Have you ever wondered what people commonly believe they need to be saved … to go to heaven? Here are a few replies I found through a brief internet search. This is what Jesus told His disciples before His ascension to heaven… “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who…
Are you ready for the best news ever? We’ve spent the last few days addressing God’s Laws and our failure. Today, we will sit with Paul and let his words wash over us with the Gospel Truth about God’s grace. Now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping…
People have had questions about their sin and God’s righteousness since sin prompted the Garden eviction. Through the Old Covenant Law, God gave His chosen people a system of sacrifices and rules to follow, offering to forgive, protect, and bless them if they obeyed. Although many tried, Scripture tells us about the countless ways they…
What is the truth about obeying God’s Law? Before Jesus transformed Paul’s life on the road to Damascus, Paul was a proud law-keeping Pharisee. He understood the thoughts and ideas of the people to whom he wrote… You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with…
We all wanted to be the favorite kid. I always believed I was my grandma’s favorite and told the family to keep any contradicting facts or opinions to themselves. I also believe that great teachers make their students realize that they are uniquely and wonderfully made, and for those reasons, they’re each a favorite. Good…
Why is it so much easier to point out the flaws and failures we see in others than admit the ones we need to work on ourselves? Let’s examine the impact of judgment… Jesus said… “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” “How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let…
Today’s verses are challenging in that they invite us to examine God’s righteous anger. Less than halfway into the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote… God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He…
Do you know followers of Jesus who exude so much love, joy, peace, patience, trust, and passion for Jesus and life that they make the people around them want to know more about Him? The Life Application Notes say that these character qualities show believers are created in God’s image. We were made to be…
John showed us what it looks like to KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST Jesus. Paul showed us that anyone can be transformed by God! Saul, later known as Paul, made it his purpose to silence people like John who were doing all they could to keep Jesus’ legacy alive. We learn about him in the Book…
Do you ever wonder if anyone or anything is trustworthy? Can you think of anything enduring and absolute? How often have we discovered that something we believed to be true was a lie all along? Between the news, social media, and the spins and slants of repeated talking points, it’s easy to be cynical and…
Twenty years ago, the following words from Scripture played out in my dream. The only difference was that I was the one who walked and talked with Jesus instead of Peter… After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “You know I love…
What is faith? The writer of Hebrews defined it like this… Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 The Collaborative International Dictionary says… “It is believing the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and…
The Holy Spirit prompted me to cling to powerful resurrection truths and surrender this morning. I went to the cemetery and knelt by our headstone. I needed to give my grief, fear, anxiety, and every other little thing that was distracting me to the Lord through faith in Jesus. It was time to say, “Not…
Faith tells us to celebrate Easter every day, but we don’t like to think about Good Friday, even on Good Friday. We love proclaiming the empty tomb, but want to look away from our suffering Savior. I’ll admit, I had a hard time watching the crucifixion scenes in The Passion of the Christ. It was…
You’ve heard the phrase, “Fear is a liar.” The only way we can experience peace is to forsake fear and follow Jesus, giving Him the burden of our fear and trusting Him to give us what we need. A common challenge for people who enjoy positions of power, unlimited popularity, and luxurious prosperity is the…
If Jesus said it, we can count on it. He keeps His promises and His Word is Truth now and always! Two of Jesus’ warnings were fulfilled in today’s verses. He said that Judas would betray Him… “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.”…
When I need Jesus’ love, I turn to my favorite chapter of the Bible. But any time I try to talk or write about it, I struggle to find the words… I spent yesterday afternoon working on this post; however, as I thought about it overnight, I realized that although what I’d written was informational,…
What do you think? Is it easier to endure today’s suffering when you know the future holds a happy ending? I believe one of the most significant challenges of suffering is that we wonder if things will ever improve or if this awful pain will last forever. Jesus was hours away from suffering the unimaginable…
Have you ever wanted to know more about an unfinished story? Do you remember the dialogue between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men? From the witness stand, Nicholson asks, “You want answers?” Cruise angrily responds, “I want the truth!” Prompting Nicholson to bellow, “You can’t handle the truth!” Those remarks came…
I know we’ve talked a lot about persecution in the last few weeks, and I understand that no one likes to think about it, let alone talk about it. But if it was important enough for Jesus to inform us, we must pay attention. Why do you think Jesus told His followers to be prepared…
For those of us who have grown up in a primarily Christian nation, it’s unsettling to see the anger and animosity people are directing toward Jesus’ followers. Why do you think people hate followers of Jesus? We shouldn’t be surprised, Jesus said… “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would…
