EASTER EDITION
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F O R P E R S O N A L and FA M I LY D E V O T I O N S . S I N C E 1956
® EASTER EDITION
COVER DESIGN
Joshua Tan and Alex Soh EDITORS
Anne Cetas, MANAGING EDITOR; Becky Knapp, ASSOCIATE EDITOR; Tim Gustafson, J.R. Hudberg, and Judith Markham, EDITORS Dave Branon Dennis J. DeHaan Mart DeHaan
WRITERS
M. R. DeHaan, M.D David C. Egner David C. McCasland
Haddon Robinson David H. Roper William E. Crowder
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. © 2015 Our Daily Bread Ministries All rights reserved. Printed in Indonesia.
The Rescue Mission The film Saving Private Ryan dramatized the rescue of a U.S. Army paratrooper in World War II. Three of Private James Ryan’s brothers had been killed in battle, leaving only the young soldier to carry on his family’s name. Captain John Miller and his squad rescued Private Ryan in a feat that cost the officer and several of his men their lives. Many gave their lives to save one. Two thousand years ago, God Himself embarked on a rescue mission. He sent His only Son into a world that had lost its way. Jesus came in human form with a simple but vitally important mandate—to seek and to save a lost human race (LUKE 19:10). This rescue mission was not an afterthought on God’s part. It was His purpose from eternity past that Christ would come to save us. Down through the centuries, Passover lambs had This rescue mission pointed toward Jesus and His once-for-all sacrifice for sin. was not an When He arrived, with resolute afterthought but purpose, He accomplished the Father’s plan by His death and God’s eternal plan. resurrection. Rescue is now available to any and all who 2
place their trust in Him. One died to save many. In the days ahead, you will move toward the Easter season, finding its climax in the celebration of Jesus’ victory over the grave. We encourage you, in this Easter edition of Our Daily Bread, to anticipate that day of wonder with a sense of purpose. Each article is specially chosen to help you reflect on the rescue and the Rescuer. Through it all, we pray that you will be strengthened, encouraged, challenged—and changed. As you walk with Christ through the events He endured out of love, worship Him with a heart of gratitude. May His rescue gain fresh, new meaning as you ponder His mercy and grace.
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DEVOTIONAL for MONDAY
Day 1
A Light In The Darkness
M
y sons and I explored a small cave on the island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles. We entered a passageway by following a string left by previous visitors. Before returning to the sunlit world above us, we decided to extinguish our lantern and get the feel of total darkness. For a few moments we were enveloped by the blackest kind of TODAY’S READING John 1:1-14 night. How terrifying it would be to get [Jesus’] life lost in a large subterranean cavern with brought light to no source of light! The New Testament everyone. v. 4 uses the concept of darkness to describe the spiritual condition of mankind. Millions are hopelessly groping around and cannot find their way. Because of pride, many are unaware of their dreadful plight. Education, they say, will ultimately bring us out of the shadows of ignorance and superstition and are sure to usher in a brighter day. We thank God for technological advances and wouldn’t want to be without them. But there’s one inescapable fact: the human family is still in the dark—lost in the cave of their own sin and rebellion. There’s but one way out—and Jesus Christ the Sun of righteousness who paid for our sins on the cross shows us that way. Has He become the light in your DENNIS DEHAAN darkness?
Ye dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes— The Light of the world is Jesus; Go wash at His bidding and light will arise— The Light of the world is Jesus. BLISS
Jesus Christ is music to the ear and light to the eye. 4
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
John 1:1-14
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
INSIGHT A constant theme of John’s writing is that of light versus darkness. It is seen here in verses 4-9, and continues throughout his gospel account (3:19-21; 9:5; AND OTHERS). It is also seen in 1 John, where we read, “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth” (1:5-6). This theme calls us to embrace Christ, the Light of the world, and to live in His light. 5
DEVOTIONAL for TUESDAY
Day 2
What’s Next?
T
he night before Jesus was crucified, two of His disciples turned against Him. Judas betrayed Christ, leading His enemies to Him in the Garden (LUKE 22:47-48). And Peter denied three times that he even knew the Lord (VV.57-60). But the difference in what they did next was enormous. Peter wept bitter TODAY’S READING tears of repentance and later was gently Luke 22:54-62 restored (V.62; JOHN 21:15-17); Judas hanged Peter left the himself (MATTHEW 27:5). courtyard, weeping When we commit a sin, the most bitterly. v. 62 important thing is what we do next. If we lose our temper and say something cruel to a family member, what do we do next? If we mistreat a co-worker, what do we do next? If we find we are dwelling on evil thoughts, what do we do next? To make excuses, to justify our bad behavior, to blame the other person, or to ignore God is only to add more sin to the first. Perhaps as you’ve been reading this, the Holy Spirit has brought your attention to some sin in your life. If so, you’re faced with a choice—to repent and confess it to God (1 JOHN 1:9), or to continue denying that you have a sin problem. When you sin, don’t compound it with another sin. Take it immediately to the Lord in prayerful confession. The most DAVE EGNER important thing is what you do next! FOR FURTHER STUDY In 1 John 1:8-10, what do we learn about ourselves? How are we to react to sin in our lives? (1 John 1:9). What is the basis of our forgiveness? (1 John 2:1-2).
Denial compounds our sin; confession cancels it. 6
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Luke 22:54-62
54 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” 57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” 58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. 59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.
INSIGHT The sadness of Peter’s denials is compounded by the strident promises he had made to Jesus. Earlier in Luke 22, Christ had warned Peter to be prepared for a “spiritual sifting” at the hands of the Enemy, but Peter did not take the warning to heart (VV. 31-32). Instead, he boasted of his devotion and reliability (V. 33), declaring he would go to prison and even to death, for the Lord. In the end it was a claim he was unable to live up to. In response to that boast, Jesus told Peter he would deny Christ three times—a prophecy that tragically came to pass in today’s Bible reading. 7