Beginning of the End

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You headed for Jerusalem, just before Passover, knowing what lay ahead for You…but you went anyway. Give us courage to do the right thing—not to be deceived or discouraged when we face trials and tribulations. How can we ever be like You? You are such an awesome example—You are God. Forgive me, Lord, when I create my own tribulations by not following Your teaching of loving God and loving others. 

As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" "Be quiet!" the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord," they said, "we want to see!" Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him. Matthew 20:29-34

 

Meditate. Consider Jesus final week on earth.

Even as He neared the end of His ministry, Jesus was mercifully helping others. Here there were a couple of blind men near Jericho and He asked them His classic question:

“What do you want me to do for you?"

He asks us the same question…what do you want me to do for you? Are you ready with your prayer list? Prayerfully consider your response. One of the best ways to pray is to use the acronym ACTS.

A for Adoration

C for Confession

T for Thanksgiving

S for Supplication – the “asking” portion where you respond to Jesus question about what you want Him to do for you.

So, what is it you want Him to do for you? Consider all that He has already done for you—creation and beyond…all the way to the cross. Do you know that He Himself was sinless (1 Peter 1:19) but He took all our sins upon Himself, willingly and obediently because He was asked by the Father, and endured the pain, agony, and rejection of the cross just for us. Think about that the next time you consider disregarding God’s rules and guidance for how we should live our lives. All of them boil down to loving God and loving others as ourselves.

Lord, give me a new life attitude.
A New Beginning
Fresh and pleasing to You.

What is it that I want God to do for me? Change my attitude. It is my biggest continual battle—actually it is a sin. I want to do things my way. I need to change and do things God’s way—treating others kindlier, even if it is just in my thoughts, as well as words and actions. I trust Him to do just that. 

Approaching His last week of life as a human, Jesus faced the City of Jerusalem and knew that He was going to have to go to the cross alone. Continue to search the scriptures for promises. Some of the promises that Jesus gave are still to be fulfilled. He is coming back to take us to a new home that He is preparing for us. Will you be ready? There is still more to come. That was just the beginning of the end.

Verse of Salvation ~ But I keep praying to you, LORD, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. Psalm 69:13

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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