Judas, one of Jesus’ twelve a...

Judas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, goes to the religious leaders and offers to betray Him for a price. Jesus’ enemies give him thirty pieces of silver and Judas begins looking for opportunities to hand Jesus over to them. Betraying Jesus was not a mistake Judas accidentally made. It was deliberately coordinated and executed. A person can follow Jesus in word and deed yet still not belong to Him. Judas’s desire to live a life separate from Jesus even while doing life with Him is what separated him from the Savior. - P130

Judas is a warning for all of us not to be content to merely be affiliated with Jesus but actually love Him. It is from genuine love for our Lord and Savior that our thoughts and actions must flow.
- P130

Heavenly Father, You are in complete control over all things, both good and evil. You love both the faithful and the unfaithful, and I know I have been both. When I face disappointments or uncertainty, help me rest in Your sovereignty and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P131

2˝As you know, the Passover i...

2"As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

4and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.

- P124

7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked.

9"This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

- P125

For the fourth time in the book of Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples that He will be handed over to death. This will take place during the Passover, which is fitting because Passover commemorates the final plague in Egypt when the Israelites smeared lambs’ blood on their doorposts to protect their firstborn from the angel of death. Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb, and His blood covers the sins of His people so that they can cross over from death to life. The chief priests and elders are afraid to arrest Jesus during the festival because of a potential riot, but nothing is able to stop Christ from fulfilling His mission. - P126

At the proper time, God brings His salvation, revealing His enduring wisdom, sovereignty, and power. - P126

Jesus receives an extravagant offering in the form of an alabaster jar filledwith very expensive perfume. The disciples see this offering as a waste ofmoney. It sounds righteous to say that the money could have been given tothe poor. However, the woman clearly understands Jesus true value. Shegives Him the worship and devotion that He deserves, and Jesus says thatshe has done a beautiful thing, preparing Him for burial.  - P126

Sometimes we arelike the disciples, seeing value from a worldly perspective and forgetting togive ourselves and our possessions completely to God.  - P126

As we meditate onwhat Jesus has done for us, may we experience the love, joy, and gratefulnessof knowing that He is worth all that we could ever offer Him and more. - P126

The reality is that weneed GodGod desperately, and it is right to acknowledge our need for Himભાજપ પર િeach day. We should be in regular communion with Him, dependent onthe guidance of the Holy Spirit, and growing in our knowledge of God‘scharacter, commands, and promises. May our daily routines reflect thisgrasp of reality. - P127

Jesus, I praise You as the Passover Lamb who was slain for me. Thank You that Your blood grants me life. You are worthy of all my devotion, and I pray that I would hold nothing back in my worship of You. In Your name I pray, amen. - P127

40˝The King will reply, ‘Trul...

40"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me - P121

44"They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45"He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

- P121

In this vision of judgment, Jesus tells of a defining marker between the sheep and the goats. The sheep are the blessed, righteous ones who enter the kingdom and receive their inheritance. They have shown compassion to others and were quick to help those in need. Jesus explains that when we care for His brothers and sisters, we are showing care for Him. His examples encourage us to look out especially for those who have physical needs or for those who could benefit from hospitality or a word of encouragement. We are reminded that the righteous sheep reflect the compassion and love of Christ and that every act of service to others is precious in His sight.
- P122

Dear Lord, thank You for always providing for me. Forgive me for the times I fail to care for the people around me. Show me how I can better serve You by showing Your comfort and care to my brothers and sisters. In Your name I pray, amen. - P123

On the other side, there are the goats who are cursed and commanded todepart from the King. The goats go away to eternal punishment becausethey have ignored the needy and shown them no care or compassion. Wecan sin against God not only by committing flagrantly sinful acts, but alsoby sins of omission in which we do not do the good that God commandsus to do. If we truly love the Lord and seek to follow His ways, then oureyes and hearts will be inclined to bless those around us.  - P122

May we not allowselfishness or laziness to prevent us from demonstrating God‘s righteousnessand care. Let us seek the Lord and allow His Spirit to lead us to those inneed of His care and hospitality. - P122

I still use social media because I tell myself that I need to know what isgoing on in people‘s lives. However, I no longer feel comfortable with beinga simple spectator. Now, whenever I go online, I have made it my goal toencourage someone with my words. I do not offer a simple "like" or emoji.
Rather, I look to say something that will brighten a person‘s day and showinterest in their lives. With this approach, I have been able to have moremeaningful conversations and reconnect with people I have not talked toin a while.
Sometimes I get angry or cynical about something I have read online, butto build and thatadvertisers want this reaction because it leads to further engagement. Goingforward, I aim to shine more of Christ‘s light in these online spaces. - P123

14˝Again, it will be like a m...

14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

15To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

16The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

17So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

18But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

- P116

26"His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?

27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28"‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.

29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

- P117

In this well-known parable, the master entrusts different amounts of gold to his servants. Two of them are faithful with what they have been given, and they double what they have received. The master praises these servants, entrusting them with more responsibilities and inviting them to share in his happiness. The parable reminds us that God gives different gifts and abilities to each of us, and we do not have to question God’s reasons or be envious of others. Rather, we should be faithful with what we have been given, and we will share in the joy of partnering with God and multiplying His kingdom blessings. - P118

May we recognize what He has entrusted to us and be faithful in bringing more glory to Him. - P118

The final servant with the one bag of gold comes and hands back what hehas been given. His excuse for his laziness is that he fears his master andviews him as a hard man. We might shake our head in judgment at thisman, who did not even earn interest on his master‘s gold, or might excusehis behavior because his master did not return for a long time. However,
we, too, can be tempted into being unproductive and lazy when we thinkGod does not care about us or what we do.  - P118

"The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourselfaltogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourselfaltogether."-C.S. Lewis - P118

Dear God, thank You for the gifts and abilities that You have entrusted to me. May I not be lazy or stingy with them. Lead me to use them faithfully so that I may be a joyful partner for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P119

1˝At that time the kingdom of...

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

4The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6"At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

- P112

10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11"Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12"But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

- P113

Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, who waitfor the bridegroom of a wedding ceremony. They are all invited to the samewedding. They all have lamps with them. They all fall asleep and wake upwhen they hear the call announcing the bridegroom‘s arrival. What setsthe wise apart is that they prepared oil for their lamps; the foolish did notand their lamps are going out. All ten virgins were waiting expectantly forthe bridegroom but only the wise were prepared.  - P115

Our own human zeal orefforts may give us an appearance of devotion to Christ but neither of thosewill keep us burning for Him. It is the Holy Spirit whom God has given uswho can help us endure until Christ returns. Let us keep inand allow Him to make us ready.
step with Him - P115

Dear Jesus, we do not know when You will return. Help us be like the wisebridesmaids-ready and faithful each day. Fill our hearts with joy as weprepare for You. In Your name, amen. - P114