I Will Pass Over You

September 18

(Luke 22:7-13 NIV) "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. {8} Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." {9} "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. {10} He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, {11} and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' {12} He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." {13} They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”

(Exodus 12:13-14 NIV) "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. {14} "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance."

Passover is a yearly remembrance of how God saved His people from the death angel and freed them from bondage in Egypt. The Lord had sent various plagues on Egypt to convince Pharaoh to set God’s people free. Finally, God declared that every firstborn in Egypt would be struck down and would die. In preparation, each Jewish household was told to sacrifice a lamb. The family was to eat the lamb for supper, along with bread made without yeast. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared above their doorposts, and when the destroying angel saw the blood, he would “pass over” their house. The events of this night broke the resistance of Pharaoh and he agreed to set God’s people free. Since that night, Jewish households have celebrated Passover, and in obedience to God’s command, have remembered how the Lord saved them from death and freed them from captivity. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Seeds of Betrayal

September 17

(Luke 22:1-6 NIV) “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, {2} and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. {3} Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. {4} And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. {5} They were delighted and agreed to give him money. {6} He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.”

(John 12:1-6 NIV) ““Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. {2} Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. {3} Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. {4} But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, {5} "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." {6} He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.””

(Ephesians 4:25-32 NIV) ““Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. {26} "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, {27} and do not give the devil a foothold. {28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. {29} Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. {30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. {31} Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. {32} Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.””

Judas’ betrayal of Christ will live in infamy. It ranks up there with Lucifer’s rebellion against God. The chief priests and teachers of the law had failed at catching Jesus in punishable errors. They had also failed at dissuading the people from following this young prophet from Nazareth. They needed a Judas. The seeds of betrayal had been planted in Judas long before the night he visited the religious authorities. He had been stealing from Jesus and the disciples for some time. He gave the devil a foothold. He was dishonest and disappointed -- a volatile combination. Christ had not measured up to his expectations. But avoid feeling smug, for we all have a bit of Judas in us. What would it take for you to sell out or bail out? Being angry with God and disappointed with our circumstances, form the seedbed of betrayal. Don’t give the devil a foothold! Be careful, or those seeds can sprout. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Words That Will Never Pass Away

September 16

(Luke 21:32-33, 37-38 NIV) “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. {33} Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. {37} Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, {38} and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.”

(1 Peter 1:23-25 NIV) ““For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. {24} For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, {25} but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.””

(Psalms 119:89-91 NIV) “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. {90} Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. {91} Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.”

Many foolish tyrants have tried to rid the world of God’s word. In their folly, they failed to recognize that God is eternal, while they are but dust -- and to dust they will return. The word of God stands forever, because God is forever. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, told His disciples that the heavens and the Earth would pass away, but not His words. They are eternal, because Christ is eternal. So when Jesus speaks of what is to come, we can bank on it. When He speaks to what we should be doing, we would be wise to heed His words. They will not pass away. When we get into God’s word we are not just into the wisdom of the ancients -- we are into something eternal… something that has been forever and forever will be. Only the fool would try to destroy that kind of knowledge. Only the fool would ignore or neglect it. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Three Headed Monster

September 15

(Luke 21:34-36 NIV) “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. {35} For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. {36} Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

(Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)  ""Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? {26} Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? {27} Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. {30} If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {32} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. {33} But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. {34} Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Jesus warns of a three-headed monster that can weigh our hearts down and keep us from watching for His return. “Dissipation” is the scattering, wasting, or squandering of our time and affections. We have so many other “lovers” that our affection for Christ dissipates to the point of being non-existent. “Drunkenness” includes alcohol, but we can be intoxicated by money, sex, power, success, or possessions. This is why Jesus warns us not to go back to our houses for anything when we hear his call -- if we trust him, we won't need anything else. The “anxieties of life” can be crippling. Worry can become a lifestyle that weighs the heart down. Jesus warns against it. When we are filled with insecurity, it’s impossible to rest in the Lord. We become too anxious to watch for Jesus. Kill the three-headed monster, or it will kill you. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day