Tag: jesus
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Sufficient
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV: But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ When I examine the life of Paul, I am struck by the extraordinary hardship he endured. In chapter 11 of this letter to the Corinthians, which I’ve quoted from, he lists many…
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Atonement
1 Peter 2:24 NASB: and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. For Christ followers, the core of our faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus. This one act is the foundation…
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Jars of Clay
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed If you need encouragement, this verse and…
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Transformation
2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB: But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. There’s a reason I dedicate a large part of my time to my faith tradition, and…
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Knock
Luke 11:8 NIV: “…yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.” I haven’t been able to get the phrase “shameless audacity” out of my mind since reading this passage on prayer in the book of Luke. In the original Greek, it’s a single word:…
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Baptism
Romans 6:4 NIV: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death…” Of all the rituals Christians participate in, most are performed repeatedly: worship, communion, prayer, tithing, confession, and repentance. Significantly, there is one that happens only once. Baptism. My reflection is not meant to delve into the nuances of denominational stances; I want…
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Finding Joy
Luke 1:47 GW: “My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior.” This third week of Advent is Joy, symbolized by a rose-colored candle. It seems intentionally out of place, breaking up the deep purples of waiting and quietly challenging the long ache leading to Christmas. The origins of the Advent wreath and candles go…
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Finding Peace
Luke 2:14 NIV “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” This is the second week of Advent, when we light the candle of peace. This isn’t peace as in ending every war or resolving every conflict—spoken or unspoken. It is the inner peace of…
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O Little Town
Micah 5:2 NIV: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Just when I thought I knew everything about the Christmas story, another layer of symbolism was…
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Pearls and Pigs
Matthew 7:6 “…do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” If you grew up during the purity culture years of the 1980s and 1990s, this verse might be triggering, as it was often used as a warning for teenage…
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Living Water
Jeremiah 2:13 NIV: My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. I love moments when I can be near water, whether on the banks of a lake, listening to a babbling brook, or standing at the…
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Becoming Shepherds
John 21:17 NIV: Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” This will be the second art piece inspired by my reading of N.T. Wright’s “Surprised by Hope,” which says much for the content of this thought-provoking book. N.T. Wright does not mince words when he talks about our misguided focus on salvation being about “going to heaven,”…