Friday – April 15th – Hebrews 12:1 -----
1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
The Daily Walk Bible inspirational thought for today:
NEVER TRY TO MAKE YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER ANOTHER YOU; ONE IS ENOUGH.*
Today in our Holy Week journey it is Good Friday. That always seems such an ironic title for the day that Jesus was crucified and died. Certainly, for the disciples and devoted followers of Jesus it was anything but good. For them their world had come to an unexpected and devastating ending. Jesus, their teacher and hope for the future, was put to death by the Roman Empire on made-up and unsubstantiated crimes brought by the Jewish religious establishment. There are several “theories” about the origin of the attachment “good” to the day Jesus died. The Good Friday date is one of the oldest Christian holidays, with some sources saying that it has been observed since 100 AD. It was associated with fasting during the early years of its observance and was eventually associated with the crucifixion and the victory of Jesus’ resurrection around the fourth century AD. It is observed as both a solemn and reflective day yet one with an eye to the reality of the empty tomb just days away. If you are near the shadow of the SunRise steeple today, you are invited to join us for a Good Friday service at 7pm.
In our pick verse today, we open the twelfth chapter of the book of Hebrews. The author uses the case he has made for the many heroes of the faith who preceded Jesus in history to encourage both the readers then and the readers of this book today. The Old Testament saints who have completed their earthly journey have become a great cloud of witnesses who encourage us through their different, yet faith filled stories. They have symbolically passed the baton to us and now cheer us on in our own spiritual journey. The author encourages us to keep our eyes focused on the things of God and not to be weighed down by the temptations that come from the evil one. Even things which are good in and of themselves can become for us a hinderance in our relationship with God. It is the nature of sin to entangle us and trip us up from achieving our spiritual goal to be more Christlike. Therefore, we are encouraged to run our race with persistence and disciplined endurance as does a marathon runner. On this Good Friday offer a special thanks today for those who have participated in growing your faith.
Blessings
Pastor Jim
Saturday – April 16th – Hebrews 12:2
*Tyndale. The Daily Walk Bible NLT (Daily Walk: Full Size) (Kindle Locations 20608-20609). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition
1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
The Daily Walk Bible inspirational thought for today:
NEVER TRY TO MAKE YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER ANOTHER YOU; ONE IS ENOUGH.*
Today in our Holy Week journey it is Good Friday. That always seems such an ironic title for the day that Jesus was crucified and died. Certainly, for the disciples and devoted followers of Jesus it was anything but good. For them their world had come to an unexpected and devastating ending. Jesus, their teacher and hope for the future, was put to death by the Roman Empire on made-up and unsubstantiated crimes brought by the Jewish religious establishment. There are several “theories” about the origin of the attachment “good” to the day Jesus died. The Good Friday date is one of the oldest Christian holidays, with some sources saying that it has been observed since 100 AD. It was associated with fasting during the early years of its observance and was eventually associated with the crucifixion and the victory of Jesus’ resurrection around the fourth century AD. It is observed as both a solemn and reflective day yet one with an eye to the reality of the empty tomb just days away. If you are near the shadow of the SunRise steeple today, you are invited to join us for a Good Friday service at 7pm.
In our pick verse today, we open the twelfth chapter of the book of Hebrews. The author uses the case he has made for the many heroes of the faith who preceded Jesus in history to encourage both the readers then and the readers of this book today. The Old Testament saints who have completed their earthly journey have become a great cloud of witnesses who encourage us through their different, yet faith filled stories. They have symbolically passed the baton to us and now cheer us on in our own spiritual journey. The author encourages us to keep our eyes focused on the things of God and not to be weighed down by the temptations that come from the evil one. Even things which are good in and of themselves can become for us a hinderance in our relationship with God. It is the nature of sin to entangle us and trip us up from achieving our spiritual goal to be more Christlike. Therefore, we are encouraged to run our race with persistence and disciplined endurance as does a marathon runner. On this Good Friday offer a special thanks today for those who have participated in growing your faith.
Blessings
Pastor Jim
Saturday – April 16th – Hebrews 12:2
*Tyndale. The Daily Walk Bible NLT (Daily Walk: Full Size) (Kindle Locations 20608-20609). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition
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