The Scars of a Prisoner May 1-5
When Paul declared that on his body were the marks of Jesus, he referred to the scars that had been left by the scourgings, stonings, vigils, and turmoil Paul endured for the sake of Christ. They showed that he belonged wholly to Christ, his Master. Standing up for Jesus may take us out of our…
The Scars of a Schemer April 24-28
Jacob’s name means deceiver or schemer, and we see that his name rang true by the choices he made. But God, the Redeemer, interceded through a wrestling match and showed Jacob a whole new way to live, under God’s blessing. At the end of the match, God not only gave Jacob a new name, He…
The Scarred Life of a Samaritan Woman April 17-21
A Samaritan woman goes to the well in the heat of the day to avoid running into others who will look on her as a tainted woman. Jesus willingly meets with her, and filled with His acceptance, she runs to others to spread the good news. It must have taken boldness and courage for her…
The Scars of Jesus April 10-14
After His resurrection, Jesus showed his scars to His disciples as evidence that it was truly Him. Initially, scars seem like a surprising feature of Jesus’ perfected risen body; scars seem like a defect. But God did not choose to remove the scars from his Son’s eternal glorified flesh—the scars were God’s idea to begin…
Easter: Peter’s Redemption Story April 3-7
Peter’s denial and restoration is a vibrant picture of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection in one person’s life. We can see ourselves in Peter’s self-protective denial, his grief over his sin, and the pain and joy of Christ’s redeeming work in his life. Peter’s story is a powerful one, because it shows us…