Jesus didn’t die a victim. He says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me– just as the Father knows me and I know the Father– and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring […]
God didn’t wait for us to clean up our lives. God didn’t wait for us to earn our own salvation. Praise God, He didn’t wait. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into […]
It’s Maundy Thursday and Jesus knows He’s being betrayed. He tells His disciples He’s going to lay His life down for them, for us, to display that He alone is the Way. That’s how He would be our Savior. If Jesus was going to come and be our Savior, Paul writes a rhetorical question in […]
Psalm 74:1 A maskil of Asaph. O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed– Mount Zion, where you dwelt. 3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all […]
Do you feel weak, powerless? Do you ever wonder if it’s all worth it, trying to live the righteous life, and bringing glory to God? Do you ever just get tired of pressing on? Sometimes, the closer you get to your destination, the heavier the weight seems. A psalmist known as Asaph knew that feeling […]
The march from Triumphal Entry to Easter is so routine that it’s way too easy to forget the reason why Jesus had to come to die. (Human sin.) And that for Jesus, this coming week was anything but celebratory. It was a death march. The psalmist remembered the fate of mankind apart from a Savior […]
The Triumphal Entry is an event on the church calendar that churches around the globe look forward to celebrating. Waving palm branches, shouting Hosannas and singing powerful songs to our coming King…what’s not to love? For Jesus, I wonder if it was something else. For Him, it was an inauguration to priestly duties and offering […]
What if God anchored His blessing to something that He knew would be abolished? Would that not be the same thing as a broken promise, a bait-and-switch? I love that God anchors His promises and His blessings in something so powerful that it can never be broken: grace. The Apostle Paul says it this way, […]
Way too many people have a hard time with God as our Father. On one hand, it’s understandable if they had dads who were always gone or always drunk. Maybe their dads were not involved in their upbringing or education. There are some who were separated from their fathers due to death, military service, or […]
As we approach the final days of our devotional series “But God…” and come to know the peace of God even as Kingdom citizens of a foreign land called the City of Man, we can experience gratitude that God didn’t leave us with the Law. God didn’t leave us with earning impossible social credits required […]
