5 Day Devotionals
Journey to the Cross – Week 2
Day 1: God Remembers When We Forget
Scripture: Deuteronomy 7:18 - "Remember well what the Lord your God did..."
Reflection: We are forgetful people. We misplace keys, forget passwords, and lose track of names. But far more seriously, we forget what God has done for us. The sermon reminds us that throughout Scripture, God's people needed constant reminders of His faithfulness—over 100 times in the Bible, we're called to remember.
The Passover meal itself was designed as a remembrance—a way for Israel to never forget their deliverance from Egypt. But we need more than annual reminders. We need daily encounters with God's grace. Ephesians 2:12-13 paints the picture clearly: we were once "separated from Christ... having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Every time we gather as believers, every time we take communion, we're fighting against our natural forgetfulness. We're declaring that what Jesus did matters more than what we've done or failed to do.
Application: Today, take five minutes to write down three specific ways God has shown His faithfulness in your life. Keep this list somewhere visible—your phone, your mirror, your desk—and read it daily this week.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I've forgotten Your goodness. Help me to remember well what You have done—not just in history, but in my own life. Give me a heart that celebrates Your faithfulness daily. Amen.
Day 2: Redemption Was Always the Plan
Scripture: Luke 22:7-13 - "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed."
Reflection: Nothing about Jesus's final week was accidental. When He sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal, every detail was orchestrated—a man carrying a water jar, a furnished upper room, everything ready. Even while betrayal was unfolding, God was in control.
The sermon reminds us that Passover wasn't just a memorial of past deliverance; it was prophetic, pointing forward to a greater redemption. For 1,500 years, Jewish families sacrificed spotless lambs and marked their doorposts with blood, remembering how the angel of death passed over those covered by the blood. But Passover was always meant to be a preview—a trailer for the full story that would unfold in Jesus.
Your salvation wasn't an emergency response. God didn't scramble to fix a problem He didn't see coming. From Genesis onward, He was preparing a rescue. The room was prepared. The hearts were softened. The story was already written by grace.
Application: Reflect on your own salvation story. Can you see moments where God was preparing your heart before you even knew you needed Him? Thank Him for pursuing you before you pursued Him.
Prayer: Father, thank You that my redemption wasn't an afterthought. You've been writing my story from the beginning. Help me trust that what You've started in me, You will complete. Amen.
Day 3: Jesus Desires You
Scripture: Luke 22:14-15 - "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."
Reflection: The Greek phrase Jesus uses here literally means "I have desired with desire." Before the suffering, before the betrayal, before the cross—Jesus wanted fellowship with His disciples. This reveals something profound about the heart of redemption: it begins with God's desire for relationship with you.
Every previous covenant in Scripture—with Noah, Abraham, and Israel at Sinai—revealed humanity's inability to remain faithful. The Old Covenant depended on human obedience and consistently exposed our weakness. But the New Covenant depends on Christ's obedience.
The sermon compares this to a parent gathering family close before a dangerous deployment. The moment becomes deeply personal because love defines it. Christianity isn't primarily about religious duty or moral improvement. It begins with this truth: Jesus desired you before you ever desired Him.
Romans 5:8 declares: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." You are pursued before you perform. Grace precedes obedience. Love initiates salvation.
Application: Sit quietly for a few moments and let this truth sink in: Jesus earnestly desires fellowship with you—not because of what you can do for Him, but simply because He loves you. How does this change how you approach prayer or worship today?
Prayer: Jesus, it's hard to comprehend that You desire me. Not my performance, not my perfection—just me. Help me rest in Your love and respond with a heart that seeks You in return. Amen.
Day 4: The Substitute We Needed
Scripture: Luke 22:19 - "This is my body, which is given for you."
Reflection: For generations, Jewish families looked at unleavened bread as a reminder of their hasty departure from Egypt. But Jesus transformed its meaning forever. The bread now represented His body—given, broken, sacrificed.
The phrase "given for you" carries substitutionary significance. Jesus was declaring that He would suffer in their place, bear what they deserved, and become the true Passover Lamb. Isaiah 53:5 foretold it centuries earlier: "He was pierced for our transgressions."
Redemption always involves sacrifice. Sin carries a cost. Justice requires payment. And love provided the substitute.
The sermon illustrates this powerfully: imagine paying minimum payments on a crushing debt every month—never free, always owing. That was the Old Covenant system. But Jesus doesn't make another payment. He stamps the account: PAID IN FULL.
Hebrews reminds us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. The New Covenant means sin isn't merely covered—it's removed. Access to God is opened permanently.
Application: What "debt" are you still trying to pay off in your relationship with God? What guilt or shame are you carrying that Jesus already paid for? Write it down, then write across it: "PAID IN FULL."
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being my substitute. You took what I deserved so I could receive what I didn't earn. Help me stop trying to pay a debt You've already canceled. Amen.
Day 5: Living in the New Covenant
Scripture: Luke 22:20 - "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
Reflection: After the Passover meal was finished, Jesus took the third cup—the Cup of Redemption—and announced something radically different. In the Old Testament, covenants were sealed with blood. Moses sprinkled blood at Sinai. Sacrifices confirmed Israel's relationship with God. But those covenants depended partly on human faithfulness, and humanity repeatedly failed.
The New Covenant changes everything:
Forgiveness is final. Animal sacrifices covered sin temporarily. Christ's blood removes sin permanently. Once and for all. Complete. Finished.
Access to God is open. No temple barriers. No priestly intermediaries. Through Jesus, we draw near to God freely.
Transformation comes from within. The Law moves from stone tablets to changed hearts.
The sermon declares: "Your salvation rests not on your consistency but on Christ's completed work." Because of the New Covenant, your past does not define you. Your failures do not cancel you. Your standing with God rests on Jesus, not your performance.
The Old Covenant said: Try harder. Offer more. Come again. The New Covenant declares: It is finished. Come and receive.
Application: How are you still living under Old Covenant thinking—trying to earn God's favor through performance? Today, practice receiving rather than achieving. Spend time simply resting in God's presence, knowing you're already accepted because of Jesus.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the New Covenant sealed in Jesus's blood. Help me stop striving and start receiving. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus's blood and righteousness. I am Yours, not because of what I've done, but because of what He has done. Amen.
Closing Thought: Every road has a destination. The Road to Redemption leads from an upper room to a garden, to a judgment stage, to a cross, to an empty tomb, and ultimately to restored relationship with God. Communion reminds us that redemption is personal—there is a place set for sinners made new by grace. Because of Jesus, we are redeemed, delivered by His blood, and truly free.