I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Living Hope
Remember Peter? An ordinary fisherman turned disciple and apostle of Jesus. He was hot and cold, passionate and impulsive, occasionally fickle and yet still nicknamed the “Rock” by Jesus Himself.
Peter walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, traveled with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and experienced miracles because of Jesus.
He was gently corrected by Jesus, was lovingly empowered by Jesus, and was an eyewitness to Jesus’ life—both before and after Jesus was raised from the dead.
Peter was in Jesus’ inner circle. And it was that Peter, writing to persecuted believers throughout the ancient world, who said:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
1 Peter 1:3 NIV
This wasn’t hearsay gossip from some random person off the streets of Jerusalem, but a friend and a witness of Jesus who’d experienced the truth. Peter knew what he had seen: his friend, teacher, mentor, and Lord was executed … yet raised from the dead.
Peter knew that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, Christianity was fake … definitely not something you would give your life for. Like Paul mentioned in his first letter to the Corinthians, if Christ hasn’t been raised, our faith is useless and we should be pitied for believing a lie.
But if Christ has, in fact, been raised from the dead, then our hope is great and our hope is alive. It’s better than the best news imaginable! It’s more urgent, timeless, and valuable than anything else in this world. And Peter believed this with every breath he had.
Yes, Jesus was the first to rise from the dead. But, if we also believe what Jesus preached, then we know … we’re next.
If you’re not convinced by the evidence yet, keep searching. Keep praying. Keep seeking. Ask Jesus to reveal His power and glory to you in a fresh way, and get to know the believers across the world who are eagerly awaiting His return.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
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