“As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!”
– Psalm 40:11

How could David be so confident in God’s mercy, love, and faithfulness toward him? In the very next verse, David writes about his mounting troubles and confesses his many sins. How could he count on God’s kindness despite those things? Because David understood that mercy, love, and faithfulness are part of God’s essential nature! They are Who God is and that will never change.

God isn’t merciful, loving, and faithful toward us because we deserve it. He is merciful, loving, and faithful because that’s exactly Who and what He is at all times (see Exodus 34:6-7). You don’t have to assess your own life history to determine whether God will be merciful toward you. He IS merciful and you can count on that. You don’t need to consider how well you love God to decide if He’s going to love you. He IS loving and you can count on that. You don’t have to make a list of what you’ve done lately for God to determine if He’ll be faithful toward you. He IS faithful and you can count on that.

These are unchanging qualities of God. They don’t depend on our feelings or actions in any way. God proved that when He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to take our sins upon Himself. The sending of His beloved Son to live on earth and to suffer, die, and rise from the dead demonstrated His deep mercy, steadfast love, and eternal faithfulness. God did that while we were still in rebellion against Him. He made the first move and the greatest sacrifice to forgive our sins and reconcile us to Him.

Christ’s saving, atoning, restoring, reconciling, work on the cross reflects God’s unchanging nature which is merciful, steadfastly loving, and eternally faithful. This is why David could count on these things despite all the challenges in his life and despite his own sins and failures. The good news is that you can count on those things too! Trust in Jesus and be confident in God’s glorious, unchanging nature! #FollowJesus

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” – Luke 9:23

Jesus spoke these words after first explaining that He must be crucified, die, and rise from the dead. Yesterday, we celebrated that resurrection. Jesus did exactly what He said He would do. In light of that, are you ready to accept His invitation???

Jesus extends His invitation to everyone. If you believe in Him, then Jesus is personally inviting you! It’s your turn to take up the cross. Today and every day. Will you come after Jesus? In life, death, and resurrection? In love, obedience, and ministry?

The fundamental invitation of Jesus is to follow Him. To follow Him sacrificially. Inconveniently. Uncomfortably. Dangerously. It’s an invitation to deny yourself and the instincts that would keep you sitting comfortably wherever you are and instead take up the cross and going out on His life-changing, soul-saving, disciple-making mission throughout the world.

He is risen! Will you go after Him? Honestly, it’s a new decision each day… Are you ready to deny yourself and take up your cross today? #FollowJesus

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” – Luke 7:47

Much of our openness and passion for Jesus depends on how well we understand our personal track record of sin. The fundamental mission of Jesus was to redeem sinful people from their sin and the eternal separation from God that it caused. Jesus lived a sinless life, died a terrible death on a cross, and rose from the dead to atone for our sins and set everyone who believes in Him free from those sins and their consequence.

For those who don’t think they’ve sinned, that doesn’t have much appeal. For those who think they’ve only sinned a little, that may sound nice but doesn’t seem like a big deal. In this verse, that’s the fundamental difference between a woman who understood her lifetime of sin and shame and what Jesus did for her and a religious man who didn’t care about Jesus because he didn’t think he’d sinned all that much. What about you? How bad is your record of sin?

If you say you haven’t sinned, you’re lying to yourself (see 1 John 1:8, 10). If you think your sin isn’t that bad (perhaps because you haven’t killed many people) you don’t understand sin (see Romans 6:23). Every single person on earth has sinned! We’ve all disobeyed God’s perfect, holy standard for living because we’re fundamentally self-centered beings who hate to submit to God’s authority. He made you and has absolute authority over your life. For that reason, all sin is violent rebellion against the God of the universe! All sin is treason against the King! All sin separates us from our Holy Creator Who is the source of life. All sin is vile and brings death upon us. All of it!!!

That’s what Jesus came to rescue you from. On the night before His death, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying that God’s cup of righteous wrath for your sins would pass from Him. But He submitted to God because you don’t always. On “Good Friday”, Jesus was nailed to a cross and experienced that wrath. He suffered and died so your sins could be forgiven – all of them – and you could be reconciled in peace and love to God in Heaven. Think about your sins that sent Jesus to that cross. Think about your forgiveness in Jesus Christ and rejoice! Love Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength! #FollowJesus

“I see him, but not now;
  I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
  and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
  and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
– Numbers 24:17

This ancient prophecy may well be what launched the wise men on their long journey to visit Jesus, the newborn King of the Jews. 1400 years earlier, as Israel marched toward the promised land, Balaam spoke of a powerful king coming in the far future. By the time Jesus was born, this prophecy had spread through much of the Ancient Near East and those who studied wisdom looked for a star that would indicate a mighty king’s arrival.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, the magi asked Herod, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” That star led them hundreds of miles to the home of Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment of this promise of God. God is faithful in keeping His promises, even when it takes 14 centuries to happen.

What promises of God are you counting on? What promises are you resting in? What promises are you excited about? God is faithful and He keeps His promises. Live in faithful anticipation of those promises. #FollowJesus