Morning Devotional March 29, 2024
Good Friday - The Crucifixion of Jesus Tony Leprotti

Good Friday - The Crucifixion of Jesus Tony Leprotti
1 Peter 2:11-25 Holy Living Tony Leprotti
1 Peter 2:1-10 A chosen race, a royal priesthoood, a holy nation, a people for his possession…SO THAT… Tony Leprotti
Rejoice, your names are written in heaven, the book of life…Luke 10:1-20 Tony Pingitore
What it means, when Jesus says “woe to you…”Luke 10:5-16 Tony Pingitore
There are others who love Jesus and are with us, doing what we are doing in their space and time……we are not alone, and neither should feel that way…God IS moving the kingdom of forward, gathering up His children and sending them back out with His merciful message of hope. The harvest is ripe, pray, ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the field…Do not be discouraged… there are others Luke 9:1; 10:1-4 Tony Pingitore
1 Peter 1:13-25 - How should we live in light of our great hope in Jesus Christ? Tony Leprotti
How should take such a statement?“Hey! Stop! You’re not one of us!!”“Who do they think they are?? Should we call down fire to destroy them?”Luke 9:46-56 Tony Pingitore
…and Jesus took a little child and…In the face of Jesus’ revealing to the disciples the true nature of His and His Father’s love and what He would do to express it, the disciples behave unbecomingly, giving emphasis to Jesus earlier proclamation “…how long must I be with you…?”, in essence “How have you not gotten this yet?”And yet, Jesus gentleness and tenderness, is always evident to all, and He uses this moment to show them the true nature of the kingdom, a precious and tender moment of Hisng...
It’s never all that it appears to be… there’s always more.What it appears to be, and what it is. It is not that something is “one or the other”, but, it is almost always “one and the other….”We call this discernment. How will we live? Like Jesus? Mark 9:14-27; Luke 9:42-43 Tony Pingitore
1 Peter 1:3-12 Our hope in Christ, given by God, through faith, allows us to rejoice even though we suffer for a short time in this life. Tony Leprotti
The story is not always what we perceive it to be……Mark 9:14-17, 28-29 Tony Pingitore
Beginning Lent - What, Why and How. He must increase, I must decrease.Lent is a season where we pull back from our sins and those things other than God which we turn to, so that we can more fully see and savor our Father, His Son and His Spirit. It is a time for fasting, for prayer and for charity. Each of them playing a role in our ability to believe the gospel and live it out more fully. We bring our neediness to him and ask him to fill it. We pull back from the lesser goods so that we can mor...
This, is a big one! The greatness of God and the loving attentiveness and touch of Jesus… …from power exhibited to the intimacy of His presence… There are things we are to know, that others get to know, because we are not ready to know, or ought not know… but too often we think we should (be able) to know - and Jesus says — “no.”Will I learn the hear the word “no”, and trust that this is God’s protection of my heart, mind, and soul - even if someone else knows and we think we should know, and so...
Perspectives… …contradiction and conflict or contrast and complement, completing the picture… …gaining insight, learning from others… Luke 9:37-43; Mark 9:14-29 Tony Pingitore
Introducing 1 Peter: Hope in the face of difficult times Tony Leprotti
Further encouragement…Luke 9; John 1; Hebrews 2; Job Tony Pingitore
The need for encouragement… …speaking the truth in love - remembering and being reminded of who we are because of Who He is…Luke 9:28-36; Ephesians 4:1-3, 15 Tony Pingitore
1 Peter 1:3-12 Where is our hope as the Christian? Is it in the things of this world or is it held for us in heaven? We are called to persevere through the temporary sufferings of this world so that, we may be with our Father in the new heaven and the new earth. What a glorious truth that is. Tony Leprotti
Shall not see death until…Luke 9:27 Tony Pingitore
Vaguery, oh vaguery, let us not be discouraged by it, but compelled to run after Jesus and ask, again, and again, “what does this mean??”May we learn to rejoice in God’s purposeful intent to compel us to go to Him for more!! Luke 9:23-28 Tony Pingitore
An eternal perspective, being generous toward God and others… a time to wonder, to ponder, to reflect…Luke 9:25 Tony Pingitore
Acts 21-28 Paul’s journey to Rome, trials, shipwreck, and faithfulness Tony Leprotti
…deny yourself… ambition, vanity, interests, and pick you cross, daily, and follow Jesus… the way of the cross… loving God and others the way Jesus did and does, and in so, loving oneself enough to live in and practice mercy, grace, and love… Luke 9:23; Phil 2:1-11 Tony Pingitore
(Do not) Love of the world… saving of the soul… Luke 9:19-27; James 2:15 Tony Pingitore
Knowing when to speak and when not to speak…Luke 9:18-23 Tony Pingitore
Acts 20:17-38 Paul’s farewell to Ephesus Tony Leprotti
Who do you say that I am? Who do we say that he is? How well do we know him to be able to answer…”He is more than a prophet!”How do we live? How do we reflect Jesus? How would we answer if we were asked? Are living in such a way, consistently communing with Jesus, that we would be asked? And when asked are we (naturally) prepared by that consistent communing to give a master and the reason for our hope, and do so as He would…, “…with gentleness and respect…”? Luke 9:19-22 Tony Pingitore
You have two choices this morning - to live in anxious, envious, self-seeking, self-consumed worry or to live in the peace of God, given to you in Christ, which surpasses all understanding. To be consumed by your desires or to be consumed by God's Kingdom. What does it mean then to seek first the Kingdom of God?Matthew 6:33, Col. 3:2, Phil 2, Rom 12:1-3, Gen 50:19-21, Job 1-3 Aaron Grosch
The pattern… A shepherd over shepherds, over sheep, because he cares so greatly. He’s broken his body and distributed around the world, that those who partake would be satisfied in him and one another - the Church, as churches.Luke 9:10-17; Exodus 18:1-23 Tony Pingitore