“It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:7-8  Read More

Why does Jesus do this? Why does Jesus come to his disciples to deputize them and send them out? Isn’t it enough that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead? Isn’t that what makes us good with God? Why do these 10 men in the text get the authority to forgive sins?  Read More

It is now that time of the year! As you read this, we are only a few days away from the start of Holy Week. The week that is the highlight of our Faith as we revolve around the events of the final days and life of Christ, beginning from his ride into Jerusalem and leading to the empty tomb. I live for this week even as it wears me out by Easter afternoon.  Read More

Amen What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means “yes, yes, it shall be so.”   Read More

Father in Heaven, you delivered your Son over into death. While Judas was working to hand you over to your enemies, you were handed over to deliver us from sin, death, and hell.  Read More

But deliver us from evil. What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.  Read More

O Lord, God our Father in Heaven, look with mercy on us! We are so often dragged away into our vices and sin which cause us great shame and pain. It is almost impossible to endure, and we feel compelled to hide our faces from before you in hopes that you may not look at us or our shame.  Read More

And lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.  Read More

Dear Lord Jesus Christ. You have forgiven us of all our sins. You have set us free from our bondage and slavery. The price came at your blood and not ours. We praise and thank you for this precious gift.  Read More

How many times should you forgive your brother? Jesus had just finished telling them what to do when a brother sins against them. Peter probably thinks he is being pious by offering to forgive his brother up to seven times.   Read More

What has happened to Jesus has now happened to me. As Paul noted in 2:12, we were buried and raised with Jesus by baptism. There is a break with the old and there is a new life that has begun with us.  Read More

Our text today takes place at the end of a major section in Genesis that starts way back in chapter 37. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because they were jealous of him (after first planning to kill him). He is brought to Egypt and, through a series of events, rises to a position of prominence.  Read More