Studying this morning's four readings from the St. James Daily Devotional Guide (click to subscribe), I examined myself with these questions. Where is your self-examination leading today?
Psalm 40:1-17. Can I imagine Jesus praying this psalm during the hours of Good Friday, amidst his agony still trusting God enough to say "I delight to do thy will" (verse 8, KJV)?
Zechariah 13:1-9. Verse 6 clearly foretells our Lord's wounds, as did 12:10 yesterday. Does verse 1 also foretell the saving power of his shed blood, as in the hymn "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus"?
Habakkuk 2:1-20. 2600 years after this was written, 2000 years after Jesus died and rose, with the world seeming to hate him even more now, have I the unalloyed faith in our saving God (verse 4) to trust his promises in verses 3, 14, and 20?
Matthew 26 57 - 27:61. Reliving this greatest story ever told, how much am I like Peter? Or like Pilate? Or like Simon of Cyrene? Or like the centurion? Or like the women at the cross?
To go deeper, see interpretive notes by Bible scholar Patrick Reardon for many of this week's readings.