bringing good in your life.

Prayer Request:  Pray that God will bring about good through all our plans this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading: Luke 22:1-6; 47-48

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Luke 22:3-6

My brothers and I grew up playing basketball on our driveway. I always had fun, but would usually lose. My oldest brother is much bigger than I and could easily push me around. My other brother is taller, faster, and frankly a lot better at basketball. My only chance to score was when I would catch them off guard.

Many times we think that our lives in Christ exempt us from spiritual struggles. In reality the exact opposite is true. Being faithful to Christ entices Satan to seek after us. Our faith may be strong, but we must always be on guard against the attacks of the evil one. Satan’s only hope is to catch us off guard, and occasionally he will. No one would have suspected that Judas, a close follower of Jesus, would betray Him. But he was caught off guard and was trapped by his love of money.

We may feel comfortable with our faith, but we must always be aware that Satan is seeking to catch us off guard. The evil one is looking for a way to cause us to stumble. None of us are exempt from attack. We must remain strong in faith and keep watch for temptation.

Challenge: How is Satan attempting to lure you away from faith in Christ? Be on guard against his attacks.

Prayer Request: Pray that God will protect us from the attacks of the evil one this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading:    Mark 11:15-17

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Mark 11:17

I usually throw out my junk mail, but a few years ago I received a brochure selling a “prayer system” that I had to read through.  It promised to teach the secrets of prayer that would guarantee good health, make you rich, and give you a long happy life.  The system included a book, a special prayer mat, and an olive wood praying cross from the Holy Land.  It was both the strangest and saddest piece of junk mail that I have ever received.

There are some who think that Christianity is just about improving ourselvess.  They believe that to be a Christian is to learn to live in a certain way and to receive benefits from a healthy lifestyle.  If you flip through some popular faith-based books you will find that they are nothing more than pop psychology self-help books wrapped up in the language of faith.  But Christianity isn’t about feeling better about ourselves; it is about following Christ.

God does want to improve our lives, but that’s not what faith is all about.  We are called to follow and serve the will of God.  That’s what we were made for.  God wants us to love Him because we love Him, not because of the benefits of a life of faith.  Following Christ is what faith is really all about.

Challenge:  Is your faith more about improving yourself or following the will of God?  Choose today to follow Christ.

Prayer Request:  Pray that Christ will be honored by our worship this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading:    Luke 19:28-40

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:39-40

Growing up, I knew it was a bad thing to say a four-letter word.  There was a list of words that would slip from my dad’s mouth on occasion that were strictly taboo.  For me to say them meant trouble.  I have a memory of a bar of soap in my mouth to prove it.  It didn’t take me long to learn to avoid those four-letter words.

The world today is a much different place than when I grew up.  Those four-letter words that were once off limits are almost common language now.  Those four-letter words have been replaced with a five-letter name.  The world is always trying to rebuke us for praising God and, for the most part, it is successful.  There is a general fear of saying the name “Jesus” in a public forum.  We worry that we will be ostracized for our faith at best and fear a lawsuit at worst.  We’ve learned to avoid displaying our faith in the open to keep peace with the world.

Peace with the world, however, has never been a promise of Christianity.  As popular as Jesus was He never had peace with those in power.  There has always been a struggle between faith and the world.  We can’t escape it.  We may be able to avoid saying the name “Jesus,” but if we are living our faith we will not escape the battle with the world.  To have faith is to be against the world.  The two cannot be at peace.

The world may want us to stop saying the name “Jesus,” but our faith calls us to praise His name.  As believers, “Jesus” is not a “five-letter word.”  We should be proud of our faith and boldly proclaim the name “Jesus.”

Challenge:  Do you avoid showing your faith in public?  Be open to opportunities today to show others that you believe in Jesus Christ.

Prayer Request:  Pray that people will be strengthened and encouraged to invite others to hear God’s message this Good Friday and Easter weekend.