a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood.""What is that to us?" they replied. "That ís your responsibility."So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.(NIV)
Matt. 27:1-5
Jesus called his twelve followers together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.These are the names of the twelve apostles: Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who turned against Jesus.(NCV)
Matt. 10:1-4
Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his followers. Judas was the one who turned against Jesus.(NCV)
John 18:2 |
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December 30
Reason to Worship - 28:16-17
The eleven followers went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him, but some of them did not believe it was really Jesus. Full Text
Key Thought
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Eleven followers. Wow, what a vivid reminder of the failure they had been -- it was so bad that even one of them was dead at his own hands. Eleven was so much less than twelve. Twelve was such a special number for God's people. But now there were eleven. Despite Jesus' victory, it was a reminder of the fragility without him.
Next, notice they obeyed. They went to the mountain Jesus had told them to go. They did what Jesus asked them to do. When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him. But even then, after the resurrection appearances and the testimony of those who had seen him, there were still some doubters: it was hard to believe it was really Jesus after all they had been through, it was almost too good to be true.
The resurrection of Jesus IS almost too good to be true. It is definitely outside our experience and expectation. But the turnaround made by this wounded and incomplete group of eleven failures testifies that this encounter with Jesus changed them forever. Jesus' resurrection and command gives them a sense of purpose, certainty, hope, and destiny that they had not enjoyed even before the Cross. And now, now they can trust he will go with them. So the fitting first response to Jesus' triumph over death is to worship him. As we worship him, we too can be reawakened to the purpose and hope he gives us, because as we worship him, he is not only the object of our worship, but he is also the Lord who is present and will go with us every step of the way.
Today's Prayer
Almighty and Living God, I find my hope in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! As I worship and praise you for this mighty victory over all the forces that hold me captive, I am filled with wonder and hope that what I do in Jesus' name will live forever. That the people touched for his glory will share eternity with me. The family members who share my love for Jesus and trust in his saving death and resurrection will never be parted from Jesus and our relationship with Christ will never be broken. I praise and thank you for giving me this victory at such an awesome cost to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus (key verses in bold)
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16 The eleven followers went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him, but some of them did not believe it was really Jesus.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.”
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991. Used by permission. |
