Mark 14:12-25
Be still: Lord Jesus, help me to live every day with the Cross before me and gratitude in my heart. Amen
Read: Mark 14:12-25
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said to them. (vv22–24)
Encounter: The Last Supper wasn’t just a meal – it was a moment of transformation. The disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover, remembering how God had rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. But Jesus reshaped the meal around himself. The bread was no longer just bread; it pointed to his body. The cup was no longer just wine; it pointed to his blood.
'Do this in remembrance of me' (Luke 22:19) wasn’t a suggestion to occasionally recall Jesus’ sacrifice; it was a command to make remembrance the foundation of their faith. Every time they broke bread and shared the cup, they weren’t just remembering; they were living out the story of grace.
How easy it is to forget! Life gets busy, problems get loud, and gratitude fades into the background. Jesus reminds me by asking ‘Do you see how good I am to you?’ Each time my heart fills with gratitude again. I can experience worship, prayer, or even communion as routine, but Jesus never wanted routine: he wanted remembrance to shape our daily lives.
To live out remembrance means to carry the Cross into every corner of our days. It means letting gratitude shape our responses, forgiveness shape our relationships, and sacrifice shape our love. As Beni Johnson writes in The Power of Communion, the bread and cup are not just symbols we visit occasionally, but daily anchors for our lives. Communion is a continual invitation to step into the healing, freedom, and victory Jesus won for us. It’s how remembrance becomes a way of living, not just a ritual.
Apply: What would it look like this week to practice daily remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice? Maybe pausing in prayer before a busy task or whispering thanks in a quiet moment. This has worked for me – I set a recurring alarm that reminds me to pause in thanksgiving prayer.
Choose one habit that keeps his Cross before you and let it shape your living.
Devote: Thank you, Jesus, for giving your body and shedding your blood so that I may live. Teach me to live each day in remembrance of you – grateful, faithful, and devoted.