“No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.” —John 10:18 (NLT) Since the earliest days, faithful Jewish parents have taught their children prayers to repeat at certain times of the day. […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Easter
Paid in Full
The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. —Luke 23: 45 (NLT) How do we know that Christ’s atonement satisfied God the Father and fully covered humankind’s sin? First, the veil of the temple which separated the Holy Place from the […]
Read MoreMission Accomplished
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. —2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) Jesus’ sixth statement on the cross was not a cry of anguish; it was a declaration of victory. He had reached the goal and was able […]
Read More“I Am Thirsty”
Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” —John 19:28 (NLT) Though Jesus became a man, He never was anything less than God. Yet He voluntarily gave up His own rights as God the Son. He submitted Himself to God the Father, so that every word […]
Read MoreDarkness and Silence
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. . . . Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” —Matthew 27:45–46 (NLT) Jesus barely clung to life. He was still pushing Himself up against the raw wooden beam […]
Read MoreNear His Heart
When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” —John 19:26–27 (NLT) What a contrast we have at the cross! God’s perfect sacrifice—His Lamb—hung there in agony, giving His life, shedding His […]
Read MoreSaved by Grace
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” —Luke 23:42–43 (NLT) We are not surprised to find a God-ordained and therefore significant reason behind the arrangement of Golgotha’s three crosses. It gave Jesus an opportunity to reach out in hope […]
Read MoreFinal Words
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” —Luke 23:34 (NLT) Though I realize it had to be, though I understand what it accomplished, and though I know that a brilliant dawn awaited Him who endured the darkest of all days, I am unable to shake free from the sound […]
Read MoreThe Price He Paid
Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. —Mark 15:24 (NLT) Crucifixion ranks right up there on the short list of the most painful and torturous deaths ever devised. In the first century, the cross meant death . . . but not just any death. It meant the most hideous, anguished death imaginable. Each time […]
Read MoreTake Up Your Cross
Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. —Matthew 27:29–30 (NLT) Knowing in his heart that Jesus was innocent, Pilate compromised his convictions to appease the people and turned Him over to […]
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