Holy Week – Monday
The word “holy” means to be set aside for God’s purpose. The Bible is holy, set aside to reveal the God we meet in faith. Baptism is a time of setting aside the people of God, adopting them into the Kingdom of God. Communion is a time set aside for the family of God to eat and rejoice together. The week from Psalm Sunday through Good Friday is likewise set aside for us as we journey with Jesus during His last week.
This week is indeed holy, set aside for God to lead us down the path of pain and sorrow. But Friday is only the beginning. Remember Sunday is coming. (Lent devotional)
Celebrating Holy Week is not an obligation, but it is an opportunity. It is a chance to walk with the church, throughout time and throughout the world, as she walks with her Bridegroom through the most important week in the history of the world. It is a chance to focus our minds on, and seek to intensify our affections for, the most important and timeless of realities.
These are some of the darkest and brightest days in the history of the world, and they are rich with soul-sustaining food and life-clarifying vision. In the chaos of our increasingly fast-paced and hectic society, Holy Week is a reminder to pause and ponder, to carefully mark each day and not let this greatest of all weeks fly by us like every other. (Desiring God)
What is the message of Holy Week? God’s love. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This week we get to take a moment and be reminded of the depths of God’s love for us. We can walk through the timeline day by day and revisit the deep meanings and events that took place and that have lasting messages for us today.
Monday – Mark 11:12-19
The scriptures tell us that on this day, Jesus was traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem and He was hungry. Along the way He came upon a fig tree that had many leaves, but no fruit. After cursing the tree He went on to the temple where He came upon money changers and merchants doing business in the House of God which should have been a House of Prayer. He then drove them out.
Both events showed Jesus seeing things that were intended to be one way, but finding them another. They were both created for purpose and were both found lacking when the Lord returned.
We are created for purpose and someday when the Lord calls on us we need to be ready, not just look the part like the fig tree. In the waiting we are given time to become a House of Prayer. His Holy Spirit dwells in us and we can be producing fruit and serve as a light for Christ until He returns.
Personal reflection:
- Am I serving the purpose that God intended for me?
- Am I bearing fruit for Him?
- Do I need to drive out things that are not of God in my life?
Monday’s message is to put your faith to work and bear fruit for Christ.
My prayer
Father, thank you for the reminder to clean house, to clear out anything that is not as You purposed it to be. Help us to produce fruit that will serve Your will. Thank you for the love You have for us that has no limits. Let this week be a reminder of that love and a time of renewal for our faith. In Jesus’ name, amen
Where does my help come from?
Ephesians 3: 16-19
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”