The Perfect Sacrifice
“…by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14, NIV84) There’s an old story of a church in England with a stone archway inscribed with the words: “We preach Christ crucified.” Years passed and generations of preachers came and went. By then, the cross seemed too old-fashioned and […]
Our Substitute
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” (Ephesians 2:4–5) I read a story recently of an ancient nomadic tribe in the great expanse of Siberia. The tribe had […]
Be Happy or Else
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up […]
The Great Miracle
“Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity…” (Philippians 2:7, CSB) Paul is describing the incarnation of Jesus. Incarnation literally means “en-fleshment.” John says “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14, NIV) C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite thinkers, describes the […]
Salvation in Jesus
When most of us in church talk about salvation, our discussion begins with a test…a test of morality. We ask certain questions of ourselves and sooner or later, even the most upright citizen answers incorrectly. Miss just one question and we fail. The penalty for failure is, of course, hell. Our ticket has been punched. […]
The Preeminence of Jesus
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him […]
Resurrection Sunday!
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Resurrection Sunday Resurrection Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week. The resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal truth of the Christian faith! As the sun rose, several women went to Jesus’ tomb, only to find that the […]
Silent Saturday
Silent Saturday Saturday was the Sabbath…a quiet day in Jerusalem. Jesus’ dead body lay in the tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers. Because of the quickly approaching Sabbath on Friday, Jesus was removed surreptitiously from the cross and quickly entombed. His body had been ceremonially treated by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, but not his disciples. […]
Good Friday
[Note: This week I am chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Good Friday Jesus’ trial (which began late Thursday night) continued into Friday morning. Before the “third hour” (9 a.m.) the Lord had endured lies and condemnation, mockery, and beatings. He had been abandoned by his disciples (Judas had […]
Maundy Thursday
It is Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. The name comes from Jesus washing the feet of the disciples…but I’m jumping ahead. Peter and John left Bethany before the others in order to make preparations for Passover dinner together. Once the upper room was prepared, Jesus and the remaining ten arrived. Before dinner, Jesus humbly washed […]
Holy Wednesday
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Bethany was astir. People were talking. Why wouldn’t they? After all, not long before Holy Week, Jesus showed the world his power over death by raising his friend Lazarus from a tomb in Bethany. A week before […]
It’s the End of the World as We Know It
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] It is Tuesday morning and Jesus returns to Jerusalem with his disciples. As they pass the withered fig tree, Jesus reminds them of the importance of faith. They’re going to need it in a couple of days! […]
