Devotionals

Palm Sunday is celebrated in many churches in commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem during the Passover.  It is an unambiguous declaration of His kingship, which is bathed in gracious humility.  Before this moment, Jesus had refused to allow any public acknowledgment in His being the Messiah.  He had avoided further intensification of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders.  Now the time is at hand.  This important event is of vital significance in understanding the messianic mission of Jesus,…

The central theme of Jesus’ teaching is the announcement of the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  This Kingdom refers more to a power than to a place, more to a reign than a realm.  “Kingship” perhaps better captures this sense of “authority to rule.”  God’s sovereignty designates God’s rule and control over the world that he has made.  Matthew’s Gospel reveals his understanding of the Jewish Messianic hope and to convince his own nation that the long-awaited Messiah is…

“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19). The prayer “lead us not into temptation” continues on with “deliver us from evil”. Are you aware of the many evil forces working in the world today? Consider the many afflictions tormenting humankind, the natural disasters, calamities, wars and conflicts, moral degradation, injuries, mishaps, and all the predicaments of a world plagued by sin and suffering. Are you aware of the…

Did you ever wonder why there is such an emphasis on transgression, temptation and evil in the Lord’s Prayer? The Lord’s Prayer draws us to contemplate who God is and how we are to conduct ourselves in relation to Him. Our Father is all holy, the almighty God, king above all kings. We are his beloved children, redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, subjects of his kingdom. We are to lead a life of full submission to his sovereignty…

To trespass is to pass through without permission, to intrude and violate against. What do you mean when you pray “Forgive our trespasses (debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us (our debtors)”? What are some of the things that we may have trespassed and need God’s forgiveness? Three words about sin in the bible can shed some light on this. First, the word “sin” comes from a root that describes an archer missing the mark. It is about…

This week we just entered into Lent. Fasting is commonly practiced by Christians during Lent to commemorate Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness before he began his ministry. We are told that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The devil came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matt 4:1-4) Seeing that Jesus was hungry, the devil tempted…