Lifetime Daily DevotionsSample

The Question 

And if it is disagreeable in your sight

to serve the Lord,

choose for yourselves today

whom you will serve.  

                                                   Joshua 24:15a (NAS)

                                                                       

 

Procula wrapped the dark shawl over her head and shoulders so that she would not be recognized and then fell in step with the crowds going to the place where He was teaching. She had come to several of the meetings with some of her servants and Deborah, one of her slaves, had been given her sight by this amazing Man, Jesus. There were thousands sitting on the ground, excited, anticipating what was to come, but the minute He stood there was complete silence. Then He began talking to them and every word seemed just for her. Procula was especially glad she was there that night. He fed those thousands of followers with a little boy's supper, two fish and five hard loaves of bread with many baskets left over for the crowds to take with them. She watched as He would touch and heal hurting people. She had come to know about God through this Man, Jesus, this amazing, righteous Man, Jesus.

 

            Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea had been forced into this horrid battle over this self-proclaimed prophet and he wanted nothing to do with it. Procula, his wife, had sent a message urging him to protect the man standing before him. Pilate, have nothing to do with this righteous man! And Pilate was intrigued with the Man. What was it about Him? There must have been something about His countenance and bearing so commanding, that although He was dressed in a robe of mock royalty, with the crown of thorns on His head and blood streaming down His face Pilate could not take his eyes off Him. He questioned Him. Talked to Him. And did ultimately everything he could do to protect Him. I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM! But God's plan was to be carried out. Jesus said, For this hour I have come into the world.

            How did Procula know about Jesus? We don't know. Could Pilate have done something to stop the crucifixion? No. Tradition says that Procula became a Christian and that Pilate committed suicide. I prefer to hope that Pilate realized the Man who had stood before him was true royalty, that He was the King and turned to Him. We don't really know. It would be marvelous if a man would come to welcome us to Heaven, hold out his hand and introduce himself: Welcome to Heaven. I'm Pontius Pilate. Nice thought.

            Two people among the hundreds we meet for minutes in the Scriptures and then they disappear. Two people who met Jesus in dramatically different ways but who had the same urgent decision that each of us face at some point in our life. The one decision that determines not only our life in the eternity before us, but our every day life on this Planet Earth. The all-important question?

What will you do with Jesus?