Essential Connection to Christ’s Passion

Week One

Day 1 - Part of His Flock:  Psalm 95:1-7

Day 2 - Jesus Freaks:  Matthew 21:6-11

Day 3 - Cracking the Whip:   Matthew 21:12-17

Day 4 - Wise Worship:  Luke 4:1-13

Day 5 - No Right to Remain Silent:  Luke 19:37-40

Day 6 - Send Me:  Isaiah 6:1-10

Day 7 - Because of You?:  Galatians 1:18-24

 

 

Day 1 - Part of His Flock:  Psalm 95:1-7

I have owned a wonderful pet almost all of my life. See, my cat is not your average, ordinary house companion—my kitty is extremely special. When I arrive home each day, he meets me at the door and follows me around the house. He wants to spend time with me and hangs around my feet all evening. Sometimes, he looks up with his big, adoring eyes as if to say, “I am glad I belong to you.”

It’s not a perfect parallel, but that’s sort of how things work between God and us. My cat understands I am his provider; and, in his own cat-like way, he acknowledges that fact. Psalm 95 reminds us that God is our Provider and encourages us to express our thanks to Him for always caring for His people.

God is often seen as the “Good Shepherd” who takes care of His sheep. Because sheep are not known for being the brightest or the strongest animals, they need a shepherd to give them protection and direction. And, just like my cat likes to stick close to me, those of us in God’s flock need to stay as close as we can to our shepherd. And, as often as we can, we need to look up to God and say, “I am glad I belong to you.”

·          Real Choices - We have just studied what it means to belong to God and to be part of His flock. Think about other groups to which you belong (friends, clubs, sports teams, and so forth). How are you showing that you belong to God through these other activities?

·          Pray - Ask God to give you a greater desire to spend time in His presence, and thank Him for choosing you to be part of His flock.

 

Day 2 - Jesus Freaks:  Matthew 21:6-11

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people noticed. That’s because it caused quite a stir. Today, we call it “Palm Sunday” and it marks the beginning of “Passion Week.”

Passion may seem like a strange word to describe the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, but the original meaning of the word related to death. It’s only been in more recent times that we have used it to describe strong emotions. Still, in Matthew 21, we see that even our modern understanding of what it means to be passionate fits pretty well. With shouting and singing, the crowds blessed Jesus and confessed that He had come from God. I guess you could call them the original “Jesus Freaks.” Of course, some of them also may have been in the crowd that called for His crucifixion a few days later; but on this day, they didn’t hold anything back.

·          Real Choices - Now, there’s no rule that says you have to jump around and shout and scream to praise Jesus. You can worship Him quietly in your heart. But true worship reveals a passion for the Savior. What’s keeping your passion under wraps?

·          Pray - Ask God to help you to become more passionate about Him each day.

 

Day 3 - Cracking the Whip:   Matthew 21:12-17

Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus as extremely compassionate, kind, and patient. At first glance, we may think it is a bit out of character for Jesus to become so angry and outraged about the temple in Matthew 21. But, when you look a little closer, it’s easy to see Jesus has good reason to be upset.

Think about it this way. . . .What was the main purpose for the temple? It served as a symbol of God’s presence among the people and encouraged them to worship Him. Well, instead of serving its purpose, the temple was full of merchants and money changers, and they were interfering with worship more than encouraging it. It was sort of like trying to hold a prayer service in the middle of a mall’s food court.

So, by “cracking the whip” and chasing the money changers out of the temple, Jesus showed us the importance of worship. He also reminded us to be careful about things that interfere with our worship of God.

·          Real Choices - Take some time to evaluate your own worship—and don’t be afraid to let Jesus crack the whip if necessary.

·          Pray - Ask God to reveal the things in your life that distract your worship, both in church and in your quiet times.

 

Day 4 - Wise Worship:  Luke 4:1-13

Throughout Scripture, God is very clear when it comes to what we should worship. In both the Old and New Testament, He emphasized that He should be the only object of our worship. So, why do we tend to put other things in front of Him in our lives?

Well, it could be that we fall for the line Satan tried on Jesus in today’s passage. In Luke 4, Satan tried to offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world—with one catch. The devil wanted Jesus’ worship. Of course, Jesus refused; but we’re not always so quick to tell Satan to take a hike. Even as Christians, we face the temptation to worship things other than God every day.

For example, when Eva was 15-years-old, she focused on two things: getting a car and getting a boyfriend. They were the center of her thoughts and even her prayers. Eventually, she saw both of her dreams came true.

At first, the car and boyfriend seemed perfect, but their shine didn’t last very long. In a matter of months, both of Eva’s prized possessions were history. Fortunately, God was able to teach Eva something important through her disappointing experience—joy that comes from putting something before God never lasts.

Jesus made the right choice. Each day we have to choose too. We can follow His example or we can worship the “stuff” of the world. Choose wisely.

·          Real Choices - What kind of worship decisions have you been making lately? As you go throughout this week watch carefully to identify anything or anyone you are letting come between you and God.

·          Pray - Ask God to help you worship wisely by keeping Him as the focus of your life.

 

Day 5 - No Right to Remain Silent:  Luke 19:37-40

I have always been an incredible football fan. Each fall, I get psyched up for another season of my favorite sport. I enjoy sitting on the bleachers, listening to the marching band and watching every detail of the game.

However, my favorite thing about football is cheering on my team. I love the thrill of yelling at the top of my lungs as they take the field. Then, when they make a great play, I simply can’t keep quiet. Even after the game, I’m still talking about the great victory days after the win.

I guess I could sit there with my hands folded, keeping my thoughts and opinions to myself. But, if I did that, I’m not sure anyone would know just how much I pulled for my team. It’s better just to let it out and to not stay silent.

That was the same choice faced by the folks in today’s passage. Oh, they could have looked up and calmly said, “Oh, here comes Jesus. Isn’t that nice.” But they didn’t. They chose not to remain silent. And Jesus applauded them for it. He let them (and His enemies) know that He’d much rather hear their praises than to count on the rocks to cry out.

If we were honest, we’ve seen Jesus pull off some great victories in our lives and in the lives of those around us. But, for some reason, we choose to sit on our hands and keep it to ourselves. Jesus wants us to exercise our right not to be silent when it comes to worshiping Him.

·          Real Choices - Think of a time in the last few weeks when you remained silent instead of being bold in your faith. How will you handle the situation differently next time?

·          Pray - Ask God to give you boldness to worship Him with your words and to proclaim His miracles to others.

 

Day 6 - Send Me:  Isaiah 6:1-10

I remember sitting in the living room watching the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. Amazed, I took in all of the athletes, the spectators, and the scenery. Then the torch, a flame that seemed larger than life, was lit and raised for the world to see.

I knew then (and I know now) that the excitement of that moment would be etched in my mind for years to come. In fact, seeing the splendor of the Olympics not only amazed me, but it also gave me a desire to experience the games firsthand. I wanted to hop on the next plane “down under” so I could see the world’s greatest sporting event in person.

Looking back, it kind of makes me wonder how Isaiah felt in today’s verses. After all, Isaiah didn’t just see the Olympics on TV. He didn’t just see some athletic event in person. No, he got to see God. And it was a life-changing experience.

The glory of the Lord made him realize how sinful he was, along with the nation around him. But it also helped him find forgiveness for those sins. Maybe most important of all, Isaiah’s glimpse of God moved him toward obedience. After seeing the Lord, he wanted to fill whatever need God commanded.

Just as watching the Olympic ceremonies gave me a desire to take part in the celebration, seeing the Lord made Isaiah want to be a part of God’s great work. Service is a natural response to true worship. It was true for Isaiah, and it can be true for you as well.

Looking for God’s plan? First of all, seek the One who holds of the plan. Worship God today!

·          Real Choices - Think of some opportunities you have to serve the Lord in your church and community. What are you willing to do so the Lord can use you to accomplish His work?

·          Pray - Ask God to give you a willing heart so you may worship Him through service

 

Day 7 - Because of You?:  Galatians 1:18-24

Think for a minute about people who have really made a difference in your spiritual life. Who are they? How have they influenced you?

When I ask myself these questions, my mind immediately goes back to my “adoptive grandparents” whom I have known my entire life. Throughout my life, Papaw and my Nanny have steered me in the right direction and have taught me so much about the Lord. But they have done much more than just tell me about God. They showed me the Lord in their everyday lives. I watched as they worshiped God through their lives.

Paul probably would have liked my grandparents. From what we see in Scripture, they were his kind of people because he was another person who made a difference in the lives of others. Paul, the ex-persecutor of Christians, became the encourager of Christians. He shared the gospel around the known world, challenged believers to walk with God, wrote letters to keep them accountable, and loved them every chance he got. And they responded.

In today’s passage, Paul described that response. His work didn’t lead to his own glory. Instead, he inspired others to praise God. He lived his life in such a way that others were drawn to God and to a life of worship.

Just think, someone could be praising God and worshiping Him because of you today! Live up to your responsibility to live the life.

·          Real Choices - For a moment, focus on those around you. Who do you affect? Think of two people with whom you can share Christ’s love. Commit to encouraging them and to supporting their worship of God this week?

·          Pray - Ask God to give you the opportunities and the wisdom to influence those around you in a positive way by sharing and portraying the love of Christ.