The Cost of Caring

APR 10 / Sunday – Read Matt. 26-27 / Mark 14-15 / Luke 19 / John 3, 12, 19

Overview: Jesus brings a lot of happiness. But following Jesus also leads to doing things that aren’t all fun and games.

11 / Mon – Who cares?  |  Read John 15:13

When you care about someone, it can be costly. Parents make sacrifices so their children thrive. A family member donates a kidney when other options have failed. Neighbors will run into the burning house next door. Children take care of elderly parents who don’t even remember their names. Why? That’s what love does. Who has made sacrifices for you because they cared?

12 / Tue – A high price  |  Read Genesis 3:6-7 / John 3:16-17 / Romans 5:8

God loved the people he created enough to give them the power to choose, even though it brought fractured relationships, heartache and separation. The plan for reconciliation would be costly but Jesus willingly came. On Sunday, Christians will celebrate the victory Jesus gained over sin to open the way back to God. But between now and then, will you spend some time thinking about the price he paid and the unconditional love that prompted it?

13 / Wed – Lording it over us?  |  Read Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus not only submitted himself to the limitations of humanity but he came in humility. Perhaps the greatest example of that is when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples just before his last meal with them. Even the feet of Judas, the one he loved who would betray him in a few hours. What would it feel like to have God treat you in such a loving way, knowing you don’t deserve it? There isn’t anything Jesus asks you to do that he, the Son of God, was not willing to do himself.

14 / Thu – A resolute hero  |  Read Luke 4:13 / Matthew 26:53-54

The devil didn’t know everything but he certainly knew it would be disastrous if he could not defeat Jesus. You’ve read of the temptations he dangled before Jesus after his baptism. Can you imagine what Jesus faced throughout the rest of his ministry? Imagine what the devil was saying to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane or when he was on the cross in such physical and spiritual agony. Yet Jesus was resolute. He loved you that much. How do you respond to this kind of love?

15 / Fri – Skeptics  |  Read Lu 23:34a, 43, 46 / Jn 19:25-27, 28, 30 / Mk 15:34 / Lu 23:47

Many believed in Jesus because of the miracles, but it was the way he died that convinced the skeptics, as they watched and listened to his words from the cross. First, he forgave those who were killing him. Then he promised eternal life to the repentant criminal. He gave his mother into John’s care. In his suffering, Jesus cried out his feelings of being forsaken, expressed thirst, and finally committed himself into God’s care. At the end, he did not fade quietly away. He gave a triumphant cry – it was finished! – and gave up his life. How will you honor his sacrifice today?

16 / Sat – Silence  |  Read Luke 23:55-56

If you have ever lost someone you love, you understand the shock and grief the disciples felt the day after Jesus died. All their hopes were shattered. Everything they believed was piled in a broken heap on the floor. Where was God? Why did he let this happen? What possible good could come out of it? Are you or someone you know in such a place right now? Be present, sit quietly, let the tears flow, but don’t give up hope. This isn’t the end of the story…your Sunday will come.