Daily Verse

He Wants to Sit With Us

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: 
Luke 22:15 KJV

When I was in Junior High, (more than a few years ago!) one of the most important things of the school-day was finding who to sit with at lunch. If, as a seventh grader, I could sit with the older cooler guys in 8th I knew I would be set for life! Considering the fact that Jesus already knew that Judas would soon betray Him, Peter deny Him and the rest turn tail and run, it is astonishing to read that He was looking forward to sitting down with them all for dinner. Adding to those disturbing details, a few verses down we learn that while Jesus is giving them the bread and the wine and telling them that it represented His body and blood, they were arguing over which one of them was the greatest. This sounds like the worst possible family get together that we could ever imagine! But as bad as the events occurring around that dinner table sound, it gives me hope! It gives me hope because there are times when every one of us has acted like one of those guys! We have been far less loving, more proud and unkind, yet Jesus still says, He is longing to sit down at the table with us. So, the next time you receive communion, remember that night, when it all began. There, Jesus gave His body to suffer for our sins and His blood to pay the price for us to begin a new life with God. What a loving Savior we have. How amazing that He wants to sit down at the table and share His life with us!

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Surprised by Love

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A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Luke 22:24 ESV

Earlier this year, I was surprised by the beautiful flower that suddenly appeared on a large cactus, that had always looked awkward and unlovely. Somehow, just the right combination of rainfall and temperature, had flipped the switch on an inner clock and spectacular white blossoms began to cover its dull and twisted trunk. In the same way, a funny thing happened at the Last Supper. Just after Jesus had finished giving them the bread and the wine, while supper was ending, the disciples began arguing among themselves about who was most important. I can just imagine Jesus striking his forehead and crying out “Oy Vey! These disciples are making me crazy!”

We may chuckle at the absurdity of that scene, but sadly, that conflict about who is the most important, has remained among us till today. But that night, Jesus set us all an example of what we should be doing, when He surprised the disciples by beginning to wash their feet. Now, we don’t do much foot washing in the 21st century, but the kind of service that this humble task represents is still very much with us. As Easter approaches, we need to each ask God just how He wants us to wash feet. His answer just may become the greatest surprise of our lives!

 So He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:4-6 ESV

House Cleaning

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And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV

Sometimes we get the idea that Jesus went through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and sitting with lambs. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to eat with sinners, became angry when He went into the temple. At its entrance, He found a group of people setting up shop in hopes of making a quick buck. Then the one we call gentle Jesus, made a whip, and started driving them out while shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?” When Jesus used the word “House” He meant household or family. In other words, the place where God’s family meets should be especially for coming together to pray. It is easy for us to criticize the money changers, but do we sometimes maneuver our way into strategic positions in order to take advantage of others at church? Can we say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens when we show up on Sunday morning? Jesus also went on to say that His family was also supposed to include all nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship or are we separated by race, economic status, or education? Yes, Jesus is humble and gentle, but He is also Holy and angry with anyone who hurts His family and tries to keep us from Him

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