be more like Jesus – Be Still…

Isaiah 53:1-12 – Man of Sorrows

Read Isaiah 53:1-12

Doesn’t it boggle your mind to read Isaiah’s words given to him by God generations before Jesus embodied them? They couldn’t more perfectly describe what our LORD endured. On Holy Saturday, as Jesus’ body lies in the tomb, asleep yet battling death, we remember.

When do you think people connected the dots and realized that Isaiah’s prophecy spoke of Jesus? How do people today react to this prophecy? Reading it through the “lens of Holy Week” the richness of the message is even more powerful.

Mark 8:34-9:1 – How to Follow Jesus

Read Mark 8:34-9:1

Do you think the crowds showing up to see Jesus wondered how they could become followers like the chosen twelve? Jesus’ magnetic character automatically drew people to him. I’m guessing many of those people wanted more. We often find ourselves wanting more, too.

In this passage, Jesus lets us all know how we can be his followers. Jesus told them, “you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Would that statement have made sense to those hungry for more? Does it make sense to you?

Philippians 1:9-11 – A Prayer for You

Read Philippians 1:9-11

Imagine Paul just prayed this prayer for you. Paul was asking God to provide these things for his friends. Even if Paul didn’t particularly have you in mind, all these years later let me direct this prayer to you. I’ll use Paul’s words because they are just that good. And timely.

Am I the only one that feels overwhelmed when I turn on the news? I’ve started getting my news from a Christian source that has already sifted through all the noise of the media to pick the stories that seem to be most fact-filled. As a writer, it’s hard to admit that other writers (journalists) are seemingly being manipulated by society to write with a certain slant or bias. Have you noticed that the same stories sound different depending on who is telling the story?