Mark 11:27-28 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

Who/what is the king of your life?
What evidence is there to demonstrate the presence of this king?

Confess areas in your life where you have lived by your authority rather than Christ’s.

E-devotion by Benny Stofer (Worship Pastor)

In today’s devotion, the question is asked, “Who or What is the king of your life?” That is a very good question because it’s answer is pivotal in our faith walk. Somehow, the religious leaders in Jesus’ day knew that there was something different about Him, but His authority just didn’t fit into their formula for life. Everything was orderly and structured in their position on the hierarchical religious ladder as those who knew the law, interpreted the law, and enforced the law.

Our experience with authority is not that much different. Everything within us wants to control our environment, but we often realize that our lives are not really within our control at all. There has to be One in our lives who is competent to “call the shots.” There has to be One who has proven His love for us, proven His faithfulness to us, and proven His wisdom to know what is best for us. That “One” is Jesus. He proved these things by forgiving our sins, washing us clean within, giving us peace, giving us direction, and giving us eternal life.

Let’s surrender our need for control to His authority. Today, let’s live as those who have been created and redeemed for a better way: under the loving, caring, and wise authority of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

[Weekly Scripture] Matthew 28:6–7  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.

Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

What in your life needs cleansing?
What do you think Jesus desires to change in your life?

Pray for the willingness to allow God to cleanse your body, His temple.

E-devotion by Jeff Carlisle (Mission Pastor)
There were all kinds of wrong going on in the temple when Jesus entered.  It was being used improperly.  It was supposed to be a house of prayer, but instead it was a den of robbers. One dictionary says that a den is ‘a place where people meet in secret, typically to engage in some illicit activity.’  That day, Jesus cleansed the temple of this ‘illicit activity.’

The Bible mentions that your body is a temple.  Is it a holy temple of prayer or a den of ‘illicit’ activities?  Daily, believers have to cleanse their temple.  During the first two weeks of this devotion, you prayed through scriptures to pinpoint different sins in your life.  Are any of them still present in your life?  Why?  Spend time today looking for sins in your life.  As you find them,  repent and seek to come closer to God as you prepare to celebrate Easter.

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 118:26-27 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

Mark 11:4-10 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Are you thankful for He who has come in the name of the Lord?
What is the most recent blessing that you thanked Him for?

Pray thanks to God for your blessings.

E-Devotion by Dennis Strom (Elder)
Today’s verses tell us of the light God provided to shine on us and they tell us of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The verses call our attention to our Savior and the celebration of the people as they shouted “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. Have you reflected on the blessedness of our Savior? He who comes in the name of the Lord loves you, He wants you to know Him more and He has provided an eternal future for you. He came on your behalf and paid the sacrifice required for your eternal future. Take time today to reflect on the blessedness of Jesus, thank Him for the love He has for you and celebrate His presence as the people did on that triumphant day in Jerusalem.

Truly we are blessed by the love, grace and mercy of our Savior, Jesus

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

What is keeping your from picking up your cross daily?
What is keeping you enslaved to sin?

Pray that you will not “think more highly of yourself than you ought.”  (Rom. 12:3)

E-devotion by Jay Berryman (Deacon)
The challenge Jesus is giving us in Matthew 16:24-25 above is not how to become a mediocre Christian, rather how to become His disciple. Everyone I know who has been greatly used by God has gone through an experience of “dying to self” described in both Galatians 2:20 and referenced above in Romans 6:6. So how do we do this and what does it look like? Holy living involves a daily decision to surrender to the lordship of Christ. It involves yielding our will to God and adopting His perspective. God wants our minds and hearts to be filled with His holy qualities. As our lives are transformed, we will project the light of His holiness into the darkness of our world. DL Moody said the world has yet to see what one person fully dedicated to God can do. 2Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal toward Him. Real life….Abundant life….Begins with dying to self.

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

James 1:23-24 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Do you feel that you truly live what the Bible teaches?
Are you seeking God?

Pray that you can give your heart over to God and live what His Word teaches.

E-Devotion by Dwight Vincent (Deacon)
If the Word of God does not cause us to see our true spiritual condition, then there is something wrong with our understanding of its principles or its applications.
How many of us would find a black smudge on our face in the mirror and go to church without wiping it off? Yet we do that spiritually. We move about with spiritually dirty faces, with lives out of sync with God.
The Bible will reveal our sin to us when we would like to deny the reality of who and what we are. Therefore, we do not transfer the principles of God’s Word to our life. We are afraid of their implications and don’t want to let go of our sin.
The issue here is that we believe in the value of our sin over the value of God’s Word so we adjust our living to our own set of values rather than God’s values. We want to forget as quickly as possible how we look to God. We cannot stand the thought that we live inconsistently with God’s plan so we deny it to ourselves. This is an issue of honesty with self.
What is your attitude toward the Word of God? James puts it quite simply: hear the Word, receive the Word, and apply the Word. There are no hidden secrets to living the Christian life. If you are a believer, then hear, receive, and obey. Seek God with all your heart and He will wipe away that sinful smudge on your face and give you peace.

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

John 15:4,5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

What conscious sins are there in your life?
Have you repented of these sins and turned to God to receive His grace and renewal?

Pray that you can abide in Christ and that you can give these known sins over to Him.

E-devotion by Mike Hubbard (Elder)
We tend to think doing wrong is sin. But James tells us that sin is also not doing right. Many have referred to this as sins of commission as well as omission.
Christ is the vine, and God is the gardener who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. Sin in our lives will render us non-productive(no fruit). Jesus states that our best efforts, apart from Him, are still unfruitful. Remaining in Him and receiving His nourishment, e.g. a properly attached branch, gives us the productivity in our lives and helps us conquer sin. Being in the center of His will is critical for our daily walk.

God forgive us of our sins, renew us and our relationship with you. And may the fruit in our lives bring glory to You.

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

What areas of your life are you preventing you from coming closer to God?
What things in your life are destroying your witness as a believer in Jesus Christ?

Pray that you will be a fully devoted follower of Christ.

E-devotion by Jeff Armstrong (Next Generation Pastor)
Paul appeals to believers by the mercies of god that we offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The appeal is a response to what Christ has done for us as already. Through his mercy, we are to respond in a spiritual act of worship. To offer our bodies as living sacrifices. In the Old Testament God would accept the sacrifice of animals. Now because of What Christ did for us, offering himself as the ultimate sacrifice, those who follow him should offer themselves wholly and completely to the Lord.  Knowing what Christ did for you, shouldn’t you give your life to him?

[Weekly Scripture] 1 John 1:8–9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Thessalonians 5:13b Be at peace among yourselves.

What are two ways you’ll encourage someone in your life today?
In what situations do you need to promote peace?

Pray that you will be a blessing to those in your sphere of influence.

E-devotion by Mike Lewellen (Elder)
Today we want to consider relationships. Many are familiar with the passage in Matthew 28 where Christ commands us to go and make disciples.  Today one with the spirit of this passage might say, “ go and build relationships.”  God designed us in such a way that we want to be around, bond, and get to know other people.  We are going to have relationships, who will we choose.  I remember when I was a kid my mother always wanted to know who “we ran around with”.  She did that because it does matter.  It says something about who we are and what is important to us.   Who do you find yourself spending time with?  Are you spending time with others who believe in Christ and put Him first in all things in their lives?   It would be good to do so.   In the New Testament in Hebrews 10:25 we are encouraged to gather with other believers on an ongoing, regular basis.    Go and make relationships!   Don’t let relationships just happen, carefully and prayerfully decide whom you will have a relationship.
Consciously think about who you have a relationship with.  Try to do something that will give them a blessing today.    Encourage them, pray for them and maybe give them a call.  Let them know you value your relationship with them.