Posts with the category “bible-reading-plan-2026”

For those of us shaped by a Wesleyan vision of holiness, this matters. The Great Commission assumes that transformation is possible. Jesus would not command us to teach obedience if obedience were unattainable. Grace does not only pardon—it empowers. The risen Christ forms a holy people who reflect His character in the world.  Read More

Simon doesn’t just carry wood. He likely becomes part of a worshiping community. The centurion doesn’t just make an emotional statement. He confesses something profound about the identity of Christ.  Read More

Historically, this verse has been misused in terrible ways. But this is not the guilt of one ethnic group or one generation. It is the story of humanity. When we read this scene, we are not spectators. We are participants.  Read More

In today’s world, we often assume it is our job to defend Jesus. We feel compelled to protect His reputation, to win arguments, to overpower opponents. But Jesus tells Peter to stop. This is not how the kingdom advances. The kingdom does not grow through panic. It does not expand through violence. It does not depend on our ability to overpower critics. It moves forward through obedience. Through surrender. Through the quiet strength of a Savior who trusts the Father more than He fears suffering.  Read More

In the garden, Jesus speaks of a cup. Not the cup of the new covenant they had just shared at the table. This is the cup He once asked James and John about — “Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?”  Read More

And in the middle of it all, Jesus calls Himself The Human One. Not detached. Not insulated. Not floating above the pain. Human. Fully stepping into betrayal. Fully stepping into suffering. Fully stepping into death.  Read More

When Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming in glory and taking His seat on the throne, I can’t help but picture the throne room described in the early chapters of Book of Revelation. Not a cold seat of judgment, but a throne occupied by One who still bears the marks of sacrifice—appearing as a Lamb who was slain.  Read More

Fear always masquerades as wisdom when faith grows thin. But the kingdom of God does not advance through risk management. It advances through faithful obedience. The servants who were commended didn’t create something new. They simply used what they were given. That is sanctification in action—grace received, grace exercised, grace multiplied.  Read More

After chapter upon chapter of confrontation—after exposing hypocrisy, legalism, and spiritual blindness—Jesus doesn’t end with condemnation. He ends with lament. His voice breaks over Jerusalem, not because He lacks power to act, but because love refuses to coerce.  Read More

A yoke still implies direction, obedience, discipline, and work. But Jesus’ yoke is shared. He doesn’t hand us a rulebook and step back. He shoulders the weight with us. Legalism loads people down and watches from a distance. Jesus draws near and carries what we cannot.  Read More

When Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God,” He’s not asking for romantic affection, emotional intensity, or competition with family bonds. He’s calling for ultimate allegiance, not emotional replacement. Loving God with all that we are means God becomes the orienting center of our loves—the one who shapes, orders, and purifies every other affection.  Read More

The wedding garment is not a dress code. It’s not about external compliance or religious polish. It’s a symbol—repentance, righteousness, renewal. A life that has actually received grace. In sacramental language, it’s an outward sign of an inward grace.  Read More

This parable isn’t about ignorance. It’s about entitlement. The problem wasn’t that Israel’s leaders didn’t know God’s law. It’s that they began acting as if God’s work existed to serve their authority, their system, and their sense of control. Stewardship quietly turned into possession.  Read More

"People who were blind and lame came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them." (Matthew 21:14 CEB) This wasn’t a footnote. It was the point. The cleansing wasn’t just about corruption or money. It was about exclusion. Jesus restores access to those who had been pushed aside and, in doing so, calls the entire purpose of the Temple into question.  Read More

Greatness in God’s kingdom flows from obedience to the most basic commandments: love God, and love one another. True service doesn’t come from ambition—it flows from love.  Read More

n the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the scandal isn’t the wages—it’s the timing. God keeps showing up. All day long. Even at the last hour. Especially at the last hour. This story is a direct challenge to our instincts about fairness, worth, and earning. It reminds us that in God’s economy, grace is not a reward for the early and faithful—it’s a gift for the willing. No one is too late. No one is written off. No one misses out because they didn’t arrive sooner or do more.  Read More

Here’s the hard truth: rule-keeping is not the same as relationship. The young man wanted eternal life, but he also wanted to keep control of what gave him security and status. When Jesus exposed the competing allegiance—his wealth—he walked away disappointed. Not angry. Not rebellious. Just unwilling to surrender the thing that owned his heart.  Read More

When Jesus is questioned about divorce on the east side of the Jordan, He doesn’t enter the debate on technical loopholes or permissible exceptions. Instead, He takes His listeners back to the beginning. God’s original intention. God’s design. Covenant, not convenience.  Read More

It’s easy to instinctively place ourselves in the role of the forgiven servant—overwhelmed by mercy, relieved by grace, grateful that the debt is erased. And rightly so. The gospel really is that good. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. The uncomfortable turn in the story forces us to ask a harder question: what does “settling accounts” look like when we turn toward others? Receiving mercy is one thing. Extending it is another.  Read More

The goal isn’t to outperform other believers. The Christian life isn’t a leaderboard. It’s not a net-sum game where someone has to lose for you to win. You’re not trying to rank higher—you’re learning to live differently.   Read More

Slow down today. Sit with his words. Read them again—out loud if you can. Ask where you’ve been interrupting, resisting, or re-framing instead of obeying. Then do the hardest, holiest thing Matthew 17 calls us to do: Listen to Jesus—and trust him enough to follow.  Read More

Jesus’ signs were never about spectacle. They were always expressions of love and compassion. Even the resurrection—the greatest sign of all—will not be a flex of divine power, but a self-giving act for the redemption of the world.  Read More

The kingdom of God is first announced to Israel—but it is never meant to end there.  Read More

When regular, faithful giving erodes, the church’s ability to discern and pursue long-term Kingdom priorities is weakened—not because people are stingy, but because giving has shifted from trust to control.  Read More

Peter knows Jesus. He’s walked with him, listened to him, watched him heal and teach. And yet, when the wind picks up and the waves start shouting louder than the promise, Peter sinks. His faith falters—not because he doesn’t know Jesus, but because fear gets the focus.  Read More

It may have been brief. It may have felt interrupted. But it was enough. By the time Jesus steps onto the shore, his cup is full—not because circumstances improved, but because God met him in the crossing.  Read More

Will we release what gives temporary comfort and joy in order to receive what lasts? Will we give all we have to reflect the light of God in the world? Or will we settle for lesser treasures and call it wisdom?  Read More

Any sensible farmer knows you don’t waste seed. You don’t throw it on hardened paths or rocky ground or into choking weeds. Seed is precious. Food is survival. Careless scattering would look foolish—maybe even irresponsible. And yet, this farmer sows anyway.  Read More

Jesus draws the line clearly: “Whoever is not with me is against me.” Neutrality isn’t an option. Grace always demands cooperation.  Read More

So when Jesus is asked, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” the answer is obvious. Yes. Because the Sabbath is about restoration—of body, soul, and community. It is about coming into the presence of the Lord and receiving peace, not proving our worth.  Read More

Pause and be present. Take five quiet minutes with no agenda. Sit with God. Just be. Name the gift. Write down one clear way God has shown up in your life. Thank Him for it. Release the strain. Ask honestly: Where am I striving instead of trusting? Let it go. Practice rest. Do one thing today slowly and prayerfully, as an act of trust, not productivity.  Read More

The good news? God does not abandon us to white-knuckle faithfulness. The same grace that saves also empowers. The Holy Spirit keeps pressing us toward integrity, clarity, and courage. Pay attention. That nudge you feel is not condemnation—it’s an invitation.   Read More

If we read that as bias on Jesus’ part, we miss the point. Jesus isn’t drawing lines of worth—He’s teaching the disciples how the kingdom advances.  Read More

Trust that Jesus still heals—body, mind, and soul—and tell the story. Let your light shine.  Read More

Sanctification is not self-improvement. It is grace at work, stretching us so we can hold more of Christ.  Read More

Jesus is sovereign and in total control. Even the demons know it. They attempt negotiation, but Jesus does not bargain with evil. His authority is absolute. What they thought might be a loophole becomes a one-way trip back to the abyss. The will of God is not threatened, delayed, or diluted.  Read More

We believe grace is not passive. God’s grace invites a response. Hearing Jesus’ words without acting on them isn’t neutral; it’s a decision. Holiness isn’t about information stored in our heads but transformation lived out in daily faithfulness. Obedience doesn’t earn grace, but it is how grace takes root.  Read More

Seek to know God. Not as a concept, not as a religious taskmaster, but as Father. Over and over again, Jesus says, “your Father knows.” That’s covenant language. That’s relationship.  Read More

Transformation doesn’t happen by accident. It comes by grace, through faith, with obedience, in community. Ignited by the Spirit, shaped by the cross, and sent in the Father’s love—together, for a purpose.  Read More

Jesus didn’t call His disciples to be salty in the way we usually use the word today. In our culture, “salty” often describes someone sharp-tongued, cynical, or lacking grace. That kind of attitude might get attention, but it doesn’t bring life. And it certainly doesn’t reflect the heart of Christ.  Read More