Jesus took the most horrific sign of guilt and shame and transformed it into the most beautiful sign of forgiveness and honor.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is how the gravest injustice in history of the world became the most gracious invitation for all eternity to come.

We Christians should live in the constancy of a higher court, entrusting ourselves to God instead of constantly serving as our own lawyer.

Death seems so ominous, so fear-producing. Yet even that final passage of death can be precious because it is the doorway into eternal life and everlasting fellowship with God and his saints.

Honesty in discipleship leads to disorientation, through brokenness, and onward to surrender and restoration.

In the short term we are going to win some big ones and we will lose some really hard ones. But faith means living right now—win, lose, or draw— from the eternal perspective of Jesus.

Following from a distance isn't really following at all. When we follow from a distance we trade in our discipleship for a place in the crowd.

Betrayal may be the worst offense a person could possibly commit, because it takes a friend to betray you.

Until we can cast aside the weakness of our willfulness, we will never be able to take hold of the strength of the Spirit's willingness.

Though Jesus was always fully human, this was perhaps his most human moment—crying out in agony to God with a prayer that will not be granted.

Although we live in the twenty-first century, we still can see the widespread worship of false idols. Some worship the idols of money, houses, power, and position.

The greatest gift in the darkness of our struggles will be our dying to the false god of our particular expectations we have for resolution and releasing our struggle to the God who is raised from the dead who goes ahead of us.

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is not about approaching with the right thoughts and feelings. It's all about embracing Jesus himself.

Pride clouds our vision of ourselves. No, it's worse than that. Pride blinds us to our own depravity.

Revelation requires "eyes that see" and "ears that hear." To perceive divine revelation requires a pliable heart and a humble mind.

The Christian faith is not about increasing one's dedication. It's about undivided devotion; abandoning oneself to God in love.

Kingdom of God people are those who redefine principle and power in the light of holy love.

The psalm reminds us that as wonderful as it is to witness these dramatic events, redemption is no laughing matter.