It is now early on Good Friday. Jesus was arrested by the Jews sometime around midnight. Since then he has been taken from one hearing to another: Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin. They all had their shot at him. Along the way, he has endured mocking jokes, insults, and false accusations. The Jews want him dead but only the Romans have the power of c…
It is 4:42 AM as I write this note. In a little over an hour we leave for the airport. This happens to be one of the rare trips where we can fly from Tupelo. Once we leave here we fly to Memphis, then Detroit, then Tokyo, then Manila. The total time in transit will be about 27 hours, the longest leg being thirteen hours from Detroit to Tokyo.There …
Who is ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus Christ? The answer may surprise you. According to the Bible, God takes responsibility for the death of his Son. This is the first part of Isaiah 53:10 in the New International Version: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” The New King James gives th…
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Spurgeon comments that the little word “but” is a very useful pause for all of us very busy saints of God. Many …
C. S. Lewis remarked that there are only two prayers in the universe: “My will be done” and “Thy will be done.” Everything we pray fits into one of those two categories. I know from long experience that it’s not easy to sincerely pray “Thy will be done.” Like most people, I would prefer that my will be don…
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). There are 11 words in the text, but only one of them is important for our purposes. It’s the little word “as.” Everything hangs on the meaning of that word. “As” is the conjunction that joins the first half of the petition with the…
This week’s prayer update focuses on the KBM Philippines Project. We’ve attempted to give you a day by day guide for praying for us during the next 2 ½ weeks. We appreciate and depend on your prayer support while we’re away and can’t wait to give you a report of what God is doing in the Philippines when we return.We p…
Fernando Ortega performs a moving rendition of the hymn “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” based on a poem attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century. With the season of Lent upon us, it is good to spend time contemplating the death of our Lord. …
“What is truth?” (John 18:38).Sometimes a question tells you all you need to know. With those three words Pontius Pilate revealed his own vacillating nature. Although he knows Jesus is innocent of any crime under Roman law, he dare not appear weak in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. When Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth l…
“When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Matthew 11:2-3).Some people have trouble with the concept that a Christian could ever entertain serious doubts. But there are whole books of the Bible that deal with the i…