Forgiveness Frees the Heart Scripture: Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:34 Jesus spoke these words while hanging on the cross. He was betrayed. He was falsely accused. He was beaten. He was mocked. He was crucified. And yet, Jesus prayed for the people who hurt Him. There is something powerful about the fact that Jesus did not wait until the pain was over to demonstrate forgiveness. While experiencing the very suffering caused by ot

— Love Beyond What Is Easy Scripture: Matthew 5:43–44; John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” — John 13:35 It is easy to love people who love us back. It is easy to be kind to people who are kind to us. It is easy to show grace when we feel appreciated, respected, and understood. But Jesus calls us beyond what is easy. In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches His disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute the

Devotional Grace is one of those words we say often, sing about frequently, and hear preached regularly—but sometimes we struggle to fully receive it. We understand grace in theory. We know that God forgives. We know that God restores. We know that God gives second chances. But when we are sitting in the middle of our own mess, grace can feel like something meant for other people. We can look at someone else’s mistakes and believe they deserve another chance, while looking at

Devotional There is a version of faith that suggests that if you are really walking with God, life should be smooth. If you pray enough, believe enough, obey enough, and stay close enough to God, then perhaps hardship will disappear. But that version of faith leaves out most of the Bible. The Bible is filled with people who loved God and still struggled... Noah obeyed God, built the ark, survived the flood—and later experienced a humiliating moment in his tent. Abraham truste

Devotional When Ham saw his father Noah in a moment of weakness, he had a choice. He could cover him or broadcast what he had seen. He chose to expose his father's vulnerability, while Shem and Japheth chose a different response. They walked in backward, refusing to look upon their father's nakedness, and they covered him with a garment. The difference between those responses is enormous. It is easy to see someone else's failure and feel justified in talking about it. It is e