April 16, 2019
John 12:23-29 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Today is the thirty-sixth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.” Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God. This journey we have been making in our prayer time to experience a Kingdom heart is a personal journey that gains momentum with each passing day. For example, today is Holy Tuesday and it is overwhelming for my heart to think that God would be willing to suffer for my sin, disobedience, and iniquities. It’s personal. God suffered for me. Actually, the Lord suffered injustice, oppression, and abuse because of me; he suffered under the load of my sin, guilt, and shame. He did the same for you. The love of God for us is so great he was willing to suffer the immense weight of our unrighteousness in order to offer us his light righteous yoke as followers (Mat 11:29). To wear Christ’s yoke, we must be willing to love eternal life more than this present life. In your prayer time, do you praise the Father for his Suffering Servant?
Isaiah prophecies about the Messiah, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities (53:10-11). Jesus said he came into the world to suffer for the glory of the Father; to bring about the forgiveness for our sins. We celebrate the work of Messiah, but let’s not forget the suffering he took upon himself, so we could know and enjoy the fullness of God’s love and grace.
During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart. P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield. May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.
John 12:23-29 The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up
23 Jesus said: The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. 24 I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. 25 If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. 26 If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.
27 Now I am deeply troubled, and I don’t know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. 28 So Father, bring glory to yourself.
A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!”
29 When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.
Prayer: Father, I praise you for sending Jesus to suffer in my behalf. I repent for the weight of my sin upon your Son. Jesus, thank you for offering me your righteous yoke in exchange for my unrighteousness. I ask for my life to bring you glory. Holy Spirit, I yield to your work of regeneration. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Note: I want you to plan on attending the 4/18 Maundy Thursday service we are offering at Connect2Christ Church. It begins at 7:00 PM and will include music, readings, candles that light the Truth in the shadows of darkness, and Communion. It is a special time to prepare your heart for a powerful encounter in the unfailing love of God for you.