holy week devotional

---

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day Six/March 31, 2018

SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17, NLT

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

“(Scripture) corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” “The B-I-B-L-E yes that's the book for me” is a lyric from a song that highlights the importance of the Bible (The Word of God). The Bible is a love letter to us from God our Heavenly Father. It is written in blood (through the life of Jesus Christ whose death, burial and resurrection makes relationship with God the Father possible), and specifically tailored for all of us. God uses the Bible to make Himself known, to show us His great love and to show us how we should live our lives. We are encouraged to prayerfully read and reflect on what we have read. When we do, the Holy Spirit will reveal God's truth to us, and we will have a deeper understanding of God and His will for our lives. His Word equips us for every good work.

REFLECTION Pray and ask God to identify one or more Scriptures that He wants you to learn, understand and practice. Then, respond to the following questions: What was the most meaningful Scripture you read today? Reword that Scripture into a prayer response to God. What does God want you to do in response to today's study?

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day Five/March 30, 2018

SCRIPTURE: DEUTERONOMY 11:18, NLT

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

So, commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.

“Moses wanted people to experience the rich blessings that come with obedience to the Word of God.” In this Scripture Moses is encouraging the people of God to devote themselves to obedience to the commands that God had given him. Moses, God's appointed spiritual leader to His people, wanted the people to experience the rich blessings that come with obedience to the Word of God. His desire is that they take the Word of God so seriously that they would do two things. First, that they would tie the Word to their hands. By so doing, whatever they did with their hands they would be reminded of the Word. Secondly, they were to tie the Word to their forehead. A small scroll with God's Word would be tied to a strip of cloth and like a bandana be worn around the head of the scroll resting on the forehead, so that the people would be reminded that their thoughts were to go up to God. How serious are you regarding the Word of God? How does the Word of God shape your thoughts and actions?

REFLECTION Examine your thought life. On what does your mind dwell? Ask God to give you creative ways to keep His Word at the forefront of your thinking.

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day Four/March 29, 2018

SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 15:13, NLT

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“You will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” The Apostle offers this benediction to the Church at Rome, and to all who read or hear this letter read; including us. His prayer is that we be filled completely with joy and peace. Joy is a spiritual gift; a quality of life; a state of being that results from living in right relationship with God. Peace is the experience of confident well-being that comes from and depends on your relationship with God. The blessing is that you not only experience joy and peace, but that they overflow in your life. This type of blessing comes only to those whose confidence is in the Lord. Receive the blessing of this benediction everyday of your life. During this week of fasting and prayer, we must make sure that our hope and confidence is in the One who can do anything but fail.

REFLECTION Read Philippians 4:6-13. This Scripture assures us that God is available and able to meet our every need. It's a guarantee, in writing to those who trust in Him. Memorize these verses and rehearse them in front of a mirror for the next three days, then periodically for the rest of your life.

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day Three/March 28, 2018

SCRIPTURE: PSALM 119:9, NLT

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.

“Commitment involves a willingness to stay with something no matter what comes up…” This Psalmist's prayer also serves as advice for young people. While the young are the focus of the text we can all benefit from his instruction. To stay pure involves a commitment of obedience to the Word of God. Purity involves cleanliness which means living in obedience to what the Bible teaches about how to live. Commitment involves a willingness to stay with something no matter what comes up. Commitment to stay pure involves striving to apply God's instructions for living in every situation, and at the same time understanding that righteousness is bestowed on us through our faith in Jesus. We can stay clean by internalizing (reading and meditating) on God's Word with a commitment to live by what it says. Commit to spending time in God's Word every day.

REFLECTION Commit to getting away from the distractions of daily life (cell phone, television, games, movies, etc.) while spending time in prayer and the reading of God's Word. Write down your thoughts about what God is showing you and what actions you will take to make a commitment to purity.

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day Two/March 27, 2018

SCRIPTURE: 1 PETER 2:2-3

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.

“Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” To crave something means, "to have a powerful desire for something." Some cravings are instinctive. When one is physically thirsty, one craves water. A newborn baby instinctively craves milk when hungry. Other cravings, like sugar or chocolate, are developed over time because they appeal to our senses and there is a sense of temporary satisfaction when we get it. When we crave something, we do whatever is necessary to get it for our consumption, and always it temporarily satisfies the craving. Imagine the impact on our lives if we develop a craving for the things of God; for the Word of God. What if we constantly pursued the spiritual nourishment that God's Word offers. We would crave it, pursue it, consume it, then crave it more and more. That craving will be a victorious cycle of productive behavior which results in satisfaction that only Our Lord can give.

REFLECTION Are you spending time seeking God? For the next 5 days, schedule at least ten minutes in your day to pray and read God's Word. Meditate on Psalm 63 and ask God to help you develop a strong (or stronger) craving for His Word.

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL Day One/March 26, 2018

SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 21:16-17, NLT

A NOTE FROM PASTOR WILLIAMS… Use this week to fast and pray as we gear up to celebrate Resurrection Sunday Then join the Union Family on Good Friday as we hear The Seven Last Words as told by the ministers of Union Baptist Church and observe the Lord’s Supper Good Friday Service March 30, 2018 7:00 PM Resurrection Sunday Services April 1, 2018 8 AM and 11 AM

The leading priest and the teachers of religion law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David." But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" "Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven't you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, "You have taught the children and infants to give praise."

“You have taught the children and infants to give praise.” God blesses us every day. There are those blessings of which we are aware, and some of which we are not. In any case, our response to God for blessing us in ways seen and unseen ought to be praise. The Bible says in Psalm 150:6, "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord." Praise is an act of expressing our appreciation and admiration toward God. While it is appropriate and essential to praise God, there will always be personalities who will neither want to hear nor participate in praises to God. People like that will not want you to praise God. Nevertheless, we should be neither distracted nor discouraged by their opposition. Rather, we are to stay focused on what our Heavenly Father is doing in our lives.

REFLECTION Take some time to reflect on how God has blessed you and protected you at various stages in your life. Then take time to praise God.