Blood is dripping from Christ’s face. I want to look away, but I see something supernatural. Jesus looks at me with unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace, covering every sinful thought, attitude, word, or deed I have done or ever will do. Jesus is dying for me, and every person ever born. Jesus took the punishment for the sins of everyone…
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. (1 Cor. 16:13-14, NLT) Jesus did everything in love. Therefore, as his disciple, we must commit to doing everything in love. Jesus is our example and proof that even in our human condition, we can live in his pure love. Jesus shows us…
“If I were leading my company or church, I would make them great!” Many people make this statement without knowing the realities of leadership. The first problem with their opinion is the word “I.” When we place our imperfect self as the ultimate focus of wisdom and knowledge, we will fail. Great leaders, who are disciples of Christ, like Billy…
Most of us hear these statements from at least one person proclaiming to love us during our lifetime. These statements reveal the imperfect standard and understanding of love people have without Jesus Christ. So how can Christ’s disciples live in his love standards versus the flawed definitions of love we grew up with? Love’s Perfect Origin Reveals Our Standard Dear…
Yesterday while reaching into my potato bin, I spotted a delicious medium potato. However, when I grabbed it, my fingers sunk into the sides. Gross! It was rotten on the inside. Its outward appearance fooled me, but we never fool God. If God squeezed you, what would happen? Would he find a heart, mind, and spirit following him and his…
“I grew up in a loving home, but there were times that my parents yelled at one another, called each other names, and they went for days without talking to one another. I thought this was how love looked in marriage, but this can’t be the way Jesus intended us to love,” a friend confided in me. My friend struggled…
Why did Jesus Celebrate the Passover Feast? The Passover reminds us how God delivered his people from three hundred years of slavery. God instructed Moses to ask Pharaoh to release his people ten times, followed by ten plagues, because he refused to obey God. Pharaoh finally relented after the last heart-wrenching plague. At midnight all the firstborn sons would die…
I remember applauding the fabulous floats and high school bands passing by during my first parade. The crowd’s enthusiasm was intoxicating, and I couldn’t help but join in. At the Palm Sunday parade, I wonder if some of the crowd was drawn into the celebration without realizing the realities of proclaiming Jesus as their King? What was Jesus thinking as…
I spent thirty-five years looking for a man who would truly love me. I was relentlessly driven by my need to stop the pain of feeling love-starved that I focused on doing everything I could for him so that he would love me. In my love-starved mindset, I didn’t understand that my definition of love was unhealthy and toxic, and…