mercy

The Hands of Christ

“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” – Luke 24:39 It’s interesting how much we can learn about people by looking at their hands. Whether they’re wrinkled, tough, well-manicured, or scarred, they tell a story if we choose to pay attention. Yet no matter how young, old, or worn our physical hands are, as disciples of Jesus, our palms are spiritually pierced. Because our Savior was wounded for our healing, as we follow in His footsteps and seek to lead with His heart, we take on His scars, and His sacrifice inspires us to touch the untouchable. In fact, when we study the ministry of our Lord, His healing virtue is nearly always imparted through physical contact. Though His words spoke the universe into existence, when He touched people,

May 20, 2021 No Comments

Love is Greater Than the Law

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’” – Luke 13:10-12 We’ve been examining the idea that having the right vision for our lives and leadership empowers us to “break the rules” in order to put people first. Today, I want to look at how Jesus modeled this behavior for us, and what it teaches us about living as His disciples in the modern world. Much to the chagrin of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, our Savior constantly set aside the mandates of religion to give priority to loving people. One of the most famous examples of this is

May 15, 2021 No Comments

Love the Least Likely

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” – Matthew 8:1-3 One of the most powerful things Jesus did after He started His earthly ministry was to touch a man with leprosy. In the culture of His day, lepers were outcasts, and everywhere they went, they were required to announce their presence by shouting “unclean” so that others were warned and could scatter. Furthermore, in many regions, those diagnosed as leprous were required to leave their homes and families to be isolated from everyone they knew, lest they spread the illness to them. Banished to a life of separation and obscurity, the disease

April 17, 2021 2 Comments

The Determination of Joseph

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.’” – Genesis 45:4,5 Yesterday, we looked at the Apostle Paul and how he managed to remain stubborn in his call but tender toward people. Today, I want to examine the life of another Biblical example of Godly grit, and that’s Joseph. One of Jacob’s twelve sons — and his father’s favorite — he started his life as a rather cocky young man. He was daddy’s boy, and he unashamedly flaunted it in front of his siblings, so they became increasingly jealous and conspired to sell him as a slave. After making a

April 15, 2021 No Comments

The Overflow

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” – Psalm 23:5 Have you ever had a drink that’s so full to the top that you have to walk slowly to ensure that it doesn’t spill over? If so, then you understand the image that the Bible uses to describe the abundance that the Lord gives to us. Like that overflowing cup, God not only provides what we need to get by in life, but He gives us excessively more. Even in the midst of adversity and affliction, His grace gushes like a fountain, and He constantly fills our souls, minds, and spirits with His bounty. Being reminded of this is especially important after we’ve navigated the shock of a world-wide pandemic that has subjected millions to extreme loss. While we’re still dealing with the lingering effects of

April 8, 2021 No Comments

Words Can Wound

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” – Matthew 12:36,37 Like it or not, I believe we carry around careless and unkind things spoken over us in our hearts…and even in our bodies. As I was growing up, I was often called “stupid” and “clumsy,” and to this day, though people can say a lot of things and not upset me, if someone utters either of those words, I have a strong emotional and physical reaction. You see, labels create a negative imprint on our spirits, and when we’re identified by them in any season of life, they continue to haunt us. Even as an adult, I’ve laid awake at night on several occasions thinking about vitriol spewed

March 26, 2021 No Comments

Pain Becomes a Plan

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 Chocolate hearts, shades of red and pink, cards, cupcakes, and gifts…these are things we see a lot of as Valentine’s Day approaches. And while society tells us that “all we need is love,” when we behold the depth of heartache and division in the world today, it feels as if love is a somewhat foreign concept. However, despite what we see, the fact remains that God loves us more than we can even imagine. No matter what we’ve gone through, He is faithful, and He has the power to turn circumstances that could have broken us into milestones that birth divine wisdom. In fact, if we surrender our pain to Him and ask for His perspective, He will make us indestructible and

February 3, 2021 No Comments

The Light of Divine Love

“‘Do not kill them,’ he answered. ‘Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.’” – 2 Kings 6:22 I love the Biblical hero Elisha. His life was not only that of a prophet but of a miracle worker, and he always used his divinely-granted power to point people to God’s heart. Of all the amazing accounts of his ministry recorded in Scripture, one of my favorites is found in 2 Kings 6, which takes place when the armies of Aram were at war with Israel. Since the prophet had supernatural knowledge, he kept alerting the Jewish king as to where the enemy troops were so he could move Israel’s armies away from them. The King of Aram, frustrated by his inability to hone in on

January 30, 2021 1 Comment

Perfection Isn’t Required

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 To be more effective for God in the coming year, it’s important to remember that we don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. When I was in high school, I decided I was going to start sharing my faith with anyone and everyone who would listen. That said, I went straight to the campus drug dealer and told Him about Jesus. Much to my surprise, He received the message with great enthusiasm and prayed with me to accept Christ. After that, he began sharing his newfound hope with others, and I was blown away as He embraced the things of God. However, a while later, I saw him standing in the school parking lot dealing crystal meth to another student. This troubled me, and I began

January 4, 2021 No Comments

Justice Is In the Lord’s Hands

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” – Psalm 89:14 One of the most powerful things we can do as we look ahead to a new year is to focus on letting go of bitterness. I think many who’ve been hurt deeply feel invalidated when hearing messages on unforgiveness, because there’s a sense that surrendering something takes away from the sting and severity of the wrong done. I’m certain many of you have been wounded so deeply that you’re still dealing with the ramifications and consequences in your daily life. If that’s you, I want you to know that I’m very sorry for what happened. The way you were sinned against broke the heart of our Heavenly Father, and He is grieved over your pain. Knowing that, I believe the truth that all of us can grab hold of today is that

December 29, 2020 No Comments

The Hands of Christ

Love is Greater Than the Law

Love the Least Likely

The Determination of Joseph

The Overflow

Words Can Wound

Pain Becomes a Plan

The Light of Divine Love

Perfection Isn’t Required

Justice Is In the Lord’s Hands

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