WHY, GOD?SCRIPTUREAbout three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").-Matthew 27:46We prefer our saviors to look like saviors. We echo Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the first verse of Isaiah's great prophecy: "Who would have thought GOD's saving power would look like this?" (Isaiah 53:1, MSG). We l...  Read More

SEEDS OF BETRAYAL SCRIPTUREGreatly distressed, each one asked in turn, "Am I the one, Lord?"-Matthew 26:22 (NLT)Betrayal is a subtle visitor--until it isn't. On the night Jesus was betrayed, only he saw the darkness lurking. He gathered with his disciples to eat the Passover meal. Jesus always used every moment to open hearts to the truth. He took the towel and basin and washed his disciples' feet...  Read More

AM I AN ANSWER TO JESUS’S PRAYER?SCRIPTUREI will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.-John 17:11Have you ever heard someone pray for you who did not know you were listening? The closest I ever came was seeing my name written in my moth...  Read More

WHEN JESUS TURNED THE TABLESSCRIPTUREFor we are the temple of the living God.- 2 Corinthians 6:16bWhen I was six or seven years old, my father pastored a small church. There was no money for janitorial services. On Saturday nights our family cleaned the church. While I didn't always enjoy it, there was something special about getting the building ready for Sunday. It was a feeling I've never forgo...  Read More

ARE WE PALM SUNDAY PEOPLE?SCRIPTUREIn your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.-Philippians 2:5Jerusalem was crowded with people shouting a hopeful song. Were they celebrating Jesus as one who was like a Messiah, or did they understand that Jesus was the Messiah? Palm Sunday won't answer that question. The answer comes with what they did with their praise on Monda...  Read More

A HEART THAT BURNSWORSHIP FOCUSRememberSCRIPTURERejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.-Zechariah 9:9We look at the last week of Jesus's life before the cross. We know that everything he says and does carries weight. This is not the time for the trivial and munda...  Read More

WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE?SCRIPTUREPeter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now?I will lay down my life for you."-John 13:37Jesus knew his time with the disciples was limited. He did not waste words as he spoke about going where they could not go (see John 13:33). What waited for Jesus and his followers wouldn't be easy, and Jesus wanted to prepare them.Bumbling Peter tried to prove his...  Read More

USEFUL WASTESCRIPTUREThen Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."-John 12:3-5Jesus an...  Read More

DEAD MAN WALKINGSCRIPTUREWhen he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."-John 11:43-44The story of Lazarus is a personal and dramatic healing by Jesus. Lazarus was dead for three days. They wrapped him in bur...  Read More

ONE OF TENSCRIPTURENow on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"-Luke 17:11-13By this time in Jesus's ministry, interruptions weren't new. He was no longer nameless or unrecognizable. Crowds followed ...  Read More

RICH OR POOR?SCRIPTUREJust then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"-Matthew 19:16Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he was interrupted. Not one to ignore a person, Jesus stopped and directed his attention to the wealthy man. When this intruder had Jesus's attention, he called Jesus "teacher." Clearly this man had already heard enough abou...  Read More

THE TAX COLLECTOR IN MESCRIPTUREAfter this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.-Luke 5:27-28Jesus's disciple whom we know as Matthew--called Levi in this passage from Luke—was a tax collector. He was hated, snubbed, and considered to be a Jewish traitor. He over-colle...  Read More