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Papa J's Journal

Less IS More (more or less!)
Monday, March 18, 2024





Daily Devotional with Pastor Jon

March 18

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved ...

John 19:25-26

When Jesus was healing the sick, and feeding the multitudes, He captivated people’s attention. Like a magnet, the masses were drawn to Him. But as His ministry progressed, when His teaching became a little more intense, no longer did thousands follow Him, but seemingly, hundreds. And from there, only seventy chose to be engaged in service and to share the Gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 10:1). From there, only twelve left everything to follow Him. And of the twelve, only three would be with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration where He spoke of His death and in the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed with such intensity. And of the three, only one would be at the foot of the Cross.

But there were four women there — although it was not easy for them. It was not easy for Mary to watch her Son convulsing in pain, or for her sister to hear the curses hurled at Him. It was not easy for the wife of Cleophas to see the spit of the crowd running down His face, or for Mary Magdalene to see His blood flowing from His wounds. But these four women, lovers of the Lord, and followers of Him, were there at the foot of the Cross, no matter how great the price, no matter how deep the pain.

Let us be like John. Let us be like these four women. Let us spend time at the Cross — and then go out and impact our world as they did.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Day's Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Day's Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament. If you would like your own copy of "A Day's Journey" you can order one from the SearchLight Store.


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