James describes something similar in the attitude of many believers toward the Scriptures: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and . . . goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24). Many followers of Christ are aware of what the Bible says. However, we may “merely listen to the word” (v. 22), but the extent to which we submit to it ends there. In this way, we deceive ourselves about the power and authority of Scripture, failing to see it as providing the “perfect law that gives [us] freedom” (v. 25).

James tells us to be “doers of the word” (v. 22 NASB). We’re to look “intently into” Scripture and to “[continue] in it” (v. 25), to keep doing “what it says” (v. 22). Obeying God should be not just something we do, but flow from who we are. By His strength, we can live out His Word in our world.

I’ve been there. Sometimes it’s easier to find someone (or something) else to blame rather than accept responsibility myself. Scripture shows us that this tendency is as old as sin. Adam and Eve both did it (Genesis 3:11-13), and so did Aaron. When Moses was with God on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, God told him that the people He’d just released from slavery had turned away to worship an idol. When Moses returned and confronted Aaron (whom he’d left in charge), Aaron responded, “You know how prone these people are to evil” (Exodus 32:22). Then he rationalized about the idol he himself cast, saying, “They gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (v. 24).

Despite our willfulness, God offers us forgiveness when we admit to Him we’ve done wrong. He assures us that He’s “faithful and just and will forgive us” (1 John 1:9). Forgiven and received by Him, we can be open about our brokenness to the God who took our blame on Himself on the cross, all because of His perfect, sacrificial love.

Her outlook highlights a lesson in the resurrection story of Jesus. After the Sabbath, three women bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body in the tomb. But walking there after sunrise, the women expected not a miracle but a problem: “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:1-3).

Embedded in their question was a curious doubt, especially from these women—including Mary Magdalene—who had traveled with Jesus and witnessed His power. All of them, however, were looking that morning for a dead Jesus.

Instead, “He has risen! He is not here,” they were told (v. 6). That declaration explains what we can expect from the living Jesus: His miraculous resurrection power. He is alive. When we face “heavy stones” that need moving, He will be with us and help us. He’s not in a tomb. He is risen, indeed!

Believers in Jesus who serve others because of their love for Him will one day be rewarded. Perhaps that’s a form of “until you’re better paid.” Jesus told His followers to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). Doing good to others may be one way to store up some of those “treasures.” He said we shouldn’t announce it “with trumpets”; if we do, that’s all the reward we’ll get (v. 2). We can be confident He sees us. The book of Hebrews reinforces this idea: “God . . . will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (6:10).

We don’t serve for rewards but rather because Jesus loves us and in response we express our love and praise for Him. What a blessing it will be to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (25:21, 23).

No matter the origin of the name, it’s still appropriate to call the Friday Jesus died “good.” Out of Christ’s sacrificial love, He died for our sins. That’s why Good Friday is good. And the great news is that three days later He rose from the grave in victory.

D.A. Carson wrote, “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was his love for sinners like me.” We read in 1 John 4: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10).

The good news of Good Friday is that God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us! Because of that love, we’re called to love others (vv. 7, 11). When we do, we show our love for Him.

Jesus gave us a tangible gift in the celebration of communion to help us remember His incomparable love for us (Luke 22:19). The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians how Jesus broke bread saying, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Then Christ “took the cup, saying, ‘The cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (v. 25). God’s lavish love is remembered again and again as we take the bread and lift the cup as believers in Christ.

Rex showed his love through the tangible gift of a care box, leaving a ladle to remind me month after month. Jesus loved us in the life-altering gift of His body sacrificed on the cross for our sins. He left us the practice of communion to remind us of His unchanging love.

While acknowledging “differences in working style,” Carol refused to divulge her opinion of her former boss, believing that it would be wrong to speak ill of him. Later, after she was hired, her new boss revealed that the hiring personnel liked her response: “We were impressed by your integrity. We wouldn’t want you to bad-mouth your boss—or us next time—either.”

As a new believer in Jesus, Carol had always wondered how to live in a “godly” and “right” way, practically. She realized the answer could be simple: show integrity and be honorable, honest, and ethical.

First Peter 2:12 points to the importance of honesty and integrity in everything: “Live such good lives among the pagans that . . . they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” This includes practical things like submitting to lawful authorities (vv. 13-14); doing good (v. 15); showing an attitude of humility and service (v. 16); and respecting and loving others (v. 17). As God helps us, let’s serve Him in a way that brings honor to His name.

Moses received a call from God that likely left him troubled. As he was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea” (Exodus 14:2). This meant they were trapped between Pharaoh and a vast body of water! The Israelites trembled as “Pharaoh approached”(v. 10). Panic-stricken, they told Moses, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (v. 12). But Moses replied, “Do not be afraid” (v. 13). And he was right. God provided rescue and victory for His people as they rested in Him (vv. 15-31).

At times, we won’t understand what God’s doing in our lives because we don’t have His view. It was during such a moment that Hudson Taylor wrote, “As his servant it was [my responsibility] to obey and to follow him.” We too can rest in God’s view and plans.

His story prompts me to think of people in the Bible who persevered. The writer of Hebrews recognized some: Noah, who “by his faith . . . became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith” (11:7). Or Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (vv. 8-21), Moses (vv. 23-28), and others. Such examples inspire us.

The writer then exhorts believers in Christ: “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (12:1). We then read, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (v. 1). How will we do this? By “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (v. 2). As we consider Christ’s sacrifice for us, “[we] will not grow weary and lose heart” (v. 3.)

Challenges to our faith give us opportunity to endure in His name. In His power, we persevere.

While Mary recuperated, she felt furious while grieving for her husband and child. But somehow reading the Bible calmed “the volcano inside her.” In particular, when she struggled to comprehend why God allowed the atrocity, Isaiah 55:9 helped: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.” As she understood that God extends grace even when He’s dishonored, she felt soothed by His Spirit.

Mary considered Isaiah’s message from God to His wayward people. While calling them back to Himself, God sought to expand their understanding of His merciful character. Even as the heavens are “higher than” the earth, so were God’s ways “higher than” theirs (v. 9). So too will God show love and grace, more than they could imagine.

While grieving deeply, Mary was stunned to receive God’s gift of peace. She welcomed Jesus’ consoling love, which He poured out in the events that we mark during Holy Week. He’s eager to give us His peace too; we need only to look to Him.

As my daughter did with me, the psalmist reminded God of His promises. “Remember your word to your servant,” he wrote, “for you have given me hope” (119:49). Thankfully, we don’t have a heavenly Father who’s distracted and forgetful. We can come to Him not only with our hurts, problems, and disappointments but also in confidence knowing He’s a good Father: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (v. 50).  

God invites us to meditate on the Scriptures so we can remind Him of His promises—not because He forgets but because He desires that we know Him well. That’s why the psalmist says, “I remember, Lord, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them. . . . Your decrees are the theme of my song” (vv. 52, 54).

Because of my distractions, my daughter needed to remind me of my promise. When she did, I gladly let her go to the lake. We can be thankful that our heavenly Father is never preoccupied or too busy. He loves to hear us pray His words back to Him. 

What she didn’t know was that the otherwise simple task had taken half a day of coordinating with the office, fixing a glitch in her application, and gathering unexpected documents. But I didn’t tell her this. “Anytime!” I said.

Love is in the details. Here, it was in taking care of details my niece was unaware of. Scripture tells us of God’s love as seen in two seemingly small details of the Israelites’ life in the wilderness: their clothes and shoes. Throughout forty years of walking, their “clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on [their] feet” (Deuteronomy 29:5). In fact, their feet didn’t even swell! (8:4).

God’s people had been unfaithful, but He showed “great compassion,” not abandoning them (Nehemiah 9:19). “They lacked nothing” (v. 21). God provided the “big” things, such as His presence, the counsel of His Spirit, and food and water (vv. 19-20); and the “smaller” but necessary things, such as clothes and shoes.  

God shows His love in ways we may overlook or be unaware of. Such is His love that He sees every detail of our life.

It’s an important question because most of us buy things to define ourselves or secure our futures. Jesus told a parable about a man who horded his wealth and embraced a consumer lifestyle. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years,” the man tells himself. “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). But what was left when his life was “demanded” from him that night? Only God’s rebuke at having missed what’s most important (vv. 20-21).

It isn’t a sin to own things. Michael Landy still needed clothes. But when we’re tempted to find life and identity in what we own, Jesus reminds us that “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (v. 15). Who would you be without all your goods? Still a dearly loved child of God (Psalm 103:17; Ephesians 5:1). Out of this secure identity, we can be rich toward God and others.

I’d been fascinated with the Olympics since I was a teen, but it had become an obsession. After I said yes to following God while at the Summer Games, I felt God was asking me to lay down my idol of sports. But I still had a love for the nations. I still enjoy watching the Olympics, but my heart is truly stirred when people of different backgrounds and from different nations come together during a church service or gathering to pray and to worship the King of kings. What a sweet taste of heaven on earth (Revelation 7:9)!

When we remember who we are in Christ, we remember that we belong to God’s family and His family is international.

The apostle Paul declared to the believers in Galatia, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:26). “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (v. 28).

No matter where we’re from or where we live, let’s rejoice that as believers we’re one in Christ with our brothers and sisters around the world.

After entering Canaan, the Israelites needed God’s help in battle. After being defeated at the city of Ai due to their sin (Joshua 7:11–12), the Israelites were likely afraid to fight the city again. But God encouraged Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (8:1). Then God told Joshua to “hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city” (v. 18). Joshua obeyed God and “did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin” until the battle was won (v. 26). It wasn’t the javelin in Joshua’s outstretched hand that secured the victory. Instead, it was a symbol of God’s promise to help them and be with them.

Reminders of God’s presence with us can be helpful when we face difficult challenges. A Bible verse displayed in our homes, a stunning picture of God’s creation, a cross necklace: these things don’t provide assistance, but God can use them to remind us of His promised presence and power.

Paul told the church at Corinth that they should view him and other leaders as faithful and approved “servants of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He also declared that he had been “entrusted” (v.2) with being a steward for God. Stewards in Paul’s day were entrusted with overseeing the management and distribution of household resources. Above everything else, a fundamental requirement for those entrusted with responsibilities was faithfulness. Paul labeled himself as a steward who “[worked] hard with [his] own hands” to live out his responsibilities (v. 12)—carefully using what God had given him, especially the wisdom He’d been given and the mysteries of the gospel (v. 2).

As Jesus provides, let’s strive to be faithful stewards, adhering to His approved and flawless standard in our spiritual practices, work duties, and personal relationships.

In Genesis, Abraham’s servant went on a quest to find a wife for his master’s son. First, he prayed to the “God of my master Abraham” (24:12). Why? The servant knew God had told Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” (12:2). God repeated that promise (15:2-5), and “Abram believed the Lord, and [God] credited it to him as righteousness” (v. 6). The servant could trust “the God of my master Abraham” (24:26, 42) because he’d witnessed the reality of Abraham’s faith.

With our words, we invite others to follow Jesus. More important, however, is the way we live before them. The reality of genuine faith in the one true God speaks volumes.

May the God of Abraham and of Amina use our lives to draw others to Him.

In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul also described experiencing suffering “far beyond [his] ability to endure, so that [he] despaired of life itself” (1:8). But he found that his despair taught him to find his hope only in “God, who raises the dead” (v. 9).

And he learned that as we carry the hope of the gospel in the still imperfect “jars of clay” of our bodies, Christ’s resurrection life and hope shine through, revealing “that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (4:7).

This shift happens in Rosetti’s poem too. As she lifted her broken heart up to God, her prayer became only that the broken pieces of her life would be “cast in the fire” to be molded and transformed into an offering “for Him, my King.” Her poem concludes simply: “O Jesus, drink of me.”

The minstrel of the psalms, David, penned a similar line: “In the morning I will sing of your love” (Psalm 59:16). David had plenty of “blue” things to dwell on—from enemies ready to attack him to fierce men slandering and conspiring against him. “They return at evening,” he sang, “snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city” (v. 14). But he chose, as the new day dawned, to focus not simply on something happy but on Someone good—God—and then sing of God’s love, “my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (v. 16) on “whom I can rely” (v. 17).

You may not be a singer-songwriter, but you can still be a minstrel of the dawn. Like David, you can tell God, “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love” (v. 16).

It took a year before Joseph saw that he had to adjust his expectations and try a different industry where he finally found a job with regular weekday shifts. Thanking God, he realized how the long wait had made him more mature in making decisions. This job change process had also taught Joseph what it means to persevere in life and trust in God to reveal His plans in His time.

That’s what James told a church facing trials. Encouraging them not to give up, he said: “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete” (James 1:4). The process of asking God for wisdom, waiting, and standing firm (vv. 5-6) would not only nurture their patience and trust in God, but also help them grow in maturity as they learned more about themselves and God.

Waiting for God’s answer can be tough, but it makes us more mature and steadfast, strengthens our faith, and gives us a deeper understanding of what it means to trust God.

The author of Ecclesiastes wrote about the benefits of not going through life alone: “Two are better than one” (4:9). Two get more work done, can help each other through struggles, offer companionship, and ward against danger (vv. 9-11). He went on to say, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (v. 12). A community has even greater benefits. More resources, more support.

Alan and I benefited from the community we left behind. And God helped us to build a new community to help us feel at home in the big city. If you feel alone, ask God to help you find a friend, a good church, or a place to serve in a community.

Feasting in different cultures looks different but, because food is essential for life, Jesus’ words in John 6:35 are significant for all people. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Such claims as these would be outrageous if they were made by a mere human being. But Jesus, the Christ, could make such astounding claims because He’s the very Son of God. He told “sign-seekers”—those seeking immediate, short-term benefit (see vv. 2, 14, 26)—that satisfaction of physical hunger wasn’t enough. As the Son of God, Jesus is the source of true life (14:6) and the sustainer of life. All those who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins through His death and resurrection (11:25-26) share His life. Jesus is the essential food for the soul. Life, nourishment, and true satisfaction are found in Him alone.

It’s tempting to take credit for our resources and accomplishments or use them to bring ourselves praise. What would it look like, instead, to think of them as a lowly “frame” around God’s masterpiece? One example is when Moses invited the Israelites to bring gifts to build the temple (Exodus 35:5). “Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them” contributed what they had: precious metal and stone, linen, leather, wood, spices, and oil (vv. 20-28). These costly goods were offered from willing hearts to fulfill what God had commanded (v. 29). Some master craftsmen were especially gifted. But everyone could contribute something, like the women who skillfully spun goat hair (v. 26).

What mattered most then, and today, is the posture of the giver’s heart. “From what you have, take an offering for the Lord” (v. 5). That’s when our resources are put to their best use.

During His earthly life, Jesus issued His own kind of “be the light” challenge, saying that we who follow Him are to “let [our] light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16). His charge had a loftier goal than encouragement or moral support; instead, our willingness to reveal the light He’s put in us shows the watching world who God is. The way we live our lives, in both word and deed, reveals the hope Jesus gives us, making it visible to all those around us, like a lamp on a stand.

Jesus calls us the “light of the world” and challenges us to illuminate the paths of others with His light radiating through us when they’re walking a dark road. For those who don’t yet know the hope Jesus offers, sharing His light through the way we live can point them toward God as the source of all hope.

Of course, God created the ways we measure time: the astronomy of orbits and revolutions. Scientists’ calculations may be squishier than we’d thought, but we can stand firmly in Peter’s words: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8). He is arguing against doubters who complained that Jesus hadn’t returned yet. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.” (v. 9). God works in His own time for His own purposes.

There’s more: God’s “timing” is born out of His love: “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish” (v. 9). Jesus will return, and God wants everyone to have the opportunity to come to Him. This is an expression of His love. Meanwhile, we’re “to make every effort to be found spotless” (v. 14). 

Time, God, and love are linked together: In these last days God’s love is never squishy. It’s the one sure thing.

A high fever, chills, and body aches recently descended cruelly upon my teenage daughter. She wanted me to make it better. But mostly she just wanted me near. Eventually, we took her to urgent care. “Virus,” we were told. Nothing to do but ride it out.

I sat with my sick girl hours that day. Rubbing her feet. Getting her medicine. Desperately wanting her to feel better. Occasionally, my selfish side complained, This is hard. Indeed, it is hard to sit with people’s suffering, to witness their hurt up close.

Job’s friends saw his suffering up close, too. These three guys are often—fairly!—criticized for their later poor treatment of Job. But it’s easy to forget that, initially, they simply sat with him: “They sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:13).

Jobs’ friends remind us that when someone we love is hurting, it’s our presence—our being there, whether we speak or not—that matters most. Their example reminds us that even though we may not always know what to say to a friend or loved one who’s hurting, simply sitting with someone in their suffering may be the greatest gift we can give.

After the pastor handed out fifteen Bibles he’d brought with him, one woman gave hers to someone else. Like many others, she’d memorized chapters of Scripture so she would have its wisdom secured in her heart if she were to go to prison. She later asked the pastor to pray that their church would be free to gather just like his. Instead, marveling at how they sacrificed, suffered persecution, and risked imprisonment, he prayed that his church would be just like theirs. 

Believers around the world are persecuted for their faith in Christ, some more severely than others. And all believers can be tempted to cower when the stakes of living for Christ are raised. But the Holy Spirit enables us to use our God-given gifts with “power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). God will help us share the gospel with boldness and compassion, wherever He leads. Because of all He did for us (vv. 9-10), we can embrace the sacrificial cost of commitment to Christ and preserve “sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (v. 13).

What an apt description of our problem! We’re born with a drive to assert ourselves. We want to be in charge, preferably by getting our way. If that doesn’t work, we’ll assert ourselves by dragging our feet. The rebellion is the point.

Why did Israel foolishly worship idols of “stone and wood” (Jeremiah 3:9)? And why did Israel’s “unfaithful sister Judah” only pretend to return to God (v. 10)? Because that’s how they expressed their independence—“the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (v. 17). The rebellion was the point.

But God’s love is stronger. Jesus died for rebels and leaves the door open for their return. “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful . . . . Only acknowledge your guilt—you have rebelled against the Lord your God’” (vv. 12-13).

We may be born rebels, but we can return. Let’s run home to our Father, where we find His forgiveness, love, and help.

Nearly three hundred emails and four years later, Craig and I were finally able to meet in person. His job had taken him to a nearby city, so on a Sunday we shared a church service, lunch, and memories of our daughters: Melissa and Alyssa—two girls who made other people happy, enjoyed volleyball, loved Jesus, and innocently lost their lives in car accidents.  

What was the essence of our conversation that day? We discussed our sadness. And we cried. But mostly we spoke of hope. True, authentic hope based on God’s promises. Paul explained the basis for this hope: “We do not want you to be uniformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and . . . God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14). For the believer, beyond the grave is life—life eternal.

Craig and I ended the day by praying and thanking God that our daughters are secure in His loving arms. The shared love of Jesus binds hearts and gives hope in otherwise hopeless situations.

The words about the end of Abraham’s life remind me of this lesson. He died at a “good old age” and had lived a “long and satisfying life” (Genesis 25:8 nlt). Throughout Scripture, we read about Abraham’s faithfulness in following God’s instructions, but we don’t read much about his work. The faith the patriarch displayed (15:6) reminds me of the Teacher’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (2:26). The Teacher said this after considering the meaning of life and how one can find enjoyment in the midst of work or toil (vv. 24-25).

Even during times of loss and anxiety brought by unemployment, it’s helpful to reflect on Abraham’s example and the Teacher’s words—pointing us to true satisfaction found only in God.