pain

Salvation Through Suffering

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5 On this Good Friday, we turn our focus to the cross. And while it’s important to view this day in light of Jesus’ death, it’s equally as important to understand that the depth of His agony equates to the fullness of our freedom. You see, our Savior didn’t have to die the way He did — any manner of passing would have sufficed. However, He bore enormous physical and spiritual pain so that we could be healed and made whole…completely. Not only does His journey to Calvary show us that there’s nothing we go through that He cannot sympathize with, but it reminds us that He took upon Himself the weight of affliction to liberate us from it.

April 2, 2021 No Comments

Jealousy Perverts Justice

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” – Matthew 2:16 It’s strange that the account of a neurotic king like Herod offers so many object lessons to Christians, but in a world that’s obsessed with image and achievement, it behooves us to pay attention to his story. We saw yesterday that he built multiple monuments to himself that now live only in ruins, and today, I want to talk about something else significant we can learn from his life — that jealousy perverts justice. After working hard to earn his title as “King of the Jews,” he was determined to hold onto it. The problem was that it had already been

March 17, 2021 No Comments

For Your Good and His Glory

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” – Job 13:15 Many times, the enemy will try to harm us by using our misfortunes to fill us with shame and guilt. However, the wonderful thing about God is that He delights in turning seemingly dire and hopeless situations around for our good and His glory! There’s a story in the Old Testament about a guy named Job, who was an exceptional person. He loved God with all of his heart, and he was a hard-working, decent family man. However, out of the blue, tragedy struck him, and he lost everything he held dear — his livestock, his wife, his children, his friends, and his health. And while it seems his circumstances would have been enough to make any human being crumble, Job had a choice to make: he could

March 11, 2021 No Comments

The Power of Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 It’s interesting that the dictionary defines peace as “freedom from disturbance.” And while I love to imagine life without all forms of distraction, noise, and chaos, I realize that such a state of existence isn’t possible on a planet that’s marred by the effects of sin and brokenness. The reality is that the weight of the world is heavy, and it’s easy to become bogged down by the pain and trouble that surround us. Each of us has gone through a lot in the past twelve months, and we’ve seen things unfold that we never imagined we would. The global pandemic, loss of life and income, civil unrest, and a prolonged change to our daily

March 8, 2021 1 Comment

Growing Closer to God Through Grief

“There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” – Luke 2:36,37 For the last couple of days, we’ve been talking about Simeon and how, as an old man, he was finally able to see his Messiah in the flesh. Interestingly, he had a female counterpart in the story of Jesus’ birth, and her name was Anna. The Bible calls her a prophet, and we learn in Luke 2 that she lost her husband after just seven years of marriage. Assuming she was married at the age of 15 or 16 (as most girls at that time would have been), she was probably only 22 or 23

March 2, 2021 No Comments

You’re Not Invisible

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 Today, I want to give an encouragement to those of you who feel invisible. I know that some of you may be struggling with difficult circumstances, and you’re tired. Perhaps you keep doing the right thing day after day but nobody seems to notice or care. If this is you, you can be absolutely certain that God sees you, and that He understands your sacrifice. Maybe you’re a young mom and you spend all week tending to the needs of your children with very little time to take care of yourself. If you’re worn out and close to tears, remember that the Lord is with you. He is enveloping you in grace and

February 16, 2021 No Comments

Love Goes and Love Gives

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” – 1 John 4:7-9 Today is Valentine’s Day, and though it’s become synonymous with roses, hearts, and candy, the true purpose of this holiday is to honor love. Of course, popular culture has given us thousands of songs and images to convey its own version of this mysterious virtue, but the fact remains that there is only one way to define love, and that’s God. The Bible says that God is love, and if we invert that phrase, we learn that love is also God. Since the Lord is the

February 14, 2021 No Comments

Do The Right Thing

“Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, ‘Why stay here until we die? If we say, “We’ll go into the city”—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.’” – 2 Kings 7:3,4 Yesterday, we talked about how Elisha fed enemy troops in the middle of Samaria before sending them back to their leader, the King of Aram. Because the Arameans were at war with the Israelites, this profound demonstration of divine power humiliated the king and made him all the more determined to defeat them. In an effort to fully destroy the Jewish population, he surrounded the city and assaulted the people so they were

January 31, 2021 No Comments

God’s Construction Project

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9 Yesterday, we talked about how God’s temple is in us. To further expound on this thought, today, I want to share another analogy. Our experience last year may have made us a bit “trigger shy” when it comes to fully embracing what’s ahead. After all, none of us could have seen what was coming, and if we could have, we might not have set our expectations so high. However, as Christians, I don’t think there’s any compelling reason to pull back our hopes and dreams for 2021. Even if the coming months bring disappointment or loss, we can adopt an attitude of courageous faith which trusts that everything that happens is part of the Lord’s construction project in our lives. I love C.S. Lewis’ analogy in Mere Christianity in which he explains that

January 3, 2021 1 Comment

Death Brings Greater Life

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:10,11 Well, we made it to the last day of 2020. I’m almost certain that there has never been a greater sigh of relief among so many as the end of a year approaches. Last January, as we made our resolutions and reflected on the days behind us, none of us had any idea what was waiting just months down the road. We’ve all been challenged, stretched, and tested in the past 365 days, and some of us have endured loss that is throbbing and stinging even now. Nevertheless, I am confident that as hard and unconventional as things have been this year, there has been a gift in the experience. One of the most

December 31, 2020 No Comments

Salvation Through Suffering

Jealousy Perverts Justice

For Your Good and His Glory

The Power of Peace

Growing Closer to God Through Grief

You’re Not Invisible

Love Goes and Love Gives

Do The Right Thing

God’s Construction Project

Death Brings Greater Life

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