Revelation 1:5 “and from Jesus Christ ... to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood...”Revelation 1:18 “and the living One (Jesus). I died and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”Revelation 2:3 “I know you are... bearing up for my name’s sake”Revelation 2:10 “...Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”Revelation 2:17 “....

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians during a time of persecution. They were encouraged not to return to the practices of the old Jewish covenant. The encouragement was to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith.” (Hebrews 13:1-3)The race is the challenge to persevere, pick up our cross daily and strive to be more like ...

Have you surrendered ALL to the Lord? Those words from the pulpit cut like a knife through my bitter heart. I started thinking "Why am I so tired if I have surrendered it ALL to him? Why am I hesitant to take things to the cross?" The Holy Spirit reminded me of the book of James saying count it ALL joy when you go through trials. How do I do that? It's not possible, I thought. I can't control what...

Colossians 1:9-14 became my favorite verses in 2021. I was reading through the Old Testament and when I got to the first chapter of Colossians I continued to read that chapter every day for the next week. I was so drawn to it and desired to know it and live it. So much so that they have been the verses that I specifically pray over each of my family members and close friends daily, since 2021. The...

The Apostle Paul, a man of profound theological insight, penned the epistle to the Philippians from a prison cell. Yet, his words exude not despair, but a radiant joy that defies earthly circumstances. This joy, he insists, is not contingent upon external factors, but rather, it is a fruit of the Spirit, cultivated in the soul of the believer.Paul's joy springs from a deep and abiding faith in Chr...

In Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia, he (in classic Paul style) was writing to correct false doctrine that had crept into the church and to remind them of the truth of the gospel and our identity as followers of Jesus. In Galatians 4:4-7 he writes, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so ...

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 says, "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He wa...

We have heard people ask, “Would a loving God send someone to hell?” The answer is in the Gospel! Romans 1:16 states, “The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”  Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners. “But God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God has provided a way of escape for those who will ...

The Book of Acts is the continuation of the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The Greek word for preaching the gospel (euangelizo) appears in Acts more than any other book of the Bible. That gospel is no trivial thing but remarkable as seen in one of my preferred passages in Acts. The gospel changing power is displayed in the story of the Damascus road.Acts 9:3-6, "And ...

Navigating Jesus’s parables can be difficult. My sister and I shared a bedroom and we both had bulletin boards where we would often hang bible verses. I remember reading a bible verse from the book of Mark and it was very confusing to my 16-year-old brain. It read, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it...