At Calvary, They Crucified Jesus

Devotion for Good Friday March 30, 2018

Topic: At Calvary, They Crucified Jesus

Text: Luke 23:32 – 49  

Luke called the place where Jesus was crucified, Calvary while the other three evangelists called it, Place of Skull or Golgotha in Hebrew (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22 & John 19:17). Calvary is a hill just outside the city walls of Jerusalem where the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ took place. The choice of Calvary was for a purpose. The Chief Priest and Romans soldiers choose the place which was conspicuous so as to make mockery of Jesus but they never knew it was symbolic. See Hebrews 13:11, 12 and compare it with these passages Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:11 – 12, 21; 6:30; 9:11; 16:27; Numbers 19:3. He was crucified there because bearing the sins of the world just like the lamb in the Old Testament bearing sin is burnt outside the camp. To show what He came to do at Calvary, the first thing was to plea for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him. He died to purchase our forgiveness. He also pardoned one of the criminals right there at Calvary. This shows that true repentance is never late. But we should not procrastinate about it because we may not have the grace this criminal enjoyed. As the soldiers taunted Him, He was humble and didn’t retaliate (1 Pet 2:21 – 24). His death was recorded in Luke 23:46 while the reaction of the Centurion to His death is in Luke 23:47. Having died for us, we should seek to glorify God with true repentance and conversion; by a sober, righteous, and godly life; and by employing our talents in the service of Him who died for us and rose again.

Sing SS&S 621; Abu 35

Food for Thought: Christ became accursed for us upon the cross. What have you done to reciprocate this sacrifice?

Memory verse: Luke 23:33

Prayer: God, grant that this ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for me will not be in vain.

When Amazing God Acts Amazingly

Devotion for Saturday November 14, 2017

Topic: When The Amazing God Acts Amazingly

Text: Act 12:1 – 17

When God intervenes in some precarious cases, it leaves us speechless, amazed, astonished and perplexed. Our text for the day speaks of amazing act of God in delivering Peter from the prison despite the guards and the gates. God sent his angel who came and struck him amidst soldiers and the chain with which they chained him to two soldiers fell off. The angel led him through first and second posts (gates) through the iron post heavily manned by armed soldiers but the gates all opened on their own accord (Acts 12:7 – 17). It was after they had passed through all the gates that Peter came to himself and realised that it was not a dream.

Meanwhile, prayers were being offered for him (Acts 12:5). When Peter arrived at the gate of the house of Mary, mother of John Mark, Rhoda didn’t open the gate out of joy when she saw that it was Peter knocking at the gate. Rather, she ran in to announce what she saw and she was accused of not being herself. They had regarded his rescue as so difficult and where hopeless. Yet they were praying for his release. This is how some of us behave. We keep praying without believing that God can give us what we are praying for.

Sometimes, it is difficult for us to believe the answer to our prayers, even when God said He is more ready to answer us. Yet when He does that which we had asked for, we will be astonished. This made the people praying to say that Rhoda was mad. We shouldn’t be overwhelmed and astonished when our petitions are granted, and when God manifests His power in His own way and time. That is a sign of little faith or faithlessness. We should grow to the level of believing God for His word. With God all things are possible. As we do not know what time God will act for us, we should be what we pray for because He will surely answer our sincere prayers (James 1:6 – 8).

Food for Thought: Matthew 11:24

Memory verse: Acts 12:15

Prayer: Lord God, strengthen my faith so that I will not doubt your ability to do what I ask for in prayer.