abandoned to Christ.

You may use this for your Facebook cover photo as a springboard to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  (Article originally published on Good Friday 2015) The definition of good means to be morally excellent; righteous. However, we often misuse the word "good" to describe music we like, activities we enjoy and entertainment that amuses. Though music, activities and entertainment might delight our fancies, if they are absent of God, they are absent of good. Many things I enjoy are fun, lively and jubilant, but they cannot be good unless the focus of all these things magnifies the LORD my God. Not to say it's a sin, or in any way wrong for people to enjoy music, arts, etc., that is absent of praise and glory to God (though it is a sin to enjoy anything or anyone who mocks righteousness and promotes ungodliness). But as God's dearly beloved children, let's call things as they actually are. Let us not call anything good, awesome, holy, etc., unless it pertai...

The prevalent thoughts and images about the "spirit" of Christmas usually involves: Santa Claus, worldly peace, sweets, merriment, feasting, lavish gift giving and receiving, the hustle and bustle of shopping and enjoying elaborate entertainment events to celebrate the birth of Jesus—the First Coming of Christ, the only begotten Son of God. But none of these things are found in any of the Old Testament prophecies or in the New Testament accounts of the great and glorious day that our Creator entered into His own creation as a humble babe. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying we ought not enjoy celebrating Christmas. My family does. What I am saying is, the focus and purpose of our joyful celebrations should be the same as God's focus and purpose: to bring the Good News of eternal salvation by giving us Christ as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of Christmas and the reason for the season according to God is: eternal salvation . ...

God has been better to me than I deserve. Especially since all I deserve (that is, my sins have earned me) is Hell and His full wrath (Rom 3:23, 5:9). But because God is love and He is perfect, pure, holy, righteous and compassionate, full of mercy and grace (Ps 103:8-14), He chose to save me 41 years ago. Then the Lord saw fit to bless me with a husband 22 years ago, who loves Christ more than me (Col 1:18). Can a girl ask for more? I'm so very grateful to be my husband's forever second love . I pray the Lord will make me the kind of help-meet that will highlight his strengths, be a balm for his pains and a loving and understanding covering for his weaknesses (Prov 10:12, 31:11-12; 1 Pet 4:8). Marriage is the most important earthly relationship in the sight of God the Father; for He uses it as an earthly paradigm of His Son's relationship with His Bride, the Church (Eph 5:25-27).Therefore marriage ought never be considered, entered into or maintained with eph...

"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1, ESV) No matter how many times I read this verse, I'm always in awe of what it says. While Jesus was fully aware of the utter torment and anguish He was about to endure that very night, His thoughts were not on Himself and what horrors would befall Him, but His full attention and love were fixed on His beloved apostles. The original Greek for the phrase "loved them to the end" means that Jesus demonstrated God's perfect and pure (agape) love to His disciples, continually and fully; to completion, even in His darkest hour. I'm in a dark place right now as my heart aches deeply for our youngest son, our prodigal, who is no longer walking in God's truth, but walking rebelliously in the deceptive world where truth is relative rather than a...

Is there life after death? Are we reincarnated and come back as something else depending on the kind of life we previously lived? Can the dead rise back to life? Is there really a Heaven and Hell? The answers are: yes, there is life after death; no,  reincarnation isn't real; and yes, when a person dies, they will be resurrected either to eternal life in Heaven with God, or eternal damnation in Hell with Satan and his demons (John 5:28-29). Two days ago, we rejoiced in the reason why Good Friday is so good—because, once and for all, the penalty for sin was paid in full for those who by faith, repent and trust their lives to Jesus (Hebrews 10:10). Today, we rejoice that Jesus Christ is risen! The grave that could not hold our Savior, cannot hold us. The power of sin and Satan were defeated so that sinners whom Christ came to save would be guaranteed eternal life in Him. Many will celebrate today with chocolate, bunnies, Easter eggs, new dresses and hat...

Usually, the word “good” is associated with things that are beneficial and bring cheer and hope. Two thousand years ago on “Good Friday”, Jesus the Christ, the only begotten Son of God was betrayed, abandoned, brutally beaten, nailed to a cross, then died. Betrayal. Abandonment. Brutality. Crucifixion. Death. Nothing about that sounds “good” does it? But it is good. And here’s why—the Son of God: Suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins (Heb 2:17, 1 John 4:10); Defeated the power of Satan, sin and the sting of death (1 Cor 15:51-57); Set free all, who by faith, repent and trust in Him (Mk 1:15, Luke 13:5, Eph 2:8-9); Made us ambassadors of Christ and ministers of the Gospel of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20); Provided a way for the Father to impute His righteousness to those who believe (2 Cor 5:21). Now that’s good news! “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though ...

Although Passover is usually understood as a Jewish holy day, it’s also a holy day for Christians. Why? Because anyone who confesses with their mouths and believes in their hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 10:9-10), testifies that they too have been “passed over” from death to life by the shed blood of the last and perfect Lamb; Jesus the Christ. On this day, many Jews will gather together to commemorate the day God Almighty released their people from the bondage of slavery through His servant Moses with the final and last plague He wrought upon the Egyptians: death of the firstborn. “Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household...and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts an...

Valentine's Day. Ahhh...here we are again. Many look forward to this day. Many don't. Women seem to look forward to it more than men and those who don't have a "sweetheart" to celebrate with, are unhappy altogether. So what's a Christian to do with this made-up holiday that's really not a holy day? Well, it's certainly not a sin to celebrate it and it's not a sin to dismiss it either. This is one of those "live by your own conscience" decisions that all Christians have been given freedom to make (Rom 14:5-6). This day is supposed to be the day where love is generously expressed, shared and celebrated. But it's really not about that for most, is it? For most of us (including Christians) this day has become sort of an idol day. Not that we are bowing down and worshiping a golden calf or anything. But we're doing something worse—we're making ourselves the idols to be worshiped (and really, I'm speaking mor...

Twenty years ago today, the Lord chose to unite me and my beloved husband together in holy matrimony. We were both young, naive about marriage and still a bit prideful and self-serving. Naturally our pride deceived us into believing otherwise. The first several years of our marriage were rocky as we both tried to mold one another into our own image of what we thought a husband/wife looked like. With one child, and conversations about divorce, we were nearly done. But God's plans are never thwarted. Never. The Lord decided that we would be married until death do us part and have two sons with whom He would also use for His glory. As we've learned, our marriage isn't about the two of us—it's about Christ. Out of God's great mercy and compassion for the young fools we were, He granted us the wisdom we finally asked for and committed to love one another always second to Christ. We took divorce off the table and resolved to keep Christ as our First Love; ...

“And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’...‘Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed’...Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” ~Mark 2:27; Exodus 23:12; Colossians 2:16-17 (ESV) Today is a special day. Not only is it Sunday, a day that Christians gather for corporate worship of our Savior (Hebrews 10:24-25), but today is also Christmas; the day that over 2,000 years ago, the Son of God made Himself nothing by coming to earth, born in the image of His own creation — man (Philippians 2:6-7). There are some who believe that those who spent today anywhere else except the church building, has sinned. But as you can rightly assert f...