Friday, February 12, 2016

Podcast: Christ's Passion - Passion Expressed




Welcome to this first 32days devotion podcast for Lent. We will be looking at seven of the devotions from my book 32days with Christ’s passion today and for the next six Fridays through the season of lent.

The summary of today’s devotion is below the podcast. If you want the whole devotion, all 32 of the devotions which include all seven we will be studying over the next weeks are available on Amazon Kindle for your kindle, tablet or computer. Click on the link and it will take you directly to the book on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Days-Christs-Passion-Mark-Etter-ebook/dp/B00OO9MVS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454287517&sr=8-1&keywords=32+days+with+Christ%27s+passion

To access the podcast, click here:   Passion 1 Podcast

01 Passion expressed
Matthew 16:21-23
Passion is what it takes to win at the Olympics. The Olympic Games were only a week away. It was what John had prepared for all his life. It was what would define him. Everything in the coming week would be done with an eye to standing on the podium at the swimming competitions next Friday. He would practice till his arms and legs gave out. Swimming had been his life’s passion and nothing would be allowed to thwart his success.
Our Lord Jesus Christ had but one passion. He had come into this world to save mankind from their sins. Healing the sick was noble, but the cure was temporary. It was the cross that was central for the salvation of mankind. It was at the heart of everything that Jesus did.
This passion was nothing new. It had been with Jesus from the beginning. He announced that passion to the disciples as He prepared them for the transfiguration and the trip to Jerusalem. He knew what was coming and had a passion to fulfill the plan of redemption through the cross.
Yet, the passion of Jesus was not received well. Peter can’t understand how the Messiah could die. Peter has a vision of triumph and not sacrifice. Peter did not understand the real price of sin and the triumph that would come in the resurrection.
If we are to be useful to the Lord and to appreciate what Jesus did, we need to “have in mind the things of God, (not) the things of men." (v.23) The passion of Jesus is to be our passion. Follow Jesus and catch His passion for saving mankind. Let His passion encourage you to share the message of the cross with others so that they can be saved as well. 

Thank you for listening to the podcast. I hope that you have found it enjoyable. Feel free to make comments about the podcast to me at 32daysdevotions@gmail.com.

Join me next Friday for our podcast entitled “Satan Plots, But Jesus Is In Control” based on Luke 22:1-13

Thursday, July 9, 2015

"32 Days with Abraham", Chapter 6: Who Controls Your Fate?

Text: Genesis 14: 1-13



Your friends determine your fate. If you don’t believe it, look at your kids. The friends that your children choose determine their future. Let a child get in with the wrong group and you will have nothing but trouble. Let a child make friends in a good sports or music program where they are around well behaved children and they often stay out of trouble. It really is no different for adults. Adults who frequent the bars or hang around with people who have trouble holding down a job will be pulled down by their friends. Adults who spend a lot of time around strong Christians or have a set of friends with strong morals will be pulled up by these friends. Who you spend your life with will determine your fate. 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

"32 Days with Abraham", Chapter 4: Humble Choices

Text: Genesis 13: 1-13

Money can wreck a family.

I have watched children fight over their parent’s inheritance even before the funeral is over.
I have seen husbands and wives fight over the checkbook.
All of us have seen a child pout when he can’t have a toy he saw on television or in the store.

It is all about selfishness.
We don’t care who gets slighted as long as we get what we want.

When Christians have disputes like that, the reputation of the Lord suffers. The outside world looks at those families and wonders

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Dreams and Destinies

Dan. 2:24-47


The world is a mess. Politicians in Washington fight for their own kingdoms and struggle to get along. Wars seem to pop up on every continent and flash into our homes on the television every night. More people seem to be hungry and on the edge than ever before. You wonder if the world will ever get better and what we can do about it. Part of the problem is that so much of the world is built on a false foundation. We think that man can use the resources at hand and build a better world. If we can just get a better corn seed, we can conquer hunger. If we use the internet the right way, the world will be one. Problem is that man is imperfect and finite. Only God is boundless and forever. Our problems often come because we are looking the wrong way to solve our problems.