52 Weeks with Jesus Devotional , livre ebook

Harvest House Publishers, Inc. - James Merritt

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71 pages

English

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Based on Dr. James Merritt's 52 Weeks with Jesus, this devotional will help you incorporate the lessons from that popular book into your life. The year-long journey (one devotion per week) will reveal insights about Jesus and His ministry you may never have considered. As you join Dr. Merritt on this journey, you will come to know and encounter Jesus in new and surprising ways and be inspired anew to embrace the Lord's invitation to "Come, follow Me."

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Date de parution	01 octobre 2015
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9780736965576
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0600€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version . Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover photo @ jasoncphoto / Fotolia
Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota
Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth Associates. Inc.
52 WEEKS WITH JESUS DEVOTIONAL
Copyright 2015 by James Merritt
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-6556-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-7369-6557-6 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
Experience Jesus in a Fresh Way
Section 1: Jesus, the Transformer
1. Just Like Us
2. A Misfit Among Misfits
3. A Messy Messiah
Section 2: Jesus, the Answer
4. Bread for the Journey
5. Light in a Dark Place
6. An Open Door
7. The Good Life
8. A Grave Buster
9. A One-Way Street
10. The Root of the Fruit
Section 3: Jesus, the Miracle Worker
11. A Man of Marvels
12. Crisis Manager
13. Captain of My Ship
14. A Miraculous Multiplier
15. A Leader Worth Following
16. The Great Empathizer
17. The Divine Ophthalmologist
18. Spiritually Sovereign
Section 4: Jesus, the Storyteller
19. The Seed Sower
20. The Best Boss
21. The Eye Opener
22. The Divine Auditor
23. A Better Financial Planner
24. The God of Tomorrow
25. The Life of the Party
26. Hospitable Host
27. The Object of Our Worship
28. The Grace Giver
29. Discerner of the Heart
30. A Divine Divider
Section 5: Jesus, the Teacher
31. Flying Standby
32. A Prayer Warrior
33. Focused on the Father
34. The One Who Provides
35. The Treasure Principle
36. A Marriage Counselor
37. Can One Become Two?
38. Love: Can Two Stay One?
39. The Number One Priority
Section 6: Jesus, the Helper
40. The Thirst Quencher
41. A Most Valuable Treasure
42. A Gracious Judge
43. Always Available, Always Accessible
44. Our Best Friend
Section 7: Jesus, the Leader
45. The Standard of Greatness
46. A Servant First
47. The Victor
48. Commander in Chief
Section 8: Jesus, the Overcomer
49. The Passion of Christ-The Rest of the Story
50. His Grace, My Place
51. The Warrior Rises
52. Dead Man Walking
52 Weeks with Jesus
About the Author
About the Publisher
Experience Jesus in a Fresh Way
A few years ago I decided to try an experiment of sorts. I committed myself to 52 weeks of getting to know Jesus Christ more deeply. I had been a Christian since I was a boy, but I wanted something more from my relationship with Christ. So I plunged in. For the next year I studied the four Gospel accounts of Jesus s life, took seriously Jesus s words to his disciples, read books about Jesus, and on Sundays my sermons were all about Jesus.
As I had hoped, it was a transformative year for me. My passion for Jesus deepened, I became more aware of his wonder and majesty, and I grew in my compassion for others. What s more, these changes weren t experienced by me alone. Those in my congregation and within my circle of influence who had joined me in this journey were also changed. As a result, I couldn t help but wonder what would happen if thousands-or even tens of thousands-of others could make this same exciting discovery. So I set pen to paper and wrote 52 Weeks with Jesus: Fall in Love with the One Who Changed Everything. In that book, I presented some Scriptures about Jesus, offered observations I had discovered during my year with him, and closed with a short prayer and a question to contemplate.
On the pages that follow, you ll find 52 devotions that complement the year-long journey found in 52 Weeks with Jesus. If you ve read that book, my hope is this present book will enhance your year-long walk with Jesus even more. If you picked up this book without having read 52 Weeks with Jesus , that s okay. I m sure you ll find these devotions a rewarding experience. Each reading is comprised of a portion from Scripture, a short selection from 52 Weeks with Jesus , and brief insights to help you incorporate what you ve read into your life.
My prayer is that you ll find the next 52 weeks a time of transformation, just as it was for me and the many others who have experienced Jesus in a fresh way by getting to know him better.
May God bless your 52 weeks with Jesus!
Section 1
Jesus, the Transformer

Birthdays are not unusual-unless the baby happens to be God. We begin our journey with Jesus at a logical place: his lineage and birth. More than a sweet, syrupy Christmas story, Christ s beginning reveals why he should be important to us and why we are important to him.
52 Weeks with Jesus
1
Just Like Us
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli (Luke 3:23).

Jesus was just like us-born with a past and a history-and we have been made to become like him. God wants you to be a masterpiece of his grace by living for his glory and expressing his goodness to others.
52 Weeks with Jesus

B oth Matthew s and Luke s gospels give us the family tree of Jesus. The former traces Jesus s earthly lineage through Joseph (legally, though not biologically, his father). Luke gives us Jesus s lineage through Mary.
Like Jesus, each of us has a family tree. We all have a host of ancestors-some of whom were likely scoundrels, others who were godly believers used by God in their day. If we had the chance, which of us would not enjoy a look back through time to witness the odd assortment of men and women whose DNA we share? No matter what surprises we might find there, God has had his hand in the network of branches and offshoots that is our family tree every step of the way. He s even overseen every disastrous wrong turn our ancestors made and then worked it for his ultimate purposes, including the bringing about of you for this day and this age.
You have a divine purpose rooted in God s plan. You were born in such a way as to fit uniquely and by design into a great purpose shared by no other human being-past, present, or future.
God s plans always involve people. Ordinary people through whom he can showcase his grace and mercy. Though God has used some of your ancestors in the past-just as he used Abraham, Isaac, David, and others in Jesus s past-he is no longer able to work through them. For now, at this time in history, God can use only you .
It is no small thing to be used as a masterpiece of God s grace. Never forget that.
2
A Misfit Among Misfits
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers (Matthew 1:1-2).

Through Jesus s family tree, God puts his grace on display. God is reminding us that he can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves: pick up broken pieces and put them together, take broken lives and make them whole, gather broken hopes and make them reality. That is the message of Jesus s family tree.
52 Weeks with Jesus

A mong Jesus s earthly ancestors we find rogues, liars, cheats, prostitutes-every kind of disreputable character imaginable. Then there are the names we usually skip over in the genealogy: Asaph, Abiud, Zadok, Matthan, and many other unnotables. Who were these men? Why are they worthy to be listed in the lineage of the Son of God? And why the Hall of Shame? Where are the royal names in the King of king s lineage? And the ones who lived mostly righteous lives?
There was the great Bible hero David. Oh, but wait-David was an adulterer and murderer. What about Jacob? Ah, yes, he was the deceiver. Rahab? Wasn t she the harlot? And Tamar, the Canaanite; what about her? How ironic that the sinless One-the Redeemer of mankind s sins-should have in his earthly lineage such a roster of sinners themselves. But then what better way to demonstrate that no one is beyond God s grace beyond God s usefulness?
Rahab no doubt faced a bleak future as the madam of Jericho. What good thing could she do for the living God of the Israelites? And yet she would choose to betray her warmongering countrymen to become one of God s people. Even more astonishing? She is right there in the puzzling lineup of Jesus s earthly ancestors.
The man who would become King David began as a mere shepherd boy, and son of Jesse. There s not much raw material for a future king in simply herding sheep. Or is there?
The great lesson is, of course, that our past cannot present a stumbling block to God s desire to use us. No matter what we ve