Daily Archives: April 7, 2025

What Crime Has This Man Committed?

07 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by in Lent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

 Reading: Psalm 98:1-6

LORD God,
 I am so grateful for the salvation
you purchased for me
through the blood of Jesus.
I want all the ends of the earth to know
about that great salvation.
Thank you, Jesus. 
Amen.

— — —

Pilate called together the chief priests,
the rulers and the people, and said to them,
“You brought me this man as one
who was inciting the people to rebellion.
I have examined him in your presence
and have found no basis for your charges against him.
Neither has Herod,
for he sent him back to us;
as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”

But the whole crowd shouted,
“Away with this man!
Release Barabbas to us!”
(Barabbas had been thrown into prison
for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

Wanting to release Jesus,
Pilate appealed to them again.
But they kept shouting,
“Crucify him! Crucify him!”

For the third time he spoke to them:
“Why? What crime has this man committed?
I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.
Therefore I will have him punished
and then release him.”

But with loud shouts
they insistently demanded that he be crucified,
and their shouts prevailed.
So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
He released the man
who had been thrown into prison
for insurrection and murder,
the one they asked for,
and surrendered Jesus to their will.
(Luke 23:13-25, NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Today’s review of “The Soldier Who Killed a King“
David Kitz’s “The Soldier Who Killed A King” is a book that transports you to the passion week of Jesus with his triumphal arrival into Jerusalem, his trial and his crucifixion in a real and tangible way that made me believe I was there witnessing it through the eyes of the centurion in charge of Jesus death on the cross. While the book is historical fiction, it is loaded with biblical references that link the story directly to the Biblical account. You can review each reference in the index if you are interested in over a hundred connections that Kitz has woven into his story. I used this book in an adult Sunday School class prior to last Easter and it was well-received with many comments about the realism of the time period as described by Kitz. I think “The Soldier Who Killed A King” is one of the best Easter novels I have ever read. I give it 5 stars!  — Jim Martens


This biblically accurate novel is ideal for the Lent/Easter season.
For details click here.

Surrender as the Pathway to Salvation

07 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by in Psalms

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Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 98:1-6
A psalm.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King (NIV). *

Reflection
Once again in Psalm 98 the psalmist calls us to break forth with a new song of praise to our God. This call to worship is a frequent theme in many psalms. In this case the cause for worship is well worth noting. We are to worship in music and song because of the salvation of our God. The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (v. 2-3).

To some extent these words trouble me. What salvation is the psalmist talking about? Is he referring to the miraculous redemption and rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt? That’s the most significant act of national salvation in the Old Testament. On the other hand, the psalmist could be referring to the restoration of the Jewish nation after the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian captivity. Again, this is a very significant event that was witnessed by the surrounding nations. Since we do not have a timeline or date for when this psalm was written, we are left guessing the answer.

For the New Testament believer, we see the fulfillment of this psalm in the salvation that was won for us by Christ at the cross. There the ancient powers of sin, hell, and the grave were defeated. Death itself was vanquished through the resurrection of Jesus. In reality, the true enemies of the people of God are not foreigners or foreign nations. Our enemies are spiritual; they lurk within us. Salvation from those enemies was purchased at the cross with the precious blood of Jesus.

Now here is a bizarre twist. Salvation arrives with our surrender. It arrives when we surrender our lives to our Savior and kneel before our King on a cross. That’s a salvation worth singing about!

Response: LORD God, I am so grateful for the salvation you purchased for me through the blood of Jesus. I want all the ends of the earth to know about that great salvation. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you knelt before the King on a cross? Take some time to do that now. How can a fresh acknowledgement of your allegiance to the King affect your day-to-day conduct?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

RGB72PsalmsVol2

A gripping read from David Kitz.
4485 SHARABLE-2

To purchase or for a closer look click here.