Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 1 "Why Easter Matters"

This is the reading for Thursday, 4/3. I have been using "The Message" version of the bible as it seems easier to understand. If you have noticed the red print, I have been using that when Christ is speaking. You will see a few versions of bibles where Christs' dialogue is in red. 

READ: Luke 22:17-22

Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives.” Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.” He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you."

S: Luke 22:19-20

Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.” He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you."

O: I was raised Roman Catholic. These verses are the same ones that were read every Sunday before Communion. That is because the bread and wine are symbolic of Jesus' sacrifice for us. We are being reminded of that Last Supper that Christ shared with his disciples. He wanted a way for His disciples to remember Him. 

A: Once a month we have communion at our church. It is usually the first Sunday of the month. We have a tray with broken Mahtza crackers and small cups filled with grape juice. We take the communion together all at once. We are reminded that these are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ.

The catechism is ingrained in me. I bow my head and recite, silently, the prayers from ages ago. "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed." As well as "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us." (repeat), then "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world. Grant us peace." This is my way of remembering my Catholic teaching and also as a way of honoring Jesus Christ. 

P: Lord Jesus, each time we take communion, we are reminded of the sacrifice You made for us. It is more than bread and wine. It is Your body and Your blood which was shed for our sins. It is a sacrifice with which we will never be worthy of. Help us to be contrite and humble when we take communion. Cleanse us of our sins. "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name,for our good, and the good of all his Church." Amen.

Good Morning Girls Devotional "Why Easter Matters" Week 1

 

This is the reading for Mon, 3/31.

Today we read about how the feast of Passover came to be. It is a traditional Jewish feast that celebrates God saving His people from destruction through the blood of the lamb (Jesus Christ).

Read: Exodus 12:1-14

God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.

 

“And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God.

“I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

“This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that."

S: Exodus 12:13 "But the blood on your houses will be a sign for your protection. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing will touch or destroy you when I strike Egypt."

O: Ok, so I'm really stuck on this one. I could go with the simple, obvious observation...those who obeyed God and marked their door with blood would be protected from whatever God was about to do in Egypt. However, I did a little research and reading, and found something interesting. So here goes it:

"So judgement was to come upon Egypt. The only hope for Israel was to be under the blood. Let me ask a question – Why were the Israelites saved – did it come down to their own personal worthiness? No, not at all… There would have been some righteous Jews amongst them and there would have probably been some shockers! But it didn’t come down to whether they were worthy of salvation. It simply came down to whether they were sheltering under the blood of the lamb! Let me ask another question… what possible ground for rest would the Israelites have had? You see, they knew that the avenging angel is coming to strike down all the firstborn so it would have been quite a frightening time. They wouldn’t have had any sense of rest or peace because of their works, but only because of the blood! I’m sure you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see where I’m going with this. The rest and peace that we have as Christians doesn’t come from our own worthiness. It comes from the simple fact that the blood of Jesus has been shed for our sins. Jesus is our peace. See Col 1:20, Eph 2:13-14, Rom 3:24-25. 5:1,9" 
(http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/exodus12.htm)
 
A: I need to be conscious of the fact that ALL my sins have been washed clean by the blood of Christ. BUT, that doesn't mean I can continually sin. This was a great sacrifice made. I need to be respectful of that. I need to be obedient to God. 

P: Lord Jesus, what an amazing sacrifice you made for us. Let us be constantly mindful of that as we live our daily lives. You died so we could be saved. I pray that our actions reflect what You would expect of us. In Your Holy Name I pray, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 7 Your Ministries (Week beginning 3/10/14)

Well, well.. I made it to week 7! At least now I'm only a few days behind!!! lol So, let's dive right in!!

Think about your ministries this week. What do you do to help others? Do you volunteer at your church? Do you work with kids after school? Anything that you do that reaches out to others that offers help and encouragement is considered a ministry. You don't have to have a title or a special job. As long as you do it for God's glory, then it is a form of ministry.

Read 1 Peter 4:1-11

Therefore, since Christ suffered as a human, you should also arm yourselves with his way of thinking. This is because whoever suffers is finished with sin. As a result, they don’t live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God’s will. You have wasted enough time doing what unbelievers desire—living in their unrestrained immorality and lust, their drunkenness and excessive feasting and wild parties, and their forbidden worship of idols. They think it’s strange that you don’t join in these activities with the same flood of unrestrained wickedness. So they slander you. They will have to reckon with the One who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Indeed, this is the reason the good news was also preached to the dead. This happened so that, although they were judged as humans according to human standards, they could live by the Spirit according to divine standards.
 
The end of everything has come. Therefore, be self-controlled and clearheaded so you can pray. Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about the forgiveness of many sins. Open your homes to each other without complaining. And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts. Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.

S: 1 Peter 4: 9-10:  Open your homes to each other without complaining. And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.

O:  I remember reading a blog on this very verse. It was around Christmastime. If you've ever had family come to stay with you, do you remember how you felt while they were there? Did you grumble about the extra housework? Did old family squabbles come into play? Were you relieved when your company left?

God's gifts? Stop scratching your head. We all have a gift. We just have to ask God what it is. Or maybe you already know. Do you like to cook? Do you enjoy doing for others? Maybe you like decorating. 

My husband LOVES to cook and serve people. He has taken over our kitchen at church. It is now HIS domain! No one messes with hubby's kitchen! Those are his gifts. Mine...well.. I've been told I'm compassionate, kind, a godly woman (that may be stretching things..but that's what someone at church described me as). At our old church I was the dishwasher. I had everything organized and had all my supplies that I needed. 

In this letter, Peter is telling us to JOYFULLY open our homes to visitors. Don't grumble or complain, but do it WILLINGLY!! Hmm...yup...ok....hhmmmm...




I like having company, when I'm in the mood for it. But Peter tells us to do this willingly and joyfully. It's not always the easiest thing to do. Think of The Last Supper when Jesus shared a meal with the Apostles. He KNEW He was going to be betrayed. He KNEW He was going to die. And yet, He still sat there with His friends and shared a meal with them.

Being a Christian isn't always the easiest thing to do. No one promised us it was going to be easy. For the times when you really don't feel like it, stop for a moment and pray. Let God's peace guide you through the times when you have company and don't really feel like entertaining.

A: On those days when I'm not feeling really friendly or up to having company (even if it's my neighbor from across the hall) I have to remember that if someone took the effort to come see me then it's the least I can do to be thankful for their company and open my home to them. My husband usually will feed anyone who comes through our door! No one leaves here without food of some sort. And usually sends them home with leftovers! 

So, the next time someone comes over, regardless of how I am feeling, I will make them feel welcome. And I will welcome their company. I will do what Jesus expects of me.

P: Heavenly Father, we know we should be happy when someone comes to visit. We should welcome them with open arms and a smile. But we don't always feel like it. Help us to see that this isn't a job but a chance to have fellowship with friends and strangers alike. It is a chance to sit and "break bread" as Jesus did time and again wherever He would go. We pray for peace and joy at these times Father. In Your Holy Name we ask this. Amen.