Monday
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” - 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV
Get Ready for Supper
The last meal is a traditional part of a condemned prisoner's last day. The day before the appointed time of execution, the prisoner will be given a meal. Ted Bundy was served: Steak (medium rare), eggs over easy, hash browns, and coffee. (He refused it.) Timothy McVeigh: Two pints of Ben & Jerry's mint chocolate chip. Saddam Hussein: spent his last days eating some of the foods most associated with the United States – hamburger and fries. Joan of Arc: Holy Communion. Jesus’ last meal? – bread and wine.
The phrase “given thanks,” in 1 Corinthians 11:24 comes from two Greek words: good and grace. That phrase at its very core means to acknowledge how good grace is! The Last Supper was all about “how good grace is.” Jesus was about to give His blood and body so that His followers could receive the saving grace of God.
Reflection
Occasionally, when someone gives a gift the recipient responds with “You didn’t have to do this.” Communion reminds us that Jesus gave us a gift that He didn’t have to give. How do you feel when someone gives you a gift? If you had to earn it, is it really a gift? We don’t earn God’s grace, it’s a gift.
Praise/prayer
Thank God for offering you the gift of forgiveness. Ask God to help you live in a way that expresses gratitude for such a great gift as salvation.
Get Ready for Supper
The last meal is a traditional part of a condemned prisoner's last day. The day before the appointed time of execution, the prisoner will be given a meal. Ted Bundy was served: Steak (medium rare), eggs over easy, hash browns, and coffee. (He refused it.) Timothy McVeigh: Two pints of Ben & Jerry's mint chocolate chip. Saddam Hussein: spent his last days eating some of the foods most associated with the United States – hamburger and fries. Joan of Arc: Holy Communion. Jesus’ last meal? – bread and wine.
The phrase “given thanks,” in 1 Corinthians 11:24 comes from two Greek words: good and grace. That phrase at its very core means to acknowledge how good grace is! The Last Supper was all about “how good grace is.” Jesus was about to give His blood and body so that His followers could receive the saving grace of God.
Reflection
Occasionally, when someone gives a gift the recipient responds with “You didn’t have to do this.” Communion reminds us that Jesus gave us a gift that He didn’t have to give. How do you feel when someone gives you a gift? If you had to earn it, is it really a gift? We don’t earn God’s grace, it’s a gift.
Praise/prayer
Thank God for offering you the gift of forgiveness. Ask God to help you live in a way that expresses gratitude for such a great gift as salvation.
Tuesday
And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” - 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 ESV
A Time to Remember
Abraham Lincoln’s darkest fear was that he might well be the last president of the United States, a nation embroiled in the self-destruction of what he described as "a great civil war..testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." He began his remarks with those words as he stood on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th of that year.
The minute’s speech that became known as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address turned into what might be called the first observance of Memorial Day. Lincoln’s purpose that day was to dedicate a portion of the battlefield as a cemetery to remember the thousands of men, both living and dead, who consecrated that soil in the sacrifice of battle. (Sermon Central)
The Lord’s Supper is a time to remember the cause for which Jesus came and died and a time to increase our devotion to that cause. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 records that Jesus told His disciples to observe the Passover "in remembrance of me." Jesus gave a command to His disciples to "do this" continually which calls for us to celebrate communion frequently. Therefore, lest we forget the significance of what Jesus has done for us and what the Lord's Supper service means to us, we need to spend some time observing and looking into the wonder of this great event.
Reflection
How we live as American Citizens is a reflection of how we feel about the sacrifice men and women have made to guarantee our freedom. How we live as Christians is a reflection of how we feel about the sacrifice Jesus made for our spiritual freedom. What can you do today to show gratitude for your spiritual freedom?
Praise/Prayer
Thank Jesus for the sacrifice He made on the cross for your sins. Ask God to help you live a life that reflects gratitude for the life and death of Jesus.
A Time to Remember
Abraham Lincoln’s darkest fear was that he might well be the last president of the United States, a nation embroiled in the self-destruction of what he described as "a great civil war..testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." He began his remarks with those words as he stood on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th of that year.
The minute’s speech that became known as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address turned into what might be called the first observance of Memorial Day. Lincoln’s purpose that day was to dedicate a portion of the battlefield as a cemetery to remember the thousands of men, both living and dead, who consecrated that soil in the sacrifice of battle. (Sermon Central)
The Lord’s Supper is a time to remember the cause for which Jesus came and died and a time to increase our devotion to that cause. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 records that Jesus told His disciples to observe the Passover "in remembrance of me." Jesus gave a command to His disciples to "do this" continually which calls for us to celebrate communion frequently. Therefore, lest we forget the significance of what Jesus has done for us and what the Lord's Supper service means to us, we need to spend some time observing and looking into the wonder of this great event.
Reflection
How we live as American Citizens is a reflection of how we feel about the sacrifice men and women have made to guarantee our freedom. How we live as Christians is a reflection of how we feel about the sacrifice Jesus made for our spiritual freedom. What can you do today to show gratitude for your spiritual freedom?
Praise/Prayer
Thank Jesus for the sacrifice He made on the cross for your sins. Ask God to help you live a life that reflects gratitude for the life and death of Jesus.
Wednesday
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. - 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 ESV
A Time to Reflect
How many times have you awakened, looked in the mirror, and said, “Man, I’m having a bad hair day.” Well, for the 100 or so people around the world with the ultra-rare disease, Uncombable Hair Syndrome, they wake up every single morning to that reality. UHS stems from a genetic mutation through which the hair shaft takes on a rather triangular shape, causing the hair to stand up straight from the head, making it impossible for the hair to lay flat. As such, sufferers look unkempt, ungroomed, and unruly, all the time. (A. Pawlowski)
For most of us, we look into the mirror and say to ourselves, “Hey, I don’t look too bad today!” And even if we awaken with a bad hair day, we can find a way to fix it. But the Lord’s Supper is a time to look deeper into the mirror, into the core of our soul. The Lord’s Supper is a time to ask, “Where do I stand with God?” The most important question is have I accepted the Lordship of Christ in my life?
Reflection
Has there been a time in your life when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? What do you remember about that occasion? If not, do it today.
Praise/Prayer
Thank God for making you aware of your need for salvation. Ask God to help you examine your own heart and see if there is anything in there that is rejecting Jesus as Lord.
A Time to Reflect
How many times have you awakened, looked in the mirror, and said, “Man, I’m having a bad hair day.” Well, for the 100 or so people around the world with the ultra-rare disease, Uncombable Hair Syndrome, they wake up every single morning to that reality. UHS stems from a genetic mutation through which the hair shaft takes on a rather triangular shape, causing the hair to stand up straight from the head, making it impossible for the hair to lay flat. As such, sufferers look unkempt, ungroomed, and unruly, all the time. (A. Pawlowski)
For most of us, we look into the mirror and say to ourselves, “Hey, I don’t look too bad today!” And even if we awaken with a bad hair day, we can find a way to fix it. But the Lord’s Supper is a time to look deeper into the mirror, into the core of our soul. The Lord’s Supper is a time to ask, “Where do I stand with God?” The most important question is have I accepted the Lordship of Christ in my life?
Reflection
Has there been a time in your life when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? What do you remember about that occasion? If not, do it today.
Praise/Prayer
Thank God for making you aware of your need for salvation. Ask God to help you examine your own heart and see if there is anything in there that is rejecting Jesus as Lord.
Thursday
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. - 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 ESV
A Time to Respond
Dr. Adrian Rogers told this story, “My favorite story is of a missionary who met a voracious lion, and he prayed and asked God for deliverance. And, God delivered him from the mouth and paw of that lion, and he gave God great praise. And, that night, when he tried to sleep, there was a mosquito in the room. It kept him awake all night long; and, when he woke up with dark circles under his eyes, the Holy Spirit said to him, ‘You asked the Father to deliver you from that lion, but you thought you could handle that mosquito by yourself, didn't you?’"
The Lord’s Supper is a time to not only remember what Jesus did for us on the cross, and reflect on where we stand with Him, but also a time to make a decision in response to what we learn about Him and learn about ourselves. Jesus defeated the enemy of sin on the cross. Now, we must decide to trust Him to defeat sin in our own lives. James 2:26 reminds us that “faith without works is dead.” It’s not just what we say in response to the gospel, it’s also what we do in response to the gospel.
Reflection
Is there anything the Holy Spirit has convicted you to change recently or during Pastor Jim’s sermon on Sunday? Have you made that change?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for His patience in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit for the power to change anything God is asking you to do differently.
A Time to Respond
Dr. Adrian Rogers told this story, “My favorite story is of a missionary who met a voracious lion, and he prayed and asked God for deliverance. And, God delivered him from the mouth and paw of that lion, and he gave God great praise. And, that night, when he tried to sleep, there was a mosquito in the room. It kept him awake all night long; and, when he woke up with dark circles under his eyes, the Holy Spirit said to him, ‘You asked the Father to deliver you from that lion, but you thought you could handle that mosquito by yourself, didn't you?’"
The Lord’s Supper is a time to not only remember what Jesus did for us on the cross, and reflect on where we stand with Him, but also a time to make a decision in response to what we learn about Him and learn about ourselves. Jesus defeated the enemy of sin on the cross. Now, we must decide to trust Him to defeat sin in our own lives. James 2:26 reminds us that “faith without works is dead.” It’s not just what we say in response to the gospel, it’s also what we do in response to the gospel.
Reflection
Is there anything the Holy Spirit has convicted you to change recently or during Pastor Jim’s sermon on Sunday? Have you made that change?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for His patience in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit for the power to change anything God is asking you to do differently.
Friday
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV
Remember His Return
A store called Things Remembered offers items that can be engraved to commemorate special occasions. Many people give engraved items in honor of a special day or shared moment. If you have received such a gift, you know what a treasure it can become. People like to remember happy times and significant events.
One of the things we remember, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, is that Jesus has promised to return and bring us into His heavenly Kingdom. At the Last Supper, Jesus promised to wait until we were together in His Kingdom before He would observe the Last Supper again. “I won’t eat” is the strongest negation possible in Greek. According to Brian Bell - The Passover feast looked back to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The Lord’s Supper looks back to Christ’s death on the cross. The Lord’s Supper also looks ahead to His coming again, “until He comes”. The Apostle Paul saw a future fulfillment of the feast when His people would be gathered together in God’s glorious kingdom with Jesus.
Reflection
Do you have any favorite meals or holidays that you look forward to annually? When you observe the Lord’s supper, God wants it to remind you that you have a heavenly meal to look forward to in heaven with Him.
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the promise of Heaven that the Lord’s Supper reminds us of. Ask God to help you think about the heavenly implications of the things you say and do today.
Remember His Return
A store called Things Remembered offers items that can be engraved to commemorate special occasions. Many people give engraved items in honor of a special day or shared moment. If you have received such a gift, you know what a treasure it can become. People like to remember happy times and significant events.
One of the things we remember, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, is that Jesus has promised to return and bring us into His heavenly Kingdom. At the Last Supper, Jesus promised to wait until we were together in His Kingdom before He would observe the Last Supper again. “I won’t eat” is the strongest negation possible in Greek. According to Brian Bell - The Passover feast looked back to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The Lord’s Supper looks back to Christ’s death on the cross. The Lord’s Supper also looks ahead to His coming again, “until He comes”. The Apostle Paul saw a future fulfillment of the feast when His people would be gathered together in God’s glorious kingdom with Jesus.
Reflection
Do you have any favorite meals or holidays that you look forward to annually? When you observe the Lord’s supper, God wants it to remind you that you have a heavenly meal to look forward to in heaven with Him.
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the promise of Heaven that the Lord’s Supper reminds us of. Ask God to help you think about the heavenly implications of the things you say and do today.
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