Devotionals for March 28, 2023
Don't forget to join us for a special Good Friday service on April 7th at 7:00pm!
READ
John 6:53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
REFLECT
Coming to church on Sunday morning is really easy. I mean, how hard is it to dedicate a few hours, including travel time, each week to listening to God’s Word? Three hours a week out of 168 available hours. That number gets ridiculously small when extrapolated out over the course of a year. But also…. Listening is easy. Appreciating is easy.
Learning? That’s hard. Learning means putting into practice what we hear and appreciate. That’s what the other 165 hours a week are for. What are we supposed to do with that time? Even Jesus’ disciples were befuddled often. Can you imagine the expression on the faces of His disciples when he told them to basically “eat me”? What? This is where learning begins. The act of digging deeper into the meaning to discover the true reward. We know how that story ended, but what about our story with Christ? What does God want us to know about Him? We all start with the same experience and knowledge of redemption, but even Jesus’ disciples each had a different story in their relationship with Him. The Apostles are the best examples of this. The book of Acts is filled with how the Apostles learned more along the way. We learn from them and write our own journey with Christ. Be a student of Christ. Never stop asking why. Never stop digging for the truth. Never stop trying to understand. Never stop discovering more of what God has for you to learn.
“Never stop growing” is the harder road of discipleship.
APPLY
Q: Put yourself in the questioning disciples’ shoes. Not knowing how the story goes, what would you do?
Q: How do you approach scripture or Biblical teaching that may be unclear or confusing?
Q: What has God revealed to you about Himself or His Word that you can share with others?
SING
“The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” - Matt Maher
PRAY
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Heavenly Father, may I add to your Kingdom daily through learning more about you and Jesus Christ your Son. May my desires be your desire to see lives changed and may I glorify your name.
READ
John 6:53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
REFLECT
Coming to church on Sunday morning is really easy. I mean, how hard is it to dedicate a few hours, including travel time, each week to listening to God’s Word? Three hours a week out of 168 available hours. That number gets ridiculously small when extrapolated out over the course of a year. But also…. Listening is easy. Appreciating is easy.
Learning? That’s hard. Learning means putting into practice what we hear and appreciate. That’s what the other 165 hours a week are for. What are we supposed to do with that time? Even Jesus’ disciples were befuddled often. Can you imagine the expression on the faces of His disciples when he told them to basically “eat me”? What? This is where learning begins. The act of digging deeper into the meaning to discover the true reward. We know how that story ended, but what about our story with Christ? What does God want us to know about Him? We all start with the same experience and knowledge of redemption, but even Jesus’ disciples each had a different story in their relationship with Him. The Apostles are the best examples of this. The book of Acts is filled with how the Apostles learned more along the way. We learn from them and write our own journey with Christ. Be a student of Christ. Never stop asking why. Never stop digging for the truth. Never stop trying to understand. Never stop discovering more of what God has for you to learn.
“Never stop growing” is the harder road of discipleship.
APPLY
Q: Put yourself in the questioning disciples’ shoes. Not knowing how the story goes, what would you do?
Q: How do you approach scripture or Biblical teaching that may be unclear or confusing?
Q: What has God revealed to you about Himself or His Word that you can share with others?
SING
“The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” - Matt Maher
PRAY
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Heavenly Father, may I add to your Kingdom daily through learning more about you and Jesus Christ your Son. May my desires be your desire to see lives changed and may I glorify your name.