When the Bible says God hardened hearts, what is it saying? Does God intentionally prevent some people from knowing, loving, and trusting Him? Even after all Jesus’ miracles and promises, John wrote… But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him. But the people couldn’t…
Imagine yourself as a part of the crowd in the following verses… Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:23–24 (CSB)…
Holy Week begins on a day we call Palm Sunday. Many churches pass out Palm branches as attendees proclaim… “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” John 12:13 (ESV) Some translations have replaced the word ‘Hosanna” with “Praise God.” And although we have many reasons to praise God as we…
Is any gift too great to give to someone who called your loved one out of the grave and brought them back to life? For Lazarus’ sister, Mary, the answer is “no!” Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man He had raised from the dead. A dinner…
Solomon wrote… History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. Ecclesiastes 1:9–11 Those were the first words that came to mind when I read the following verses in John 11……
Jesus promised to give all who believe in Him life now and forever. Have you ever envied Mary and Martha as you were grieving the death of a loved one? Jesus knew He was on a mission to raise Lazarus from the dead. He told His disciples… “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now…
Blaise Pascal wrote… “Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; we do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ.” How is that possible and what does it mean? The Bible tells us it’s because Jesus is fully God and Man. Paul wrote… “In Christ lives all the fullness of God…
Life changed the year COVID-19 first spread around the world. Countless lives were lost, many more were ill, and everyone struggled with lockdowns and social changes. They tell us that feelings of hopelessness and depression increased exponentially. It makes us wonder how to maintain hope when the future appears hopeless. A good place to start…
I’ll never forget the first time I knew I’d heard Jesus’ voice. I’m sure He had spoken to me at other times in my 24 years, but this was the first time I was certain it was the Lord speaking into my thoughts and touching my heart. Jesus told His followers… The gatekeeper opens the…
Do you believe that Jesus is God? Someone recently left a comment on one of my older posts that began, “Jesus is not God.” They added that only Jehovah is God and added several Bible references to assert their point. In several verses, Jesus referred to God as “Father,” so the commenter believed that Jesus…
We don’t know his age, but we know he was an adult who was born blind… As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. John 9:1 So, the disciples asked a question that’s been asked throughout history… “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his…
Do you know someone who has faith in Jesus but believes that the changing culture defines sin? Jesus asked a group of Pharisees and religious leaders… “Why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?” Matthew 15:3 God defined sin, and Jesus said the following about its power in our lives… “I…
How well do you KNOW Jesus? The Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are full of things Jesus said about Himself … promising truth that offers faith, hope, and love to bless us now and forever. As we continue in John chapter 8, Jesus warns a group of unbelievers… “You are from below; I…
If we want to live unafraid of the dark, we need to SEEK the Light. Light is a word associated with truth, knowledge, and wisdom in Scripture and in life. John wrote… God is light; in Him, there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 In contrast, the word darkness is often connected to wickedness, evil, and…
Every church is full of sinners a few of which are finger-pointers who love to call out the sins of others while attempting to hide their own. It’s similar to what happened to the “woman caught in adultery.”… [Jesus was teaching at the Temple], the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman…
How do you decide what and who to believe? What helps you determine whether or not the information you’ve received is trustworthy? Those are questions we all need to answer. Look at our current culture. What people believe seems to be determined by who they believe. Who they choose as their sources of information greatly…
You’ve heard people say that God’s ways are perfect and that you can trust His love when you don’t understand His timing. But that’s not always easy when we’re going through difficult moments. In John 7, Jesus told His brothers… You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After…
There have always been individuals who claim they have read the signs and know God’s plans and timing, and others who would like to believe them. Jesus knew His Father’s plans and timing but the disciples did not. For the last several months they’d been traveling around Galilee. John wrote… After this, Jesus traveled around…
Martin Luther wrote the following explanation for why we need the Holy Spirit… “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the…
I wonder how many of the thousands of people Jesus fed with the five loaves of bread and two fish realized they had been part of a miracle. Do you think they knew where the food came from or were they simply satisfied that their bellies had been filled? Were they following Jesus or the…
How would you like to become fearless? If you’re like me, with all the awful what-if possibilities in the world … living without fear of the future can feel impossible. I often think about the disciples and the times Scripture tells us they struggled with fear. John honestly shared one of those times in the…
