Cross Encounters

When death is near, for the Christian Jesus is nearer!

To be busy and active for God always means receiving from Him first.

Whatever culture might say about left handedness; God expects me to use both hands to his glory.

In the world we have ladders, podiums, and medals all because we are measured by achievements. Jesus gives us his victor’s wreath so we can live with confidence and concentrate not on beating others but serving them.

No matter the trials and troubles of this world, more goes right than goes wrong because God keeps working in hidden ways to stop us totally wrecking everything. Don’t believe me? Look at the cross of Jesus!

Expectations are wonderful for good things and fearful of bad things. The world fears death. The followers of Jesus have a different expectation about death.

Jesus’ disciples can follow him in any civic realm – and each civic realm will have its own challenges.

If we are saved, it is by God’s grace. If people are lost, it is their own fault! It is a mystery! But thank you, Jesus, it is so!

It is better to confront bad words with truth spoken in love than trying to ban or silence them.

Knowing where we ’fit’ in this world is so very important. Christianity proclaims the best message anyone can ever hear – and it is more radical than ever could be imagined.

Christian forgiveness seems absolutely absurd when the benefit is for the perpetrator and the relationship that had been broken. ’What about me?’ cries the world.

No matter the circumstances we face, we can go forward each day in the confidence of God’s grace and mercy in Christ. Such grace and mercy are daily encounters and not God clicking his fingers to make our life easy.

We need rules and regulations to live safely and well but we also need to enact them so that they are just. Often Christians can believe that living with God means that the Gospel is in service of the Law. Jesus is not a new Law Giver! But it is hard not to abuse God’s grace! Keeping Law and Gospel correctly discerned is what discipleship and ministry are all about.

Messages are more than words. We need context and intention to help us understand. God’s message, context, and intention in Jesus is the message we – and the whole world – needs to hear!

The ascension of Jesus is not ’Up, up, and away!’ but the event that guarantees his presence with us wherever we are! God is never absent from his people!

I think we would view the moon differently if men had died on it. How interesting that God in Jesus has died on this world! How does that make us view life?

We can find threes anywhere we are in the world! Public speakers are often taught to only make three key points. It’s almost as if creation and the way we are trying to tell us something! Welcome to the Trinity!

Why do people want to go to heaven and be stuck for eternity with a God they don’t want to have anything to do with here?

We have so many identities but what is foundational for Christians is what Jesus says about us.

Actually, there is no waiting around with Jesus!

No darkness can ever snuff out Jesus!

That is so true for the followers of Jesus!

The resurrection of Jesus is not a spoiler. Its light shines on Jesus’ life and death and reveals that Jesus is true!

This side of eternity we can have various homes. The only one that is stable and indestructible is when Jesus makes his home with us!

That is really the story of Jesus! Yet Jesus is what we need when we expect to live a good life!