Daily Devotions for Lent

8/20/2019 Daily Devotions for Lent

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DAY 1

From Jesus with love

If you have found Me, you have found the secret toexperiencing life to the full. I am far more than a historicalcharacter who lived and died 2,000 years ago. Because I rosefrom the dead, I am even more alive and active today than Iwas when I walked the earth. And because I live, you too canexperience life and love as they were meant to be

experienced, both here and now, and forever— boundless andeternal. There is no hurt that I can’t heal, no sadness that Ican’t turn to joy, no need that I can’t provide, no void that Ican’t fill.

I am alive today in each heart that welcomes Me. I am activeand at work, always renewing, restoring, and replenishing,

making everything better and more beautiful whenever I amgiven a chance. Let Me live in you!


3/42

DAY 2

Loved— Not for great deeds and heights attained,

Not for accomplishments and fame;Not for moments when I succeed,When I am strong, when I believe;

Not for times when I’m pressing on, Unfazed by night, fixed on the dawn.

Loved—

For who I am, now and today,Stumbling, groping to find my way;

A heart of dreams and fears and walls,Of starts and stops, of peaks and falls:

A life unpolished, unprofound,A sinner ransomed, lost and found.

By Evelyn Sichrovsky


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DAY 3

When Jesus rose from the dead, His resurrection was the firstphase of God’s new creation, a new kind of existence—ahuman body was transformed by the power of God into onethat is no longer affected by death, decay, and corruption.Nothing like this had ever happened! “We know that Christ,

being raised from the dead, will never die again; death nolonger has dominion over Him.” (Romans 6:9)

As Christians, we too are part of God’s new creation. We canlook forward to the time when Jesus will return and raise our

bodies as well.


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DAY 4

"Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then bythe Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of hisfollowers at one time.“ (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

We stand amazed, just like those early witnesses. How coulda lifeless, broken body, lying in the cold and dark of the

tomb, spring to life? The miracle of Christ's resurrection,flouting the natural order, is truly beyond our humancomprehension.

Yet the miracle doesn't end there. As C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)wrote, "Jesus has forced open a door that had been lockedsince the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and

beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because hehas done so."


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DAY 6

Easter is not meant to

only be a day ofremembrance thatcomes around once ayear, but a living hopein our hearts all yearround. As surely as thesun rises every

morning, we can leave behind whateversorrow or pain we arefacing and rise againwith renewed faith andcomfort in the eternallove of God.

No matter whatcircumstances we arein, no matter whatchanges have occurred,no matter how difficultthings may be, He'salso alive in us.

Wherever we are, Hispower and Spirit arewith us. In whatevercircumstance, inwhatever situation,whether we are in ourhometown or some far-

flung country, He iswith us.


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DAY 7

We don't have a Jesus on the cross; He's left the cross! Wehave an empty cross. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave,where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) We don't have a

Christ in the grave; we have a live Jesus living in our hearts.

He rose in victory, joy, liberty, and freedom, never to dieagain, so that He could redeem us as well and prevent ourhaving to go through the agony of death of spirit. What a dayof rejoicing that must have been when He rose and realized itwas all over. He had won the victory; the world was saved!


9/42

DAY 8

The miracle of Easter is that because Jesus didn't remain in

the grave, we don't have to, either. We don't have to suffer inhell to pay for our sins, or experience eternal separation fromGod. He took that payment for us, and then rose to a new life.And His new life can be inside us, giving us hope and peace,as we are filled with His love.


10/42

DAY 9

Is there anything more wonderful than the miracle offorgiveness and the assurance of having our mistakesforgiven? This wonderful forgiveness is for all of us. Jesus

died for all of us. All we have to do is accept His forgivenessand receive Him as our Savior. "If we confess our sins, He isfaithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness."(1 John 1:9) That's His unqualified,unbreakable promise to you.


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DAY 1

From Jesus with Love

You need Me. You need what I have to give you. You need Mystrength, My love, My supply, My protection. I have all this foryou and more. I am your life source, and because I am, yourlife can be wonderful, beautiful, rich, and filled with what Iknow will prove most important in the long run.

I will never leave you alone or comfortless. I will never leaveyou without guidance and direction. I will never leave youwithout grace and strength to fight life's battles. I will neverleave you without rest and renewal after those battles. I willalways provide your needs. You don't need to fear or beanxious because I, the One who loves you like no other can,have special plans for you.


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DAY 11

God, the great Creator, is a Spirit. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere and in everything—far beyond ourlimited human comprehension. So He sent Jesus, in the formof a man, to understand us and show us what He Himself islike and to bring us to Himself. And though many greatteachers have spoken and taught about love and God, Jesus islove and He is God! Jesus is the only one who died for thesins of the world and rose from the dead. He is the onlySavior.


13/42

DAY 12


I love you as if you were the only one. My love is reaching outto you right now. My love, My forgiveness, and My mercy areall right there, just for you, if you will only receive them.

I love you just the way you are. I am not stacking up all yourfaults and failures and mistakes to hold against you. I seeonly the good, and I see possibilities that others do not see.

I see your every tear. I hear your every cry. I feel your everyfrustration, your every worry, your every burden, your everydesire. I know everything about you—all your wants, all yourlacks. I see straight through to your heart of hearts and allthat is in it, and I deeply love you.

I long to hold you close, here on My gentle breast. I am right

there by your side, and I will never, ever forsake you. I loveyou, just you, and here I patiently wait—for you!


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DAY 13

God created us with the need to love and be loved, and Healone can satisfy the deepest yearning of every human soulfor total love and complete understanding. The things of this

earth can satisfy the body, but only God and His eternal lovecan ever fill that aching spiritual void in our hearts that Hecreated for Himself alone. The human spirit can never becompletely satisfied with anything less than utter union withthe great and loving Spirit that created it.


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DAY 14

Why must I ask Jesus into my heart?" you may ask. "Why do Ihave to use that name? Why can't I just pray to God and findsalvation that way, through His name?“

Because Jesus is the only One who came to earth and gaveHis life for you. Jesus said, "I am the door"—into His Father's

house, the kingdom of God. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). So if you want to get to Heaven, youhave to walk through Jesus, the open Door.

Then what about the adherents of all the other religions inthe world? Can't they be saved? Yes, they can all get saved,regardless of their religion. Even if they don't have any

religion, they can still be saved— but only through Jesus.


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DAY 15

One of the most marvelous things about the gift of salvationis that once you have received Jesus into your heart, He isthere to stay. He has come into your life, and He will be withyou forever. Jesus has said that He will never leave you norforsake you, and that He will be with you always, even to theend of the world (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). There is

nothing you could ever say or do that would nullify thesewonderful promises.

Jesus knows you're not perfect and never will be—and Heloves you just the same! When He forgave you for your sins,He not only forgave your past sins but your present sins andthose you will yet commit as well.


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DAY 16

There was a priest who suffered terribly over a sin he hadcommitted as a young man, because he thought God could

not forgive him. One day he heard of an elderly lady who hadvisions and even talked with the Lord during these visions,and finally he gathered enough courage to visit her. Over acup of tea, he asked if she could ask the Lord a question forhim.

The woman looked at the priest a little curiously. "Yes, Iwould be happy to," she answered. "What do you want me to

ask Him?" "Well," the priest began, "would you please ask Him what

sin it was that your priest committed as a young man?" The woman, quite curious now, readily agreed. A few weeks passed, and the priest again went to visit this

woman. After another cup of tea he cautiously, timidly asked,"Have you had any visions lately?"The woman said that she

had, and that she had asked the Lord what sin the priest hadcommitted as a young man. The priest, nervous and afraid,hesitated a moment and then asked, "Well, what did the Lordsay?"

The woman looked up into the face of her priest andreplied gently, "The Lord told me He could not remember."

The Bible tells us that because Jesus took the punishment

for our sins, God does not remember them against usanymore. "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remembertheir sin no more," the Lord tells us in Jeremiah 31:34.


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DAY 17

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. “Yes,sir,” Satan gloated. “I just caught a whole world full of people!I set a trap and got them all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.“I’m going to have some fun!” Satan replied with glee. “I’mgoing to teach them how to lie and cheat and steal and kill.This is going to be great!”

“And what will you do when you’re through with them?”Jesus asked.

“Then I’ll kill them,” Satan said proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, you don’t want those people! They aren’t any good.They’ll just hate you. They’ll cause you nothing but miseryand heartbreak, and they’ll kill you in the end. You don’t wantthose people!”

“How much?” Jesus asked again. Satan looked at Him and sneered. “Your LIFE!”

“DONE!”

Then Jesus paid the price.


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DAY 18

Jesus came to try to make it as easy for us as He could. Hetried to make the Christian life so easy that anybody couldlive it.

God made a way of escape from the impossible burden ofperfect adherence to His laws, a way of mercy, a way offorgiveness and grace: salvation. Now nobody has any excusefor blaming their problems on God, because He has made away out, a way to get the victory, a way to overcome our sinsand faults and shortcomings and problems and weaknesses,

whatever they may be. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and theLife (John 14:6). He paid the price, made the way, and gave usthe truth, and He alone can help us to live the kind of life weought to live.

He never asks of any of us a standard that is beyond ourindividual reach. Whatever He asks, we can do with His help

and by His grace, and through His power and His love we canattain it (Philippians 4:13).


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DAY 19

The divine, supernatural, miraculous, infinite, marvelous

love of God is love enough to forgive! God's mercy isendless, from everlasting to everlasting. His love and mercyand forgiveness and salvation never end. He never stopsloving us, no matter what we do. He never rejects us orwithdraws His love. He always has hope for us no matterhow far we've strayed (Psalm 103:3-14).

Even in spite of our sins and shortcomings and misdeedsand crimes, whatever they may be, the blood of Jesuscovers all our sins—past, present, and future. If we willforsake our sins and turn to the Lord, our God willabundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7). The Bible says, "If weconfess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us," nomatter what we have done (1 John 1:9).


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DAY 2

Paradox

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

— Author unknown


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DAY 21


I understand the trying of men's hearts—the despair, the

discouragement, the desperation. I understand the pain of leaving loved ones, for first I had to

leave My Father to go to Earth, and then I had to leave those that Iloved so dearly on Earth to return to My Father.

I understand what it's like to feel betrayed, for one whom I hadbefriended betrayed Me with a kiss.

I understand fear of what lies ahead, and so I prayed, "Father, letthis cup pass from Me!"

I understand what it's like to feel ridiculed and abused, for I wasridiculed and abused.

I understand pain, for I felt excruciating pain as the nails piercedMy hands and My feet.

I understand what it's like to feel abandoned, for I feltabandoned by those I loved, who also loved Me. For a moment Ithought that even My Father had abandoned Me.

Though My Father did not let that cup pass from Me, though onewho I had loved betrayed Me, though I saw My loved ones flee fromMe in time of trouble, though I was beaten and spat upon, thoughthe nails pierced My hands and feet, though I felt My Father hadabandoned Me, though I had to die an agonizing death, though itlooked like a great defeat, it all brought about a great victory andgreat salvation—a great resurrection that changed the course ofhistory and all eternity!

I died to save you, but I went through all the rest to understandyou better.


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DAY 22

Does a baby understand the love of its mother or father? No,

he just feels it, accepts it, and receives it. Likewise, you don'thave to understand everything about God to experience Hislove and salvation; all you have to do is receive Jesus, God'sSon, as your Savior by asking Him into your heart.

You can do that right now if you want God's answer to all ofyour problems and His love and happiness to fill your heart

and life with joy and with a new plan and purpose in living.He'll meet all your needs and solve all your problems. He's

just that wonderful, and it's all just that simple!

Jesus said, "I am the door" into the Father's house, thekingdom of God. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved"(John 10:9). If you want to get into Heaven, all you have to do

is believe that the door is there and walk through it.


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DAY 23

Jesus, I was nothing, yet You came and died for me so thatYou might always have me with You. You reached down tothe depths for me, and I took hold of Your hand. Sometimes,

though, I get so caught up in the cares of this life and thethings around me that I forget You. But even when I do, Youunderstand and keep loving me and encouraging me to cometo You. You keep reminding me that You're always there,waiting for me to come to You and be refreshed and renewed.When I turn my attention to You, Your love reaches down andtouches my heart, and I am renewed!


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DAY 24


When I walked the earth many, many years ago, I went aboutdoing good to all who crossed My path. I healed the sick,

comforted the brokenhearted, lifted the spirits of those whowere discouraged, and strengthened those who felt weak.And My love and power are the same today! I still long totouch and heal the bodies of those who suffer, and I still longto encourage the hearts of those who stoop under heavy

burdens or go through difficult times. Since returning toHeaven I have touched many who lifted their hearts to Me

and told Me their needs, and I want to do the same for you.


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DAY 25

God's love extends to every person. Ever since He createdhuman beings, He has loved them. No matter where theystand relationally with Him, He loves them. They may not

believe He exists; they may believe He exists but hate Him;

they may want nothing to do with Him; but nevertheless, Heloves them. His love, kindness, and care are given to them byvirtue of their being part of humanity.

Human beings were created in God's image. He loves everysingle one of us, and His love for us translates into lovingaction on His part—His care and blessings given tohumankind.


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DAY 26

God's love for allhumankind is mostclearly seen in Hisanswer to our need forsalvation. Every personfalls short,(Romans3:23) and that's why we

need help in order to bereconciled to God. God,

because of His love foreach of us, brought forththe plan of salvation bywhich Jesus came toearth, lived a sinless life,

and died, taking our sinsupon Himself, thusmaking amends for us.

God loved the world somuch that he gave hisone and only Son, so thateveryone who believes inhim will not perish buthave eternal life. Godshowed his great love forus by sending Christ todie for us while we werestill sinners.— John 3:16NLT; Romans 5:8 NLT


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DAY 27

God’s love is perfect. It is the only thing in the world that is

absolutely perfect. There are a lot of things that are nice, beautiful, and wonderful, but nothing is perfect like Hislove. We live in an imperfect world, with imperfect humans,in imperfect conditions, but His love is what makes itpossible for us to weather everything that life brings ourway. He is perfect, and so is His love.

His love is free. It's not something that we have to work for,or earn‚ or somehow prove that we're worthy of. That's agood thing, too, because we all sin and make mistakes. If wehad to earn Jesus' love, none of us would have it, becausewe're all men and women of similar weaknesses and humanfrailties. Jesus, in His divine foresight and wisdom, knewthis and chose to love us with no strings attached.


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DAY 28

Jesus doesn't just love us when we're happy, progressing inthe school of life‚ or making a positive difference in the livesof others. He loves us when we're up and when we're down.He loves us when we're well and when we're sick. He loves uswhen we do things worthy of His praise, and He loves useven when we do things that sadden Him. To think that

there isn't even one condition to His love is truly amazing!

His love is everlasting. It's not something that will be hereone day and gone the next. Jesus' love will not expire orfade. It can't be stolen or forfeited. It doesn't get old with thetimes or go out of style. It's traditional and historic, but alsomodern and current. It's always. Even before we knew Him,

He loved us. He has loved us from the very beginning oftime, and He will love us throughout eternity.


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DAY 29

God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us,and He wants it to be the deepest, most meaningful, mostfulfilling and rewarding, most natural part of our lives. Nowthat's not to say He wants to take away from the other

relationships and activities that we enjoy and considerimportant. To the contrary. He wants to be a part of all that.He wants to make things easier, He wants to give themgreater meaning, and He wants to enjoy them with us. In aword, He wants to make our lives even better. He wants toadd a wonderful new dimension to all that we do—thedimension of His loving presence.


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DAY 3

None of us can really grasp how great and wonderful Godour Father is, because He and His Spirit are greater thanthe whole universe. He's so beyond our comprehensionthat He had to make Someone who could show us His love,Someone we could experience, Someone who could bring

God down to the level of our limited human understanding.So He sent us His Son, Jesus.

Jesus has been with God from the very beginning, yet Healso lived on earth in human form and experienced every

joy and sorrow that we do. (See John 1:1-3,14; Hebrews4:15.) Jesus has been here, so He can understand us and be

the link between us and God. (See 1 Timothy 2:5.)


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DAY 31

Dear Jesus, ThankYou that Youunderstand myheart. Thank Youthat I never have toworry about whetherYou understand or

not. When I feel thatI can't explainproperly and Ifumble over mywords, or when Ican't find the rightwords to express

what I really want tosay, thank You that Ican just rest in Yourarms and know thatYou make sense outof these words Ispeak. Thank You,

Jesus, that I don'talways even have totalk to You in words.You just understandeverything I'm tryingto say, as I pour outmy heart to You.


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DAY 32

True Christianity is more than rationale and rules, rhetoricand ritual, morals and ethics; it's a living, loving, personalrelationship—a relationship that grows richer and deeperand stronger through honest, open communication with ourCreator.

The means of communication that God has provided isprayer, which means not only talking to God, but listeningto Him too. He wants us to tell Him our needs and desires,our problems and fears, our innermost thoughts, and oursecret dreams. And it works both ways. He also wants toanswer our questions, help solve our problems, encourageus when we feel down, and share our victories and joys.Most of all, He wants to help us understand and experienceHis love in a very real and personal way.


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DAY 33

God isn't dead! He's alive and well, and still ready, willing,and able to speak to His children—and He wants to speakto you.

"How can that be?" you may ask. In order to comprehend

the answer to that—how the great God and Creator of theuniverse could communicate directly with you, or why Hewould even want to—you must first understand how muchGod loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son,Jesus, to die for your sins so that you could be forgivenand receive His gift of eternal life in Heaven, simply by

believing in Jesus and receiving Him as your Savior. Jesus

died for the sins of the whole world, but He would havedied for you alone. He and His Father love you that much!


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DAY 34

I am the Bread. At the last supper the Master ate with Hisdisciples before His death, He gave thanks and broke me, andshared me with them. "Take and eat," the Master said. "This isMy body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance ofMe" (1 Corinthians 11:24). He was the Bread of Life, sent from

Heaven by God to give life to the world (John 6:33). Earthly bread can sustain for a day, but whoever comes to Him shallnever hunger. "Man does not live by bread alone" (Matthew4:4). No, you need something more. That something is Jesus.

I am the Wine. After the bread, the Master poured me into acup. "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed

for you" (1 Corinthians 11:25), He told His disciples. Eventhough He knew He was about to die an excruciating death,His heart overflowed with selfless love for others—and itdoes to this day. He would have shed His blood for you alone,and He would do it all over again, just for you. He loves youthat much!


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DAY 35

Why would the Lord of the universe, God in the flesh, allowHimself to be captured, falsely accused, tried andcondemned, whipped, stripped, and nailed to a cross like acommon criminal? The answer is simple: Because He lovedyou and me!

All of us at times have done wrong and been unloving andunkind to others. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The worst thing

about our sins is that they separate us from God, who isabsolutely sinless and perfect. In order to bring us to God,Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took the sins of all mankindupon Himself. He took the punishment for our sins andsuffered the horrible pain of death by crucifixion. He diedthe death of a sinner that through His sacrifice, we mightfind forgiveness and freedom from our sins.


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DAY 36

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke23:34).

"Them" were the Roman soldiers who had been followingPontius Pilate's orders when they nailed Jesus to the cross todie. "Them" were also those in the mis-guided, manipulatedmob that had called for Jesus' death and forced Pilate'shand—the same common people who had hailed Jesus astheir King only a few days earlier (Mark 15:6-14; Mark 11:8-10). How cruel, how awful, how unjust! How could Jesus say

that any of these people didn't know what they were doing?To a certain degree they had to, but they didn't realize theenormity of what they were doing—that they were killing theSon of God.

Despite the shame and pain the Romans heaped on Jesus, Heforgave them. He also forgave those who had turned on Him.

Now He wants us to have that much love, that muchforgiveness.


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DAY 37

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew27:46).

What caused Jesus the greatest agony on the cross was notour sins, because He knew that we were going to be forgivenand saved. What broke His heart was thinking that His Fatherhad turned His back on Him. Jesus went through anexperience that, thank God, we will never have to gothrough—not just crucifixion, not just the agony of the body,

but the agony of mind and spirit, feeling that God hadactually deserted Him. 'My God, My God,' He cried out, 'whyhave You forsaken Me?' (Matthew 27:46). Had God forsakenHim? Yes, momentarily, that He might die the death of asinner, without God.

"Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the whole world on thecross (1 Peter 2:24), and these sins temporarily separatedHim from His Father. He voluntarily gave Himself to die inour place—He loves us that much!


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DAY 38

"It is finished!" (John 19:30).

What was it that He finished? On the same evening thatJesus hung on the cross, the Passover lamb was beingsacrificed. Like the blood of the lamb saved the Hebrew

people from destruction in Egypt, Jesus' blood—

the ultimatePassover sacrifice—redeems us from the power of sin anddeath.

When He died on the cross His work was done, and oursalvation was won!


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DAY 39

"Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Jesus, help us to trust our lives to You and live to pleaseYou, like You trusted Your life to the Father and lived toplease Him. Then what a day of rejoicing that will be whenwe see You face to face and enter into our heavenly

reward—eternal life and love with You and the Father!


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DAY 4

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It's acelebration of His defeat of death and hell and Satan. Jesusredeemed us from our sins. He lived and loved and died forus as individuals, and He's with us today in spirit just asmuch as He was with those He walked beside two millenniaago.


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Hand in Hand for Eternity

Jesus, You told us, “You believe in God, believe also in

Me.” I believe You are the Son of God and that You diedfor me, rising again to conquer death. Please forgive mymistakes and shortcomings, come into my life, and holdme in Your loving care from now throughout eternity.

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