Memorial Day yesterday was another opportunity to remember those who’ve given the ultimate sacrifice. It’s sobering and humbling to think of those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit. We’re most grateful to them and their families! For Christians, there’s a kind of Memorial Day remembrance that happens throughout the year. It’s remembering the fallen warrior who gave his life—not just for his country, but for the world. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself on the battlefield and came back to life so we can be free from sin and death forever. It’s sobering and humbling to think of how ..read more

You can get a new car, a new house, a new book, a set of clothes, and a new tool or toy. Amazingly, in some cases, people can actually get a new heart. But can you get a new heart for your soul? Something more than muscle? Something new inside that’s right and pure? Something free from the baggage of the past and all the guilt and burdens they bring? With God, you can. He takes the old out and puts in a brand new one. A better one. A new spirit. A new heart. Let him operate. The new one is so much better. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26). The post A New ..read more

Once you’ve proved yourself enough? Once you’re good enough? When you die? When you’re in heaven? Ever? How can you know if and when God accepts you? Jesus. He did it all. He’s made you worthy. It’s finished and complete. Believe in Jesus. Let him do all the work for you. Rest in him. If being in him means no condemnation, then God accepts you. Right now. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The post When Will God Accept You? appeared first on Cross of Christ ..read more

Some people are pretty competitive. They just have to win at everything. Others don’t mind coming in second place, or even fourth or fifth. But at some point, everyone enjoys winning. Especially when it matters the most. Nothing could matter more than a person’s final destiny. There’s nothing more critical than knowing what will happen when you die. Ultimately, when facing the trials and disappointments of life, there’s something inside everyone that wants to know they will overcome in the end. You can. When you have Jesus, you will. He triumphed at the cross and when he came back to life. He ..read more

Are there things in this world that bother you? Things that are downright evil? God hates evil, too. Amazingly, he can use evil for good. He takes the things he never wanted, but knew would happen, and decides on a plan before it even happens to harness the bad and accomplish something better. Want proof? Look at Jesus on the cross. It was the work of wicked men. It was a terrible injustice. But God knew it would happen ahead of time. So he made a plan to harness that evil and accomplish something good. Do you know what that good was? He saved the world by Jesus being punishing and dying in ou ..read more

The human heart is a powerful organ. It’s pumping blood and life through the body, beating some 60 to 100 times a minute. But hearts become weak. They eventually fail. They wear out over time or become broken from sorrow. What if your heart could beat forever? With God, it can. He sustains us for now. And even after death, he revives dead, broken hearts. Know God and find your heart’s strength. Believe in God and your heart will beat forever. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). The post My Heart’s Strength appeared first o ..read more

There are storms in life and times of drought. When battered or parched, we need resilience. Especially when it comes to the soul. How do you build soul resilience? It’s not by looking within to find inner strength. Not when we’re parched and have nothing left. It’s not by keeping a stiff upper lip and just trying to weather the storm on your own. Not when you’re weak and out of strength. Strength for the soul comes from the Lord, the God who bolsters his people. He makes them strong. He makes them rooted and healthy. He makes them resilient. Root your trust in him. “Blessed is the one who tru ..read more

Sometimes we feel right at home. Other times, we’re kind of out of place. And it can feel that way with life in general. We’re here and comfortable with a lot of things, but it doesn’t always feel like home. Like we don’t quite belong. Like we were made for a world and life beyond what we experience now. Do you know why? Because we were! God says we’re only passing through this life. This world isn’t our forever home. We were made for a better one—one that lasts forever. For all who are connected to Jesus—for everyone who believes in him, we’ll always feel a little bit like strangers in this l ..read more

The news is filled with a lot of bad . . . news. Including wars. And things brewing around the world that can escalate to further conflict. We pray for peace. We pray for those who suffer around the world. We pray for those who’ve lost loved ones and for those who are scared and in danger. Jesus told us to expect wars and rumors of wars. They’re a sign. A sign that the end is coming. And, Lord, we need the end to come. For you to make this all stop. For you to make everything right. For you to start over and make a new heavens and a new earth, where everything is as it ought to be. No more dea ..read more

Do your plans always work out? Yeah, right. We can plan and try and do everything we can to make it happen just as we envisioned. But life doesn’t always follow our plans. It does follow God’s plans. In the end, what God desires will prevail. Things absolutely must follow his purposes for our lives. Good thing God loves you—a lot. And his plans for you are all good in the end. Those plans will never fail. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) The post Plans that never fail appeared first on Cross of Christ ..read more