READ: 1 PETER 2:22-25 It seems so unfair, how Jesus was taken to the cross. He is perfect. He never did anything wrong, much less anything deserving of death. It seems so confusing that He would allow it to happen. Jesus had all the power. He is God the Son—He could have gotten away at [...]

READ: ROMANS 8:1; GALATIANS 6:14; HEBREWS 12:1-3; 1 PETER 2:23-25 When I see a cross, I don’t think much of it. People use the shape of a cross on jewelry, t-shirts, tattoos, logos, books, and church buildings. But back in the New Testament times, crosses were a symbol of condemnation and shame. Crucifixion was the [...]

READ: ISAIAH 53:3-5; 1 PETER 2:24; REVELATION 21:4 Throughout human history, a wide variety of cultures have had rites of passage where individuals had to endure something painful to be seen as an adult. Having a high pain tolerance has often brought respect. For instance, a while ago someone close to me had surgery to [...]

READ: PSALM 10:11-18; EPHESIANS 6:18; HEBREWS 4:14-16 I accidentally tapped “emergency call” on my phone today. Immediately, I felt my heartbeat speed up. I had never done that before, and I wasn’t sure what it would do. Thankfully, I was able to cancel the call before it did anything, but it got me thinking… There [...]

READ: PSALM 119:9-16, 97-104; MATTHEW 5:13-16 Have you ever been told you were too young to do something or go somewhere or hang out with certain people? Maybe nobody told you with words, but their body language, tone, and actions conveyed the message clear enough. I’ve had many people tell me that over the years, [...]

READ: JOHN 10:1-18; 14:26; 1 JOHN 4:1-21 Have you ever heard someone talk about what God is “telling them” and felt frustrated, wondering, “Why isn’t God talking to me?” I remember feeling that way. But let me encourage you! It takes time to learn someone’s voice. If I met you for twenty minutes today, and [...]

READ: MATTHEW 28:16-20; 1 CORINTHIANS 3:3-11; 12:4–13:8 I was in a discipleship class, and I felt confused. How was I supposed to be a disciple-maker, to teach and support other Christians in their faith? I’m an introvert with few close friends, and making conversation is difficult for me. Was I really a disciple myself? I [...]

READ: ROMANS 8:28-39; EPHESIANS 2:1-10; PHILIPPIANS 1:3-11; 2:13 Have you ever watched a carpenter at work? My grandfather is a skilled woodcarver, and as a young child I thought it was so cool to see him take an ordinary block of wood and turn it into an amazing work of art. Often, it was difficult [...]

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; ROMANS 3:23-24; GALATIANS 2:11-21 Youth group camp had just finished, and as we all settled in with pillows for the long bus ride home, my friend (who I’ll call Samantha) solemnly shared a tidbit from her college-age counselor (who I’ll call Brynn): “Brynn told me she’d never written ‘I love so-and-so’ about [...]

READ: MATTHEW 4:1-11; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13; HEBREWS 4:14-16 It’s happened again. You promised yourself you wouldn’t sin in that way, but you have. For weeks you’ve been struggling with combating this temptation, but you keep falling for it. At times like these, it’s easy to think that God is furious with us. After all, He’s [...]