Tag Archives: salvation

Jesus is honest about the cost of following Him.

The man who reclined at the table, so long ago, listening to Jesus teach, thought it sounded great! He exclaimed, “Blessed is he who shall eat in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15) He was ready to make his dinner reservations in Heaven. But our honest Savior wanted the man (and all of us) toContinue reading “Jesus is honest about the cost of following Him.”

Why do some fall away?

For years, I had read this somewhat strange passage and wondered what it meant— “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and putContinue reading “Why do some fall away?”

HOPE for us and this nation.

Our country feels kind of hopeless right now. But I don’t have to look further than my own family to know Jesus can change things quickly. I thought about my cousin. He’s a pastor. A while back we had sat together and talked about Jesus, the Word, and the world. His tattoo reads, “Finish Well.”Continue reading “HOPE for us and this nation.”

Do your friends truly love you? Do you truly love them?

I heard a pastor once say, “You can’t preach peace to those who walk in disobedience.” The truth is, as much as we want others to experience the rivers of peace we know because of Christ; those who insist on walking their own way, in disobedience to the ways of God, will never experience theContinue reading “Do your friends truly love you? Do you truly love them?”

Tuesday after Easter

About now, I think about those who only attend church on Easter and Christmas. Something draws them there—maybe it’s sweet childhood memories, maybe they are trying to check a box, maybe they are looking for God but are not sure if they can go “all in”. After all, there’s a lot about faith in aContinue reading “Tuesday after Easter”

It’s all true!

The ground shook.The angel appeared.The stone rolled away.The soldiers fell like dead men.The grave empty.Death defeated!The Way Made!Victory complete. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND DEFEATED SIN AND DEATH! This changed everything! When Christians say, “He is Risen”, it’s not that we are saying Christianity is useful. We are saying that it is TRUE! AllContinue reading “It’s all true!”

The Two Beside Him

Those two criminals.Bleeding.Bruised.Guilty. In the Savior’s final moments, one criminal hung on each side of Him. Those two represent all of us. We are each likeoneor the otherof them. It’s no accident, this picture. There they were.So close to Jesus.Can you imagine? They both knew who He was.But only one of them would be saved.Continue reading “The Two Beside Him”

How could this be good?

The picture is horrific. Our eyes want to turn away. We know. We’ve heard the story. We’ve been told, it’s not about bunnies but about a bloody cross. That day, that Good Friday, that day that looked anything but “good” – that day everything changed. Early in the morning on the day Jesus would beContinue reading “How could this be good?”

Judas Heart

Judas betrayed Jesus (Matt 26:47). His name is forever linked with betrayal. He sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and we’ve shaken our heads that he could betray the Son of God for so very little…for so cheap. While I know Jesus was completely in control, came to die, and could have called downContinue reading “Judas Heart”

He waited

Silent Wednesday. It’s what some scholars call this day of Holy Week. Jesus had spent Tuesday preaching and warning, being aggressively challenged by the religious leaders. But then there is Wednesday. Silent Wednesday. Waiting Wednesday. Jesus knew what was coming. He watched his friend, Judas, slip away to make a deal to betray him. MaryContinue reading “He waited”

After the cheers faded…

I wonder about that morning after Jesus had rode in on the donkey, after the crowd had cheered and waved palm branches…I wonder, did He look around at His disciples? I wonder, as the disciples still celebrated over breakfast, did he wonder if they remembered what He had told them just a few days before?Continue reading “After the cheers faded…”

Palm Sunday

With smiles on their faces and exuberant expectation, the crowds waved the palm branches shouting, “Hosanna” which literally means, “Save Please!” and then, just a while later, that same crowd would scream, “Crucify Him!” And we question, how could they so quickly change? How could they question the famous one, the Miracle Maker, who hadContinue reading “Palm Sunday”

A Sovereign Delay while Satan Rules.

I can only imagine the spiritual battle being waged in the heavenlies as Jesus headed toward Jerusalem and what we call the Triumphal Entry and Holy Week. Surely, the demons seethed and swarmed. And while we prepare our hearts to celebrate the fact that Satan and his minions were eternally defeated with the blood-bought, death-defeatingContinue reading “A Sovereign Delay while Satan Rules.”

Felix’s last chance

So many, who hold on to this world, think they have many, many chances left to think about eternity and Jesus. Surely Felix did. (Acts 24). Felix had been a slave, set free by the Emperor Claudius and went on to gain political status to govern Judea from A.D. 52 to 60. The writer TacitusContinue reading “Felix’s last chance”

Did you blow it? Another reason to celebrate Easter!

Did you blow it yesterday? Did sin raise it’s ugly head in you again? Did something you thought you had mastered, master you? Are you disappointed in yourself? Friend, it’s a great date for a clean slate. And this day IS a clean slate, brand new, a blank page, a total do-over for those whoContinue reading “Did you blow it? Another reason to celebrate Easter!”

Hard words as we prepare our hearts for Easter.

He came for the messed up sinner. I think a lot about that as Easter approaches in just a couple of weeks. We love that He ran after the prodigal, ate with the tax collectors and stepped in to prevent the stoning of the woman caught in adultery. We love that He left the 99Continue reading “Hard words as we prepare our hearts for Easter.”

You can’t be NEUTRAL on your FAITH.

You can’t be neutral in your faith. If it impacts you, you should want it to impact those you care about. John Piper went so far as to say, “If you don’t want people to believe what you believe about God, your views of Him are not functionally significant for you.” The fact is, ifContinue reading “You can’t be NEUTRAL on your FAITH.”

Is God shaking us?

As craziness and immorality continues to be justified and celebrated in this country, and scary things continue to happen around us, I’ve wondered if God is shaking us. There’s part of me that still holds out hope that better days will come through the election of God-fearing leaders. But that hope has continued to dwindle.Continue reading “Is God shaking us?”

Many people who truly feel sorry for their sins never come to God and ask for forgiveness

Is Judas in heaven or hell? There has been much debate over the actions of Judas in Matthew 27:3-5. He throws the thirty pieces of silver at the temple then goes and hangs himself. At the very least, Judas realized those thirty pieces of silver, his idea of the better way, was far from better.Continue reading “Many people who truly feel sorry for their sins never come to God and ask for forgiveness”