Tag Archives: Holy Week

April 16, 2025 · 5:36 AM

The Garden Of Surrender

After God had created everything, He planted the Garden of Eden, where He chose to place Adam. Everything Adam could want was there, including the Tree of Life and also the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gave Adam a helper in Eve as well. Yet in this paradise the serpent came to temp them. He had them question the truth of what God said. They ate the fruit in disobedience to God. In this garden, that started off representing abundance, sin and death entered the world because they chose their will over His.

On Thursday night of Holy Week, Jesus and the disciples entered into the Garden of Gethsemane. It was an olive tree grove with a name that means the place of pressing. The trees are dark and wiry. It looked nothing like paradise. As Jesus went off to pray, He told the disciples to watch and pray so they wouldn’t enter into temptation. Jesus felt the pressure of the enemy in this garden too. He sweat drops of blood as He agonized over what was ahead, yet He submitted to God’s will instead of His own. Gethsemane represented pressure and struggling, but it became the place of surrender and redemption.

In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT). Jesus taught us how to surrender to God’s will instead of our own. He chose surrender rather than selfishness. There are times I pray very specifically for things because I desperately want them. However, I add that I ultimately want His will to be done instead of mine. I also ask God to conform my will to His when what I want differs from what He wants. Each of us must learn the discipline of surrender that Jesus demonstrated in the garden. Romans 5:19 sums it up. It says, “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” We have life and righteousness because Jesus chose to surrender and obey.

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April 15, 2025 · 5:53 AM

Clearing The Clutter

Mark 11:15-16 says, “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace” (NLT). Just outside the Temple, there was a large open area called the Courtyard of the Gentiles. It was created so people who weren’t Jews could come to worship God, engage in theological discussions and encounter Him too. This area was filled with an open air marketplace with vendors yelling, livestock making noises and filled with the stench that comes with animals. Jesus was upset that an area God designed for people to engage with Him was filled with of chaos that distracted them from their purpose for being there.

In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus was visiting the house of Martha and Mary. While He was teaching the people, Martha was busy in the kitchen banging pans, moving chairs and serving people. Mary, however, sat at the feet of Jesus hanging on every word. Martha got upset that her sister wasn’t helping take care of everything and everyone. She asked Jesus to rebuke her sister and make her help, but Jesus replied, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions?” (TPT). Instead of worshipping, engaging in theological discussions and encountering God, she was not only distracted, but was creating a distraction. Instead of flipping tables, Jesus gently reminded her that she was missing an encounter.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (NLT). If you’re surrounded by chaos, busyness and distractions, it’s time to clear the clutter so you can encounter God. Like Mary, we need to make space to sit at His feet and listen. We need to flip over some tables in our lives that are distracting us from our purpose. God wants to have daily encounters with you. He’s created space. Have you? Find time to be still and honor Him. It won’t be easy, but as Jesus told Martha, it’s the most important thing. It needs to take priority over everything else. Let this Holy Week be the time you cleared the clutter and made room for Jesus.

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March 29, 2024 · 5:25 AM

Debt Free

If you’ve ever listened to the Dave Ramsey Show, you know he helps people get out of debt. One of the best parts is when people call in and tell him how much they’ve paid off. After that, he lets them give a victory yell on air. They scream out, “We’re debt free!” I bring that up today because it’s Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus dying on the cross. His last words before voluntarily giving up His life were, “It is finished!” The Greek word used in the original writing of His crucifixion is “tetelestai” which is an accounting term for “paid in full!” Jesus paid off our debt that was insurmountable to us through the cross. As you celebrate His resurrection giving us new life this Sunday, don’t miss the importance of today. Take a moment to think about the debt you once owed and shout out, “I’m debt free!”

Here are some Bible verses on the freedom He gives us.

1. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.

Romans 6:6 MSG

2. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 8:2 NLT

3. But now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God. Your gain is a life fully dedicated to him, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:22 GNT

4. So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Galatians 5:1 NLT

5. And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].

John 8:32 AMP

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March 28, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Maundy Thursday

John 13 – 18 tells us what all happened on Thursday during Jesus’ final week before the crucifixion. It starts at the Last Supper. I think we forget sometimes that this was the Passover Meal. Many Christians don’t understand what all this meal entails because we don’t celebrate it like a Jew would. It is a meal that is eaten in order telling a story taking you from slavery to freedom. I find that interesting since that is what Jesus was doing for us during that particular Passover. He was taking us, who were slaves to sin, to a life of freedom in Him. Because of what He was about to endure, you and I could be set free spiritually.

That night Jesus instituted what we call the Lord’s Supper, communion or the sacraments depending on how you refer to it. Matthew 26:26-28 tells us that He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples. He said, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body which is given for you.” Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (NLT). Each time you and I partake in this, we are to remember what He did for us on the cross. The price He paid for our freedom was His life. You are worth more than you can imagine.

Also Jesus was not content to leave us bound in our sin and separated from Him. He loves us too much to do that. He was willing to sacrifice Himself in order that you and I could be made right with Him. He not only wanted to bring us out of sin, free us from its bondage, pay for our sins and make us His children; He wanted to enter into a new relationship where we didn’t need a mediator anymore. His last act before being betrayed that Thursday was to give us this reminder so each time we took it we would think about that.

Photo by Geda Žyvatkauskaitė on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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March 27, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Perception Isn’t Reality

I love rollercoasters, but I don’t like the 3D / 4D rides. After waiting in line for Avatar at Disney World, they handed us 3D glasses before going on the ride. I straddled a motorcycle type seat and looked at the IMAX style screen. When the ride started, it showed that we were flying on a banshee. The seat between my legs inflated and deflated to make me feel like the banshee was breathing. The ride tilted and moved along with the flight video to give the sensation of flying. When we flew by the ocean, we could feel a mist on our faces. Then we flew into a cave and you could smell the dampness. As the banshee returned to flight and dove down behind a pack of water buffaloes, my stomach felt like it was in my throat. Then a water buffalo jumped back and we all flinched. While my mind and body were fooled into believing all these things, we never left the area we started in. It fooled our perception of reality.

On Wednesday of Holy Week, the Bible doesn’t say what happened. Some people refer to it as Silent Wednesday. However, God is never silent. We only perceive Him to be at times. Those times often come when it feels like we need Him most. We cry out, but hear a deafening silence back. Oswald Chambers wrote, “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw you could withstand an even bigger revelation.” It takes a lot of faith to keep walking in the silence. In those moments, we have to trust the promises more than our perception. We must lean into His all sufficient grace for strength because the silence can be overwhelming.

Proverbs 3:5 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know” (GNT). Remember that perception is not always reality. We are easily fooled and our feelings like to manipulate our emotions and what we think we know. Yet perception can fool us. That’s why we can’t lean on, rely on or always believe what our perception is telling us. We can however, trust in the Lord with all of our heart. We can trust in His character over the silence we experience. He has never left us or abandoned us, nor will He ever. In the silence we experience a greater grace and revelation from God than is ever possible when we feel and experience His presence. Will you keep walking and trusting in the silence or will you give in to the perception that God has left you alone? Trust in Him with all your heart. You will hear His voice again. You will experience His presence again. He has not left you alone. He is still standing in the struggle with you.

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March 26, 2024 · 5:32 AM

Undistracted Worship

If you’ve ever been to Rome, you have no doubt been to a piazza. If you haven’t been, there are the open spaces between buildings in an area where there are fountains, restaurants and usually a church. It’s a communal space where everyone tends to hang out. It would be very relaxing except that Rome is full of tourists and tourists bring sales people. As we tried to enjoy a stroll through one we were greeted by people launching little lighted up things in the sky. Others are walking by you with something in their mouth that squeaks. Others are approaching you with their wares calling out to you. Everyone and everything seems to be vying for your attention keeping you from the one reason the piazza is there for.

During Holy Week Jesus spent a lot of time in the Temple trying to teach and to worship. Because there were a lot of tourists in town for the festival, there were tons of vendors trying to sell things vying for each person’s attention. They were distracting people from the reason they were all in town in the place where everyone was supposed to be worshiping God. Jesus had enough of it and started flipping tables and whipping people throwing them out of the place of worship. In Matthew 21:13, He chastised them saying, “My dwelling place will be known as a house of prayer, but you have made it into a hangout for thieves!” (TPT) He removed the distractions and the clutter to redirect the people’s attention back to God and to the purpose of the House of Worship.

In like 10, Jesus was teaching in the home of Martha and Mary. Martha was distracted by everything that needed to be done to accommodate the group while May sat in worship listening to Jesus. When Martha complained, Jesus said, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” Jesus wants you and I to be undistracted as we worship Him. What are the things you’ve allowed in your life that have cluttered it up and are distracting you from giving Him your full attention and worship? What tables need to be flipped so you can sit at His feet? Make this Easter a time where you get back to your purpose of worshipping Him undistracted and uncluttered.

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March 25, 2024 · 5:28 AM

Mission Minded

Are you the type of person that is easily distracted or are you so focused you can tune the world out? Sometimes I feel like the dog Doug in Disney’s “Up” movie who is constantly distracted by squirrels. Other times I feel like Kevin Costner’s character in “For Love of The Game”. He was a pitcher in a game of baseball inside a noisy stadium. He would say, “Clear the mechanism,” and he would be able to tune everything out to focus on the pitch. As what we now refer to as Holy Week was about to begin, Jesus was headed for Jerusalem knowing what was waiting for Him there. He was focused and ready.

Luke 9:51 says, ”Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose]“ (AMP). The King James Version tells us His face was set like a flint. He was so focused on His mission that He wasn’t being distracted. The people in the village wouldn’t let them stay there that night. They had no idea that they were denying rest to God’s son who had come to save them from their sins. They only saw a Jew who was dead set on getting to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. A couple of disciples wanted to call fire down from Heaven but Jesus rebuked them saying, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”]

Hebrews 12:2 tells us to run our race with endurance ”[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work.“ Jesus’ mission was the cross. His whole life was pointing to that moment so He could bear the sins of the world and bring salvation. Before He left, He gave us our mission to go into all the world, preach the Gospel and to make disciples. Like Jesus, we need to be mission minded blocking out the things that would distract us from what He’s called us to do.

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April 6, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Maundy Thursday

Today is day 5 of Holy Week. It is referred to as Maundy Thursday.

John 13 – 18 tells us what all happened on Thursday during Jesus’ final week before the crucifixion. It starts at the Last Supper. I think we forget sometimes that this was the Passover Meal. Many Christians don’t understand what all this meal entails because we don’t celebrate it like a Jew would. It is a meal that is eaten in order telling a story taking you from slavery to freedom. I find that interesting since that is what Jesus was doing for us during that particular Passover. He was taking us, who were slaves to sin, to a life of freedom in Him. Because of what He was about to endure, you and I could be set free spiritually.

Jesus also washed His disciple’s feet that evening. If you’ve ever been to a foot washing service, you know how humbling this is. Peter wouldn’t let a Him do it. He pushed back, but Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Peter then popped back, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” We act like Peter a lot when Jesus tries to do something truly great for us. We resist Him. We resist the work He’s trying to do in our life. We resist when He tries to cleanse us of a sin. We resist when He tries to put us in position to do ministry. Jesus is patient with us though our resistance.

Jesus then instituted the Lord’s Supper, communion or the sacraments depending on how you refer to it. Matthew 26:26-28 tells us that He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples. He said, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body which is given for you.” Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” Each time you and I partake in this, we are to remember what He did for us on the cross. The price He paid for our freedom was His life. You are worth more than you can imagine.

They then went to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives to pray and reflect on the evening. Jesus went to pray by Himself. He asked God if it there was another way to do this. He said, “If it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done not mine.” Jesus struggled with the thought of being beaten, being whipped, being hung on a cross, bearing the sins of the world and being separated from the Father. His human nature was trying to walk away from the cross, but He submitted to the Father’s will. He understood that to follow God’s will means we’ll have to give up our will. Through prayer, we can overcome the doubt and thoughts that try to stop us from fulfilling our calling.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 4, 2023 · 5:52 AM

Don’t Run

My son once asked me, “If you had been with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, what would you have done?” I know what he was after and what he was thinking, so I answered, “I would have ran like the rest of them.” He replied, “I would have stayed.” I then explained that it was a nice sentiment, but he would have ran too. I told him that you can’t take today’s knowledge and apply it to what you would have done yesterday. However, I also explained that he can take today’s knowledge and pre-apply it to what he will do tomorrow. There will be plenty of times in his life, and ours, where things look bad, and the opposite of what we hoped would happen will come true. There will be times where we’re tempted to blame God and deny Him, but if we decide now how we will handle it, we improve our chances of staying with Him.

Job is a tough book to read. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to lose everything in a day, including your children. It’s hard to imagine how we might respond when insult is added to injury when we then become too sick to do anything about it. I love that this book pulls back the curtains of what is often happening. Job 1:10-11 has Satan going to God against Job saying, “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (NLT) Satan accuses us by saying we will run from God when bad things happen, but God knows that like Job, if you will predetermine how you will respond, you can endure anything and still worship Him.

Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (ESV). We know that troubles don’t come from God, but He allows them and uses them to test us and grow us. Job had to endure a long time with no response from God as to why everything happened. God grew his endurance and his faith in the end because he didn’t run when bad things happened. He stood firm. We must remain in Him and stand firm during the most difficult times. He is our protection, our source of strength and our hope when all is else is lost. The more difficult your situation is, the more your endurance has the ability to grow. Don’t allow today’s circumstances cause you to run. God had a plan and was working things out behind the scenes for Jesus, the disciples and Job. He’s doing the same for you even though you can’t see it. Don’t run.

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April 11, 2022 · 5:48 AM

Submitting To The King

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week that leads up to Easter. Mark 11 records that Jesus rode into town on a young donkey that had never been risen. As He entered Jerusalem, the people began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” People we’re waving Palm branches and laying them in the streets for Him to ride over. The palm branches in that culture represented victory. The other thing the people did was recorded in verse 8. It says they laid their garments in the street for Him to ride over. It’s an interesting picture to me. Why place their garments on the ground?

In 2 Kings 9:1-13, Elisha had one of the prophets sons go to Jehu with a private message. The kid was to tell him that he was now the king of Israel, to anoint him with oil and then to run away as fast as he could. When Jehu came back out, his friends asked what that was about. When he told them, they got excited. Verse 13 says, “Then they quickly spread out their cloaks on the bare steps and blew the ram’s horn, shouting, ‘Jehu is king!’” (NLT) It’s the only other time I can find where this happened for a king. It’s also something we read over and miss if we read it with a western lens.

In that culture, the bottom of your foot is significant. If you point the under side of your foot at someone, you’re signifying that they are beneath you like dust. For the people to take off their garments and put them under the feet of Jehu and the donkey of Jesus, they were submitting to their authority as king. The garments represent their concerns. Remember in Matthew 6 when Jesus said He clothes the fields and that we shouldn’t be concerned about what to wear? Each of us have concerns we wear like a heavy garment. It’s time that we submitted them to Jesus by placing them at His feet. We don’t need to carry them anymore. We need to submit to His authority and ability to provide for us as our king.

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