Decades ago, I asked an elderly man if He knew Jesus as Savior. He said nope. I asked if he’d like to know Him. He said, “I’m a good man. I don’t cheat, lie, or steal, and if that’s not enough to satisfy God, then that’s too bad.” I can…

HYMN DAY! “Faith is the Victory” by John H. Yates was written over a hundred years ago, and its words still apply. 1. Encamped along the hills of light, Ye Christian soldiers rise, And press the battle ere the night Shall veil the glowing skies; Against the foe in vales…

Really? JESUS didn’t know Who He was? How ludicrous. Those Pharisees came right out and called Jesus a liar. Shocking, isn’t it? Unfortunately, the Pharisees aren’t the only ones who call Jesus a liar. Of course, some don’t do it in so many words, but the meaning is the same.…

Jesus did His best to tell the Pharisees who He was. He gave them every chance to make a life change. He told them the benefit of following Him. Never walk in darkness? Have the light of life? Why would anyone refuse those promises? The Pharisees, caught in the pride…

Jesus took away the condemnation this woman was facing by the crowd of angry, self-righteous, overly zealous Pharisees. Their attitudes were definitely out of line, and they needed Jesus’ reminder of their imperfections. But now Jesus no longer focuses on those accusers. He puts His focus on the adulterous woman…

Can you imagine the relief this woman experienced as the men who’d dragged her to the street now left? I picture her knees going wobbly, her spine collapsing, desire to race for a safe place overwhelming her but being unable to move because the fear and adrenaline drained her of…

HYMN DAY! “Grace Greater Than All Our Sin” by Julia Johnston. The refrain on this one is so neat to listen to, with the echoes. If you’d like to hear it sung a capella by a Mennonite choir, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xUYE8s_Efw 1 Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that…

Notice what Jesus did. He didn’t point at anyone—not the woman who’d broken the law concerning adultery, not the men who so pompously paraded her sinful state in front of others—but instead placed His finger against the sand and wrote. Wrote…what? We don’t know. Probably because it doesn’t matter. What…

There have always been penalties in place for law-breakers. And there should be. Rules and consequences for breaking them are necessary for a civil society. In Jesus’ time, adultery was against the law; the penalty: death by stoning. I would consider the threat of that consequence a pretty good deterrent!…

Jesus would depart. He would go to the cross, He would suffer and die, He would CONQUER THE GRAVE, and then He would return to His Father. But He wouldn’t leave those who’d trusted in Him alone and empty. His Spirit would come and fill each of His believers. The…