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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.

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* 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.

Love and Hate

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Bible, Devotionals, Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalm 97, Psalms

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Reading:                                     Psalm 97

(Verses 8-12)
Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments, LORD.
For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light shines on the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name (NIV).

Reflection
Love and hate are two extremes—two opposites. Almost always we see love as a good thing, something to be encouraged or applauded, while hate is regarded as a universally negative emotion. But is this a correct view of love and hate?

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Late snow — Ottawa, Canada — photo by David Kitz

The addict may love his crack cocaine pipe, but is that a good or wholesome kind of love? Strange as it may seem, the battered wife may love her abusive husband and yet feel locked into that relationship despite its toxic or even deadly consequences. Is that a healthy kind of love? Of course not, but the addict and the abused partner both use the term love when they describe the object of their affection.

Similarly hate—that polar opposite emotion—is universally viewed as negative. Is it wrong to hate injustice, murder or pedophilia? Of course not. Hate is the right emotional response when we see these things taking place. The devastating consequences of sin and criminal wrongdoing are repulsive. Seeing such harmful conduct should prompt us to hate those actions.

In today’s reading from Psalm 97, we see a different perspective on love and hate. Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Are you loving God and hating evil? All too often we see there are those in this world who love evil and hate God. Why do they hate God? Could it be because the LORD expects—no requires—better from them, and they thinking they know better, have gone their own selfish way?

Note that we are commanded to hate evil. We are not commanded to hate evildoers. God in His great mercy may yet redeem the evildoer. It is by God’s grace that we ourselves are not caught up in evil, so wisdom urges us not to be haughty. We do well to focus on loving the LORD. We can draw encouragement from these words: Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

Response: LORD God, teach me to identify and hate evil when I see it. I want your light to shine on me, so I can walk in the path you have set out for me. Let my love for you grow day by day. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you loving the LORD and hating evil? Do you get caught up in hating the evildoer?