You are inLyrical Wing·Closer Look
← Return to The Great Halldaily glimpses of His character
Daily glimpses of His character, humility, and voice.
190 posts
Post 1
If Jesus is fully God, shouldn't He have always known everything at all times-even as a baby in the manger? And if not, how could He truly be God? This paradox sits at the heart of the incarnation: full divinity meets full humanity. It forces us to ask-was Jesus omniscient during…
Continue reading
Post 2
Scripture: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." - Matthew 24:36 Insight Jesus didn't cling to divine privilege. He let go. He didn't pretend to be human-He became human. And in doing so, He chose not to know e…
Continue reading
Post 3
Some imagine Jesus as toggling between divinity and humanity-fully man until a miracle called for divine omnipotence, then switching it "on." But Scripture paints a far deeper picture. Philippians 2:6-7 speaks of Jesus, "?who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality w…
Continue reading
Post 4
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Heals Again When We Return x The healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 is often shared as a story of compassion. But what happens after the healing is just as telling. One man returns-not just to say thanks, but to worship. Jesus tells …
Continue reading
Post 5
You May Not Know This About Jesus . . . He Sees What We Ignore in Ourselves I held the door at the grocery store. A small courtesy. The couple behind me walked through without a glance. No nod. No thanks. I told myself not to care. But I did. And that bothered me even more. That…
Continue reading
Post 6
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Honors Those Who Go Beyond Obedience available posts 13-14 cover the healing of ten lepers Looking again at Luke 17:11-19, we find a fresh insight. Ten men with leprosy stand at a distance, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Je…
Continue reading
Post 7
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Provides the Greater, Then Promises the Lesser - While I was in high school, my dad bought a ski boat and docked it at a marina on Lake Austin, just fifteen minutes from our home. He gave me the keys and told me he'd set up a charge account …
Continue reading
Post 8
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Redirects Worry with Wonder + theme used on days 15-16 + In Matthew 6:25, Jesus asks, "Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" At first glance, it sounds philosophical-like He's inviting us to step back and admire the m…
Continue reading
Post 9
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Points to Birds to Reframe Your Faith - In Matthew 6:26-30, Jesus invites anxious listeners to look up-not at their problems, but at birds. "They do not sow seeds, or reap crops or store them in barns," He says, "and yet your heavenly Father…
Continue reading
Post 10
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Speaks to the Fear You Haven't Felt Yet + theme used on days 15-16 In Matthew 6:31-34, Jesus urges His listeners not to worry about what they'll eat, drink, or wear. Then He says something even more startling: "Do not worry about tomorrow, f…
Continue reading
Post 11
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Points to Birds to Reframe Your Faith In Matthew 6:26-30, Jesus doesn't rebuke anxiety. He redirects it. He says, "Look at the birds." They don't sow. They don't reap. They don't store. Yet your Father feeds them. Then He asks, "Aren't you w…
Continue reading
Post 12
Scripture "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" -Matthew 6:26 Insight When fear tightens its grip, Jesus doesn't respond with theory. He lifts your gaze. H…
Continue reading
Post 13
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Pointed at Birds-Because Theology Needs Wings In Matthew 6, Jesus speaks to people who are worried-about food, clothes, survival. And instead of giving them a plan, He gives them a hillside. "Look at the birds," He says. "They don't sow or r…
Continue reading
Post 14
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Doesn't Just Speak Truth. He Points At It. Scripture "Look at the birds of the air? See how the wildflowers grow." -Matthew 6:26, 28 Insight Jesus isn't standing behind a scroll. He's outside, speaking to people who are worried-about food, …
Continue reading
Post 15
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Is the God of the Gap The desperate father didn't come to Jesus with bold faith. He came with a broken heart. His son had been tormented since childhood-thrown into fire and water by a violent spirit. The disciples had tried to expel it and …
Continue reading
Post 16
You May Not Know This About Jesus: When We Consume His Words We Consume His Flesh. Used Day 43 John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." J…
Continue reading
Post 17
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Walked Out Of the Light And Into A Fight The radiance of the Transfiguration wasn't something Jesus carried down the mountain physically-it was a momentary unveiling, not a lingering glow. When He descended Mount Hermon, He didn't come surro…
Continue reading
Post 18
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Took the High Ground Jesus had just declared war. Standing in Caesarea Philippi, a city drenched in pagan worship and shadowed by a cave locals called the gate to the underworld, He said: "On this rock I will build My church, and the gates …
Continue reading
Post 19
You May Not Know This About Jesus-He Prayed to Lean In-Not to Be Seen There's this dream I've had more than once-I'm running barefoot across green fields, or dodging defenders on a football field, or sprinting through neighborhood streets. I'm pushing hard, but everything's slugg…
Continue reading
Post 20
You May Not Know This About Jesus . . . He Sees What We Ignore in Ourselves I held the door at the grocery store. A small courtesy. The couple behind me walked through without a glance. No nod. No thanks. I told myself not to care. But I did. And that bothered me even more. That …
Continue reading
Post 21
You May Not Know This About Jesus - He Points to Birds Because Truth Has Wings "Do not worry . . . Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than birds?" Matthew 6:25-26 The L…
Continue reading
Post 22
You May Not Know This About Jesus - The Father Spoke to Silence Every Other Voice Scripture: "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!'" - Matthew 17:5 Insig…
Continue reading
Post 23
"One of them saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan. 17:15-16 Looking again at Luke 17:11-19, we find a fresh insight. Ten men with leprosy stand at a distance, calling out, "Jesus, Master…
Continue reading
Post 24
You May Not Know This About Jesus: The Voice That Named Him Speaks Over You. Isaiah 43:1 - "I have called you by name; you are mine." The Father's voice didn't vanish after Jesus was baptized and left the water. It followed His every step-from the river to the wilderness, from t…
Continue reading
Post 25
"If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." -John 15:7 Jesus doesn't measure speed. He measures proximity. He's not asking how fast you're growing. He's asking how long you're staying. In His presence. In His words. In the p…
Continue reading
Post 26
You May Not Know This About Jesus: Why Many Followers Walked Away "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them." -John 6:56 Insight: After speaking these words, Jesus didn't lose followers because He was unclear. He lost them because He was too clear.…
Continue reading
Post 27
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." -Matthew 25:40 Jesus doesn't just care for the vulnerable. He claims them. He names them family. He puts Himself in their place. Not just …
Continue reading
Post 28
Verse: "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." -Luke 14:13-14 Insight: Jesus doesn't just serve the least. He wants them seated beside Him. Not as a gesture of pity. But as a declaration of worth. He doesn'…
Continue reading
Post 29
"This kind can only come out by prayer and fasting." -Mark 9:29 Mark ten opens with glory and descends into chaos. Jesus had just been transfigured-radiant, affirmed by the Father's voice. But at the foot of the mountain, He stepped into desperation: a demonized boy convulsing, a…
Continue reading
Post 30
Scripture: "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'" -John 6:68 Insight: Jesus didn't always aim to be understood. Sometimes He said things that stirred questions-"Eat my flesh." "Drink my blood." In John 6, Jesus had just fed th…
Continue reading
Post 31
You May Not Know This About Jesus - Why The Father Spoke at the Transfiguration He didn't just affirm Jesus-the Father commanded attention. "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" -Matthew 17:5 High on a mountain, Jesus stood with Peter, James, …
Continue reading
Post 32
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Offers an Alternative to Worry Passage "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33 Insight Jesus knows our worries: food, clothing, tomorrow's needs. He doesn't dismiss…
Continue reading
Post 33
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Is the God of the Gap "I do believe; help my unbelief." - Mark 9:24 Let's look again at the desperate father who brought his broken heart to Jesus-not a bold faith,, but an honest one. His son had been tormented since childhood, and even the…
Continue reading
Post 34
Title: You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Passed a Forgotten Test "Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you did at Massah." - Deuteronomy 6:16 Insight When Satan tempted Jesus to leap from the temple, it wasn't just a dare-it was a reenactment of a forgotten test. At …
Continue reading
Post 35
John doesn't begin with a manger. He begins with majesty. Not with what we can touch, but with what we can't fully comprehend. The Word was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. This isn't a puzzle to be solved. It's a Person to behold. John, under divine ins…
Continue reading
Post 36
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Gave Thanks Before the Miracle "Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted." - John 6:11 Fifteen thousand hungry faces. Five loaves. Two fish. One command to feed the crow…
Continue reading
Post 37
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Gave Thanks Surrounded by Betrayal "But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table." - Luke 22:21 Jesus gave thanks at the Last Supper knowing Judas had made his deal. He gave thanks knowing Peter would deny Him. H…
Continue reading
Post 38
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Gave Thanks Knowing What the Bread and Wine Meant "He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you?'" Luke 22:19-20 - Jesus gave thanks knowing what the bread and wine meant. The bread p…
Continue reading
Post 39
Day 39 - Why Jesus Didn't Heal Everyone "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." -1 John 5:14 Thanksgiving invites us to pause, to name what we're grateful for. It's a season of abundance, of shared meals and…
Continue reading
Post 40
You May Not Know This About Jesus-He Didn't Just Take the High Ground, He staged It Jesus had just declared war. Standing in Caesarea Philippi-a city drenched in pagan worship, shadowed by a cave locals called the gate to the underworld-He said: "On this rock I will build My chur…
Continue reading
Post 41
"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm." - Luke 8:24 He rebuked it. The word used-epitimao- is the same word He spoke when casting out demons. That's not coincidence. It's confrontation. Jesus wasn't soothing nat…
Continue reading
Post 42
"He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned." - Luke 8:32 Decapolis-ten Gentile cities east of Galilee. Pagan worship, Roman power, animal sacrifice. It happened t…
Continue reading
Post 43
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." - John 6:51 Jesus had just fed the 5,000. The crowd wanted more- more signs, more bread, more proo…
Continue reading
Post 44
"I in them and You in Me-so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." - John 17:23 Jesus prayed something staggering: the Father loves you with the same love He has always had for His Son.…
Continue reading
Post 45
"As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." Luke 7:38-39 She wasn't invited. She wasn't welcome. But she came anyway-past the whispers, past the shame. A w…
Continue reading
Post 46
He didn't mean what you may think. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." -Matthew 3:8 "Repent and believe the good news." -Mark 1:15 Insight Most people hear "repent" and picture behavior: Stop sinning. Start obeying. Turn around. Walk the other way. But the …
Continue reading
Post 47
You May Not Know This About Jesus: He Compared Himself to the Serpent "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him." -John 3:14-15 In the wilderness, venomous snakes swep…
Continue reading
Post 48
You May Not Know This About Jesus-What He Brought With Him In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. -John 1:1-2 Insight John begins his Gospel by locating Jesus in eternity, present with the F…
Continue reading
Post 49
"He arose and took the child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt." -Matthew 2:14 Let's consider Joseph. He didn't wait for the alarm. He didn't pack the house. He didn't warn his neighbors. There was no delay- like birds flying from a snare. One choice. …
Continue reading
Post 50
"The angel told Joseph, 'You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'" (Matthew 1:21) Centuries before Christmas, King Ahaz trembled. Two nations pressed his gates, 120,000 of his soldiers already fallen, Jerusalem under siege. God sent Isaiah-…
Continue reading
Post 51
"He arose and took the child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt." -Matthew 2:14 No waiting for the alarm. No packing the house. No warning to neighbors. No delay-birds escaping the hunter's net. Why such urgency? Because danger was closing in. Herod wa…
Continue reading
Post 52
"In My Father's house are many rooms? I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2-3) Joseph and Mary were betrothed- bound by covenant, husband and wife by law, but not yet intimate. Their future secured. Then Mary left Nazareth for Judea, nearly a hundred miles …
Continue reading
Post 53
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus" - Matthew 1:21 The whispers spread-an adulteress. The scorn lashed out in silence- a whip without words. The glancing looks cut deep- knives drawn in daylight. The honor of two families cut down …
Continue reading
Post 54
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. (Luke 1:41) Silence-in the womb. Two mothers carried mystery, two children carried promise. Mary's greeting broke the quiet, and Elizabeth gasped. Her child jolted inside her- not a flutter, a leap. It was John…
Continue reading
Post 55
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God." - Luke 2:13 The sheep were asleep, a quilt of white wool across the hillside, their soft shifting the only rhythm in the silence. Above us, the stars burned steady- silent heral…
Continue reading
Post 56
"And behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy." (Matthew 2:9-10) We've all seen it- a blazing star above a stable, shepherds and magi…
Continue reading
Post 57
"For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11 - From the beginning, Scripture spoke of the breath of God. His breath filled the heavens, ordering the stars- like a conductor raising his hands and filling the air with mu…
Continue reading
Post 58
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; she wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7 Insight When Israel camped at Sinai, the mountain shook, wrapped in smoke, because the LORD descended in fire. Thunder rolled,…
Continue reading
Post 59
"Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace.'" -Luke 2:28-29 Christmas celebrates His birth- but you may not know this about Jesus: soon after, His parents carried Him to the temple.…
Continue reading
Post 60
"A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." -Deuteronomy 19:15 Christmas is not a whisper- it's a verdict. The Father would not allow His Son's identity to rest on one fragile voice. He established it as the Law required- by witnes…
Continue reading
Post 61
"Get up," the angel said, "take the child and His mother and escape to Egypt." Matthew 2:13 Jesus was a refugee. Not metaphorically. Not symbolically. He fled danger. He crossed borders. He was pursued while just a child- a candle carried through wind, fragile ye…
Continue reading
Post 62
"Do you want to get well?" - John 5:6 Jesus walks into a crowded courtyard in Jerusalem, near the Pool of Bethesda- a place where the sick, blind, and paralyzed gather, hoping for healing. One man has been there 38 years, lying on a mat, waiting for a miracle. …
Continue reading
Post 63
"Why are you so afraid?" - Mark 4:40 Before the storm, the disciples had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and multiply food. They had watched supernatural power flow through Him- over bodies, spirits, and hunger itself. Then came the storm. Jesus…
Continue reading
Post 64
"What do you want me to do for you?" - Luke 18:41 As Jesus entered Jericho, a blind man cried out: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38). The crowd tried to silence him, but he shouted louder- a trumpet cutting through the noise. And Jesus healed him. Later, as…
Continue reading
Post 65
"Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?" - John 21:15 Peter had failed. Not quietly or privately- he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would. And after the resurrection, Jesus meets him- not with a lecture, not with a list of disqualifi…
Continue reading
Post 66
You May Not Know This About Jesus-The Most Important Question Jesus Asked "But who do you say I am?" - Matthew 16:15 Insight Jesus didn't begin by questioning the crowd. He spoke first to His disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answered with rumors, titles, g…
Continue reading
Post 67
"So then he told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.'" -John 11:14-15 "Glad." Not for death itself- His weeping at the tomb reveals His heart. But glad for the timing. Glad for the deeper trust this …
Continue reading
Post 68
"Do not fear, only believe." Mark 5:36 The laughter that once filled his home- now silent. Each breath- thinner than a thread. Each moment- the last grain sliding through an hourglass. Something in Jairus broke- not into pieces, but open. Into that opening, …
Continue reading
Post 69
"You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62) You may not know this about Jesus, but He didn't leave His identity to guesswork. When everything was on the line- when silence would have saved His life…
Continue reading
Post 70
"Before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58) Insight Some ask where Jesus explicitly claimed to be God. They insist He never made such a claim. But the people who heard Him- the Pharisees trained in the Scriptures- knew exactly what He claimed. While debating the Phari…
Continue reading
Post 71
"Thomas said to Him, 'My Lord and my God.'" — John 20:28 All the evidence Thomas demanded evaporated the moment Jesus stood before him— fully alive, fully engaged, fully God. Filled with awe, Thomas boldly declared, "My Lord and my God." Some have taken his words as a startled…
Continue reading
Post 72
"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" (Mark 2:5) Insight People pressed into the house as Jesus preached— no space remained, not even at the door. Undeterred, a paralyzed man's friends climbed onto the roof and lowered him into th…
Continue reading
Post 73
"And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" Luke 15:2 The Pharisees' unspoken question hung in the air: "Why does He eat with sinners?" They couldn't understand Jesus. So He told them a story— not about sinners, but abou…
Continue reading
Post 74
"And he was angry and refused to go in." Luke 15:28 Let's look again at the Lord's most famous parable—the prodigal son. The younger son broke his father's heart by leaving. The older son broke it by staying. Yes, he stayed home— did the work, kept the rules— while his heart s…
Continue reading
Post 75
"He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Matthew 5:45 Jesus said the Father pours out goodness without bending His goodness to anyone's behavior, like a musical note that refuses to choose which ear it will reach. …
Continue reading
Post 76
"My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:6 The riverbank heaved with people leaning forward, desperate for a word from God after four centuries of silence— tax collectors confessing their theft (Luke 3:12–13), hands offering a spare tunic o…
Continue reading
Post 77
"Come and see." — John 1:39 John 1:35–39; John 15:4 Jesus turned and saw them following— Andrew and the unnamed disciple. Moments earlier they had been standing beside John the Baptist when he pointed at Jesus and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:36). Jesus looked at th…
Continue reading
Post 78
Insight Andrew was the first to meet Jesus (John 1:35–37). The first to stay with Him (John 1:39). The first to bring someone else (John 1:40–41). He brought his brother—Simon (John 1:41). And Jesus spoke a new name over him: Cephas. Peter. Rock (John 1:42). Identity given… but…
Continue reading
Post 79
"This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him." (John 2:11) Before anyone saw Jesus teach or heal, there was a quiet moment at a village wedding in Cana— the place where His glory first began to break thr…
Continue reading
Post 80
"Woman, what is this to Me and to you?" (John 2:4) Yesterday we saw this wasn't a rebuke to Mary, but the opening of a quiet conversation between Jesus and His Father. But there's a second line in that exchange that we must not overlook: "My hour has not yet come." (John 2:4) …
Continue reading
Post 81
"And Jesus entered the Temple, and His zeal rose like fire, driving out what did not belong." (John 2:13-17) Most people know He turned water into wine in Cana (John 2:1-11) and later overturned tables in the Temple (John 2:13-17), but few realize those moments were only days ap…
Continue reading
Post 82
"But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people." John 2:24 Jerusalem was alive with Passover pilgrims- word spreading that a young Rabbi from Galilee was doing signs no one could explain. Crowds pressed in, stirred by what they'd heard and what th…
Continue reading
Post 83
"Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" - John 3:3 A paradigm shift is a moment when everything you thought you understood suddenly changes at once- not by improvement, not by clarification, but by seeing rea…
Continue reading
Post 84
"On His way He had to pass through Samaria" (John 4:4). Jesus often leads us into places we would never choose. And that's where discipleship usually begins- walking with Him into uncertainty before we understand why. In fact, that's exactly what His new disciples were expe…
Continue reading
Post 85
"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony." - John 4:39 Before we talk about the woman Jesus met at Jacob's well, we need to talk about the well itself. Jacob's well sat beside a public road outside the village where travelers passe…
Continue reading
Post 86
"When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.' (Jordan, this verse is (for the home page) (Jordan, this verse is to be placed above the devotional insight) "Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked hard all nig…
Continue reading
Post 87
"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. - Matthew 4:19-20 Peter, Andrew, James, and John hadn't known Jesus long. Three weeks at most. But look at what they'd already seen and heard: "Behold the Lamb." (John 1:29, …
Continue reading
Post 88
"A man full of leprosy fell on his face and begged Him, saying, 'If You want to, You can make me clean.'" (Luke 5:12) A leprous man approached Jesus- carrying pain no one could see and wounds no one would touch. Leprosy killed the nerves that protected him. He c…
Continue reading
Post 89
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." -Matthew 9:12 As Jesus taught by the shore, a crowd pressed around Him- hungry for His words- manna in the desert. He finished teaching and strolled by the water- waves whispering over pebbles, swallows f…
Continue reading
Post 90
"Be silent. Come out of him." (Mark 1:25) The Capernaum synagogue was crowded with men in clean linen robes- cream, beige, soft blues, muted reds- sandals wiped clean before entering. Stone benches lined the room, built into basalt walls. High windows sent narrow shaf…
Continue reading
Post 91
"In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon? 'I know who You Are-the Holy One of God!'" -Luke 4:33-34 I used to read the deliverance in the synagogue as just a dramatic scene in the story- a violent eruption that showed Jesus' authority over Satan's domain- which it d…
Continue reading
Post 92
"They begged Him to help her." -Luke 4:38 Jesus had just silenced a demon in the synagogue. The room was still buzzing. (Mark 1:21-28) But when He stepped into Peter's house, He stepped into a new front in the same war- not the public battle in the synagogue, but the private ba…
Continue reading
Post 93
"Simon and his companions went to look for Him." -Mark 1:36 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed." -Mark 1:35 Before dawn the next day, while the sky lay black and still and shimmeri…
Continue reading
Post 94
The Upper Room
Passover to Pentecost "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." John 13:1 The Upper Room was filled with the fragrance of roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and warm bread. After entering the room, Jesus told His disciples, "I have eagerly …
Continue reading
Post 95
The Upper Room
"He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Him; and from them He chose twelve?" Luke 6:12-13 After a night of prayer- After a night- hours under the darkness while the world slept and the Son s…
Continue reading
Post 96
The Upper Room
Jesus made a vow in the Upper Room that's easy to overlook. And that's no wonder. After all, it sits in the shadow of the foot washing, the bread, the cup, the honor given Judas, the High Priestly Prayer. But the vow is there- waiting to be heard, waiting to be understood. Jes…
Continue reading
Post 97
The Upper Room
"Love one another; as I have loved you." John 13:34 Judas has left the room. The seat he left still warm. The door still swinging. Peter remains at the table. His heart full of vows. "Lord, I will lay down my life for You." (John 13:37) But failure waits in the room. Not yet s…
Continue reading
Post 98
The Upper Room
"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe." - John 13:19 In the Upper Room Jesus warned them. All of them. Before a sword was drawn, or a rooster crowed. "Tonight you will all fall away because of Me." - Matthew 26:31 And to Peter He…
Continue reading
Post 99
The Upper Room
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." John 14:27 I have lived through seasons when fear held a grip on my mind- my heart- a constrictor tightening until no breath of hope remained. Only darkness. Only dread. Only the certa…
Continue reading
Post 100
The Upper Room
"And with that He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" John 20:22 In the beginning, God spoke- and darkness gave way to light. Genesis 1:3 An empty sky filled with stars. Waters pulled apart and gathered into seas. Dry land rose from the deep. Creation unfold…
Continue reading
Post 101
The Upper Room
"In that day you will ask the Father in My name? for the Father Himself loves you." John?16:23,?27 The hour had come (John 17:1) The Cross cast its shadow over the table. And Jesus prayed. A prayer- spoken aloud to reveal what had been hidden. "Father? glorify Your Son" (Jo…
Continue reading
Post 102
The Upper Room
"And it was night." Jn 13:30 The door closed behind Judas, and John wrote, "And it was night." To the city, it looked like any other Passover night- crowded streets, lamps burning inside homes, families lingering over the story. And it was night. When Judas took the dipped br…
Continue reading
Post 103
The Upper Room
When You're Down "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." John 15:1 It was a cold night when they left the Upper Room, cold enough that later the guards would warm themselves by a fire. As they stepped into the darkness, they sang the Hallel- psalms celebrating …
Continue reading
Post 104
Gethsemane
"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." - Mark 14:34 Gethsemane- olive press. A garden where olives were crushed and oil flowed. No wonder He went there. It was His custom to go there (Luke 22:39). He had prayed there (Luke 22:39-40). He had slept there (L…
Continue reading
Post 105
Gethsemane
"Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." - Luke 22:42 You may not know this about jesus but He felt it when He entered the garden- like stepping into a cave and knowing your worst nightmare wasn't a dream, but a starving w…
Continue reading
Post 106
Gethsemane
"Friend, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48) A kiss. A word. Two gestures in the Garden that seem like expressions of friendship. But neither means what it appears to mean. Judas' kiss wasn't affection. It was a signal. "The one I kiss is the man" (Mark 14:…
Continue reading
Post 107
Christ on Trial
"When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - Jn 18:6 They thought they had Jesus surrounded. Two hundred soldiers. Torches. Armor. It looked easy- a rabbi cornered in a garden. You may not know this about Jesus- He knew what Elisha once knew (…
Continue reading
Post 108
Christ on Trial
"The soldiers arrested Jesus and bound Him, and brought Him first to Annas." John 18:12-13 Most people know about Gethsemane and the Cross. Few know what happened between them. For four days a lamb lived in Jewish homes. Children named it. Hugged it. Fed it. Played with it. Th…
Continue reading
Post 109
Christ on Trial
"You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned Him to death." - Mk 14:64 You may not know this about Jesus, but after the first trial, they dragged Him to a second hearing at the home of Caiaphas, the high priest. That hearing ended without a verdi…
Continue reading
Post 110
Christ on Trial
"Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice." - John 18:38 God didn't rush the verdict- He interrupted it at every turn, giving Pilate room to choose what was right, even though it held risk. The six trials of Jesus aren't just a story about His suffering. They're a sto…
Continue reading
Post 111
Christ on Trial
"I came into the world- to bear witness to the truth." - John 18:37 When I studied Greek, I cherished one word. A word so beautiful, my wife and I would have given it to a daughter had God blessed us with one. Haletheia. Truth. It means reality over illusion. Honesty over de…
Continue reading
Post 112
Words from the Cross
"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." -?Lu?23:34 He hung there- suspended by nails through His wrists and feet. Soldiers laughing. Leaders sneering. The crowd mocking. Both criminals taunting Him (Lu?23:39), joining the chorus of contempt. His follow…
Continue reading
Post 113
Words from the Cross
"Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:43 One of the most encouraging stories in the Gospels is about the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus. In the earliest minutes he joined the other thief and mocked Him. Luke says he hurled …
Continue reading
Post 114
Words from the Cross
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (PS 22:1) When Jesus cried these words, He hadn't lost faith. Abandonment wasn't the story. Confusion wasn't the moment. It wasn't the cry of an abandoned child. It was the cry of a fulfilled prophecy. Jesus was quoting the opening …
Continue reading
Post 115
Words from the Cross
"It is finished." - John 19:30 Jesus didn't whisper this word. He declared it. A single breath carrying the weight of His mission. In the ancient world, a man's charges were written on a scroll and nailed above his cell. It stayed there until the sentence was served and the de…
Continue reading
Post 116
Resurrection
"They saw that the stone had been rolled away, though it was very large." (Mk 16:4) Before sunrise, the women came to the tomb- (Mk 16:2) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses, and Salome. They carried spices, not hope. The tomb was cut into limestone rock, with a low entran…
Continue reading
Post 117
Resurrection
"Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed." - Jn 20:8 As she ran, Mary encountered Peter and John "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." - Jn 20:2 The moment she said it, …
Continue reading
Post 118
Resurrection
"Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" - Jn 20:15 Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two angels in white- one at the head, one at the feet where His body had lain. They asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" …
Continue reading
Post 119
Resurrection
"Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father?" (Jn 20:17) Mary reached for Him and held Him tightly, as if she could keep Him.. Jesus told her to let Him go because He couldn't stay at that time. A little later, Jesus met the two women who had lingered at th…
Continue reading
Post 120
Resurrection
"Did not our hearts burn within us as He spoke to us on the road, as He opened the Scriptures to us?" Lu 24:32 The road to Emmaus carried a strange quiet, as if Jerusalem's grief had followed them into the hills. Seven miles lay ahead of them. Cleopas walked beside his wife, M…
Continue reading
Post 121
John 20:19-21 "Peace I Leave With You." John 20:21 Evening settled over Jerusalem like a gathering storm. Fear barred the doors. It caged them there- afraid of the Pharisees, the Romans, and whatever waited next. They traded reports, but nothing felt so…
Continue reading
Post 122
"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:45 I counted thirty-one times Jesus mentioned His death and or resurrection. Not once did the disciples understand the meaning of these statements about His death and resurrection. But the Gospel writers no…
Continue reading
Post 123
As the Father sent Me Jn 20.21 Fear clung to them like smoke after a fire. The doors were shut. The room felt small. The fatigue of sleepless nights. And into that exhaustion- Jesus stood among them. Alive. Strong. Rested. He steadied them with the word of…
Continue reading
Post 124
"Thomas... was not with them when Jesus came." (Jn 20.24) The room was alive with the story Thomas missed. Hands moved as they retold it. Voices rose as each man added his piece of the moment. And yet John tells us: "Thomas... was not with them when Jesus came." (Jn 20.24) E…
Continue reading
Post 125
"Children, do you have any fish?" (Jn 21:5) You may not know this about Jesus, but on the seashore after His resurrection, He wasn't just creating new scenes- He was bringing closure to earlier ones. While reading the post resurrection scene on the shore of Galilee, I noticed s…
Continue reading
Post 126
"Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee." (Jn 21:1) Jesus hadn't appeared in over a week. So Peter said, "I'm going fishing." (Jn 21:3) Six others went with him. All night they fished. All night their net stayed empty. Then at dawn- a voice from…
Continue reading
Post 127
"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?'" (Jn 21:15) You may not know this about Jesus- He doesn't wait for us to fix ourselves before He calls us forward. Peter's story doesn't start with courage.…
Continue reading
Post 128
"Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." (Matt 28:10) Jesus told His disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee, north of the Sea of Galilee, the home of His ministry. He had appeared to them numerous times. He had eaten wit…
Continue reading
Post 129
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:19) When Jesus finally gave them their mission, He didn't hand them a plan to admire. He gave them words to obey. "Go... and make disciples..." (Matt 28:19) Two verbs. Simple. Direct. World alteri…
Continue reading
Post 130
"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!" (Lk 12:50) We often think of Jesus' baptism as the moment in the Jordan- the water, the dove, the voice. And it was these three. But Jesus spoke of another baptism, one still before H…
Continue reading
Post 131
"As you go, make disciples." - Matthew 28:19 When Jesus said "make disciples," He was inviting us into the same kind of life He had been forming in the men and women who walked with Him. A disciple is someone who learns from Jesus how to live like Jesus. And Je…
Continue reading
Post 132
"Baptizing them into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." - Mt?28:19 Sometimes a mystery defies understanding. Yet even when we can't fully grasp it, a single word can give us a glimpse into its meaning. I'm speaking of the nature of our Triune God a…
Continue reading
Post 133
"Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you?" - Matthew 28:20 Teach them to obey? Everything Jesus commanded? For many of us, this is the part of the Great Commission that feels out of reach. Most of us aren't experts, aren't mature enough, and don't know enough Scrip…
Continue reading
Post 134
Pentecost
"You will be My witnesses?" (Ac?1:8) After the resurrection, Jesus did not remain with His disciples continuously. But He did appear to them on many occasions over forty days (Ac?1:3). He came to them, spoke with them, ate with them, and opened their minds to…
Continue reading
Post 135
Pentecost
"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:45 Have you ever read Scripture and felt like you should understand it- but you don't? You know the words. You know the story. You know what happened. But the meaning stays just out of reach- like …
Continue reading
Post 136
Pentecost
"And remember, I am with you always, Even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised His presence as we step into disciple-making. But what does that presence mean? Is it a feeling I'd have if I were spiritual enough? Is it the rush of immediate answers to pra…
Continue reading
Post 137
Pentecost
"Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49 Before Jesus sent them, He stopped them. Before the mission, He gave a command that didn't feel like a strategy. Stay. Wait. Don't move. Jesus knew they had the message. They had th…
Continue reading
Post 138
Pentecost
"All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer?" - Acts 1:14 Before the rushing wind of Pentecost. Before the flames that rested on each one. Before the tongues that spread the gospel. There was another miracle- quiet enough to miss, powerful enough to change ev…
Continue reading
Post 139
Pentecost
"And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias." (Acts 1:26) They had spent three years with Judas. Walking the same dusty roads. Sharing the same meals. Preaching the same kingdom. Healing the sick. Casting out demons. Sleeping under the same stars. Th…
Continue reading
Post 140
Pentecost
Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven." - Acts 2:2 You may know the stories. Moses at the sea (Ex 14). Elijah in the sky (2 Kgs 2). Pentecost in the upper room (Acts 2). But almost none of us see how those moments-centuries apart- reveal one s…
Continue reading
Post 141
Pentecost
And He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 The night before His death, while in the Upper Room, Jesus promised a Helper—the Spirit (Jn 14:16–17; 16:7). The disciples didn’t understand what He meant. And here’s something you may not know about Jesus—…
Continue reading
Post 142
Pentecost
And He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 They were waiting, and something waited for them. Holding onto Jesus’ last words— “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” They only knew He told them to stay, to wait. Nothing Jesus to…
Continue reading
Post 143
Pentecost
And suddenly a sound came from heaven, like a rushing wind filling the house. Acts 2:2 The disciples were in the upstairs room because Jesus told them to wait for the Father’s promise. God had always been with His people— in cloud, in fire, in a tent, in a temple. Close—never i…
Continue reading
Post 144
Pentecost
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” Acts 1:8 The Great Commission began with authority. Pentecost began with power— Holy Spirit power, undeniable then, working today. Filled with that power, the same Peter who once denie…
Continue reading
Post 145
Pentecost
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) Pentecost isn’t about noise, fire, or spectacle (Acts 2:2–3). It’s about one thing: the power Jesus promised— power to experience His presence and make Him known. (John 14–15)…
Continue reading
Post 146
Pentecost
“And they remembered His words.” — Luke 24:8 A person born blind who suddenly receives sight has vision— but they don’t yet know what they’re seeing. Light floods in. Shapes appear. Color explodes. But meaning takes time. So they examine the world with the senses they do under…
Continue reading
Post 147
Pentecost
“The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing.” — John 5:19 Many people think Jesus lived His earthly life with a kind of power we could never touch— moving through the world with power unavailable to us. But Scripture tells a different story.…
Continue reading
Post 148
Pentecost
“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a violent rushing wind. Acts 2:2 They were waiting, in a room filled with anticipation. The soft shuffle of people gathered in one place. Then— The sound of a tornado rising above all else until no other sound remained. A soun…
Continue reading
Post 149
Pentecost
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. Acts 9:5 Of all the people Jesus could have appeared to last, He chose the one least likely to believe. It was to His greatest enemy. Saul wasn’t searching for Jesus. He was hunting His followers. Breathing threats. Carrying letters of a…
Continue reading
Post 150
Pentecost
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 You may not know this about Jesus— He is the One who asked Isaiah that question. Isaiah saw the Lord high and exalted, seated on the throne, su…
Continue reading
Post 151
"I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world." - Mt 13:35 Matthew 13 is the moment Jesus opens eight parables to reveal four truths about the Kingdom of God. But none of it will matter if you don't understand why He chose to spe…
Continue reading
Post 152
"The seed is the word of God." - Lu 8:11 Jesus steps out of the house and sits beside the sea. (Mt 13:1-2) The crowds gather, and He gives them one word- the word that shapes everything that follows: Sower. Not because every parable is about farming, but because every parable …
Continue reading
Post 153
"Those who were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit." - Mk 4:20 Jesus is teaching how the kingdom grows: not by force, but by the condition of the heart. One seed. Four outcomes. Not because of the seed, but because of the soil. TH…
Continue reading
Post 154
"Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." Psalm 95:7-8 The last three posts have explored the Parable of the Sower. Today, we turn the lens inward- because Jesus didn't tell this story to inform us, but to expose what is happening in our own hearts, and to help u…
Continue reading
Post 155
"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man? the field is the world?" - Matthew 13:37 Jesus follows the Parable of the Sower with a paired agricultural one- a parable that shifts the focus from the condition of the heart to the condition of the world. Here the question is: Wha…
Continue reading
Post 156
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed? the smallest of all seeds." - Matthew 13:31 Jesus is speaking to people who knew what they held in their palm, and what it would one day become. The mustard seed was the smallest seed an Israelite would plant. Tiny in size. Huge in…
Continue reading
Post 157
"Beware the leaven of the Pharisees." - Matthew 16:6 Leaven is a small piece of old dough saved from yesterday's batch. It's alive. It's active. And once you press it into fresh dough, it works quietly, slowly, invisibly- until the whole lump becomes like it (Mt. 13:33). Whate…
Continue reading
Post 158
"The kingdom of God is in the midst of you." - Luke 17:21 Jesus says the Kingdom works like leaven- quiet, steady, unstoppable- until the whole life becomes shaped by the future God has already begun. Paul says the same thing in different words: "Christ in you, the hope …
Continue reading
Post 159
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field." (Mt?13:44) Jesus uses hidden treasure to show how the Kingdom can be present yet unseen. God's work is seldom small- It may sl…
Continue reading
Post 160
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a gem dealer looking for beautiful pearls. One day he found a pearl of great price, and he went and sold all he had and bought it." (Matt.13:45-46) Jesus said the Kingdom is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. This man had searched everywhe…
Continue reading
Post 161
The Dragnet "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish." Matthew 13:47 We live in a world where light and darkness swim side by side. Where the children of God share water with those who want nothing to do wit…
Continue reading
Post 162
"Every scribe trained for the Kingdom is like a householder who brings out treasures- new and old." Matthew 13:52 As we grow in the Lord, He shows us truths we hadn't seen before- treasures that steady us, comfort us, and draw us deeper into His heart. It's natura…
Continue reading
Post 163
The Beatitudes "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 He sat down- the posture of a teaching Rabbi- on a hillside curved like an amphitheater above the glistening Sea of Galilee. New grass brushed ankles. Wildflowers painte…
Continue reading
Post 164
The Beatitudes "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4 There is a mourning every human heart knows- the grief of loss, the ache of love torn open. You may not know this about Jesus, but He is comfort. Not just the giver of it- the em…
Continue reading
Post 165
The Beatitudes "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 The world grabs. Yet God blesses us when we don't. The meek are the yielded, the steady, the strong who refuse to force their own way. They are war horses who could charge but…
Continue reading
Post 166
Blessed Are The Hungry "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6) Jesus doesn't say, "Blessed are the righteous," but "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." To hunger and thirst for righteousness…
Continue reading
Post 167
Blessed Are The Merciful "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Matthew 5:7 Mercy is more than feeling someone's pain. It removes the source of pain. That's what Jesus does. Because Jesus is mercy. When we abide in Him, we share His empathy, H…
Continue reading
Post 168
Beatitudes "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 There is a longing we all know- the longing to see God clearly. We believe. We pray. We worship. but distractions pull us away from God. Into that reality Jesus promises some will be blessed to …
Continue reading
Post 169
Seek the Peacemaker, Not the Peace "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Matthew 5:9 Peace isn't something Jesus creates around Him. He is the Peacemaker (Ephesians 2:14). Because of this, we don't find peace by chasing peace. We find it …
Continue reading
Post 170
The Beatitudes "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." Matthew 5:11 You may not know this about Jesus, but suffering for His name is the place we enter His suffering. The place He hold…
Continue reading
Post 171
The Beatitudes “Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” Matthew 5:12a Jesus never asks us to celebrate pain. He asks us to look past it. He endured the cross not by focusing on the agony, but by fixing His eyes on the joy set before Him (Heb 12:2). When suffe…
Continue reading
Post 172
The doorway to heaven “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 Every Beatitude is a picture of Jesus. And this one shows Him suffering persecution for doing what is right. We see it when He heals the man …
Continue reading
Post 173
The Beatitudes “For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:12b You may not know this about Jesus, but He never hides the cost of following Him. He tells you the truth- because He knows the truth will steady you when obedience hurts. There is a moment e…
Continue reading
Post 174
“Father, forgive them.” Luke 23:34 Forgiveness is impossible. Not difficult. Not a long process. Not something you “work on.” Impossible. When someone has betrayed you, abandoned you, humiliated you, abused you, or wounded you so deeply that the wound feels open, you cannot f…
Continue reading
Post 175
“Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” Jesus said, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22) When someone wrongs us, we feel they owe us something- a debt we try to collect with coldness, harsh thoughts, silence. Every bitter r…
Continue reading
Post 176
“Love your enemies... and you will be children of your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus roots forgiveness in identity before He ever commands it. We forgive because of who we are- children of the Father, united with the Son, indwelt by the Spirit. In the Sermon …
Continue reading
Post 177
“Abide in Me, and I in you.” John 15:4 Forgiveness begins here. Before Jesus ever speaks of releasing others, He speaks of remaining in Him. You may not know this about Jesus: when He called Himself the Vine, He stepped into Israel’s story- a story where the vine was the nation’…
Continue reading
Post 178
“Apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 Forgiveness exposes this truth faster than anything else. We meet our limits the moment we try to release the one who wounded us. You may not know this about Jesus: He never expected forgiveness to rise from human strength. He expec…
Continue reading
Post 179
“If My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7 After Jesus and the disciples left the Upper Room, they walked toward Gethsemane. Along the way, they likely passed a vineyard. There, Jesus paused and said: “If My words abide in you...” …
Continue reading
Post 180
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.” John 15:9 Jesus shows us that His love is the one reality strong enough to carry the weight of our lives. You may not know this about Jesus- but He never asks you to begin with your love for Him. He begins wi…
Continue reading
Post 181
How to Obey the Impossible Command "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12 Jesus does not hide the standard. He does not soften the command. He does not lower the bar to match our ability. He raises it to match His love. "Th…
Continue reading
Post 182
"Love one another; as I have loved you." John 13:34 Years ago I fell on my knees beside my bed and begged God to save me from myself. I could not love people. I had wounded the ones closest to me. No apology could undo the damage. No promise could erase t…
Continue reading
Post 183
"As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love." John 15:9 Remain. The same word Jesus used for the Vine. The same command. The same relationship. To remain means to stay, to dwell, to continue, to make your home in the love that already ho…
Continue reading
Post 184
"If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love?" Everyone wants a life that can stand in the storm. Jesus tells us that the life that stands is the life that remains in His love. And the way we remain in His love is by keeping His commands. But we canno…
Continue reading
Post 185
"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Matthew 18:21 That's a question most of us have asked God. How many times do I forgive someone who keeps wounding me? How long do I keep trying? Where is the line? When is enough enough? …
Continue reading
Post 186
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7 Jesus doesn't begin with prayer. He begins with remaining. Because the kind of prayer God answers does not start with what I want. It starts with where I live. If I r…
Continue reading
Post 187
"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." John 15:8 You may not know this about Jesus- when He speaks of the Father being glorified, He is not talking about applause, admiration, or religious achievement. To glorify the Father …
Continue reading
Post 188
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full." - John 15:11 You may not know this about Jesus, but He gives only one practice that tells us how to remain in Him, remain in His love, and receive His joy. He does NOT say prayer. or wor…
Continue reading
Post 189
"You are My friends if you do what I command you." John 15:14 Most people assume everyone who believes in Jesus is automatically His friend. But Jesus uses a word that means far more than casual closeness. You may not know this about Jesus- He used two different words for "fri…
Continue reading
Post 190
"I have called you friends, for I made known to you everything from My Father." (John 15:15) You may not know this about Jesus: He calls us friends because He reveals the Father to us. And He reveals the Father through His words. His words are the doorway into …
Continue readingContinue the walk
Stay in Step
Quiet. No rush. Just walking a few pages with Jesus.
