Upside-Down Savior - Pastor Nathan Nass

Does it feel like you have nothing? Maybe even like you are nothing? As strange as it might sound, that’s all you need: Nothing. What do you need for God to love you? Nothing. What do you need to bring to the table for God to save you? Nothing. Because it’s all by God’s grace. In fact, it’s often only when a person has nothing that they finally see Jesus. God wants you to know his grace. Sometimes...

“Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). For some, the 4th Commandment seems like common sense. For others, the 4th Commandment seems downright impossible: “What if they don’t deserve it?” God wants all of us to see that honoring those in authority is simply an extension of honoring him. Long ago, David’s trust in God’s control and his patience with God’s plan led him to honor even wicked Ki...

What is Lent? Many Christians observe a 40-day season of repentance in the spring, leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Why? What is Lent? Lent is focused on this encouragement from the Bible: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)I hope...

What is Ash Wednesday? That’s a strange name for a day, isn’t it? What is Ash Wednesday about, and what does it have to do with ashes? Long ago, God told Adam in the Garden of Eden: “For dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about why it’s good to think about dust and ashes and about what God is really looking for in our lives. Jesus...

What is love? Picture Paul with a bag of candy hearts. One by one he reads them off: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perse...

What if I don’t feel loved? What if I don’t feel wanted or cherished? Isn’t it hard to look at everyone else’s relationships and feel left out? Alone? What if I don’t feel loved? God wants you to hear this: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about God’s everlasting and unfailing love for...

What if I don’t feel saved? What if I feel guilty and anxious and afraid? Do you struggle with that? Many Christians do. What if I don’t feel saved? The Bible has a beautiful answer: “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:20).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about turning away from our hearts and finding peace in God a...

Many of you feel pain today. Satan wants to use that pain to drive you away from God. God wants to use that pain to drive you to Jesus. Why? “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Some of you today are facing heartbreak in relationships. What someone has said or done feels like it’s ruining your life. Satan wants to use those thorns to drive you to despair. God wants to use thos...

Are you sure? You might say, “About what?” About anything. Isn’t it hard to be sure about anything? We are trained to doubt everything. This is dangerous. Our culture of doubt is dangerous. Without being able to trust someone or something, everything is going to fall apart. Do you know who’s plan that is? Satan’s. He wants us to doubt everything, so that we eventually doubt God himself. But you ca...

Do you feel foolish, at least compared to other people? Great! Know why? “God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Do you feel weak? In fact, do you see yourself becoming weaker? Know what? Great! “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Do you feel lowly, maybe even despised? Do you feel like a nobody? You’re not...

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). God’s mercy changes you. God’s mercy leads you to want to offer your whole life to him. Not just an hour a week on Sundays. Every moment. Whether you’re working or going to school, offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God. Live for him! Whether you’re a mom or a bache...

When an old man named Simeon saw the Baby Jesus, he said some powerful words: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:28-29). When Simeon saw Jesus, he knew he was ready to die. That’s what seeing Jesus did for Simeon. He had seen God’s salvation. He knew that through that little Baby, all his sins would be for...

People are searching for unity, but we often look for unity in the wrong places. The greatest unity isn’t found in skin color or language or culture or lifestyle. The greatest unity is found at the cross of Jesus. There every person has to confess their sin. There every person can find the grace of God for them. True Christian unity is being united by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Like the s...

Christmas is meant to be deep. Not just light and fluffy. At Christmas, it’s good to talk about deep truths. The meaning of Christmas isn’t just that a Baby was born. The Bible tells us who that Baby is: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right...

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people” (Titus 2:11). On Christmas night, grace appeared. You need someone to care about you. Jesus cares so much about you that he left his throne to live with us. Grace appeared! You need someone to take your regrets away. To change your past. Jesus redeemed you from all sin by his death on the cross. Your past is forgiven! Grace ap...

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Mary and Joseph didn’t live there. In fact, they lived on the opposite side of the country. So why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Because God always keeps his promises! The prophet Micah had written, “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” (Micah 5:2).I hope you can l...

“ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ” (Philippians 4:4). Rejoice always? Does that sound impossible? With all the heartache, the pain, the sadness, the stress… How could we possibly rejoice always? Don’t miss the rest of the verse: “ In the Lord .” God wants to give you a joy that doesn’t depend on your outward circumstances. God wants to give you a joy that no one and noth...

Is it right to celebrate Christmas? As we get close to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there are some Christians who wonder whether it’s even right to celebrate Christmas. Is it? The New Testament clearly tells us that our faith in Jesus doesn’t depend on holy days (see Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5-6). Yet, there was one very important group that most definitely celebrated Jesus’ birth…I ho...

You need your rest. That’s what the 3rd Commandment is telling us: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). You need your rest! Not on a certain day. Where? In Jesus. He has rest for you! Every time you’re anxious about something, you can find rest in Jesus. Every time you’re shaken by life, you can find rest in Jesus. Every time you feel guilt in your heart, you can find rest...

What makes someone a good pastor? I bet you have your own opinions. Often, picking a favorite pastor can divide a congregation or even lead people to leave a church. Do you know what the Bible says about how Christians should regard their pastors? “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed” (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). Pas...

What’s a manger? One of the most well-known details in the Christmas story is that Jesus was placed in a manger (Luke 2:7). What’s a manger? If you’ve ever wondered that, I hope you can watch this short video devotion about what a manger is and how the manger shows us God’s amazing grace to us. God bless you!

We have a problem when it comes to using God’s name. Either we use God’s name flippantly—“Oh my God”—or we don’t use God’s name at all. Either we use God’s name over and over again for meaningless things, or we don’t speak about God at all. See the problem? It’s good for us to think about the 2nd Commandment at Christmastime, because the message of Jesus’ birth is filled with precious names that d...

God gives us hope. Do you need to hear that? I do. Life is filled with so much hopelessness. Sickness and pain. Conflict in relationships. Frustrated plans. Guilt and regrets. Do you go through each day filled with hope or weighed down with hopelessness? God gives us hope. How? Through his Word. The Bible says, “ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through...

Why did Jesus come at Christmas? Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Trees and lights and decorations are going up all over. But why? Why did Jesus come at Christmas? The Bible gives us a clear answer: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about the very specific reason that Je...

It’s good for us to think about the 1st Commandment at Christmastime: “You shall have no other gods.” That is hard, isn’t it? To worship God alone? To rejoice in God alone? To long for God alone? There are so many distractions, so many idols and false gods, especially at Christmastime. Yet, I hope you realize that no one and nothing is greater than Jesus. Mary did. Jesus’ mother sang, “My soul glo...