Approach the throne of grace with confidence. —Hebrews 4:16 Esther was the queen—the king’s wife. But when she decided to appeal to him for mercy on behalf of the Jews who had been sentenced to annihilation, she was terrified. Why? Because approaching […]
Want an Appointment with God? Read More »
Even the wind and the waves obey him. —Mark 4:41 Mothers dry tears. Mechanics fix stuff. Surgeons repair things. But weather? Meteorologists predict it. Cities prepare for it. Everybody talks about it. But only God controls it. Jesus’ disciples saw him cast
Remember me when you come into your kingdom. —Luke 23:42 Jesus gave his disciples the bread to eat and the cup to drink: “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said (1 Cor 11:24, 25). From that time on the Lord’s Supper would be a relevant ritual of remembrance. Confessing that he
Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. —Hebrews 9:27 According to a well-worn story, when William Gladstone was prime minister of Great Britain, a young man approached him for advice. Gladstone asked him what his immediate plans were. “I’m going to complete my studies at Oxford,”
Well done, good and faithful servant! —Matthew 25:21 The day Frederick Buechner graduated from Princeton, he and his classmates were decked out in caps and gowns, ready to march to their commencement seats. A fellow-graduate strolled the line and asked each of them, “What are you going
What Are You Going to Do Now? Read More »
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. —Mark 2:17 The Pharisees were appalled that Jesus was hanging out with sinners. Jesus countered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough” (NLT).
There was no room for them in the inn. —Luke 2:7 It’s special to be wanted and welcomed. And painful to be unwanted and unwelcomed. When Jesus was born, there wasn’t a room for him in Bethlehem. And when
Do You Have Room for Him? Read More »
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. —Luke 24:31 The Emmaus disciples hadn’t recognized Jesus when he joined them on their walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus. But at dinner, when he “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them . . . their
We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. —Luke 24:21 Do you have some failed hopes in your relationship with Jesus? “We had hoped,” said the depressed Emmaus disciples, “that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” But he hadn’t
Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. —Luke 24:15 The two downcast disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when he joined them on their trek to Emmaus. Maybe it was because they didn’t expect to see him. After all, he was dead; crucified last Friday. Jesus travels with us on our
Embrace His Presence Read More »
