“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. …
Tag: faith
A Glimmer of Being Loved by Jesus
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (Jn. 13:1) Even though Jesus knew that His disciples would deny and desert Him, He loved them “to the end.” Loving them to the “end” meant that He loved them to the uttermost, loved them without end, loved them …
Jesus Rules with Joy and Freedom
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’” (Jn. 18:36-37) Pilate had every …
Jesus is Always With You
“Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (Jn. 20:8-9) Although I believe Jesus was raised from the dead, I don’t always live into the implications of what I …
Belonging to Jesus
“Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own…” (Jn. 13:1) Of course, Jesus loved “his own.” His “own” were the first 12 disciples. He loved them because they had steadfastly followed Him for three …
Jesus — God’s Gift to Us
“Everything that the Father gives to me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away...” (John 6:37) We say Jesus is God’s gift to us, and He is. Today’s passage, however, doesn’t say that. Instead, today’s words make this astounding claim: We are God’s gift to Jesus. …
Our Relationship With God
“Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” (Lk. 17:9-10) Whatever happened to casting our burden upon the Lord? To the Lord knowing …
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 …
Sharing Love Forever with God
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16) No line in scripture is so well known or so often recited. Because we’re so used to these words, I sometimes think we don’t fully …
God — Our Engineer and Lord
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” (Jer. 17:7) Have you ever traveled on the Apocalyptic Train? Most often, when I get on this train, it’s in the middle of the night. I’m lying in bed, and this “end-time” train is taking me to terrible and terrifying places. …