Read Mark 8:27-9:1 The Gospel of Mark takes a very serious and somber turn beginning with these verses. Jesus begins to reveal what it truly means for him to be the Messiah. Even though Jesus has not himself preached that he is to be a popular political figure and miracle worker, many of the crowds as well as his followers …
Holy Monday •The Curse of Busyness
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” – John 14:9 Many people today like to think about Jesus as a really nice, agreeable, weak sort of man. Some would characterize him as the “kind and gentle” face of God. While it is true that Jesus was often kind and gentle with the people he came into contact with, he …
Lent Devotional #25 • The Lamb Who Serves
Read Exodus 12:1-14 and John 13:1-17, 31-35 Think about the most humble person you know. Got that person in mind? Now, how much power, authority, or influence does that person have? Unfortunately, the person you have in mind probably isn’t the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or on trajectory to become our next President. In our world today, power, …
Becoming Stupid
Galatians 3:1-6 One mistake that we often make when referring to the Gospel is to believe that God’s salvation is cheap. We think this way out of a misunderstanding of grace. Our salvation is a gift from God to us which we did not and cannot earn. But that does not mean that the Gospel is cheap. Jesus paid a …
Lent Devotional #24 • Abraham Rejoiced to See Me
Read Genesis 17:3-9 and John 8:51-59 When is the last time that you eagerly waited for something with such hope and expectation that you were visibly full of nervous excitement? This is the kid at Christmas that can’t wait to rip open her presents. This is the husband that can’t stop crying when he sees his bride in her white …
Lent Devotional #22 • Son of Man Lifted
Read John 8:21-30 and Numbers 21:4-9 Jesus came to his own people speaking to them about their shared history. Three times in theGospel of John. Jesus makes an explicit reference to an odd tale from the Israelites time in thewilderness under Moses. We see one of those references in John 8:28. “ 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted …
Lent Devotional #21 • Jennifer Pugh
Read Joshua 2:1-14 & John 8:1-11 In both Joshua and John, we see women in need of a rescue. Rahab was trapped in a lifestyle that only leads to death. The woman in adultery was about to receive the consequences of adultery and idolatry: death. Whether these women willingly made these choices or were victims of circumstance, we simply don’t …
The Foundation of a Relationship with Christ
Galatians 2:15-21 The theme in Galatians over and over is that no work can ever justify us before God. Only faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to make us right before God. What is remarkable about Christians is how we so easily slip back from pure faith in Christ to religious works as a means of justification. Paul is pushing …
Lenten Devotional #20 • Silencing the Prophets
Read Jeremiah 26:8-11 and John 7:25-30 We hold the memory of Biblical prophets in such high regard that we would consider the calling to be an honor. And it is, in fact an honor to be given the task to speak the very words of God. But the Old Testament prophets led a lonely, unpopular existence of threats and suffering. …
Lenten Devotional #19 • Justin Whitener
Break the Law Read Exodus 32:7-14 & John 5:31-46 Exodus 32 is one of my favorite passages of the Old Testament. To quickly summarize chapter 32, Moses is on Mt. Sinai meeting with God about the 10 commandments when the people of Israel grew impatient and decided to melt all their gold to create a golden calf to worship. God …