“After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius, and in this way He showed Himself.” (John 21:1-2). He makes Himself known in ways that are familiar to each person. He once came in human flesh and fully identified with the human experience, yet honoring the Father by not yielding to the temptation of…
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6). He is absent from the place to which He had been carried. His lifeless body lay in a tomb without the strength to either participate or resist. There He was carried and placed by others. But on Resurrection Sunday,…
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ’It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus came into the world for this very moment. He was on a mission to die for the sins of humanity. It required a sinless life and now the moment had arrived. The sufferings would come…
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Corinthians 1:18). The question is how can something be foolish to some but so necessary to others? There are some who believe more in their abilities and strength rather than the strength that is…
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1Corinthians 11:26). A message is proclaimed at the Communion Table. Jesus invites us to His table in order for those who have been called as His followers to dine with Him. What other disciples had rejected when offered, they were…
“Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, ’Assuredly I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me” (Mark 14:18). Before Jesus was crucified, He was identified through betrayal by one who sat at His table and ate with Him. One who loved so deeply would be exposed by a friend to His enemies. Jesus…
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1Timothy 1:15). What Christ did on the cross by dying in order that men may live is amplified through our witness. His voice is raised through the lives of us who understand that we brought…
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13). What men say cannot change the nature of a person or a thing. It has to do with recognizing and agreeing with the truth. Those who know Him merely by reputation can only…
“He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray” (Proverbs 5:23 NKJV). “Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end” (Proverbs 5:23 MSG). A warning to the wise is the anecdote to his falling away and divorcing himself from his wisdom. Disciples…
“And He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ “(Ezekiel 37:3). God asks us questions that He alone is able to answer. We try our best to understand how a possibility of hope may arise out of an impossible situation. What we see are circumstances that appear to be beyond hope. God placed the prophet there. And…
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Who can preserve his own life and maintain the fading glory that comes and goes so quickly through the passing of time? Each may have his or her day in the sun, but the same light that brought forth the growth will ultimately cause what…
“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). What the Lord offers the Church should be shared alike by every believer. The benefits of salvation and the joy that accompanies obedience should be experienced by all. It is not enough for merely some to know the grace of the…