2 Peter 1 Peter is awaiting his departure from this world as he writes this letter. Martyrdom is close, as the Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to him (v14). Peters love for those that have "received a faith as precious as ours" shines through in his desire remind us for all time of the truths that we must follow. Peter is very practical, and gives us a map to follow in...

1 Thessalonians 4 When I read I Thessalonians 4, the word Hope springs to mind. The hope that we can have a different life - not one controlled by baser things, but one that is characterized by holiness and honor. I know I can't live that life myself - I am nothing without the cross of Christ that frees me from the penalty for the junk in my life and also frees me from ...

1 Thessalonians 3 I grew up attending church and youth group. Every Summer as part of our training for our mission trip to Mexico we would have to write our testimonies. Each person would have to write and share their story of how they first encountered Christ and understood the Gospel. After a few years of participating in this activity, it became very obvious that as...

1 Thessalonians 2 is filled with Paul vocalizing his love for the Thessalonian believers. He sacrificed, risked, and worked hard for them to know the gospel and he has come to love them like a parent loves a child. He loved the Thessalonians enough to exhort them when they needed to be called out of sin. Proverbs 27:6 tells us, "faithful are the wounds of a friend; prof...

John 21 Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias (or Sea of Galilee). Peter and several disciples had gone fishing when Jesus called out to them and asked if they had caught anything. Jesus performs another miracle by allowing the disciples to catch 153 fish off the side of their boat (even though they hadn't caught a single fish all night lo...

John 20 In today's reading we see a flurry of activity following Jesus death on the cross. First Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, to find it empty with the stone rolled back. Then Peter and John racing to the tomb, and finding it empty. After they had gone 2 angels appear to Mary, and then Jesus himself. Then Mary went and told the disciples. Later Jesus appears among t...

JOHN 19 This past Sunday we partook in communion. At the Last Supper Jesus gave very specific instructions on how we wanted His followers to remember what was about to happen. John 19 details that which we are to remember, The Crucifixion. Throughout the chapter we are exposed to the many ways in which Christ suffered for our sins. He was flogged (v. 1) A crown of ...

John 16 John chapter 16 documents the last moments in the upper room before Jesus is arrested in the garden. In these moments, Jesus recaps a couple of topics from the previous chapter. He gives his disciples a final warning, encouragement and hope, as well as a purpose, or calling. But the part that I was really drawn to was the passage about the work of the Holy Spiri...

John 15 When we think of how we want our lives to go, who among us doesn't want to make a lasting impact? In John 15, Jesus gives us 3 things - a means to life, a means to significance and a warning about this life. Jesus starts by describing how we are to live in complete dependence on Him, like a branch on a vine gets its very life by proximity and connection to the ...