We never know, at the time, the good that will come from the struggles and tragedies in our lives, but as Christians we do know that God uses “all things” for our good.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:28 “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” And says in verse 31 ” So if God is for us, who can be against us?” NIV

We can proceed in our lives with this power, knowing that if we love God…keeping His will as our priority, we have His almighty power coordinating “all things” for our good.

Dear Lord, we thank you that we know you are there for us; that our struggles and tragedies are not a surprise to you and you are using them for our good. Help us trust your will and be at peace in this knowledge. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You have likely heard of “pass interference” in American football, when one player physically interferes with an opposing player’s ability to catch a pass.

A close reading of the parable of the spreading of the seed in Luke 8:4-15 tells us that the devil tries to interfere with people’s acceptance off God’s word. You may recall the parable, the farmer spreads seed, some falls on the hard footpath, some on rocky ground, some in the thorns, and some on good soil.

In verse 12 Jesus begins to explain the parable and he says ” Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” NIV

The devil is out there trying to interfere with our hearing and accepting God’s word. We need to realize this, and defend ourselves with the tools God has given us; The Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and fight back with the Sword of the Spirit that is the word of God, as described in Ephesians 6.

Dear Lord, as we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from evil,” Help us rely on you to defend against the devil’s schemes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Today we celebrate Easter, Jesus rising from the dead. This was the event that fulfilled Jesus’ mission on earth. Jesus’ had to suffer, die and rise to fulfill the prophecies and pay the price for the sin of mankind.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17 NIV

How different this makes Christianity from all other religions, that God saves us, as His free gift. Other religions require the following of rules, rituals, or gaining special knowledge in order to be “saved”.

“Oh the sweet joy this sentence gives, I know that my redeemer lives.” Samuel Medley

Dear Lord, Thank you for the wonderful and free gift of salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I heard an interesting way to look at Christianity. “Christianity is not about making bad people good…its about making dead people alive.”

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:5, “even though we were dead because of our sins, He [God] gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.”—NLT

So if we are good, it is because we have been brought back to life, re-animated, and we can share God’s love.

Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us to life with your Spirit so we can live eternally with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Today is Good Friday, when we remember Jesus’ suffering and death. Imagine this, your coworker steals from the company you work for and you get fired, or your classmate cheats and you are suspended because of it, or worse yet, someone murders your friend and you are arrested and executed.

That is essentially what Jesus Christ endured. He was perfect and blameless, but took the punishment for people’s disobedience to God, in order to give us the opportunity to be right with God.

The Message translation says in Romans 5:7-8, ” We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

NIV translation says in verse 8. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” This is the foundation of the Christian message. Jesus took the punishment for us, so we can be reconciled with God forever.

Dear Lord, Thank you for this undeserved and unearned gift of salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen