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 …

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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 …

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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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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. …

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Jesus Came to Help, Bless, and Serve

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited…”   (Phil. 2:5-6) Exploitation is a dirty word because it’s ugly and heinous for one person to use another, one race to put down …

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Keeping Awake in Our Faith

“And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mk. 13:37) I was in Galveston taking a kayak trip. After two hours of paddling, I was tired. Because there weren’t any boats on the horizon and the waters were calm, I decided to take a short nap. I was awakened when I …

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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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Jesus can Lift Up, Heal and Mend Us

“When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’”    (Jn. 1:38) When Jesus noticed that some people were following him, He turned around and asked, “What are you looking for?” Did they answer? No. …

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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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