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Read John 13:34-35. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34a). At first, we might think, “How is this a new command? Didn’t Jesus already identify the first and second most important commandments as loving God and loving our neighbors?” (see Matthew 22:35-40). Thankfully, Jesus gives us the answer in the very next sentence: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34b). That’s what’s new. No one had ever experienced a love like Jesus’ love. His love is beyond any the world has ever known. Then Jesus teaches them, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples” (v. 35). Friends, we are to love as Jesus loved. We will truly be seen as His disciples when we become like Him. Before Jesus shares this imperative with the disciples, […]

Read Luke 14:25-35. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). In Luke 14, Jesus has large crowds following Him—He often had large crowds following Him. Conventional wisdom would say, “Jesus, get them on Your good side first. Tell them what they want to hear. Jesus, tell them how wonderful they are. Tell them to name whatever they want and then claim it, and then whatever it is will be theirs.” Or maybe we would advise Jesus, “Don’t tell them the true cost of discipleship yet. Maybe start with a short Bible study first. Then, You can work Your way up to the difficult stuff.” But Jesus does nothing of the sort. With Jesus, there are no misleading subtleties. There is no fine print or sugar coating. He spells out exactly what it will cost to be His […]

Read Matthew 28:18-20. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations can sure seem a daunting task. But Jesus promised: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. . . . And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18, 20). In other words, Jesus Himself empowers us for the task. We go with the authority of Jesus Himself with our Savior in our very midst. However, in order to make true disciples of Christ, we must be true disciples of Jesus ourselves. We must obey and imitate Him in every area of life. There are many who claim to be followers of Christ but never reflect His love, mercy, grace, or […]

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7). God has been dependable in the past, providing for us in every twist and turn of life. He is trustworthy—and He holds our future in the palm of His hand. There are incredible examples of the faithfulness of God in my life and in the life of this ministry. But I still believe with all my heart that we haven’t seen anything yet. In the life of the Christian, the best is always yet to come. After all, eternity in the new heaven and the new earth awaits us. Just imagine—a restored world, never-ending joy, perfect fellowship with God Himself! As Revelation 21:3-4 promises, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and […]

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Read Philippians 4:4-8. It’s been more than two thousand years since an angel appeared to shepherds in a field outside of Bethlehem and proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). And yet, with each Christmas that comes, peace seems even more elusive than the previous year for those who have not encountered and embraced the true Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6-7). There is, however, a peace in which much of the world puts its hope, but it’s a deceptive peace. It’s an imitation of true peace—a temporary respite—that comes when we try to tranquilize our true longings with material possessions or intoxication. But this phony peace only brings destruction and further enslavement to a pattern of behavior that has no power to fulfill our […]

“From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name” (Luke 1:48-49). Read Luke 1:46-56. When young Mary learned from the angel Gabriel that she would soon be pregnant with the Son of God, she could have focused on all the hardship her pregnancy would surely bring her way. But Mary didn’t panic, of course. She asked one simple question of the angel: “How will this be, . . . since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). It was an honest question, not an expression of doubt or disobedience. And once Gabriel told Mary that her pregnancy would be supernatural—the work of the Holy Spirit—she replied, “I am the Lord’s servant” (v. 38). It was a beautiful, humble response, fitting for the woman God chose to be the mother of His Son. But Mary had another response as well, one that echoes down through the centuries and is […]

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you’” (Luke 1:28). Read Luke 1:26-38. Mary’s deep, abiding relationship with God is truly a model for all of us, young or old, to emulate. By all accounts Mary didn’t have an easy life. She was a young girl in a society where only men seemed to matter. She was poor and lived in Nazareth, a village that had a reputation for being unremarkable, so she was likewise unremarkable from a worldly perspective. Add to this the fact that when she became supernaturally pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary was not yet married—only betrothed—so she knew her pregnancy would create a terrible scandal that could leave her abandoned, ostracized, or worse—stoned to death. Yet, because she had a self-image grounded in the God’s Word, she was able to hold her head high—not faking it but trusting in the Lord for […]

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him” (Luke 2:25). Read Luke 2:25-35. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that the long-awaited Messiah would come during his lifetime. In fact, the Spirit told Simeon that before he died, he would see the Savior with his very own eyes. And so, Simeon lived his life in the peace of that promise. Simeon’s expectations were not fixed on the movers and the shakers of his time. Instead, his expectations rested on the promises of God. Luke’s Gospel tells us just three things about Simeon, the three things God cherished about the man. Simeon was righteous; he was devout; and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. We know that to be righteous and devout means a person walks in step with God’s commands. But what does it mean that […]

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise” (James 5:13). In Psalm 100, the psalmist instructs us: “Shout for joy to the Lord, . . . Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. . . . Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v.1-2, 4-5). What is it about praise and thanksgiving that brings the Lord and the believer so close together? Praise melts our hearts so that we are no longer hardened by sin or disappointment. The Bible teaches that God is near to those who praise Him (see Psalm 145:18-19). He knows the deepest concerns of our hearts (see Psalm 139). And while He never requires our praise, He certainly desires it because He knows that praise […]

“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, . . .” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Read 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. Jesus often taught on the subject of money. In His Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). Brothers and sisters, what you give to the Lord will always bear dividends—here and now, and ultimately for all eternity. At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the subject of giving. At first this seems a strange place to bring it up. He moves immediately from the triumph of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 to the triumph of the collection plate in 1 Corinthians 16. But when we understand that our giving is an extension of our faith […]

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-28. When the first crop of the season ripens, it’s an exciting day for a farmer. The farmer has diligently prepared the fields, sown the seeds, and tended the seedlings. If the firstfruits are good, then the farmer can have confidence that the rest of the harvest will be good as well. On Easter morning, Jesus became the firstfruits of a much greater harvest. His body had been sown like a seed, but it was then raised new, glorious, and indestructible. What is true of the firstfruits will be true of all who trust in the name of Jesus: One day, all the dead in Christ will be raised to new life in Him. The Corinthian Christians believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, but they weren’t so sure […]

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).  Read Psalm 19:7-9. Psalm 19:7-8 tells us the Word of God “is perfect, refreshing the soul, . . . making wise the simple. . . . giving joy to the heart. . . . giving light to the eyes.” That is the power of the Scriptures. The Bible can lift a person out of the degradation of sin, from prostitution and drunkenness, slavery and addiction, greed and self-righteousness, to a victorious life in Jesus Christ. Here’s a famous example: The Word of God transformed the life of a slave trader named John Newton, and he became a preacher of the Gospel and a hymn writer. Newton wrote many songs in his day, but we remember one in particular because it’s his testimony set to music, illustrating the power of the Word of God: “Amazing […]