Strength for Today

What Is Christ's Exaltation? | April 9 What does it mean that Jesus is exalted? In this April 9 episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN walks us through Acts 2:32–39 and the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 51 and Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 28 to explore the full scope of Christ's exaltation. From His resurrection to His as...

Why Was Jesus Buried? | April 8 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, explores the significance of Jesus' burial as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and explained in Westminster Larger Catechism Question 50. What does it mean that Christ was buried? Why is His burial an essential part of the gospel? This devotional helps listener...

How Did Jesus Suffer in His Death? | April 7 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, Tennessee explores Luke 22:39-46 and Westminster Larger Catechism Question 49 to answer a crucial question: How did Jesus suffer in His death? As Jesus prays in Gethsemane, He enters deep agony, preparing to bear the full wrath of God for sinners. This...

How Did Jesus Endure Suffering During His Life? | April 6 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN explores Isaiah 53:1-5 and Westminster Larger Catechism Question 48 to answer the question: How did Jesus endure suffering during His life? Isaiah 53 paints a vivid and sobering portrait of Christ—the Man of Sorrows. Though He is the et...

How Did Jesus' Birth Display His Humility? | April 5 Why would the eternal Son of God choose to be born in humility and obscurity? In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN walks us through Galatians 4:4–7 to show how Christ's humble birth was part of God's perfect redemptive plan. We explore Westminster Larger Catechism Question 47 t...

What Does it Mean That Jesus Humbled Himself? | April 4 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, unpacks Philippians 2:3–8 and the Westminster Catechisms to help us understand the deep significance of Christ's humiliation. Jesus, though fully God, emptied Himself, took on flesh, and willingly endured suffering and death for the salv...

How Does Jesus Rule as King? | April 3 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN explores Isaiah 33:22 and the Westminster Catechisms to answer the vital question: How does Jesus rule as King? From the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, this devotional unpacks the biblical and theological truth that Jesus Christ is not only Savior b...

How Is Jesus Our High Priest? | April 2 In this April 2 episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, unpacks the powerful truth from Hebrews 9:24-28 and the Westminster Standards about Jesus as our High Priest. Discover how Christ's once-for-all sacrifice fully satisfied divine justice and how He now intercedes for His people in heaven. This ep...

What Did Christ Purchase for His People? | April 1 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN unpacks the rich truth of Ephesians 1:3–14 and Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 8.5. Jesus Christ, through His perfect obedience and sacrificial death, fully satisfied the justice of God and secured for His people both reconciliation an...

Why Did Jesus Willingly Lay Down His Life? | March 31 Why did Jesus willingly lay down His life? In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, unpacks John 10:17–18, where Jesus declares His divine authority to lay down His life and take it up again. This powerful truth is paired with the Westminster Confession of Faith 8.4, which explai...

How Does Christ Reveal God to Us? | March 30 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, explores how Jesus Christ fulfills the role of Prophet by revealing the will of God for our salvation. Drawing from 1 Peter 1:10–12 and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (Questions 43 and 24), this devotional unpacks how Christ declares...

What Are the Three Offices of Christ? | March 29 In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins from Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, explains the significance of the three offices of Christ—Prophet, Priest, and King. Drawing from Philippians 2:8–11 and the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 42 and Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 23, this devotional helps you unde...

Why Is Jesus Called Christ? | March 28 What does it mean that Jesus is called "Christ"? In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN walks through Hebrews 7:15-22 and Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 8.3 to explore why Jesus is called the Christ and how His anointing as Prophet, Priest, and King fulfills God's plan of salvation fo...

Why Is Jesus Called 'Jesus'? | March 27 Why is the Son of God named Jesus? In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, walks through Matthew 1:18-25 to unpack the meaning and significance of the name Jesus—"for He will save His people from their sins." Rooted in Scripture and historic Reformed theology, we explore Westminster Larger Ca...

Why Is It Necessary for Jesus Christ to Be Both God and Man in One Person? | March 26 Who can reconcile sinful humanity to a holy God? Only someone who is both fully divine and fully human. In today's episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins from Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, unpacks the rich biblical truth of 1 Peter 2:4-8 and Westminster Larger Catechism Question 40 to a...

Why Did Jesus Have to Be Truly Human? | March 25 Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became fully human to stand in our place, obey the law perfectly, and suffer as our substitute. Without His full humanity, He could not be our faithful High Priest or make atonement for our sins. In today's episode of Strength for Today, we explore Hebrews 2:14-18 and Westminster Larger Catechism Question 39 to...

Why Must the Mediator Be Truly God? | March 24 In today's Strength for Today devotional, we explore why Jesus Christ must be truly God to serve as our Mediator. Acts 20:28 declares that God obtained the church with His own blood, pointing directly to the deity of Christ. The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q.38) explains that the Mediator must be divine to uphold human nature, bear the infinite wrat...

How Did Jesus Take Our Sin? | March 23 How did Jesus take our sin upon Himself? In today's Strength for Today devotional, we dive into 2 Corinthians 5:21, one of the most powerful verses in the Bible about the gospel. Though Christ was sinless, He became sin for us so that we might receive His perfect righteousness. This is the great exchange—our sin for His righteousness. Join Pastor John Blevins...

Why Was Jesus Born Under the Law? | March 22 Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was born under the law to redeem those under it. But what does that mean for us today? In this episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, walks through Galatians 4:4-7 and the Westminster Catechism to explain how Christ's perfect obedience secures our adoption...

How Is Jesus Both Fully God and Fully Man? | March 21 Who is Jesus Christ? How can He be both fully God and fully man? In this episode of Strength for Today, we explore John 1:1-14 and the Westminster Confession of Faith 8.2 to understand the incredible truth of the Hypostatic Union—the doctrine that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on human nature without losing His divinity. This foundational...

Who Is the Mediator of God's Covenant? | March 20 Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. In today's episode of Strength for Today, we explore John 17:1-10 and Westminster Confession of Faith 8.1 to see how Christ alone bridges the gap, securing our salvation as our Prophet, Priest, and King. Bible Passage: John 17:1-10 Theology: Westminster Confession of Faith 8.1 Key Themes: Chris...

What Is Our Role in the New Covenant? | March 19 What does it mean to be part of the New Covenant? In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives His disciples the Great Commission, commanding them to make disciples, baptize, and teach all nations. But how does this relate to God's covenant of grace? In today's episode of Strength for Today, Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN, ex...

How Is the Covenant of Grace Administered Today? | March 18 How does God administer His covenant of grace under the New Testament? In today's episode of Strength for Today, we explore Hebrews 12:22-24 and Westminster Confession of Faith 7.6, showing how Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant, dispenses His grace through the preaching of the Word and the sacraments. This devotional considers: - T...

How Was Salvation Administered Before Christ? | March 17 How did God administer salvation before Christ's coming? Acts 3:19-21 and the Westminster Larger Catechism reveal that the Old Testament covenant pointed to Jesus through promises, sacrifices, and ordinances. The covenant of grace has always been at work, leading to salvation through faith in Christ. Join Pastor John Blevins of Christ Church...

Did the Old and New Covenants Work the Same Way? | March 16 Has God's covenant of grace changed over time? While the substance of His covenant remains the same, its administration has shifted from the Old Testament to the New. What does this mean for believers today? In this episode of Strength for Today, we explore Deuteronomy 12:29-32 and Westminster Larger Catechism Question 33 to understand th...