it's holy week, death & life

Matthew 28:6 (NASB) --- He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

What was it like when those ladies came to Jesus' grave that first Easter Sunday morning? This man changed their lives. His body was gone. Now it was time to remember ... remember why Jesus came to earth. He came to die.

1 Peter 3:18 (NLT) --- Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

His death was not something that surprised Jesus or His father. His death was a choice He made to help people know the peace of God. His death brings life to all who will come to Him. His death was cruel on a cross meant for criminals and the worst of society and not for the son of God. But it was on that cross that our sin and humanity found it's right place, covered by God for eternity. We find life when we understand Jesus' death.

Proverbs 11:19 (NLT) --- Godly people find life; evil people find death.

Death and life are two huge facets of life. When we deal in death and stay there, life is taken from us. When we focus on death, we don't deal much with life or even deal with life. Because Jesus died for us and 3 days later came back to life, we can really live. We can live now and we can live with God for eternity. His death brings our life!

Romans 6:23 (NLT) --- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Life and death. Death and life. Let the truth of God change both for you.

"That's Why We Praise Him" is one of my favorite worship tunes, and here is why:

He came to live, live a perfect life. He came to be the living Word of light. He came to die, so we'd be reconciled. He came to rise to show His power and might

And that's why we praise Him, that's why we sing. That's why we offer Him our everything. That's why we bow down and worship this King. 'Cause He gave His everything

John 10:10 (NLT) --- The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Let Easter and the resurrection come alive for you today and this weekend. Jesus came to die and is now alive. We come face to face with death because of sin. But we come face to face with life when we allow Jesus' life to be ours. It's holy week. Death and life. Let Jesus' death press you into really living life, for now and for ever!

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog