Follow the Passion of Jesus

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Mark Shields

This day with God, we will tune into the Holy Spirit, get in the rhythm of the Father’s heart, and follow the passion of Jesus as we step ahead. Over and over again, the Bible teaches to align our heart and our mind with actions.

To align our heart and mind today, we are reading John 12:20-36. Noted is that there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Passover festival who wanted to see Jesus. They sought the Truth and we all need this Truth too!

Things may be obscure to some but obvious to those walking in the Light. Like when Jesus said in John 12:24 that many seeds are produced from the death of a plant or fruit. Many did not understand at the time, but now it’s easier to understand that the death of Jesus on the cross has produced seed that continues to multiple with each new believer.

Also, the seed of God’s Word grows into the fruits of the Spirit; building intangibles living inside each person to guide. These intangibles will shine the light on the path as we step ahead. There may be difficulties, but we will have the passion to keep going even when roadblocks are put up because we care more about God’s glory than our short term struggles.

If we follow the passion of Christ, we die to selfish desires in order to live for Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

By surrendering all, we carry out our call by following the passion of Jesus.

Reading further, Jesus said that the time was approaching for the Son of Man to be glorified (v. 23). Because of Jesus’ passion to follow through with His sacrificial death on the cross, we all have the opportunity to believe and receive eternal life.

Father God, we are thankful that Jesus followed through with His purpose and because of His passion, we are inspired to follow through on the purpose you have for each of us which is to produce even more fruit by inviting others to follow Jesus. This day, we are going forward without knowing what the future holds, but we are assured of a better place as we step ahead following Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.

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On the Pathway to Passion

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Mark Shields 
They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,


“Hosanna!

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

“Blessed is the king of Israel!” – John 12:13

Shared in the post “Spirit Inside to Guide” was how Jesus put in the effort to care for people. He got on a donkey and the people waved palm branches as He was on the pathway to passion.

Jesus was ready to carry out His purpose as He surrendered all to fulfill His call. He loves you and He demonstrated that love on the Cross. You are a treasure beyond measure!

The Word is available to teach about how to live and He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide, so be drawn to Jesus to improve your life now and for eternity. Once your situation in life improves, express your thankfulness with songs like Gratitude by Brandon Lake and praise Him again and again.

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Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

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Spirit Inside to Guide

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Mark Shields

Like the caterpillar that transforms into a beautiful butterfly, we are changed when we accept Jesus in our heart. This day with God, we seek to understand and help others understand the Way taught by Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have been given the opportunity to let God’s Spirit live inside to guide.

Today as we focus on the passage John 12:12-19, we note the growth in the number of people who began to believe in Jesus. Many gathered for the Passover festival in Jerusalem. There was the hope that Jesus would be there, so a crowd gathered in the temple courts to meet Jesus.

Jesus was in their thoughts, and they knew what Jesus could do. He had turned water into wine (John 2), healed the nobleman’s son (John 4), healed the man at the pool (John 5), fed the 5,000 (John 6), walked on water (John 6), healed a man born blind (John 9), and raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

They had heard about or even seen these miracles as Jesus put in the effort to care for people. He was passionate about His purpose and taught people about how to live.

Jesus was interesting and His inspiring teachings along with His actions motivated the people towards improvement of their situation in life. For these same reasons, many continue to be drawn to Jesus to improve their life now and for eternity.

The crowd grew as the word spread. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting (v.13).

“Hosanna!

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it.

“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion:

   See, your king is coming,

   Seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Only after Jesus had surrendered all to accomplish His call on the cross do the disciples understand the significance of the event for it fulfilled the prophecy as written in Zechariah 9:9.

On the other hand, the Pharisees reacted to the event differently. They wanted to kill Lazurus as well as Jesus because they despised their popularity. A good portion of the people were beginning to believe Jesus was King. The Pharisees believed the Romans would be threatened by Jesus who they began to call “King of the Jews” and take away their temple and their nation.

Lord, we live in gratitude for each day. Your love demonstrated on the Cross tells us we are Your treasure beyond measure. In this world, there is bitterness, hate, anger, and envy which block us from being all that we can be. By accepting what You did on the Cross, we have the Spirit inside to guide. What we thought was undoable by ourselves is now unstoppable with You. Day by day, we step ahead being changed into who You want us to be. For all these reasons, we praise you again and again … Amen.

Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

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Thought From Devotional 01-12-2024

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Mark Shields

In exploring God’s Word, we can set sail on a new destination. With the help of Jesus, we can get away from worldly values that lead nowhere to a place of freedom being powered by the Holy Spirit. This is the day we start new, we plan, we think, and dream big!

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Beyond Mediocre

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Mark Shields

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. –  Hosea 6:3

Priorities are made and choices are made. As pointed out in the post “Number One”, there is a need to set aside time, and make Jesus number one as you grow your faith beyond just mediocre.

The time spent in study, prayer, and praise is of great importance. It’s what’s on the inside or the heart that will ultimately come out in what you do and how you do it. As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”.

Now, get in the rhythm of the Father’s heart with the song Healing Rain by Michael W. Smith. Sometimes bad choices are made that can lead to low places, but you can look up and God will take you higher as the song points out.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals, Focus | 2 Comments