But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9 Grace is an undeserved gift from God that you cannot earn through acts of service or works.  It’s not only what made your salvation possible, it’s what gives you the strength to offer that same unmerited favor to others.  Through grace you received something you didn’t deserve but desperately needed, freedom from the penalty of your sins.  It’s by that same grace that you can forgive someone when they…

Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,    look around and consider,    search through her squares.If you can find but one person    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,    I will forgive this city. Jeremiah 5:1 Today I read a few chapters in the book of Jeremiah. God called this young man to deliver a powerful message to His people who were living in a way that closely resembles our world today. People were seeking their own interests and had completely left God out of their daily lives. They only listened to messages that supported their lustful desires and they followed leaders who only looked for opportunities for their own financial and social gain. Jeremiah’s message started…

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 On Good Friday I watched the movie, The Passion. For years I have chosen to view this movie during Holy Week to be reminded of how much Jesus went through to save me. I loved the compassion He showed to…

Lord, give me the Words to Speak

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Matthew 12:34 A late-night phone call pierces through the silence and leaves you speechless.  Test results confirm a diagnosis you have suspected.  A loved one dies. Your marriage comes to an end or your finances have plummeted. Dire situations like these create an urgency and you cry out, “Lord, save me!” It’s the shortest prayer in the Bible, but one that received immediate results.  No doubt there have been times in your life that you have felt as though you were drowning in your circumstances. What you speak to those circumstances greatly affects the outcome. The words you speak…

He is not here; He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where He lay. (Matthew 28:6) I would have liked to walk with Mary Magdalene and the other ladies as they made their way to the tomb that morning. Mostly because I know how their day was going to turn out and I would have loved to see the amazement on their faces when they heard the Good News and saw the Risen Lord. These women faced two overwhelming problems as they set out to honor Jesus’ body. The Roman guards and the huge rock in the tomb’s doorway. These were impossible obstacles, yet urged on…

What just happened! Yesterday was a day like no other and the believers were emotionally crushed and in observance of the Sabbath, were at their homes. The stillness must have been deafening compared to the uproar of the events the day before. How their minds must have been trying to remember the words that Jesus spoke and comprehend their meaning now that He was dead and buried. Was this real? What would happen next? As the believers sat in silence, the Pharisees remembered and were actively trying to prevent the predicted outcome. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.  “Sir,” they…

In order to prepare my mind and heart for today I read each version of the Good Friday events from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I’m a visual learner and as I read the passages my mind would recall the scenes from the movie The Passion. Tears filled my eyes as I read about the brutal treatment that was given to my Lord. I thought of how exhausted He must have been, the sadness at betrayal and abandonment of some of His followers, the pain from the beatings and the mockery that He endured. Over and over in the passages it said, “these things happened that Scripture might be fulfilled.”…

The Thursday before Easter is known as Maundy Thursday, which is derived from the Latin word for “command,” and refers to Jesus’ commandment to the disciples to “Love one another as I have loved you.” On this night Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover meal together and it’s when Jesus explained and shared communion (The Lord’s Supper) with them; giving them a new commandment, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” This was something that Jesus had eagerly desired to do with His disciples before He suffered. To be in that room watching Jesus interact with His beloved disciples, eating with them, talking with them, reclining with them, must have…

Wednesday is right in the middle of the week. It’s a day that seems pivotal for our attitudes and mindsets. During Passion Week there was no exception. The bible tells us about two people who, at that moment, on that day, made decisions that forever marked them and changed them. One was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and the other was Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples. Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.  “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While…