Key Thought

Today's Prayer

O Father, I know that I cannot be the person I want to be without your help, power, and presence. Fill me and empower me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

It was now the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This was the day when the Jews killed the lambs for the Passover. Jesus' followers came to him. They said, "We will go and prepare everything for you to eat the Passover meal. Where do you want us to have the meal?" Jesus sent two of his followers into the city. Jesus said to them, "Go into the city. You will see a man carrying a jar of water. The man will come to you. Follow that man. That man will walk into a house. Tell the person who owns the house, 'The Teacher asks that you show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover meal.' The owner will show you a large room upstairs. This room is ready for you. Prepare the food for us there." So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened the way Jesus said. So the followers prepared the Passover meal. In the evening, Jesus went to that house with the twelve apostles. While they were all at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. One of you will be against me—one of you eating with me now." The followers were very sad to hear this. Each follower said to Jesus, "Surely I will not be against you!" Jesus answered, "The man who is against me is one of you twelve. He is the one who dips his bread into the same bowl with me. The Son of Man will go {and die}. The Scriptures say this will happen. But it will be very bad for the person who gives the Son of Man {to be killed}. It would be better for that person if he were never born." While they were eating, Jesus took some bread. Jesus thanked God for the bread and divided it. He gave the bread to his followers. Jesus said, "Take this bread {and eat it}. This bread is my body." Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. All the followers drank from the cup. Then Jesus said, "This wine is my blood. My blood (death) begins the new agreement {from God to his people}. This blood is given for many people. I tell you the truth. I willnot drink this wine again until that day when I drink it in the kingdom of God and the wine is new." All the followers sang a song. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Related Scripture Readings

So I bow in prayer before the Father. Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. And I pray that you and all God's holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love. I pray that you can understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ's love is greater than any person can ever know. But I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God. With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.

So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind, I am happy with God's law. But I see another law working in my body. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner. This is terrible! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? God {will save me}! I thank him {for his salvation} through Jesus Christ our Lord! So in my mind I am a slave to God's law. But in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin.

Then the Lord (Jesus) turned and looked into Peter's eyes. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: "Before the rooster crows in the morning, you will say three times that you don't know me."