T.G.I.G.F. - Thank God It's Good Friday

Christ's incredible sacrifice on Good Friday...

For thousands of years, one Friday has been called “good” above all others. 

What's so good about Good Friday? (Matthew 27:26-56) 

• Soldiers flogged our sinless Lord with bits of bone and metal attached to leather straps until he was hardly recognizable as a man (Isaiah 52:14).
• They mocked him and stuck large thorns into his bleeding scalp.
• They forced him to carry a ninety-pound wooden cross against his torn flesh.
• They drove six-inch nails into his wrists and feet and hung him on a cross.
• He had to scrape his torn flesh up the splintered cross to catch each breath for six hours until He died.

And why are these horrible things good?

Jesus did this for you and me…died for your sins and mine…gave us our only escape from death and hell.

Let’s rejoice in that wonder! T.G.I.G.F.

Christ's resurrection is worth celebrating every day of the year!!

"Good" cannot begin to describe the wonder of Good Friday.

The story of Good Friday is found in Matthew 27:26-56. I encourage you to prayerfully read through it today, thanking the Lord for His loving sacrifice.

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I also encourage you to check out the one-minute devotion, A Unique Way to Remember Christ's Sacrifice on Good Friday. 
 
If you liked this devotion, please sign up for a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Bible Love Notes HERE. And please check out these two helpful resources: 

WISDOM FOR LIFE: Do you know the story behind my book Wisdom for Life? You can read it HERE. 

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the subject of each chapter, the endorsements, and the important purpose of Lies in Disguise HERE.

 

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Bible Fluff Is Not Enough

I signed up for a daily devotion from a best-selling Christian author, and every day she wrote of God's love, comfort, and approval. It was biblical, but she never mentioned sin nor challenged her readers to resist cultural lies. It was basically a feel-good-about-yourself pep-talk.

We need pep-talks, but they are not enough to bring us to a mature faith in Christ. God's Word "is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Many popular Christian resources aren't preparing us for our cultural challenges. Nor are many pastors.

I recently listened to a seeker-friendly sermon on Romans 1, and the pastor proudly told his congregation he hadn't preached on homosexuality for eight years. Like many other pastors, he's avoiding clear teachings in Scripture that Christians need to understand. He's failing to prepare his congregation for the increasing propaganda in our world.

When was the last time you heard your pastor teach God's loving warnings regarding LGBTQ lifestyles, abortion, universal salvation, leadership roles in the home and church, etc.? 

It's important that Christians are reminded regularly of Scriptural teachings so they can discern and reject anti-God propaganda. 

Half-truths have always been one of Satan’s most effective tools in drawing people away from true doctrine. That’s one reason I’ve written Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe.

So let's make sure we aren't satisfied with pep talks. Let's seek out teachers and resources that strengthen our discernment and prepare us to fight the good fight of faith (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 3:15). 🠄 Please read these passages.

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Lies in Disguise

by Gail 😊

Bible fluff is not enough

The gospel is built on stronger stuff

Scripture is meant to prepare and train 

Protecting us from sin and shame

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We must refuse to redefine sin

Let's reject those half-truths again and again

We sometimes do need assurance and praise 

But we must be prepared to stand firm in God's ways

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So let’s find resources that make us grow strong

Helping us judge what is right and what’s wrong

Learning God's truth which so many deny

Rejecting false teachings that are lies in disguise

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I also recommend The Results of a Sugary Gospel and Sugar-Coated Truth. 

If you liked this devotion, please sign up for a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Bible Love Notes HERE. 

 

And check out Lies in Disguise, a book that can improve your discernment. You can find subjects of each chapter, reviews, and places to order Lies in Disguise HERE. 

 

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Five Glorious Blessings of Easter

By Dawn Marie Wilson

Easter wasn’t simply one glorious event. Because of Resurrection Day, Christians experience many blessings that promote wonder and gratitude. Here are a few.

1. The Glory of Resurrection

Resurrection Day means victory over death—first Christ’s, and then believers’ (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Romans 8:11). Believers’ resurrected bodies will be perfect and glorious (1 Corinthians 15:43; Philippians 3:21).

2. The Glory of Rescue

Christians—saved not only from death through Christ’s cross and resurrection, but also from sin’s guilt and shame (Romans 8:1)—are a testament to God’s glorious mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

3. The Glory of Rebirth

Believers are born again and renewed in Christ. Their “hope of glory” is a living hope that brings glory-filled joy (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:27; 1 Peter 1:3-9).

4. The Glory of a Relationship

Believers are accepted and adopted in Christ, for their eternal good and God’s glory (Romans 15:7; Ephesians 1:5-6; John 17:22).

5. The Glory of Righteousness

Believers are made righteous, transformed—with ever-increasing glory—into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:3-5).

Resurrection Day brought a series of blessings that encourage believers to live for God, “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:5-6; 12-14).

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Dawn Marie Wilson is one of my special friends. She has served in church/parachurch revival ministries for fifty-plus years. 

She writes for Crosswalk.com and Arise Daily Devos, and blogs at Truth Talk with Dawn. 

Her co-authored book is Truth Talk for Hurting Hearts: Discover Peace and Comfort in God’s Perspective.

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Good Newscasting Means Checking the Facts

It's important to get our facts straight, and it's important to get our Scriptures straight…

In 2015, NBC News anchor Brian Williams claimed that in 2003, he was in a helicopter forced down by enemy fire in Iraq. Crew members of that helicopter refuted his story, and he recanted. (source)

In 2003, in his original newscast, he reported the truth—that his Chinook arrived safely after the attack. But over the years, his story changed.

If it were a memory problem, as Williams claimed, there would have been an easy solution. He could have checked his original report for facts before sharing the story.

We Christians can also get fact and fiction confused by taking Bible verses out of context, forgetting cross-references that apply, or simply repeating popular Christian sayings without making sure they're accurate.  

God never lies (Numbers 23:19). His Word is completely trustworthy (Psalms 111:7). When we talk about God, His commands, His desires, His plans, His love, and His character, we need to check out facts by consulting Scripture.

We need to make sure we're sharing the authentic Good News, not a human version based on misunderstandings or errors.  

If we look intently into His Word, remembering what it says and acting on it, our words will be honest and true (James 1:22-25).

Let's make sure our story lines up with the "original report"—the perfect, unchanging Word of God (Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 12:6; Isaiah 40:8).

For more on this subject, see Every Verse in Context and Without the Bible, We're Lost. 

 

If you liked this devotion, please sign up for a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Bible Love Notes HERE. And please check out these two helpful resources:

Check out these two helpful, relevant books:

WISDOM FOR LIFE: Do you know the story behind my book Wisdom for Life? You can read it HERE and find out where to purchase it online.

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the relevant subjects in each chapter, read some endorsements, and find out where to order Lies in Disguise HERE.

 

Picture of Brian Williams in some images is from Creative Commons. 

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“Christian” Critical Race Theory Isn't Christian

I enjoyed twenty years of sweet Christian fellowship with an African-American friend. She held a prestigious position based on advanced education opportunities and had the respect of her interracial colleagues. Then she bought into CRT propaganda and now views everything (including me) through the lens of black victimhood and white privilege (Psalm 55:12-14). 

Even if people's experiences, actions, and attitudes disprove it, CRT insists that all whites are privileged promoters of racism and all blacks are victims. 

Genuine Christians rejected and fought against the evil of slavery when bigots and worldly Christians misused Scripture to define blacks as inferior. See Uneducated Bigotry.

And genuine Christians are now rejecting Critical Race Theory while bigots and worldly Christians misuse Scripture to approve it.  

CRT not only produces bitterness and hatred, but it also ignores the proud heritage of so many blacks who proved their faith and character in overcoming bigotry. Victimhood produces whiners, not winners. See George Washington Carver—He Overcame Evil and Get Out of Your Selfish Box.

In Christ, all believers are our brothers and sisters (Galatians 3:26-28). If we judge them based on the color of their skin, we need to read James 2:1-4, which says people who judge by outward appearance or wealth are “judges with evil thoughts.” 

The ungodly nature of “Christian CRT” is revealed in the self-righteous rhetoric it produces. (Please see my longer article, The New Racism Promoted by CRT.) 

I've received negative feedback for pointing out the evils of the Confederacy in my Devotions Addressing Racism, and I know that criticizing CRT won't make me popular either. But I believe we deny the truths of Scripture when we accept racism in any form. 

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I'm glad to see that both blacks and whites are speaking out against CRT because we understand it produces racism and sends our country backwards. When things like CRT find their way into the church, they test our discernment and our faith. 

I think you'll appreciate these resources:

This one-minute video of a father and daughter went viral: Critical Race Theory.

Three-minute video with a sweet ending: Black Parents Speak Out Against Critical Race Theory.

A brief warning from Alisa Childers: Critical Race Theory Contradicts the Gospel

A five-minute explanation of Critical Race Theory: Prager U

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