Daily Bible Reading:
Monday, March 28. Read Philippians 2:5-8. 1) Why is the mindset of Jesus pertinent to his followers today? 2) What did Jesus do to prepare himself for the cross?
Tuesday, March 29. Read Mark 10:35-45. 1) What did the disciple get angry with James and John? 2) What did Jesus ask James and John? 3) Why was the action of James and John so reprehensible?
Wednesday, March 30. Read Mark 9:33-37. 1) What were the disciples arguing about? 2) What did Jesus say in response? 3) How would you say being a disciple is different from what is normally seen in the world?
Thursday, March 31. Read Luke 18:9-17. 1) What was the point of Jesus’ parable? 2) What story did Jesus tell his disciples? 3) How was the Pharisee’s prayer different from the tax collector’s?
Friday, April 1. Read Matthew 18:1-5. 1) Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven according to Jesus? 2) What is it about a child that exemplifies the spirit of the Kingdom?
Saturday, April 2. Read Luke 9:46-48. This is Sunday’s sermon text.
Prayer for the Week:
O God of the multitudes. Give us a heart like Jesus. May we be compassionate and attracted to those not like us. And may we see how God might be at work in them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn of the Week:
O for a Heart to Praise My God
by Charles Wesley, 1742
O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free;
a heart that’s sprinkled with the blood
so freely shed for me:
A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer’s throne;
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone:
A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from him that dwells within:
A heart in every thought renewed,
and full of love divine;
perfect and right and pure and good —
a copy, Lord, of thine.
Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart,
come quickly from above;
write thy new name upon my heart,
thy new best name of Love.
Devotional Article for the Week:
Jesus Set the Standard
by Brent Nidiffer and Jamie Shell
Vince Lombardi was the famous head coach in the 60’s of the great Green Bay Packers. A reporter once asked him about his team’s greatest strength. Lombardi responded, “The greatest strength any champion can hold is humility.”
In our jobs and in our homes it can often be difficult to be truly humble. Today’s society often rewards and holds in high regard the people who display arrogant and self-centered attitudes. Many even regard humility as a sign of weakness.
Jesus Christ, however, set the standard on how we should view humility. Instead of coming to earth to reign as a king in luxurious power and destroying all who opposed Him, Jesus “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he HUMBLED Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8 NIV).
Our Savior came to earth to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45). Through His humility, we are blessed with the opportunity to become a Christian and a child of God. Without His humility, we would never be able to free ourselves from the shackles of sin and death. His humility gives us strength to live each day and hope that lasts beyond the most distant tomorrow.
Let’s thank God for loving us and sending his Son. Let’s thank Christ for his humility to come to us and pay the price for us. Let’s also pray for guidance as week seek to be more humble people in our relationships with our co-workers, friends, and family. The greatest sign of admiration is to reproduce what we admire. Let’s set loose a life of humble redemptive service in admiration of our hero, King, and Lord.