Daily Readings at Southeast

  Turning the Tables By Danny Saavedra “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’”— Matthew 21:12–13 (NIV) The word  zeal  isn’t one you hear very often. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to hear it come up in everyday conversation. The dictionary defines zeal as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” Some related words include passion, vigor, intensity, devotion, fervor, and fire.  As Jesus’ final week began, His issues with the established religious order escalated, starting when He rode into Jerusalem on what we now affectionately call Palm Sunday. Things heated up more the following day, as Jesus walked into His Father’s house and saw those He referred to as “robbers” ...

  The Doorstep of Destiny By Danny Saavedra “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”— John 12:23 (NIV) Have you ever found yourself traveling down the road on your way to something you know will be a significant moment in your life? Maybe you were on your way to your first day of college or to interview for your dream job. Or maybe you were driving to your wedding or speeding to the hospital for the birth of your child.  Undoubtedly, this ride is different from your usual trip to the grocery store! Your heart is racing as your mind plays out every possible scenario. Imagine how Jesus must have felt as He traveled down the road about to enter Jerusalem, knowing that this road ultimately would end in His death. Jesus knew that He’d be betrayed, imprisoned, tortured, and killed, but He also knew that “the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:23 NKJV). He was at the doorstep of the dream, on the precipice of God’s great plan . . . You...

DAY 30: TRUE SURRENDER Surrender: it's a word we don't like very much because it speaks of capitulation or compromise. Surrender implies loss, and in a world that glorifies winners we don't want to have anything to do with that. And yet God says to the believer, surrender your life to Me. In this sense, surrender involves complete dedication and consecration. True surrender involves getting off the throne of my life and saying, "Lord, take charge. Lord, You take command of my life." God is not a tyrant. He is our loving, holy and heavenly Father. We can trust Him with our families, with our future, and with our fears.  We may not always understand the what, when, how, and why of God's perfect will for our lives, but of this I am utterly sure: We can trust God to lead us well. God has a wonderful plan for our lives! When we give ourselves unreservedly to Him, He will do His very best for us.  The fact is, if we don't surrender to Jesus we'll surrender t...

DAY 29: THE OPPORTUNITY TO BLESS OTHERS I believe the most important lesson I've ever learned regarding prayer is that it is far better to be an answer to prayer than to get an answer to prayer. Why? Because God wants to answer prayers through us, according to His power at work within us. When you start praying for others you allow yourself to be a channel of blessing. God has blessed us that we would be a blessing to others. Luke 12:48 reminds us that, "To whom much is given, much is required." The Bible is filled with examples of God's using willing servants to convey His blessings to others. Remember Moses? Out there in the desert, he was praying for the children of Israel as the Israelites were praying in Egypt. And God came to Moses in that burning bush and said, "I have heard their cry." Then God told Moses that he was going to be used by Him to answer the Israelites' prayers. While it is wonderful to pray, "Lord, help that missionary," a...

  DAY 28: PEACE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES In yesterday's reading, we saw how worry and anxiety can be defeated through prayer. In the very next verse in Scripture (Philippians 4:7), Jesus tells us that when we've given our anxiety and our prayers to the Lord, we will receive the gift of peace: "and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We receive the Lord's peace when we pray. Literally, God's peace descends upon us and takes action! It guards our hearts and our minds. Live in prayer and you will live in peace! There will be quietness and confidence in our lives because instead of getting "worked up" over life's problems we are choosing to "pray them down." Prayer not only gives us peace but it arms us with a conquering spirit, an overcoming spirit! We begin to believe again! We begin to trust the promises of God again! We begin to stand in the strength that is our God when we pr...

  DAY 27: THE ANTIDOTE FOR ANXIETY In Philippians chapter 4 God reveals the antidote for anxiety. His prescription in the midst of our pain, fear, and uncertainty is always prayer. It is amazing to me that, when Paul gave us these words inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was not on a Mediterranean cruise on his way to hang out on the beach. No, he was in prison in Rome, and he was writing to Christians at Philippi, who would experience persecution and pressure in their lives. While we may never experience the confines of an actual prison, there are prisons of other kinds - prisons of personal pain, suffering, and sickness. There is the bondage of bitterness. Some of you may feel you are in a dungeon of depression. Others are behind walls of loneliness and isolation, fettered by fear and feeling chained by their circumstances. However, Scripture shows us prayer is the cure for every worry. It should never be our last chance, but always our first choice. Don't wait to pray for something...