Category: Gospels
Jesus our Passover Lamb!
Scripture reading for February 27th: Numbers 28-31, Mark 14
Key Scriptures: Mark 14:12-16 “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to Him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest room, where I may eat with My disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”
Jesus walked in obedience to His Father and in fulfillment of Scripture. He knew that His own life blood would be offered as the final sacrifice for sin and that this last meal with His disciples would be used to commemorate the ultimate ‘Passover’ of the death angel from all who believe. God had prepared all of this through the experiences and feasts celebrated by His people Israel.
Numbers 28:16-17 “”On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover, and on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast. Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation.”
Prayer: Thank You Lord for the great detail found in Scripture concerning each aspect of Your Son’s life and ministry on our behalf. We remember His death until He comes again for us! Amen.
Second Coming of Jesus!
Scripture reading for February 26th: Numbers 25-27, Mark 13
Key Scriptures: Mark 13:24-27 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”
The disciples had asked Jesus about what it would be like when He came for His people. Jesus gave them a direct answer. Tribulation would precede His coming along with great signs in the heavens and on earth. Jesus would come with power and great glory and His angels would gather His elect people to be with Him forever. We are reminded of this event in Numbers as Joshua succeeds Moses in leadership.
Numbers 27:15-18 “Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and com in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.””
Prayer: Lord, thank You for choosing Jesus (Joshua) to lead us out and bring us into Your eternal inheritance. May we be ready when He returns in power and great glory! Amen.
The Great Commandment!
Scripture reading for February 23rd: Numbers 21-24, Mark 12
Key Scriptures: Mark 12:29-31 “Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
The scribes and Pharisees were seeking to trap Jesus with theological questions. Jesus answered them from Scripture with God’s Truth. The greatest commandments were not any of the Ten Commandments that Moses got on the mountain. They actually summed them up with a positive call to love God and love our neighbor. Love fulfills all the commandments because God is Love. His love is like a well of water in the desert!
Numbers 21:17-18 “Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well!–Sing to it!–the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs.”
Prayer: Lord, help me to keep Your greatest commandment. I want to drink from the spring of Your great love each day! Amen.
Believe and receive!
Scripture reading for February 22nd: Numbers 18-20, Mark 11
Key Scriptures: Mark 11:22-25 “And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.””
The disciples were marveling at how quickly the fig tree had withered after Jesus had cursed it for having no fruit. Jesus used this event to teach them the importance of believing prayer. Faith in God can move mountains! But hearts right with God and others are required for trusting faith. Moses failed to trust God when he struck the rock the second time instead of speaking to it.
Numbers 20:11-12 “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
Prayer: Lord, Thank You for these examples in Your Word. I want to show You as Holy by believing Your Word and walking in believing faith. Amen.
Greatness through Serving
Scripture reading for February 21st: Numbers 14-17, Mark 10
Key Scriptures: Mark 10:41-45 “And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a a ransom for many.”
Jesus settled a dispute among the disciples about how to obtain seats of honor in the coming kingdom. He explained that the world system exercised authority in a dominating manner. But His followers would humbly serve others. Greatness would come through serving and Jesus, Himself, was going to set the prime example of giving His own life for mankind.
Numbers 14:18-19 “‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, for Egypt until now.””
Prayer: Lord, give me a servant’s heart like Moses and Jesus, willing to serve others with my life. Amen.
Encourage all workers!
Scripture reading for February 20th: Numbers 11-13, Mark 9
Key Scriptures: Mark 9:38-40 “John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your Name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus Said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in My Name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For the one who is not against us is for us.””
Jesus corrected His disciples when they had tried to stop someone who was casting out demons in Jesus’ Name. This person was not part of Jesus’ followers, not in the disciples ‘in crowd’. Jesus told them not to stop him. Anyone not against Jesus is potentially for Jesus. Jealousy has no part in Christ’s kingdom.
Numbers 11:27-29 “And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”
Prayer: Lord, help me to be encouraging to others who are working for You, not jealous or in competition. Fill me with Your Spirit today. Amen.
The Cost of a Soul
ForScripture reading for February 19th: Numbers 7-10, Mark 8
Key Scriptures: Mark 8:36-38 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus was teaching His disciples about the worth of a single soul. All the money in the world could not purchase a soul. There wasn’t any price in earthly things that could buy a person freedom for his soul. That is because all had sinned and were under the sentence of death. When the final judgment comes and Jesus returns, each person will either confess Jesus as Lord or forfeit their souls to eternal punishment. Even the Levites had to offer blood sacrifice for their atonement.
Numbers 8:12 “Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for the sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.”
Prayer: Lord, Thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son as atonement for our sins. It is hard for me to understand how you could place that value on me and all people of the world. Amen.
Serious heart issues!
Scripture reading for February 16th: Numbers 4-6, Mark 7
Key Scriptures: Mark 7:14-15 “And He called the people to Him again and said to them, “Hear Me, all you, and understand: ‘There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. . . . For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Jesus taught the crowd and religious leaders the source of real defilement was not something external, but came from the inner heart of man. True defilement is a heart condition. All sin and law-breaking comes from rebellion in the heart and results in separation from the family of God and death. This truth helps us to understand our own lost condition and the ‘leprosy’ of our soul.
Numbers 5:1-2 “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.””
Prayer: Lord, thank You for cleansing my heart by faith in the blood sacrifice of Your own Son, Jesus. I confess my need for Your continued work of cleansing of this inner defilement that I might have a pure heart and mouth. Amen.
Jesus is Here!
Scripture reading for February 15th: Leviticus 27, Numbers 1-3, Mark 6
Key Scriptures: Mark 6:54-56 “And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized Him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”
Jesus’ reputation as a healer spread rapidly across the region. Mark records again an incident about touching Jesus’ garment and healing occurring. In this case, all who touched Him were healed. People ran and brought the sick to wherever Jesus was and sought Jesus with desperation and purpose. Their faith was rewarded each time! The Book of Numbers instructs God’s people to gather around the Tent of Meeting, where God’s holy presence was found.
Numbers 2:1-2 “The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your holy presence that brings blessing and healing to Your people. Today, I allow You to camp in my heart and touch me with Your healing grace. Amen.
Walking erect and ‘yoke-free’!
Scripture reading for February 14th: Leviticus 24-26, Mark 5
Key Scriptures: Mark 5:25-29 “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”
Jesus reputation spread among the people. Mark records the story of one woman who had faith that even touching Jesus’ garment would bring healing that had eluded her for twelve years and taken all she had. She pressed in through the crowd and secretly touched Jesus and immediately was healed. Jesus commended this woman, telling her that her faith had made her well.
Leviticus 26:12-13 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your continual Presence with Your people. May I learn to walk in erect and free from yokes of bondage, in health and freedom from daily communion with You. Amen.