The Apostle Paul, testifying the Jesus’ obedience to the Father, said, And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).

My Prayer:
“Lord, while walking out Your heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, which included not only extreme physical anguish of the cross, but worse yet, the separation between Yourself and Your Father, and never once did You divert from following the will of the Father. You set the perfect example of obedience and submission. You said, ‘I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent me,’ and ‘not My will, but Yours be done.’ Jesus may my life be a living example of humble submission to whatever Your will is for me. May I, when I know Your will, walk in total obedience no matter how painful it might be. Your example is my example.”

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did” (John 4:39).

One individual, so taken up with who Jesus is, tells as many people as possibly can be told who this Jesus is.

My Prayer:
“Lord, may I be so overwhelmed with the reality of who you are that I testify to as many people as I can of Your greatness. May my enthusiasm for You overcome any hesitation to tell others about You. Like the Samaritan Woman, let many come to believe in You because of my testimony of You.”

To be “born again” (v. 3), to be able to “enter the kingdom of God” (v. 5), and to have “eternal life” (v. 15), the only requirement is simply “believe” (vs. 12, 15, 16, 18) in who and what Jesus is. That believing includes all of the following: Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, and the Savior of the World. Our entrance into heaven has nothing to do with how much money we have, our family lineage, or our good works. No, our right relationship with our Heavenly Father is solely predicated on our belief in who and what Jesus Christ is.

My Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, You are the ticket to eternal life and the Kingdom of God. The cost that I am required to pay to become born again is believing in who and what You are – the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, and the Savior of the World. I believe!”

Mary, knowing her son, Jesus, and knowing that He was capable of performing miracles, suggests that He take care of the no-more-wine situation. He sort of brushes off His mother’s implied suggestion, but Mary, not taking no for an answer, emphatically tells the servant at the wedding feast, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (v.5).

Note the confidence and faith of Mary that Jesus could perform a miracle at this moment. Turning water into wine would be the first recorded miracle by Jesus as He began His earthly ministry. Many more would soon follow. The opening of blinded eyes, multiplying food, filling empty fishing nets with fish, and even bringing the dead back to life are just a sampling of the many miracles that Jesus would perform. As His mother believed, Jesus is a miracle worker.

My Prayer:
“Lord, not only are You the Savior of the World, but You are also the Miracle Worker. As the Creator of heaven and earth, You can intervene in this natural world and supernaturally alter, rearrange, transform, create, and even heal. Jesus, my faith and confidence are in You, the Miracle Worker.”

⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men…²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Those three titles of Jesus perfectly depict Who and What He is and what He does. Jesus gives us life (abundant and eternal); Jesus shines the light that leads us out of spiritual darkness; and Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb who takes away our sin. Everything that we need for this life and for eternity is all found in Jesus.

My Prayer:
“My Jesus, You are my Life, my Light, and my Lamb. Through You, I find abundant life and eternal life. Through Your light, I have been led out of my spiritual darkness. And through You, as the Lamb of God, my sins have been forgiven, and I have been cleansed of my sins. You are everything to me, and without You, I am lifeless, in spiritual darkness, and lost in my sin.”

To His Father, on behalf of those who crucified Him, He prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (v. 34 ).

To the criminal, who acknowledges who Jesus is and asks, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom” (v. 42), Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (v. 43).

In these two statements by Jesus, just a few hours before death, the true heart and mission of our Savior is revealed – to those who crucified Him, His heart of forgiveness; to the repentant criminal, His mission of salvation.

My Prayer:
“My Jesus, as Your heart of forgiveness was revealed to those who crucified You when You prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,’ may I also have a heart of forgiveness. And as Your mission to bring salvation to lost mankind was stated when You promised the criminal next to You on the cross, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,’ also, may my life mission be to bring salvation to others.”

Jesus came to shake people out of complacency, mediocrity, and non-committal living. The Son of God came to stir people out of a religious and legalistic mindset. To one degree or another, Jesus stirred up the hearts of those who listened to Him, leaving them either better or bitter. One could not then, and today, listen to the words of the Lord and remain unchanged or unchallenged. His words, even today, will either repel or attract.

My Prayer:

“Lord Jesus, stir up my heart in such a way that I leave behind a lifeless existence to embrace the abundant life that You came to provide. Stir up my heart out of complacency to make room for a life that is submissive to Your ways and will. Please Lord, stir up my heart in such a way that my life is totally pleasing to You.”

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:42 NKJV)

Jesus sets the ultimate example of submitting to our Heavenly Father, even when we know that what He’s asking of us could result in suffering. Jesus looked past the suffering of the Cross and saw the redemptive outcome of this one act of submission. His “Not My will, but Yours, be done” would change the eternal destination for mankind. Jesus’ “Yes” as the sacrificial Lamb of God would become the payment for our eternal salvation. His “Yes” would be the catalyst that would change our lives for now and forever.

My Prayer:

“My Jesus, Your example of submitting to Your Father’s will resulted in my life being radically changed – in this present life and for eternity. My abundant life is the direct outcome of You choosing to give of Your life. Following Your example, I choose to submit to Your will for the benefit of others. Jesus, as You prayed, I pray: “Not My will, but Yours, be done.”

“But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” (Luke 21:13 NKJV)

The New Living Translation reads,
“But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”

The late Revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill, once said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity.”

My Prayer:

“Lord, while in the midst of troublesome times, help me to recognize an opportunity to share about You and the Good News. Especially, when my Christianity is being challenged, may I grab the opportunity to share Your love and grace that has worked in my life.”

Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him (Luke 20:1 NKJV).

It was “the people” to whom Jesus wanted to reach with the good news of the Gospel, and He continued to teach and preach to them, even in the face of opposition and confrontations by those who rejected His words of life. He shared fearlessly with those who wanted to hear in the face of those who did not want to hear.

My Prayer:

“Lord, like You, may I fearlessly share and proclaim the good news of the Gospel with those You have given me an audience with. May I not cower in fear in the face of rejection and opposition from those who do not want to hear and who want to shut down the Good News that You have entrusted me with.”

⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:6-7)

Peter’s obedience to Jesus’ words resulted in an abundant blessing that not only blessed Peter but also blessed his fellow fishermen. Because Peter heeded and followed the Lord’s commands, not only was his life impacted, but also the lives of others around him.

My Prayer:

“Lord, in obeying Your leading, not only will I reap the benefits of obedience, but those around me will also be impacted in a positive way. Just like Peter’s submission to Jesus’ instructions for him to go back out and fish again, which resulted in an abundant blessing for him and the other fishermen, Lord may my submitting to Your guidance bring multiplied blessings on myself, my family, as well as on to my friends.”

Note that it wasn’t debating, arguing, or angry words that defeated the devil. Yes, Jesus used a weapon to combat Satan’s attacks – it was “The sword of the Spirit; which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Apostle Paul testifies of the power of this weapon that Jesus used: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

My Prayer:

“My heavenly Father, You have provided me with the Word of God, the Scriptures, to use to fight off the attacks of the devil in my life. I will continue to read, memorize, and meditate on the Bible to get Your Word inside of my spirit. I will use it as a weapon to combat the spiritual onslaughts of the enemy of my soul. Jesus, Your example of defeating the devil with the Word of God is my example and my inspiration.”

John the Baptist is pointing out that good fruit is to be evident in our lives as a result of following the Lord. His message of repentance, the turning from walking in one direction and going in the opposite direction, will result in changed lives.

My Prayer:

“Lord, may my life be fruitful as a result of surrendering my life to You. Let the Fruit of the Spirit grow in abundance – ^‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV). May many partake of the fruit that You grow in my life.”

From an early age, Jesus was driven by the desire to be preoccupied with the Kingdom of God. This incident reveals what drove Jesus. By His own words, “I must be about My Father’s business?”

My Prayer:

“My heavenly Father, my prayer is that I would be like Your Son – that I would be about Your business. I pray that I would be more consumed and driven by the desire to be preoccupied with the things of the Kingdom of God than the things of this world.”

Verse 6 of Luke 1 reveals the kind of followers of God John the Baptist’s parents were.

Zacharias and Elizabeth lived right and walked right in their relationship with God. Their lives qualified them to be used mightily by their God.

My Prayer:

“Father, may my life before You be pleasing to You, to the extent that I can be entrusted to do whatever You want me to do. May my walk before You and others be exemplary of who and what You are, resulting in the expansion of Your kingdom.”

The angel’s announcement in the tomb to the ladies says it all, “He is risen!” (Mark 16:6). Sin and the grave were conquered in the Resurrection! Hopelessness was conquered in the Resurrection! Uncertainty of the future was conquered in the Resurrection! Eternal damnation was conquered in the Resurrection! Fear of death was conquered in the Resurrection!

My Prayer:

“Jesus, Your resurrection from the dead is the catalyst for my hope beyond my grave. Your resurrection is the confidence that I have that I will walk into the presence of our Father when I step over the threshold of death. Jesus, Your resurrection tells me that I will become more alive than I am in this present life. Your resurrection is the proof that my life never really ends. And as the lyrics of an old song proclaims, ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.’ Jesus, that’s what Your resurrection means to me.”

² Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.” ³ And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. ⁴ Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” ⁵ But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. (Mark 15:2-5 NKJV Emphasis added)

For whatever reason, Jesus did not answer every question directed to Him. There were times when He spoke, and there were times when He remained silent.

Is this a lesson for us, His followers – that there are times when we are to speak, and then there are times when we should not speak?

My Prayer:

“Lord, like You, help me to know when it is time to speak, but also to know when it is time to be silent. Every question or statement directed towards me does not demand an answer. Help me to learn the truth spoken by King Solomon, ‘Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut’ (Proverbs 10:19 NLT).”

Every time we partake of Communion, we are reminded that when we share it with the Lord for the first time, it will be in the future, when we experience the Kingdom of God with Him.

So, Communion is to be observed with the reality of looking to the future. Think about it, when we partake of the bread and the wine with Jesus for the first time, it will be with Him. That is our future.

My Prayer:

“My Jesus, let me be reminded that every time I partake of Communion, I look forward to the future when I will share it with You. As I look to that future event, the cares, the concerns, or the worries of today seem so minor as I contemplate that future Communion with You.”

Jesus then tells His disciples that when they are brought before the officials for questioning and interrogation because of their faith, a phenomenal thing will happen.

“But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11 NLT).

Jesus was saying that they need not worry or try and figure out how they would answer their persecutors because the Holy Spirit will give them what to speak.

This is a very revealing characteristic of the Third Person of the Trinity – that He, the Holy Spirit, tells the Lord’s followers what to speak. We can assume that, in the midst of a troublesome time or even in a time of conflict, when we are at a loss for words, the Spirit will guide us in what to say.

My Prayer:
“Holy Spirit, I am trusting You for the words to speak when I am facing a difficult situation with another person. When I am at a loss for words to speak, I believe that You will fill my mouth with what I need to say at that time.”

Not only does He acknowledge the authority of Caesar, but more importantly, Jesus points to the allegiance and authority that belongs to God. Yes, taxes should be paid to Caesar, but more revealing is the fact that so much more belongs to God. One is to pay taxes to the government, but to God belongs the riches of one’s very life, such as time, talent, love, dedication, obedience, and yes, even one’s money.

My Prayer:
“Lord, to You belongs everything that I am and all that I have. As You said in Mark 14:30, ‘And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ And as an old hymn says, ‘All to Jesus, I surrender; all to Him I freely give…I surrender all.’”