Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Promise a New Jerusalem this Maundy Thursday (4/2/26)

Last week we celebrated Jesus’ humble entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey colt. Today, on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week, we remember how Jesus humbly washed the disciples’ feet, demonstrating again that His first coming was about selfless sacrifice and not about making everything new. As He continued to teach His disciples on that Thursday night, He shared with them a promise of a new place He would prepare for them.

John 14:1-3   “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

At that moment, He personally assured His disciples of a place He would prepare for them. What He didn’t tell them, was that their names would be etched on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem! This revelation would come later, through John in Revelation 21.

Revelation 21:9-14 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The new Jerusalem will be far more glorious than the disciples or you and me could ever imagine! As we reflect on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, let’s genuinely express our gratitude to Jesus for all He sacrificed which enables us to be His cleansed bride, dwelling with Him for all eternity within the magnificent new Jerusalem! 

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Worthy – As the Perfect Holy Week Lamb (4/17/25)

Today (Maundy Thursday) is the day we remember Jesus’s betrayal and arrest, among at least 10 other significant events that happened this last day before Jesus’s crucifixion. He was unjustly sacrificed for you and for me. Yet, that was God’s plan of redemption. Jesus was the only One who could once and for all pay the price for our sin. He was the only completely perfect Lamb. As such, He is worthy to be back at God’s right hand, worthy to open God’s scroll, worthy to reveal God’s plans to us, worthy of our service and worthy of our praise! 

Revelation 5:6-12 ⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

Jesus gave up all to give us all! How will you and I worship and serve Him today and this weekend for His worthiness as our Perfect sacrificial Lamb?

Last year, we washed each other’s feet, just as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet the day before His death. I would like to try to do that again tonight and talk about other ways we can serve each other as Jesus served His disciples. Jesus then served us in the ultimate way by laying down His life for us! Praise our worthy Lamb!!!