All for your consideration.
In every way, Jesus lived out the beauty and integrity the law was meant to produce, revealing what true humanity looks like under God’s reign. So this Summer, as we study the Ten Commandments, recognize that we are putting our finger on the very pulse of our Savior’s heart. The law matters like a sunrise—we are invited to admire it, and to admire the God who reveals himself through it.
At last, one comes who claims to be the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. He is not merely a new Solomon or Ezra, come to embark on a new building project. He himself is the prophesied temple.
The Bible gives us several pictures of the resurrected Jesus in all his glory, and the amazing thing is, he still bears his scars. They’re no longer a source of pain or shame, they are a constant proclamation of his glorious love. He wears them like a trophy.
You and I are living, breathing icons of the living God. Who gets to make a claim on your life? Who is the highest authority? The one whose image you bear.
After enduring the anxiety of death and all the chaos of hell, Jesus rose as the King of kings, the crowned Prince of heaven who was victorious over all his enemies. And the first words this champion king spoke to his fearful disciples was “Peace be with you.”
Stop trying to prove to yourself whether or not you’re lovable if that’s what you’re doing. If you’re anything like me, you’ll never find a reason within yourself. Instead, search the heart of God and listen to Him say to you “I love you.”
We have not been left in our sin any more than Jesus has been left in the grave.
Do you realize that Jesus considered you precious? He considered it a joy to redeem you. That’s the love we are rooted in. It’s not our own fickle, fleeting, weak love. It is our Lord’s eternal, unshakable, true love. Jesus is worth the pain. He’s worth the awkward, sheepish shame that so often comes with repentance. He’s worth imprisonment. He’s worth celibacy and ridicule. He’s worth the cost of obedience.
We’re a gnarly, messy bunch of branches. We didn’t earn the life Jesus fills us with, and we’ve still got a long way to go before we’re completely pruned. But God in His infinite love and power and mercy chose to graft us to Jesus so that we might abide in Him. And this invitation is open to all.
Is hell the same for everyone? A student of mine essentially asked this question after a Bible study a number of weeks ago. Here’s his exact question, and my response: “Hey Patrick, there’s been a question on my mind for a while. It’s when you rescinded a statement that you made earlier when you said
Take Note Of This 