The sad truth is that we can’t get ourselves pre-qualified for God. We sure are a bunch of sinners and we can’t save ourselves. But the happy news is Christ has already gotten all of us pre-approved on the cross! God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of…
Are you alive in Christ? Do you trust in the Risen Christ? Do you feel the joy of his resurrection in your heart? Great! From this point on we are called to live not for ourselves but for Christ. And that is a game changer for sure. Because the cross of Christ is a vantage point. The world looks different with the eyes of Christ. People look different by divine standards. And so do we. Even God looks different from…
Don’t worry if you can’t understand the suffering of Jesus. You can still embrace Jesus. Don’t worry if you can’t figure out the mystery of faith. You can still enter the mystery of faith. Don’t worry if you can’t analyze the happenings of Good Friday. You can still trust that Jesus carried your sins on the cross. Carrying his cross by himself, he went out to a place called Skull Place (in Aramaic, Golgotha). That’s where they crucified him—and two…
Today is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday when we commemorate the foot washing (maundy) and the last supper of Jesus Christ. During the meal Jesus institutes the Eucharist by the words of sacrifice: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is my body.” He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from this, all of you. This is my…
What do you think? Are you responsible for Jesus’ death? Your answer is important. It defines whether you are ready for Easter or not. We aren’t able to receive God’s grace before we have a need for it. We aren’t ready for Easter before we embrace Good Friday. In order to do that we need to see that Good Friday’s happenings are for us. But we aren’t able to do that if we don’t see our part in the crucifixion….
What is sacrificial living anyway? Why should we live that way? And what’s in it for me? Let’s find out. Jesus showed us by his example what it is to live sacrificially and we are called to be like him. Suffering and sacrificial living are not very appealing at the first glimpse. But could there be something deeper in it? Could there be some hidden blessings somewhere? Because… When we embrace suffering, we enter into the mystery of God. When…
The commercial adds try to tell us what is essential for Easter. But only one thing is essential for Easter: a ready heart. Has your lenten journey readied your heart for Jesus? There’s still time to do it. We are not to rush ahead to Easter. Rather, we need to work on readying our heart. Have we surrendered our selfish hopes and false expectations? Have we confessed our sins and repented them? Are we ready to die with Jesus? Search…
Have you ever been so broken, shattered into zillion little pieces, that you were sure there was no hope for you? Or are you heart-broken right now? There’s good news for broken people! In Jesus all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies! There’s hope because of Jesus’ blood that poured down from the cross! He [Jesus] was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the…
Did you know that there are more biblical prophecies on the second coming of Christ than prophecies on the first coming? The central theme in Christianity is to wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ to complete his saving work. Come, Lord Jesus! Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t…
I have always wondered why people insist that Christianity is about being good. That all decent, good people are going heaven. Hence our salvation would be based on works or our behavior. But the Bible is telling us the polar opposite: You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith.This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus…
