THE UPPER ROOM 24 MARCH 2024 DEVOTIONAL, SUNDAY MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room 24 March 2024 Devotional Message wriiten by Maria Barroso (Illinois, USA)
TOPIC: Palm Sunday
TODAY’S READING
John 12:12-19
They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!” – John 12:13 (NRSVUE)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Soon after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, a crowd of excited people followed him to Jerusalem. As Jesus rode in on a donkey, I wonder if Lazarus walked along with the crowd, waving palm branches to signify that Jesus was a great deliverer. I imagine that first Palm Sunday would have been personal for Lazarus as he walked with and worshiped his friend and hero who had just given him new life.
Easter is my favorite holiday because it reminds me of how I once moved from death to life. When I first prayed asking Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my life, I had a momentary sensation of warm oil pouring over my head. I felt inner peace, as if I had just walked out of a tomb, and I began to hunger for more, reading scripture as if it were God’s personal letter to me.
We all can welcome Jesus’ entry into our lives every day. He is our Lord and Savior, our personal deliverer, who conquered death and called each of us out of a tomb. We can trust in him each day to deliver us, bring peace to our minds, and lead us to an abundant life.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we welcome you into our lives today. Thank you for giving us victory over sin and death. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Every day, Jesus enters my life in a new way.
PRAYER FOCUS
New Christian
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together.