Monthly Archives: April 2026

Raised Again!

05 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 22, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

Morning sunrise — photo by David Kitz


Reading: Psalm 22:27-31

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

On the first day of the week,
very early in the morning,
the women took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this,
suddenly two men in clothes
that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
In their fright
the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,
but the men said to them,
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here;
he has risen!
Remember how he told you,
while he was still with you in Galilee:
‘The Son of Man must be delivered over
to the hands of sinners,
be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Then they remembered his words.
(Luke 24: 1-8, 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, Lebanon, Iran,
the Middle East 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.

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Available now…

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

A Journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb

05 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalms Alive!, The Soldier Who Killed a King

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This Easter morning, I will be doing a live dramatization of the crucifixion and resurrection before a congregation in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I have done this Holy Week drama dressed in Roman armor during the Lent/Easter for about thirty years in various locations in Canada and United States. But this is the first time I have done this “Centurion’s Report” presentation in Winnipeg.

Easter Sunday is an ideal time to view this one-man drama since Act 4 concludes with a portrayal of Jesus’ resurrection, and the turmoil and amazement it caused among the Roman soldiers and their centurion commander. See Matthew 27:62-66 and Matthew 28:1-1-15.  This is the same centurion who in Act 3 of this drama confesses at the foot of the cross that Jesus is “the Son of God.” See Matthew 27:54.

To learn more about my dramatization of “The Centurion’s Report” click here.

“The Centurion’s Report” drama became the springboard for my award-winning biblical novel The Soldier Who Killed a King.

This Easter wherever you are take a journey to the cross and the empty tomb.

Marvel and rejoice. Jesus is alive!


Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

To view further details or purchase click here.

The Garden Tomb

04 Saturday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 22, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

Landestreu Cemetery, Landestreu, SK. — photo courtesy of Donald Adam


Reading: Psalm 22:22-26

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Later,
Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.
Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus,
but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.
With Pilate’s permission,
he came and took the body away. 
He was accompanied by Nicodemus,
the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.
Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about seventy-five pounds.
Taking Jesus’ body,
the two of them wrapped it, with the spices,
in strips of linen.
This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 
At the place where Jesus was crucified,
there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb,
in which no one had ever been laid. 
Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation
and since the tomb was nearby,
they laid Jesus there.
(John 19: 38-42, 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, Lebanon, Iran,
the Middle East 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.

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Available now…

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

A Journey through the Psalms to Cross

03 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalms, Psalms Alive!

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This evening as this post goes live, I will be doing a live dramatization of fourteen Psalms before an  audience in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I have done this drama in biblical costume from time to time for about thirty years, but this is the first time I have done this “Psalms Alive!” presentation on Good Friday.

In many respects Good Friday is an ideal time to view this drama since it ends with a portrayal of Jesus’ death on the cross based on the words of Psalm 130.

I am struck by the prophetic links between the Psalms and the life of Jesus our Savior.

To learn more about my dramatization of the Psalms click here.

This Good Friday take a journey to the cross.

A Psalm for Good Friday

03 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalms

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Listen to Psalm 22 read by Jonathan Dent

Do you believe in prophecy?

Psalm 22 is the most graphic description of Christ’s crucifixion found anywhere in the Bible. Yet here it is—tucked away among the Psalms—written roughly 900 years before the birth of Christ. How can this be? During David’s time, crucifixion as a form of execution had not yet been invented. Furthermore, crucifixion is portrayed from the victim’s point of view—Jesus’ point of view.

Yet remarkably, David saw it all. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he beheld the cross nine centuries in advance.

Reading: Psalm 22 (NIV)*

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

Salvador Dali’s Crucifixion

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The Last Supper

02 Thursday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 50, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer


Today’s Reading: Psalm 50:7-15

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
I owe my life to you.
Lord Jesus,
you are my redeemer.
I have so much to be thankful for.
Every day is a gift
from you.
Amen.

     — — — —


Lent Reading:
The Last Supper

For I received from the Lord
what I also passed on to you:
The Lord Jesus,
on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said,
“This is my body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way,
after supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do this, whenever you drink it,
in remembrance of me.”
For whenever you eat this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

* * *

This is love:
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(1 John 4:10 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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

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.

Ideal for the Season of Lent


Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Thankful Hearts

02 Thursday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 50, Psalms

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Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 50:7-15

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.
I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull from your stall
    or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
    fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me”.
(NIV)*

Reflection
What is humanity’s greatest sin? Think about that for a moment. Is it murder? Hatred? Racism? The desecration of the planet? All of these are serious problems—serious sins. But what is the greatest sin? 

Psalm 50 begins with a great summoning of all nations. The LORD is about to enter into judgment. But what charge does He bring against His people? He does not accuse them of heinous crimes, or the desecration of His temple. I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me (v. 8). Instead, God calls for thank offerings. The LORD wants His people to have thankful hearts.

There is something rather anticlimactic about this call for thanksgiving. My initial reaction is one of surprise. I thought we had a serious problem here. Why summon the nations to a great gathering unless there is a declaration of some significance. Surely a lack of thanksgiving is an offence of no great consequence. Or is it? Apparently in God’s view it is of great importance.

In his epistle to the Romans, St. Paul attributes a lack of thankfulness to the blinding power and deception of sin. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:20-21).

Because of its long-term consequences, a failure to offer thanks may be the gravest sin of all.

Response
LORD God, I owe my life to you. Jesus, I have so much to be thankful for. Every day is a gift. Amen.

Your Turn
What are you most thankful for? Why do you think ingratitude has such dire consequences?

 

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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

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.


Ideal for the Season of Lent

A stunning story of Holy Week through the eyes of a Roman centurion.

Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Jesus Before Pilate

01 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 50, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer


Today’s Reading: Psalm 50:1-6

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
help me to live my life in joyous preparation
for that great summoning
when wrong will be made right.
Help me to be merciful,
so I will receive your mercy
in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

     — — — —

Jesus before Pilate


Lent Reading:
Jesus before Pilate

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus
from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.
By now it was early morning,
and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness
they did not enter the palace,
because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
 So Pilate came out to them and asked,
“What charges are you bringing against this man?”

“If he were not a criminal,” they replied,
“we would not have handed him over to you.”

Pilate said,
“Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,”
they objected.
This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said
about the kind of death he was going to die.
(John 18:28-32).

* * *

This is love:
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(1 John 4:10 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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

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.

Ideal for the Season of Lent


Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

To view further details or purchase click here.

A Great Summoning!

01 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Psalm 50, Psalms

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Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 50:1-6

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

A psalm of Asaph.
The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
    God shines forth.
Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
    and around him a tempest rages.
He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me this consecrated people,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.
(NIV)*

Reflection
Psalm 50 begins by reminding us Judgment Day is coming. A great summoning will take place. We will all gather before the throne of God. Rich and poor, the powerful and the weak, the living and the dead—all will gather before the LORD. None are excused. The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets (v. 1).

 On the day before his crucifixion Jesus elaborated at some length on this great summoning. For some it will be a day of joy and gladness; for others it will be a day of dread and sorrow. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (Matthew 25:31-33).

What kind of day will it be for you?

It will certainly be a day of justice. The world is crying out for justice. All too often in this world—in this life—there is no such thing. The innocent suffer, while the perpetrators get off free. They gloat in their pride, while swaddled in luxury. On that great day—Judgment Day—the tables will be turned. The great Judge of all the earth will see to that. And so, He should. Since the fall of man, the world is crying out for justice.

It is well worth noting in his account of Judgment Day, Jesus decides if we will enter bliss or torment based on how we treat others. He states, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40).

Response
LORD God, help me to live my life in joyous preparation for that great summoning when wrong will be made right. Help me to be merciful so I will receive your mercy in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Your Turn
How can we prepare our hearts and live our lives aright in the knowledge Judgment Day is coming? What steps can you take to prepare for Judgment Day?

 

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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

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.


Ideal for the Season of Lent

A stunning story of Holy Week through the eyes of a Roman centurion.

Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

To view further details or purchase click here.