Resources Archives - Page 18 of 21

June 29, 2020

God’s Scouts

“. . . for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). As the voice of the Holy Spirit calls us to do courageous things for the Kingdom of God, we sometimes wonder if we are really hearing His voice. We may shy away from walking down a certain path in faith and boldness for fear of ruining God’s reputation when, in fact, it is His glory that rests at the end of the road. Paul found God’s grace in the unlikeliest of places—on a dusty road to Damascus. Yet, he was more than simply arrested by God’s splendor and glory. In a matter of days, as Paul regained his vision, he saw God’s vision for his life. Basking in the glow of God’s glorious grace, Paul found himself venturing into something that, less than a week before, no one would have thought possible. More than […]

June 15, 2020

For Such a Time

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). The Bible gives us many examples of people embracing God’s vision, even when they may have felt afraid or unqualified. Let’s look at the life of Esther. Esther realized God’s vision when she was called to approach King Xerxes on behalf of the Jewish people. In Esther 4:14, Mordecai suggests that perhaps she has come to her royal position for such a time as this. Esther was afraid and unsure, but she still stepped up and accepted God’s vision for her life. At great personal risk, she met the need before her and saved God’s people. What if Esther had convinced herself she was not worthy of the task or had refused to carry it out for fear of the consequences? What a missed opportunity that would have been to glorify God by trusting in His sovereign will that flows […]

May 17, 2020

His Hour Had Come

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). How many times in the Gospel of John does Jesus talk about His hour? He regularly said, “My hour has not yet come,” or, “The hour is coming.” It was as if Jesus was hearing the chimes of a clock that nobody else could. The life of the Lord Jesus Christ—the sum total of His ministry and mission—was leading to this one, final cry, “Tetelestai,” or, “It is finished.” From His birth through His boyhood, manhood, and public ministry, Jesus’ focus was to finish the work His Father had given to Him—the work of redemption. From the very beginning, God’s plan for our redemption required Jesus’ death and resurrection. If you have never experienced the finished work of the cross of Christ, you can today. Right now you can say, “It is finished. Lord God, I come surrendering my life to You. […]

May 3, 2020

Coming Back to the Cross

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13). When John showed up at the cross, Jesus did not say to him, “John, where were you? I was looking for you. I thought that, of all the disciples, you would be the one who would have stood by me during the trial. Where were you, John?” There was no rebuke. There was no “I told you so.” Rather, He looked at him, and He gave him the highest responsibility that our dying Savior could give anyone. He said, “Son, here is your mother.” The Lord was saying that He wanted John to substitute for Him. He wanted John to stand in His place to speak for Him—to care for His mother. Some of us have made promises to the Lord, promises that we are going […]

April 27, 2020

With Me in Paradise

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise'” (Luke 23:43). As we continue looking at the statements of Jesus on the cross, today we look at His second: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In one of His final interactions before His death, Jesus compassionately extended eternal life. As He openly prayed for the forgiveness of His killers, Jesus sparked an internal transformation in the criminal next to Him. In humility, the criminal said to Jesus, “[R]emember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). In the midst of great suffering and torment, our Savior did not allow His own pain and circumstances to distract Him from the cries of faith from a repentant sinner. Jesus knew that this was the very reason He was hanging on that cross. Just as He was not too preoccupied to minister to this criminal, He is never […]

April 20, 2020

Our Only Hope, Now and Forever

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 20-26. Think about what it must have been like to arrive at Jesus’ tomb Easter morning, full of sorrow, only to discover the large stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away. Imagine being greeted by an angel with the incredible news that your Lord was no longer dead but alive! To witness the resurrection and experience it as a close friend of Jesus must have been something. But here’s the amazing thing: The Bible says we haven’t missed out. Though we are two thousand years late to the party, we can still experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ and bear witness to its power. How? you might ask. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul says that when Christ comes into your life, when you truly surrender to Him, […]

April 6, 2020

He Gave His Son

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). When God wanted to show us His love, He gave. And He gave everything. Only in heaven will we come close to grasping the unity of the Godhead and what it means that the Father “did not spare his own Son” (Romans 8:32). But because God desires a relationship with us, because He wants us to know Him, He graciously helps us understand the wonder of the Gospel by communicating to our limited, finite minds with a relationship familiar to us. He chose to communicate the depth of His love for us through the image of the father-son relationship. In the Hebrew culture into which Christ was born, the father-son relationship was precious—the two persons were inseparable. So when God revealed Jesus to the world, He revealed Him as Son, and […]

March 23, 2020

Pursuing Lost Sheep

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Throughout the Old Testament, we see God as our caring, protective shepherd: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. (Psalm 23:1-2) He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11) As God’s sheep, we can take comfort in knowing that our Good Shepherd loves us enough to go after the one lost sheep (see Matthew 18:12-14). He shows His love for us through His vigilance, faithfulness, and commitment to pursue that one wandering sheep; and when He finds the sheep, He joyfully carries him all the way home. We may think that […]

March 16, 2020

Lost and Found

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found'” (Luke 15:31-32). Read Luke 15:11-32. Too often we see men and women who are living like the older brother in this story, and we can’t even tell there’s a problem. These people are in church. Some of them may even teach Sunday school, volunteer to help run vacation Bible school, or host a small group. The older son is really not that different from his younger brother. Both sons wanted what their father could give them, but neither was truly invested in his relationship with him. The younger son chose the more direct approach. He essentially told the father to drop dead so he could have his inheritance ahead of schedule. The older brother was more patient. He chose […]

March 9, 2020

A Reason to Praise

“For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet” (Psalm 47:2-3). Psalm 47:1 says: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Most people have no problem clapping and shouting for their favorite sports team, but when it comes to church, they become tongue-tied, merely mouthing the words. Some don’t even do that. They come to praise God, but they never do. They keep their mouths shut. Today, in every corner of the globe, God’s people are suffering at the hands of persecutors who falsely accuse them simply because they believe in Jesus. The police chase them like criminals. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being muzzled and intimidated, even in the West. Psalm 47 reminds us that the day is coming when we are going to reign and rule with Christ in the universe. The day is coming […]

March 2, 2020

Prepare for His Coming

“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted” (Psalm 47:8-9). The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and the bride is His church from every tribe, tongue, and nation. As the bride of Christ, our role is to prepare for the Lord’s return. How do we prepare? In Psalm 47, the psalmist looks forward to that day when God’s people from every tribe, from every nation, from every tongue, from every corner of the globe will worship the living God. At that time, people from every race, color, and background will lift up the name of the Lord. People—whether they be rich or poor, whether they are educated or not—will join together in the praise of His glory. The psalmist reminds Israel that God is not just […]

February 17, 2020

The Life of Prayer

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Have you ever heard someone describe a terrible situation and say, “There was nothing left to do but pray”? Talking like that, prayer seems like a weapon of last resort. But prayer is far more powerful than that. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5. As Paul peered into the future, he told the Thessalonians how the spirit of lawlessness will be unleashed globally (see 2:3-10). He foretold how the Antichrist will finally reveal himself after a period of deception. Then, he went on to instruct those of us who are living between the two comings of Christ about how we should live: We are to be men and women of prayer. Paul beseeched the Thessalonians, “[P]ray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just […]