Tuesday
Fast From Caffeine
prayer
You are good beyond what I could even imagine, But I am repulsive in my sin, wretched, miserable, blind; My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel, and my ways reluctant to change. I bring my soul to You; break it, wound it, bend it, mold it. Take off the mask of sin’s deformity to me, that I may hate it, despise it, flee from it. My mind and body have been a weapon of revolt against You; as a rebel I have misused my strength, and served myself, or worse, Satan, in opposition to Your kingdom. Give me grace to mourn my senseless foolishness, Grant me to know that the path sinners walk on is hard, that those evil paths are miserable, that to depart from You is to abandon everything good. I have seen the purity and beauty of Your perfect law, the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns, the calm dignity of the life to which it calls, yet I violate and condemn its teachings. Your loving Spirit strives within me, brings me Scripture warnings, speaks in startling ways through circumstances around me, whispers to my heart, yet I choose plans and desires to my own hurt, I profane and grieve Your Holy Spirit. All these sins I mourn, lament, and cry for Your forgiveness. Work in me a deeper and abiding repentance; Give me the fullness of godly sorrow that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident; Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of Your saving work on the cross. PRAYER FROM “THE VALLEY OF VISION”
passage
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:1-13
devotional
On Tuesday morning, Jesus and His disciples returned to Jerusalem. When they passed the fig tree that was withering, Jesus spoke on the importance of faith. Mark 11:21-23 “Peter remembered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!' 'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered. 'Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.’”
Back at the Temple that Jesus had just cleansed, the religious leaders were upset. They organized an ambush to arrest Him, but Jesus escaped and delivered a harsh judgment on them as stated in Matthew 23:24-33. Later, Jesus and His disciples left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. Here, He spoke prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times including His second coming and final judgment.