Jesus’ Love and Grace

“He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.” (Jn. 6:71) There are few feelings more painful than being betrayed. It feels like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and then stomped on. The closer the relationship, the deeper the …

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Jesus Lifts You Up Into New Life

“For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead…” (1 Peter 4:6) What happened to Jesus between Good Friday and Easter? Although we don’t exactly know, today’s scripture suggests that Jesus was raised from the dead before Easter morning so that He could offer salvation to those who had already died. …

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A Good Day For Us

'In all this, I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’   (Acts 20:35) Mr. Mac cut grass, raked leaves, and worked on my grandmother’s many flower gardens when …

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Our Personal Relationship With Jesus

“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands,’ and the one you have now is not your husband.’”    (Jn. 4:16-18) Before this moment, the …

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Fill Your Heart With Good Cheer

“A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” (Pro. 17:22) In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I was asked to become the Interim Director of a department at work. The previous director had been removed for misbehaving and bullying the staff, and I was installed to put the …

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The Grace of Jesus

“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’”    (Rev. 21:5) A friend, during a recent conversation, said she had just taken a DNA test. When I asked if she had learned anything interesting about her background, her eyes got real big, and she said, “Yes, …

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The Presence of Jesus In Us

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.” (Lk. 1:41) “… it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) The joy that Elizabeth and Mary shared in today’s first scripture could only have happened with God. Elizabeth was considered too old to become …

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The Lord God is Always With You

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.”    (Josh. 1:9) Once I was asked to give a graduation address to some men who, after leaving prison, had joined an intensive program to change their lives. Before giving …

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A Wise Counsel of Elders

“The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, ‘My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”  …

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Jesus’ Bigger Heart of Grace

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”    (Luke 7:47) Jesus tells a Pharisee named Simon that the sinful woman who bathed his feet with her tears loves lavishly because she had been forgiven …

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