Fresh Start Daily

Devo: Mark 1:1-8

“Prepare the way of the LORD…” V. 3

John the Baptist preached repentance to prepare our hearts for Jesus. Real preparation is not merely outward. Real preparation should be in our heart.

“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.” V. 7

John pointed people to Jesus and not to himself. He gave the glory to the One who deserves it. John was bold in his preaching that many people came to him and were baptized.

“Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” V. 5

What a blessing it is to see people repenting from their sins and professing their faith in Jesus!

“I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” V. 8

Anyone can be baptized in water. It doesn’t mean that people have truly repented and accepted Jesus in their heart when they receive water baptism. True repentance is something that Jesus sees. We are not saved by water baptism. It is only a public declaration of our faith in Jesus. What we should desire the most is the baptism of the Holy Spirit which only Jesus can do.

Let our prayer be, “Baptize me with the Holy Spirit, Jesus.”

Devo: Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus after His crucifixion, resurrected and appeared to His disciples. He instructed them to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. When Jesus gave the great commission to His disciples, He was not suggesting that they do it but He was commanding them. He didn’t say, “If you go”, “If you make disciple”, “If you baptize”, or “If you teach”. He said, “Go”, “make disciples”, “baptize”, and “teach”.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” VV. 19-20

Jesus’ ministry will continue through His disciples. He has ALL the authority. He has all the power to command His disciples to carry on the task of discipling others.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” V. 18

“Go therefore…” V. 19

“Jesus said, ‘Go’ to some very imperfect disciples. ‘Who is to go out of that first band of disciples? It is Peter, the rash and the headstrong. It is John, who sometimes wishes to call fire from heaven to destroy men. It is Philip, with whom the Savior has been so long, and yet he has not known him. It is Thomas, who must put his finger into the print of the nails, or he will not believe him. Yet the Master says to them, ‘Go ye; all power is given unto me, therefore go ye. You are as good for my purpose as anybody else would be. There is no power in you, I know, but then all power is in me, therefore go ye.’'” (Spurgeon)

“…and make disciples…” V. 19

This shows us that disciples are made, and God uses believers to share the gospel with them, to teach them, to rebuke them, to walk alongside them in their faith journey. Merriam-Webster defines the word “disciple” as “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.” It also means “a convinced adherent of a school or individual”.

We are to make disciples. We are to teach people the Word of God so they can have a personal relationship with God and a deeper knowledge of His character. In turn, they will also disciple others ultimately for the glory of God. It is a process that involves the community of believers of Jesus for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God, our Father in heaven.

What we should teach are all the things that Jesus commanded us.

“…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” V. 20

We won’t be able to do this without the help of God. We are only His instrument. We need His presence and power to fulfill our mission. When Jesus tells us to do something, He Himself will help us accomplish it. He will enable us. He will work in and through us and He will be with us till the end.

“…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age…” V. 20

It is His promise that He will be with us ALWAYS. We will not be alone in fulfilling the task because He will work with us. We are His fellow workers.

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, [you are] God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9

We have the presence of God at all times! Wow! What could be better than that? God’s presence makes us feel safe, calm, protected, secure, hopeful, joyful,…

Devo: Matthew 28:9-10

These are just two verses but it greeted me with warmth. I felt God’s embrace by reading it. A little bit of a backstory: Mary of Magdalene and Mary of Bethany were instructed by the angel of the Lord to tell Jesus’ disciples that He is risen from the dead (V. 7).

The angel told them to “go quickly (V. 7)” and they did exactly what they were told. They “went out quickly from the tomb…” and “ran (V. 8)” to tell the news to His disciples. They were obedient. They did what they were told right away, and they did it “with fear and great joy (V. 8)”.

“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them,…” V. 9

Jesus met them. Wow. God knows the agony that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany felt when they witnessed the sufferings of Jesus. They thought that Jesus was dead.

“But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Vv. 5-6

“…as He said.” – The angel reminded them of what Jesus told them before His crucifixion.

They must have felt relieved to hear from the angel that their beloved Jesus is not dead. I am imagining the feeling of being in deep sadness and then suddenly being overwhelmed by hope and joy. Wow. When Jesus met them, He told them to rejoice. The response of Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany was to fall at the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him.

I think I would do the same if I had been in those women’s shoes. I would just lay at His feet and bask in His holy presence. In Jesus’ presence, I am calm and content. Ahh.. I just want His presence.

I am reading about the crucifixion and what stood to me is what is said in Matthew chapter 27 verse 50. It says there that Jesus “yielded up His spirit”.

Jesus died voluntarily. He chose to yield (or surrender) His spirit. It was His choice to die. Jesus is God and He could have chosen to stay alive but because He loves us, He chose to lay down His life for us.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:17-18

The chief priests and elders influenced the people to crucify Jesus but it’s not them who took His life. Jesus is God and He is sovereign. No one took His life. He chose to die on the cross on our behalf to save us from our sins and eternal damnation. Jesus is sinless. He didn’t deserve that suffering.

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” VV. 39-44

“The rest said, ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” V. 49

Jesus could have saved Himself from the cross but He did not. Instead, He chose to subject Himself to it to fulfill the prophecy. It wasn’t like Jesus had no choice. He is always in control, being the Son of God. He couldn’t die unless He chose to. He didn’t save Himself so He could save us.

“Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” V. 35

We cannot save ourselves. It says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death”. However, the only one that God the Father will accept as an offering to cleanse us from our sins is the one that is sinless and that is no one else but Jesus.

In the Old Testament, people offered sacrifices that were the best, that were without blemish. Us human beings can never be sinless and therefore cannot be offered as a sacrifice as atonement for our sins. We have the original sin which is imputed to us by our foreparents, Adam and Eve.

“Love kept Jesus on the cross, not nails! Jesus did greater than come down from the cross; He rose from the dead, yet they did not believe even then.” enduringword.com

Devo: Matthew 27:11-26

“And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.” V. 12

Jesus kept silent despite all the accusations hurled at Him. He did not retaliate nor vindicated Himself. He didn’t have to because He knows who He is. He is the Son of God and people’s accusations of Him don’t change His character.

It’s hard to keep silent when you’re bombarded with lies just for people to hurt you. Oftentimes, people will attack you personally when they can’t justify their hatred towards you. They will look for things to accuse you even if they’re not true.

“But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should as for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.” V. 20

“Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!'” V. 23

They could not give a reason for wanting to crucify Jesus instead of Barabbas who was considered as notorious. They were just yelling, “Let Him be crucified!”

It also shows how people are easily influenced. When people say something bad about someone, we do not give the gossiped person the chance to explain his/her side of the story. Instead of getting to know the person, we just believe what others say. People will even come together against you just because of gossip. It’s difficult when people are destroying your reputation and say nothing.

God said in His Word that vengeance is His. He knows what people are saying behind our back. He is omnipresent and therefore hears every bad thing said about us. We will be accountable to every bad word that comes out of our mouth.

Words can make or break a person. The saying “Sticks and stones may break my bone, but words will never hurt me.” is a lie. They’re not just words. Words hurt, deeply. Words are powerful.

“Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” V. 13

Jesus received many hurtful things but He kept silent. He endured all the pain in order to save us. Pilate knew that Jesus was handed over to Him not because of bad things that Jesus did but because of the envy of the chief priests and elders.

“For he knew that they handed Him over because of envy.” V. 18

“There is a time to defend one’s cause or one’s self, but those times are rare. When we rise to our own defense, we would usually be better off to keep silent and to trust God to defend us.” enduringword.com

“He saw that Jesus was a man so at peace with His God that He didn’t need to answer a single accusation.” enduringword.com

Devo: Matthew 26:36-46

“Jesus found victory at the cross by succeeding in the struggle in Gethsemane. Peter – just like us – failed in later temptation because he failed to watch and pray. The spiritual battle is often won or lost before the crisis comes.” enduringword.com

Prayer is very powerful. Temptations are overcome when we pray. When we pray, we enter the presence of God. We talk to the sovereign God. Many sins will be avoided if we will soak ourselves in prayer. Peter could have avoided denying Jesus if he watched and prayed. His mistake, however, is used as an example to us all that when we neglect prayer, we fail.

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” V. 41

“Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:45-46

This is painful. Jesus knew what would happen to Him but He did not escape it. Instead, He faced it. He knew they would kill Him but He went to meet the people who arrested Him and His betrayer. However, if Jesus didn’t obey God the Father and didn’t love us, we wouldn’t be saved.

Thank You, Father God in heaven, for your tremendous love for us that You sacrificed Your Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross.

Devo: Matthew 26:17-25

This is one of the most painful stories in the Bible. Jesus had His last supper with the disciples. He wanted to spend time with them before He was crucified. I read from the commentary, enduringword.com, that when Jesus said that His betrayer is the one who dipped his hand with Him in the dish, it was “not to point out a specific disciple because they all dipped with Him.”

“Instead, Jesus identified the betrayer as a friend, someone who ate at the same table with Him.”

Jesus chose all of His disciples. He called them one by one personally. The twelve disciples lived with Jesus for three years. They spoke with Him. They ate with Him. They learned from Him. They were intimate with Him. However, this story exposed the heart of Judas. His heart that was full of greed led him to betray his friend. He sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. It was said that that price is for the basest slave in the past. For that cheap a price, he sold the one who loves him the most. Clearly, he cared more about money than Jesus.

Another thing that struck me is when each of the disciples asked Jesus if he was the betrayer. They did not accuse one another and instead looked within themselves and sincerely inquired. It says in verse 22 that they were exceedingly sorrowful. Judas shamelessly asked as well despite going to the chief priests beforehand and agreeing to betray His Lord.

Jesus answered him plainly, “You have said it. (v.25)”

“Jesus did not say this to condemn Judas, but to call him to repentance. It is fair to assume that He said it with love in His eyes, and Jesus showed Judas that He loved him, even knowing his treachery.” enduringword.com

Jesus loved Judas so much that even after betraying Him, He still gave Judas a chance to repent by telling him that HE KNEW.

Father God in heaven, help me to love like You. Help me to love people who betray me. Help me also not to ever betray You, my God, my Father, my Savior, my Redeemer. May I never betray the one who loves me the most. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

This morning, while I was exercising in QC Circle, I saw people going about their own stuff. Some were jogging, dancing (zumba), biking, walking, dog-walking, talking, taking pictures, eating, I remembered the chapter I am currently reading for my devotion: Matthew chapter 24.

In this chapter, Jesus described the things that will happen when He comes again. It says in God’s Word that people will be like those in the days of Noah. Before the flood came, people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (v. 38)”. It simply means that people were doing the things they usually do. Noah preached to them and warned them about the flood that would come but they didn’t listen. They mocked him, laughed at him, and went about their own activities.

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” vv. 37-39

When Jesus returns, people will also be “business as usual”. Like this morning. People were busy doing their own stuff. It’s not wrong to continue with the things we normally do (that do not displease God). However, if we get so caught up in the things of the world that we don’t have time anymore to have fellowship with God or to even think about Him, that’s when it’s dangerous.

Jesus’ second coming will be a surprise for us all. Even Jesus Himself does not know. Only God the Father knows when it will be.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” v. 36

It also says in God’s Word that we have to be watchful. We have to be ready because Jesus will return in the midst of our busyness.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” vv. 42-44

We should be ready every day, every minute. We should always repent and pray.

“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming…'” v. 48

I believe that we are already seeing the signs that Jesus mentioned. God is really just being gracious to us because He doesn’t want any of us to perish. He is still giving us a chance to come to Him.

“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” v. 46

“Jesus also promised that we will be rewarded for our diligence. The servants serve the master, but the master knows how to take care of and reward the servants.” enduringword.com

To those who remain faithful while waiting, we must take refuge in the fact that God sees our sacrifices and He will not allow us to wait for nothing. We might think that our toil is useless because we see the wicked prosper. However, we should not lose heart. There is a reward for God’s children in heaven.

If His saints have rewards, those who disregard Him and His work will also receive a reward. They will receive what they deserve. The wicked servant in the story didn’t care about God. He just gave in to the desires of his flesh. God is just and his behavior has a corresponding consequence.

“…and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of the servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” vv. 49-51

Jesus will come again not as a Savior but as a judge. He will come to meet His saints in the clouds and to judge those who chose not to believe in Him.

It doesn’t mean that we will stop living our life and do nothing but pray. It’s just a reminder for us to be constantly on guard. Whatever we do should be glorifying to God. We have to keep our sweet, intimate communion with Him. We have to continue serving while we wait.

We should FIGHT FOR OUR TIME with God. Despite our busy schedule, we have to MAKE TIME for God. We have to force ourselves to set aside time to pray, to read God’s Word, to just have a fellowship with Him.

Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t even have time to be emotional. However, when I am prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray, I stop what I’m doing and I pray. It’s not always a long prayer. Often, it’s just a short one. As long as our prayer is from the heart, it’s enough. God sees the intention behind our words.

When the Holy Spirit convicts us to do something like pray or read the Bible, we have to obey. Nothing is more important than speaking with our Creator and Savior. When He tells us to pray, He will help us finish what we set aside to spend time with Him because He cares about us and the things that we care about.

I read a quote that goes, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.”

There’s usually a lot of people in the park in the morning but there were more today because of the kids’ field trip. I was led to pray for everyone there. Usually, I pray for the people that are there but sometimes I forget. I was also reminded to pray for the park-goers all the time. May we not be apathetic to the Lord. May we be found by the Lord faithful and prepared when He returns.

“Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” — Charles Spurgeon