Thursday
Fast from radio and music
prayer
When clouds of darkness, skepticism, and unbelief come to me, I see Your purpose of love in withdrawing the experience of Your Spirit that I might prize him more, in humbling me for my confidence in my past success, that my wound of secret godlessness might be cured. Help me to humble myself before You by showing me the emptiness of pride, and seeking honor from others as standing between me and You; by seeing that Your will alone must be done, whether You choose to deny or bless; by seeing that my heart is nothing but evil, and my mind, mouth, and life have no goodness apart from You; by seeing that when I wrestle with sin it is so that I might see my weaknesses, be humbled, and grow stronger for it; by seeing that unbelief dulls my ability to know You, so that I do not sense Your majesty, power, mercy, or love. Then take over my life, for You alone are good and worthy. You are not making suggestions when showing me my sin, Satan is not playing when tempting me toward sin, it is no small thing when I sink deep in the muck, because sin is not a game or something I can toy with. Let me never forget that the heinous offense of sin is not determined by the kind of the sin committed, but instead by the greatness of the Person sinned against. When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me, by showing me that in myself I am nothing, but that in Christ I am reconciled, made alive, and satisfied; that I am weak and unable to do anything truly good, but that in him I can do all things; that what I now have in Christ is mine in part, but that shortly I shall experience the fullness of His promises perfectly in heaven. PRAYER FROM “THE VALLEY OF VISION”
passage
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. Luke 22:7-23
devotional
From Bethany, which is just outside of Jerusalem, Jesus dispatched Peter and John to Jerusalem to begin preparations for the Passover dinner. After sunset that evening, Jesus washed his disciples' feet as they prepared to partake in the Passover meal. Jesus taught how believers should love one another by completing this humble act of service. According to Luke 22:15-16, Jesus said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Soon after He said this, He established Communion saying first of the bread, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Then, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”
The bread symbolizes Jesus’ body and the wine His blood. The true Passover Lamb had come to take away the sin of the world! After dinner, Jesus and the disciples left to go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here Jesus prayed to God the Father in agony.
Late that evening, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and was arrested by the Sanhedrin in Gethsemane. He was led to the High Priest Caiaphas’s residence, where the entire council had gathered to begin presenting their case against Jesus. Meanwhile, as Jesus' trial began in the early morning hours, Peter denied knowing his Master three times before the rooster crowed as Jesus had prophesied.