Holy Week – Day 6: Good Friday – What’s Good About It?
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 of us all. -Isaiah 53:5–6 Our human minds can’t even begin to grasp the enormity of the price Jesus paid for us on the cross. If we did,
The Last Four Days of Holy Week Meditation
If someone asked you to associate one word each for the four days from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, what would those four words be? For me, they would be love, suffering, grief, and joy. Maundy Thursday: Love A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. –John 13:34 Jesus’ new commandment is intended for the disciples’ welfare and for them to enjoy lives of meaning and purpose. In his ministry, he gives us a model of love
Invincible Joy: Oliver Asher on Finding Joy on The Walk Podcast
Oliver Asher presents us with one of the most amazing, gripping life stories we have had on our show. His struggles gave him plenty of reasons to be hopeless about life, yet he has written a book about the miraculous power Jesus Christ gives to rise above the worst of circumstances. Hear more about Oliver Asher's faith journey and his joy-fueled mission. You can find his book, Invincible Joy: Chasing God’s Dreams For Your Life, on Amazon, or read more at oliverasher.com. To hear
From the Pastor: Dreaming God-Ordained Dreams
As we begin our 2024 faith journey together, I want to talk briefly about the power of dreams—big, exciting, God-ordained dreams. So take a minute to think about what your dreams are: A way of helping others? Making a difference in our community? A better job? Peace and prosperity for your family? More money? A new ministry? Now ask yourself—how does the way you see God affect the way you perceive your dreams? The first point to get straight is in our
God of the Last Minute
Whether we study the Bible, the history of Israel, or the church, a consistent theme reappears: God likes to take his time doing his will, but he's never late. This means that often (very often), he prefers to wait until the last minute, the 59th minute of the eleventh hour, to answer our prayers and bring about his will and purposes. That God likes to do it this way is not hard to prove. Just read the hundreds of books written
God’s Love: The Best Gift
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 God is love. We hear this all the time, and Scripture affirms his character is the very essence of love. Yet we make the mistake of ignoring Scripture and instead defining God's love in terms of what we think it is, rather than first understanding what his love means and then measuring ours in the light
Knowing Your Purpose
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. -Acts 20:24 One of the inspiring marks of the apostle Paul’s life was that he knew his purpose. He was utterly controlled by the Good News of the Gospel—believing, loving, preaching, and defending it, often at the risk of his life. In this passage, Paul is speaking
The Battle Belongs to the Lord
“… This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's." -2 Chronicles 20:15 We can’t face the day and fight the same battles any longer—we’re worn out, and there are too many enemies, too much meanness to take on. We’re tired of fighting the same emotional war. What is there to do? In this unusual passage, God orders the people not to try to fight
Are You There, God?
In the good times and the bad, we're always in God's hands! This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Can God Really Help You?
Believing in a God who delivers and rescues you from your problems is wishful thinking. It's an emotional crutch for those who need it. If you're a Christian, you will inevitably hear condescending sentiments and objections like these. But stop for a moment and think through these statements. On who does the burden of proof lie? Believers can confidently say there is a God because they have experienced his help. We just have to know that on a desperate day in
