Matthew 26:36-46 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/30/2018)...

"On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you."

Max Lucado

Matthew 26:36-46 (NLT) Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” 

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 

So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

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1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/29/2018)...

PASSION WEEK

“The most important events in human history were the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 

Billy Graham

“The resurrection blasts apart the finality of death, providing an alternative to the stifling settling dust of death and opens the way to new life.” 

Billy Graham

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NLT) I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

Apostle Paul

1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: 

He appeared in the flesh, 

was vindicated by the Spirit, 

was seen by angels, 

was preached among the nations, 

was believed on in the world, 

was taken up in glory.

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Mark 16:1-7 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/28/2018)...

PASSION WEEK

“No tabloid will ever print the startling news that the mummified body of Jesus of Nazareth has been discovered in old Jerusalem. Christians have no carefully embalmed body enclosed in a glass case to worship. Thank God, we have an empty tomb. The glorious fact that the empty tomb proclaims to us is that life for us does not stop when death comes. Death is not a wall, but a door.” 

Peter Marshall

Mark 16:1-7 (NLT) Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. 

When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

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I Peter 3:18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/27/2018)...

PASSION WEEK

“If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus' fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.”

A. W. Tozer 

(Preparing For Jesus' Return: Daily Live The Blessed Hope)

1 Peter 3:18 NLT Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (NLT) For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

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Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/26/2018)...

PASSION WEEK

“Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about.”

N. T. Wright (Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church)

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

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1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/19/2018)...

"For in order for capitalism to work -- in order for it to produce a good and a stable society -- the traditional Christian virtues are essential."

Antonin Scalia

1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NLT) Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 

But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

J
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Psalm 8:1-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/16/2018)...

"May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and for evermore."

Saint Patrick (missionary to Ireland)

Psalms 8:1-9 (NLT) O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. 

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. 

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

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James 4:17 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/15/2018)...

"You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings."

Pearl S. Buck

James 4:17 (NLT) Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Romans 12:21 (NLT) Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

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Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/13/2018)...

"The difference between where we are and where we want to be is created by the changes we are willing to make in our lives. When you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done to get it."

John C. Maxwell

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT) Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

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Romans 12:12 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/8/2018)...

"If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road - abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow."

Elizabeth Elliot (Missionary)

Romans 12:12 (NLT) Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

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Galatians 6:9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/7/2018)...

"Nothing paralyzes our lives like the attitude that things can never change. We need to remind ourselves that God can change things. Outlook determines outcome. If we see only the problems, we will be defeated; but if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory."

Warren Wiersbe

Galatians 6:9 (NLT) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

James 5:11 (NLT) We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT) I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

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Proverbs 12:10 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/6/2018)...

"Animals have a much better attitude to life and death than we do. They know when their time has come. We are the ones that suffer when they pass, but it's a healing kind of grief that enables us to deal with other griefs that are not so easy to grab hold of."

Emmylou Harris

Proverbs 12:10 (NLT) The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

Image: Charlie (2005-2018)

Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/5/2018)...

"Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune."

Sam Walton (Walmart founder & CEO)

Proverbs 16:24 (NLT) Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

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Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (3/1/2018)...

"In my travels I have found that those who keep Heaven in view remain serene and cheerful in the darkest day. If the glories of Heaven were more real to us, if we lived less for material things and more for things eternal and spiritual, we would be less easily disturbed by this present life."

Billy Graham

Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT) Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

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