Evening Scripture Reading - Genesis 28:16-17

Genesis 28:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 5:4-6

Psalm 5:4-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil cannot dwell with You.

5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;

You hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;

the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:28

Proverbs 17:28 Holman Christian Standard Bible

28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,

discerning when he seals his lips.

Morning Scripture Reading - Genesis 9:12-16

Genesis 9:12-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.”

Evening Scripture Reading - Ephesians 1:15-19

Ephesians 1:15-19 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Prayer for Spiritual Insight

15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 5:3

Psalm 5:3 Holman Christian Standard Bible

3 At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice;

at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.

Palm Sunday Message - A Simple Message

Today is Palm Sunday. Christians around the world are celebrating the day when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecy given to the Israelites hundreds of years earlier. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is a week that marks the trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. 

When you think about this week, you cannot help but reflect on the life of Jesus. His life began very humbly and without much fanfare. He wasn’t born a son of a monarch or a king. His birth was, for the most part, closer to the beginnings of a child born into poverty. His first bed was an ornate crib or bassinet. It was a manger, a feeding trough for animals, filled with rough straw. Instead of servants, Jesus had smelly farm animals around him. For guards, he was protected by shepherds who came to see the miracle birth. 

All throughout his life, Jesus didn’t seek out notoriety or fame. His life was simple, but left such a deep impression on not only those who knew him firsthand but also those who follow him today. His life, no matter how simple, provided us with the way to the Father and showed us His love through the life, death and resurrection of His son. No event in history comes close to making such a profound mark in the lives of so many.

When he entered Jerusalem, people cheered him and laid their coats and palm fronds down in front of him. He didn’t come into the city in a triumphant chariot with a spear in his hand nor did he come astride a mighty warhorse brandishing a sword. His eyes and heart weren’t filled with fire and war, but, rather, with love for those around him.

In chapter twelve of the Gospel of John, John writes, “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: ‘Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.’ His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.”   

Jesus came into the city on the back of a young donkey. For most, the donkey is a humble beast of burden. Warriors would never ride a donkey or even consider it as a mode of transportation. It would be beneath them and they would rather walk than ride a donkey. 

Jesus didn’t come into this world to subdue it with a sword or spear. He came to show the world love and to be the perfect sacrifice for each of us. His life is our example of how we should live daily.

In chapter eleven of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Martha, the sister of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

His message was clear and remains relevant with each generation thereafter. The question that Jesus is asking you is plain and simple. Do you believe this truth?

If you haven’t received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, today is that day. He has given you the simple truth and isn’t forcing you to accept it. Jesus doesn’t storm into your life and force you into believing. He stands patiently waiting for you and whispers to your heart softly and tenderly.

I ask you to listen and take those first steps to him. You will be so glad you did. When you walk with the Lord daily, you have nothing to fear and can stand firm in His grace.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:27

Proverbs 17:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible

27 The intelligent person restrains his words,

and one who keeps a cool head

is a man of understanding.

Morning Scripture Reading - Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible

12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14 Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Evening Scripture Reading - 2 Corinthians 4:6

2 Corinthians 4:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 5:1-2

Psalm 5:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 5

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

1 Listen to my words, Lord;

consider my sighing.

2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for I pray to You.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:26

Proverbs 17:26 Holman Christian Standard Bible

26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person

or to beat a noble for his honesty.

Morning Scripture Reading - Acts 4:10-12

Acts 4:10-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is

the stone rejected by you builders,

which has become the cornerstone.

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”

Evening Scripture Reading - Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23 Holman Christian Standard Bible

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 4:7-8

Psalm 4:7-8 Holman Christian Standard Bible

7 You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace,

for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:25

Proverbs 17:25 Holman Christian Standard Bible

25 A foolish son is grief to his father

and bitterness to the one who bore him.

Morning Scripture Reading - Isaiah 40:27-31

Isaiah 40:27-31 Holman Christian Standard Bible

27 Jacob, why do you say,

and Israel, why do you assert:

“My way is hidden from the Lord,

and my claim is ignored by my God”?

28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Yahweh is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the whole earth.

He never grows faint or weary;

there is no limit to His understanding.

29 He gives strength to the weary

and strengthens the powerless.

30 Youths may faint and grow weary,

and young men stumble and fall,

31 but those who trust in the Lord

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary;

they will walk and not faint.

Evening Scripture Reading - 2 Chronicles 7:17-18

2 Chronicles 7:17-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible

17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 4:6

Psalm 4:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”

Look on us with favor, Lord.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:24

Proverbs 17:24 Holman Christian Standard Bible

24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,

but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.