Bleak Saturday: New Life
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20 Yes, on Saturday, for the disciples, the future looked very bleak. Their beloved Master had been brutally crucified and now lay resting in the tomb. They believed his message and had hope for some ultimate resurrection. But, unlike us, they
Good Friday: What’s Good About It?
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? –Psalm 22:1 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity
Giver or Taker
Giver or taker? Which one are you? God is the biggest giver in the Bible. His gift to us is the gift of salvation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Bible clearly defines who God wants us to be—a giver. It is not only pleasing to God to give and serve, but it is also the Christian’s job description and a way
God Is Watching Over You
The biblical character Job is a classic example of someone who lost everything—his beloved children, financial wealth, health, and everything he treasured. What Job learned in the long reflections and conversations with his Creator was the fact that he was not in charge of his life or anyone else’s. He was not God and was not in a position to second-guess God. He was left with the only confession that one can make when there’s nothing left: “The Lord gave,
How to Live a Fun, Purpose-filled, and Joyful 2025?
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” -Philippians 2:3-4 Picking up from my message on Christmas Eve, I’m adding Paul’s motivational advice on how to live as Christians! Paul wants us to avoid the very human tendency to put ourselves first and others second. By nature, we approach things with a “what’s-in-it-for-me?” attitude.
The Star of Bethlehem
“After listening to the king, they [the Magi] went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” – Matthew 2:9–10 The new dazzling light that appeared in the night sky, catching the Magi’s attention in the first place, rarely gets the press it deserves. This anomaly led these professional star-watchers to
The Baby in the Manger
I remember the first moment I laid eyes on my daughters, how small, how helpless, how fragile they felt in my hands. The responsibility I felt to protect and nurture these tiny humans was overwhelming. We all enter this world with a blazing fragility, totally dependent on those in whose care we are placed. Why, then, would salvation begin with the baby in the manger? Why not begin with the Son of God descending from heaven onto the earth, adult and mature,
Daniel: How Can We Live Faithfully in Babylonian Times?
Our next session of The Munich Bible Study on Zoom is off to a great start! We began last Wednesday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m. with the book of Daniel. What wisdom and insights can we draw from Daniel regarding living in an increasingly hostile world? The study will teach us how we can live faithfully in Babylonian times. Professor George Barna, a leading expert in church and worldview trends, states that we’ve reached a place of “Christian invisibility in our culture.” It’s
The Truth, the Whole Truth, And Nothing But Lies
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. -Psalm 51:6 “Corrupt politicians, dishonest journalists and media outlets, broken social institutions, immoral religious leaders, unconstitutional government programs and policies, and more, have generated non-stop headlines highlighting the decadence of American society and the demise of the United States.” So George Barna concludes in a new study conducted recently. Although the study is about American society, the same can be said of many other parts of
A Bad Day?
So, you're having a bad day. A very bad day. No. You're having a bad, very long season in your life. Do you think that something horrible that happens to you could turn out to be something really good—or maybe not even really good, but one of the best things that ever happened to you? The apostle Paul thinks so. 1) In Romans 8, Paul says that God is at work in everything for good for those who love God and are called according to his
