47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When...
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said, “Lord,...
1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. 2 The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. 3 The Lord nurses them when they are...
1 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor. 3 When Judas, who had...
Have you been beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, gone hungry, or been attacked by bandits? Odds are that none of us have suffered like this for our faith. Yet, Paul endured these things and more for the Lord’s sake. While our sufferings may not look...
I have always found comfort in the absolutes. This is wrong and this is right. Bad guy. Good guy. Wide path. Narrow path. As a young believer growing up, I loved living in a black and white world. My little human brain could handle the...
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” 18 “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man....
Paul’s life embodied one simple statement, to suffer for Christ is gain. At the hands of a fallen world, and for the sake of Christ, Paul suffered unfathomable losses. Yet, he called this suffering a privilege, marrying the idea that if you are going to...
A recent conversation with a caseworker confirmed a burden I’ve carried for several months. For the foster care system to be whole, it requires that the fractured relationships between caseworkers and foster parents to be functional. What is the status of foster parent and DSS...
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were...
1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for...
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” 61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son...
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. 3 You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling...
1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must...