“Jesus wins by serving and triumphs by losing” (quote from the Amazon description of the book pictured above by Donald B. Kraybill) Not too long ago, God gave my husband and myself a vision that looked something like this. This morning our Loving Creator gave us this verse:“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10 NKJV To be perfectly honest, this life of total surrender to God’s Will is a frightening, exhilarating, and joyfully wild ride! Without going into too much detail yet, I will share with you that we both had a hope. Then our hope survived a painful crash-landing. We accepted the disappointing outcome, and chalked it up to God’s protection. We can do this with complete confidence and peace, because we KNOW our Higher Power sees the timeless BIGGEST picture from a perspective, we cannot even begin to fathom. In God we trust because Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us He is sovereign. The tapestry pictured above we admired on our tour of Hearst Castle on December 21, 2024. It is actually much BIGGER than the image included here. My point is that there were several of these kinds of ornate detailed works of art displayed in this castle located in California, USA that told entire historical stories over extended periods of time on a wall. That example is the closest my finite brain can get to almost wrapping my mind around the way God views our existence. He sees all people, all time, all events weaved into one giant tapestry and STILL simultaneously honors our FREE WILL to choose Him or reject Him. 🤯 The reason I believe God gave us Luke 16:10 (quoted above) this morning is because in our growing pains, He has led us to serve more and expect less (Upside-Down Kingdom). As a result, the previous disappointment we felt when our dream was perceived to be crushed, has been replaced with “Wait for it, I’ve got you.” As this Ephesians 3:20–21 vision comes to fruition, we are praising our Heavenly Father of Lights (James 1:17) who gives the BEST gifts, as He graciously and generously helps us navigate the next steps of this LEAP of FAITH process! The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want or fear what comes next. In Jesus’ most precious name, Amen © Nora Gwen Want more of this Faith, Hope, & Love💖? Your coffee☕ helps me write about it. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

As a Christian with brains and eyeballs, I can distinctly see we have many issues in our churches today, emphasis on that word “many.” According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are currently approximately 47,000 Christian denominations worldwide. Not congregations, denominations. Distinct, named, organized expressions of Christianity, each with its own doctrine, definitions, and rules. By 2050, that number is projected to be 64,000. How Did We Get Here? That answer is the same impulse driving our culture right now. Someone disagreed with a definition, someone needed a new label, someone decided their interpretation was different enough to warrant a split, a new name, a statement of faith, and a new doctrine. And then someone split from that. And then someone split from that. On and on, year after year, until we have tens of thousands of variations of Christianity, each convinced it has the clearest handle on truth, and many of them can’t sit in the same room with each other. Paul Saw This Coming Paul was addressing this in the first century. Romans 14:1: “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” The whole chapter is Paul telling believers who were dividing over differences, judging each other, separating over disputable matters, making secondary things primary, to stop it. They were already doing this before the ink was dry on the New Testament, and Paul was calling it out. Romans 14:19: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” We have had the best instruction manual for this for 2,000 years, and still ended up with 47,000 denominations anyway. To Be Clear This is not a call to accept everything; there is a fine line here that needs to be addressed, Romans 14 is not a blank check. Peace is the ultimate goal, not constant in fighting, but also not at the cost of Biblical truth. Not all denominations and churches teach sound doctrine. Way too many teach things that are flat-out contradictions of Scripture, and you are not required to accept and make peace with false teaching just to avoid conflict. Paul made this plain in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” That is not a gentle verse people. That is Paul being absolutely immovable on the line between truth and error. And 2 Timothy 4:3–4 reads like it was written in today's news: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” So yes, pursue peace with other believers where you genuinely can because Romans 14:19 still stands. But you must stand firm on Scripture first; there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. If peace is possible without compromising Biblical truth, chase it; it can happen. You can disagree on things and still be friends. What you cannot do is reshape your beliefs to fit a denomination’s or anyone’s preferences and call that faith. Pray over the state of the church. Seriously and genuinely, open your Bible and read it for yourself, and test everything against Scripture. Society Was Watching The Whole Time This is the part that should make us uncomfortable. We are supposed to be salt and light. Jesus said it in Matthew 5:13–14: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Probably wondering what that means? I’ll tell you, it means that a person’s true character and faith are impossible to hide and are always on display to the world. When the “Church” fractures, argues, splits, labels, divides, and builds walls between believers, guess who sees that? The entire world. Just as much as society likes to blame religion for its issues and bring up past abuses done in the name of religion, it also learns from it. They watched churches do this for centuries. Churches have been publicly splitting, feuding, and multiplying divisions since the beginning, and the world was watching every single moment of it like a child watching a parent slowly fall apart. Children do what they see modeled, they absorb it, normalize it, and eventually repeat it. We handed them the blueprint. We demonstrated for generations that when you disagree with someone’s definitions, you separate, create a new label, and build a new slogan. We showed the world that identity is built around which group’s doctrine you align with. We modeled that splitting is always an option when unity gets hard. And now we are shocked that society does the same thing. We were supposed to be the city on the hill. A light, a beacon, God’s physical examples on Earth of His love, mercy, kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness, and a beautiful, glowing lamp for this world. Instead, the hill has 47,000 different towns on it, most of them barely speaking to each other, and the world looked at that and took notes. It is on us, the remaining faithful, to pick up the cross daily and stand apart from the world, to stop chasing labels and simply start following Jesus. Read your Bible. Follow Jesus. You don’t need anything else attached to that. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Sources: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary — Center for the Study of Global Christianity Christianity is Fragmented — Why? Lausanne Movement Polycentric Christianity — Christian Denominations Romans 14 Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Depression is one of those words people throw around like it only means crying every day. But for many people, depression doesn’t come with tears. Sometimes it comes quietly as silence, numbness, forced laughter, or productivity that is actually pain in disguise. It can look like a normal life on the outside, but an abnormal heaviness on the inside. Freepix And the scariest part is this: you can love God and still feel this way. That moment when you’re “fine” but you’re fading. Sometimes depression also shows up as waking up tired even after sleep, losing interest in things you used to love, feeling off for weeks without knowing why, or overthinking until your mind feels noisy. You may still show up, post online, and even laugh so much around people, but inside, you feel like you’re slowly disappearing. Because it doesn’t look like sadness, people don’t always recognize it, and sometimes, even you don’t. You may assume you’re lazy, ungrateful, or spiritually weak. But you’re not. You’re tired, and you may be carrying more than your soul was designed to carry alone. Even strong believers can feel this low Some people believe that if you’re truly a Christian, depression shouldn’t touch you, but the Bible doesn’t support that. David, a man after God’s heart, wrote words that sound exactly like depression: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?”— Psalm 42:11 That wasn’t a faithless man speaking. That was a man who knew God but also knew pain. David didn’t pretend; he spoke honestly, and this is the point God wants us to get to most times. God is not offended by your weakness If you’ve been feeling guilty because you’re not as spiritual as you used to be, hear this clearly: God is not offended by your weakness; He is actually drawn to it. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”— Psalm 34:18 So what do you do when you feel this way? First, stop pretending you’re okay because you don’t heal what you keep hiding. Tell God the truth, even if all you can say is, “Lord, I’m not okay.” Next, return to small spiritual habits. Depression makes big things feel impossible, so start small: one verse, one worship song, one honest sentence to God. And please don’t isolate. God heals us through prayer and through people. Depression grows in isolation, but healing grows in safe connection. If you’ve been fading, don’t conclude that God has left you. Sometimes depression doesn’t mean you’re far from God; it could mean that you need Him to hold you differently. Maybe more gently, or more closely, and He will if only you but draw nigh to him and not away from him. © Favour

What are you afraid of? If something came to mind right away, you are already ahead of most people. Failure. Rejection. Losing someone you love. Not becoming who you hoped you would be. But if you are anything like me, your first instinct might be to say nothing. I do not think I am afraid of anything. Careful? Yes. Thoughtful? Sure. Responsible. Practical. Someone who plans ahead and thinks through options. But afraid? Not really. And yet, what if fear is doing more in your life than you realize? The fear underneath all your fears The Bible makes a strong claim. It says people are held in lifelong slavery because of the fear of death. Not influenced by fear. Not occasionally anxious. Enslaved. And it goes even further. All your fears, if you trace them far enough, lead back to one place. The fear of death. It just shows up in quieter ways. At first, that sounds like too much. Most of us are not walking around thinking about death all day. We are not constantly on edge, expecting something terrible to happen. But slow down and pay attention. Why are you afraid of failure? Because it feels like your life is slipping away. Like you are running out of time. Like you only get one shot and you might waste it. Why are you afraid of rejection? Because it feels like a kind of social death. To not be seen. To not be known. To not matter. Why are you afraid of losing control? Because deep down you know how fragile your life actually is. You cannot guarantee your future. You cannot protect the people you love. You cannot even keep your own life going. That realization sits underneath more of your life than you think. How fear quietly takes over So what do we do with that? We try to manage it. We plan, optimize, and carefully manage how we present ourselves. We avoid risk. We avoid situations where we might fail or look foolish. And we give it better names. Wisdom. Being practical. Just trying to do things right. But underneath it, something else is happening. Fear is driving you. It tells you what to do, what to avoid, who to become. And slowly, without noticing, your life starts to revolve around one goal. Staying safe. The problem is it does not work. When you are younger, it can feel like you have control. But over time, you start to see it more clearly. You are not as in control as you thought. And the fear does not disappear. It spreads. It becomes harder to name. Less obvious, but more constant. A low level anxiety that sits in the background. A quiet sense that something could go wrong. That is what the Bible calls slavery. Why Jesus came This is where Easter comes in. The Bible says Jesus came to break the power of death and to free people from the fear of it. In other words, he came to set you free from fear. But the way he does it is not what you would expect. The only truly fearless person Jesus became human. He stepped into the same fragile, uncertain world you live in. And then he did something none of us naturally do. He faced death without fear. He walked toward the cross. Not because he had to, but because he chose to. Where does that kind of courage come from? Courage is never random. It is always tied to love. People become courageous because they love something more than they fear losing their life. A parent runs into danger because they love their child. A soldier risks everything because they love their country. Jesus moved toward the cross because of love. Love for the Father. And love for you. That is why he could say no one takes my life from me. I lay it down. The people around him could not make sense of it. Pilate was used to power working through fear. Pressure, control, self preservation. Jesus was not like that. Fear is how power works in our world. But Jesus was not ruled by fear. Which means fear had no power over him. And that makes him unlike anyone you have ever met. Now imagine if the story stopped at the cross. If Jesus died and stayed dead, then this would still be meaningful. A powerful example. A moving story. But in the end, death would still win. And we would still be stuck in the same fear. What the resurrection changes But that is not how it ends. Jesus rose. Death did not win. It was defeated. And that changes everything. The thing that has always held power over people lost its grip. And not just for Jesus. For you. The Bible says he is bringing many sons and daughters into glory. His victory becomes your future. Death is no longer the end. Which means fear does not get the final say. The thing that has been quietly controlling your life has already lost its power. So why are you still afraid If that is true, then why does fear still feel so strong? Why does failure still feel so threatening? Why do other people’s opinions still have so much weight? Why are you still trying so hard to control everything? Some of you are stepping into new seasons. Graduation. Work. Relationships. Big decisions. And underneath it, there is a quiet panic. What if I mess this up? It does not feel like fear. It feels like urgency. But it is fear. Others of you feel like time is slipping. You feel behind. Doors feel like they are closing. And there is another kind of pressure. I am running out of time. So you start forcing things. Grasping for control. Making decisions you know are not healthy because it feels better than doing nothing. That pressure pushing you? That is fear. And when you let it drive you, your life slowly gets smaller. You take fewer risks. You love less openly. You avoid people because people complicate things. And in trying to protect your life, you lose the very things that make it meaningful. That is what slavery looks like. You are still carrying it Imagine you are exhausted, walking down a road with a heavy bag. A truck pulls over and offers you a ride. You get in. But you keep holding the bag. That is what many of us are doing. The resurrection says the weight has already been dealt with. The deepest threat has already been handled. And yet you are still carrying it. Still living like everything depends on you holding it together. What you are actually free from The Bible says nothing can separate you from the love of God. Not death. Not loss. Not suffering. Not uncertainty. Not your past. Not your future. Not even the things you are most afraid of right now. The worst thing that could happen to you has already been defeated. Death is not the end of your story. It is not even the worst part. It is a doorway. Which means your life is not as fragile as it feels. You do not have to make everything work out here and now. This life is not the whole story. It is the beginning. Now you are free And if that is true, then something shifts. You are free. Free to live differently. Free to love without constantly protecting yourself. Free to take risks. Free to stop trying to control everything. Free to step outside what feels safe and manageable. This is why after the resurrection, Jesus keeps telling people not to be afraid. And then he sends them out. Peace first. Then purpose. Because once fear loses its grip, you can finally live. The question you have to answer So here is the question. What would your life look like if fear did not have the final say? What would you do if you really believed the worst thing that could happen to you has already been defeated? Because that is what Easter is claiming. And if it is true then the thing that has been quietly controlling your life has already lost its power. You are more free than you think. You just have to stop living like you are still in danger. © 2026 David Jun. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God.

After reading today’s devotional on an Easter reading plan at the You Version Bible app, I responded to the same writing prompt at the end of each daily reading, which reads “Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?” This was my response: Jesus heals the ear of one of the soldiers there to arrest him and lead him to his brutally cruel death on a cross. He also prays “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” as they/we are killing him for being our Messiah. This 2026 world is killing Jesus all over again. Singing worship and praises like “Hosanna on the highest” on the one hand while simultaneously deconstructing religions, and most specifically Christianity including Jesus as Savior on the other… to fit our hedonistic narratives. Singing Hosanna on the weekends, including “Palm Sunday”, followed by denying we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior throughout weekdays at work, evidenced by actions that speak louder than words, exactly like Peter who denied knowing Christ three times before the cock crowed, precisely as Jesus had accurately predicted. Now I know some of you may be thinking, “Not me, I don’t do that.” I know because I am claiming the same defense in my own mind right alongside you. Asking the hard questions But every time I ask hard questions about the Bible’s credibility, church doctrines, pastoral staff messages, religious practices, or doubt the theology I was raised to believe… Am I not guilty of the same? I often pray, “Lord, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Don’t get me wrong. I am not apologizing for questioning religions. God gave us free will and intelligent minds for good reasons. And when it comes right down to it, I follow Jesus. Therefore, if my perception is that the local pastor is also following Jesus, we may traverse this narrow pilgrimage together. However, if the pastor takes a different trail, I pray I continue to follow my Jesus on the straight and narrow (Matthew 7:13–14) path. Did I hammer the nails into Christ’s hands (wrists) and feet on the cross? The first time I heard someone suggest they were personally responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross, I thought to myself, “You’re crazy.” We didn’t do that. How could we? We didn’t even exist back then! But then the Spirit gently whispered the reminder that Jesus indeed carried the weight of my personal sins [and yours] up onto the cross (John 1:29) that day as well. Therefore, it may as well have been my hands that nailed his wrists to that tree in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) that day. What are we doing any differently today? Though we may not be shouting “Crucify Him” today, some of our outrageously disrespectful behaviors as a society are the equivalent of that, in my opinion. Intentionally, I won’t go into specific examples of these actions. Instead, I will leave this verse for thought right here: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 NKJV It is up to each one of us in a relationship with God to determine, with the Holy Spirit's help, what constitutes sin in our own lives. Do you believe Jesus died for our sins and rose to life again? You can’t deny He died on the cross all those years ago… That is a historically proven fact. But it is also true that the next part is entirely up to you to choose to believe He is risen and lives today as sovereign King of Kings, the name above all names — Jesus Christ — Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ). © 2026 Nora Gwen. Want more content like this? Explore more articles Knowing God. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

This morning, I commented on a friend’s post about the importance of the separation of Church and State, and allowing all individuals the freedom to practice whatever beliefs they may hold, and I wanted to share. Friends Post: “I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but we don’t live in a Christian nation founded on Biblical principles. We live in a secular nation founded on the U.S. Constitution, which protects your freedom to be a Christian if you so choose, and to live by Biblical principles, whatever you interpret those to be. It also protects the freedom of those who choose otherwise. It’s kind of a beautiful thing. If you’re a Muslim, no one can make you eat pork. If you’re a Christian, you can load up on the bacon and ham with a big greasy grin on your face. If you don’t subscribe to any religion at all, the world is your buffet. It even works well within Christianity. Southern Baptist? No one can make you say a Hail Mary. Catholic? No one can keep you from wearing your “I love the Pope” hat to the mall. Do you think gay marriage is a sin? OK, fine. Check your fiancé’s genitals before the ceremony and everything should be a-OK. Just remember it’s not your place to peek inside the pants of other people’s partners. So you can go your merry way and let others do the same. See how that works? You get to live YOUR life according to your beliefs. You don’t get to force others to live theirs that way. And they don’t get to force you to live their way either. This is how our funny little government works for everyone. This is why it’s a handy dandy thing to remember that, should you seek an office or a job in government, YOU ALSO WILL BE WORKING FOR EVERYONE when you clock in each day. It’s also good to remember this is why the courthouse lawn and other tax payer funded facilities are not churches or temples or mosques. The Ten Commandments may look lovely hanging in your church or on your wall at home, but, unless you want to allow symbols of other religions including nine-foot bronze statues of a half-man-half-goat with curly horns from the Temple of Satan to greet you when you go to the DMV to get your plates renewed, it’s really best to leave those things up to the private individual to display. Any Pentecostals cool with a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe at your state Capitol building? No? Well, then maybe you get my point. Your church, however wonderful it may be, has not been appointed to govern those who don’t wish to attend it. Your holy book, however full of wisdom you find it to be, has not been passed into legislation. And if you ever study what happens when any religion is given a pass to govern with that kind of power, you’ll thank God it isn’t that way here.” My response: “As a Christian AND an educator in public schools, I do recognize the value in the separation of church and state. I also see some mention of God from our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence and still on our current currency, and our pledge of allegiance, BUT not in our Constitution as mentioned above. I’m grateful for the freedom to practice my faith, AND I respect others' rights to exercise their free will. These two concepts are not mutually exclusive. I am praying for the state of our divided nation, AND I agree that Christian Nationalism is potentially dangerous. As believers, our National Patriotism should not become an idol for us! Love above all else is what we practice ideally, regardless of our differences in race, politics, sexual orientation or identity, ethnicity, religion, or other ways of life.” LOVE Above All Else (1 John 4:8) Then my overthinking brain latched onto the phrase “Love above all else” from my reply. I hadn’t thought to include the Scripture at that moment, but I later added it as a caption to an IG post and included this message: “In case you’ve ever wondered (and I seriously doubt you have) whether or not I raise my hands in praise and worship during my morning run/walks even when I’m not on camera creating a reel or a post, the answer is YES!!! I am not ashamed to praise whenever The Spirit moves me, regardless of who may see me… and especially when my God is the only one present, since this sacred secret prayer time is what Jesus invites us to do intimately with Him on a park bench, in bed, on a walk, in a car, on a plane, etc. without ceasing… (1 Thessalonians 5:17) with gratitude and thanksgiving. Hebrews 11:16 reminds me it’s not only about me not being ashamed of the gospel — it is also important that God not be ashamed of my behavior. It is, after all, a mutual loving personal relationship! Have you ever considered that God experiences deep emotions (feeling grief or passionate about someone or something) too?!? Where do you think we get them from? Certainly not the “Big Bang Theory” !?! … “imago Dei” isn’t limited to physical appearance. Think about it. And should you feel so inclined, share your thoughts in the comments. Would love to hear your take, genuinely!” What Love Looks Like to Me When I write or say that I genuinely am interested in hearing your thoughts on a subject, I sincerely mean it. Personally, as a Christian, I often feel torn between being obedient to The Great Commission (evangelizing, sharing the gospel) and respecting others’ free will to believe and practice as they choose, what I like to call the “You do you, Boo” mentality. You might wonder why I even wrestle with this, since for some, the call to evangelize feels straightforward. Biblically, though, it’s a gray area for me, because it all comes back to the two greatest commandments. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36–40 NIV For me, loving God first and loving people always trumps everything else in my point of view. Even when someone lives very differently from me, in any of the ways I mentioned earlier, I choose to love them anyway. Sometimes that love may be sharing the gospel. Sometimes it looks like listening to them first, with the genuine and honest intention to understand their perspective. And sometimes that love can be acts of service with few to no words needing to be spoken. “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Author unknown (possibly St. Francis of Assisi) Such a powerful quote, when you really stop to think about it and let it sink in. Maybe that kind of love looks like Jesus, who often answered a question with another question, inviting the seeker to arrive at their own conclusion. © 2025 Nora Gwen Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith.

In the middle of unimaginable pain, He revealed a kind of mercy far deeper than anything we practice ourselves. Imagine the moment. A man has been beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross. His body is collapsing under the strain of crucifixion. Every breath requires him to push against the nails in his hands and feet. The crowd below him is not mourning but laughing, mocking, and gambling over his clothing. And then he says something almost impossible to comprehend. “Father, forgive them.” Those words, spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, are among the most astonishing ever recorded. They reveal something about forgiveness that most of us struggle to grasp. Because if we are honest, forgiveness does not come naturally to us. Before thinking about Jesus’ prayer, consider a simple question: How would you define forgiveness? It sounds straightforward until you begin to reflect on your own life. Have you ever had to forgive someone who hurt you deeply? What did it actually take to reach that point? Or perhaps the harder question: have you ever had to ask someone else to forgive you? When most people think seriously about forgiveness, they discover that their relationship with it is complicated. We believe forgiveness is good. We admire it when we see it in others. Stories of radical forgiveness move us deeply. Yet when the time comes to practice it ourselves, especially when the wound is personal and painful, something inside us resists. Part of the reason is that forgiveness feels unfair. When someone hurts us, we instinctively want balance. We want the scales to even out somehow. We want the person who caused the damage to feel the weight of what they did. Yet the moment we demand repayment, forgiveness disappears. By definition, forgiveness means absorbing a wrong without insisting that the debt be repaid. That is what makes it so difficult. The Way We Usually Forgive If we look honestly at our lives, most of us forgive in a very particular way. We forgive with time. When someone hurts us deeply, we rarely forgive immediately. Instead, we create distance. Sometimes we slowly drift away from the person who hurt us. Sometimes we bury the memory and hope it fades. Eventually we begin repeating something people often say: time heals. But does it? In reality, time rarely erases the wound. It simply dulls it. The memory becomes less vivid and the emotions surrounding it soften. Over months or years, the pain becomes manageable enough that we feel able to move on. Yet every so often something unexpected, a comment, a memory, a situation, brings the past rushing back. In those moments we realize that the wound never truly disappeared. It only became easier to live with. That complicated relationship with forgiveness shapes how we view God as well. Because if our forgiveness works this way, we often assume that God’s forgiveness must operate the same way. We imagine that when we ask for forgiveness, God might say the words but still remember the offense deep down. Perhaps we need a period of good behavior first. Perhaps we should clean up our lives before approaching Him. After enough time passes, maybe the sting of our sin will fade. Only then do we feel safe coming to God. But when we come to the crucifixion of Jesus, we discover something radically different. God’s forgiveness does not operate like ours. The Most Astonishing Prayer Ever Spoken In Luke 23, Jesus has been condemned to death. He is surrounded by soldiers, religious leaders, and a crowd that had only days earlier shouted his praise but now cries out for his execution. As the nails are driven through His hands and feet, Jesus speaks: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) Notice what is happening here. Jesus does not wait for the pain to subside before forgiving. He does not wait for time to pass or for apologies to be offered. Instead, He forgives in the very moment the injustice is occurring. And the word “them” includes everyone involved. Pilate, who knew Jesus was innocent yet sentenced Him anyway. The crowd that demanded His crucifixion. The soldiers who hammered the nails into His body and gambled for His clothes. The religious leaders who orchestrated the entire trial. All of them stand within earshot when Jesus prays this prayer. And in the middle of unimaginable suffering, He asks the Father to forgive them. Most of us struggle to forgive someone after weeks, months, or years of reflection. Jesus offers forgiveness while the nails are still in His hands. Compassion in the Middle of Cruelty What Jesus says next is just as striking. He adds, “for they know not what they are doing.” At first that sentence sounds confusing. After all, many of the people involved clearly understood what they were doing. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. The religious leaders acted out of envy and jealousy. The soldiers carried out their orders without hesitation. Yet Jesus sees something deeper. In one sense they knew exactly what they were doing. In another sense, they did not understand the full weight of their actions. They could not see the complete ripple effects of the injustice they were participating in. Human beings often live in that same tension. We know when we lie. We know when we cross moral boundaries. We know when we betray someone’s trust or indulge destructive habits. And yet we also do not fully know. We rarely see the deeper damage our choices create. We do not grasp how our actions shape the lives of others. We do not recognize how deeply sin distorts the world around us. Jesus sees all of that clearly. And astonishingly, His response is compassion. What the Cross Reveals The cross reveals two truths at the same time. First, it shows us how serious sin really is. If forgiveness were easy, the cross would not have been necessary. The suffering of Jesus reveals that sin carries enormous weight and consequences. But the cross also reveals something even greater. It reveals the astonishing depth of God’s mercy. Jesus willingly endured suffering so that forgiveness could be offered, not reluctantly, but freely. And the next scene in Luke’s account demonstrates just how radical that mercy is. The Criminal Who Had Nothing Left Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of them mocks Him. Even as he faces death, bitterness and anger dominate his words. But the other criminal responds differently. He acknowledges his guilt and recognizes that his punishment is deserved. Then he turns to Jesus and says: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” It is a simple prayer spoken by a man who has nothing left to offer. He cannot repair the damage of his past. He cannot perform good works to make up for his mistakes. He is only moments away from death. Yet Jesus responds with astonishing generosity: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” That man had nothing to offer. And Jesus offered him everything. The Scandal of Grace For years I misunderstood this story. When I was younger, part of me almost envied that criminal. It seemed as though he had discovered a loophole — living however he wanted and receiving forgiveness at the last possible moment. But that perspective completely misses the reality of his situation. This man’s life had led him to a Roman cross, one of the most brutal forms of execution in history. His final hours were filled with agony and regret. That is not a life anyone should envy. What the story actually reveals is something far more profound. Salvation is not earned through moral effort or religious achievement. It is not a reward given to people who manage to fix themselves. It is a gift of mercy. Jesus saves this man not because of what he has done but because of grace. Walking With Jesus Through Passion Week Each year Christians remember these events during Passion Week. But Passion Week is more than a historical remembrance. It is an invitation. Imagine a close friend receiving a devastating diagnosis. You cannot remove the suffering that lies ahead, but you can stay close. You can walk beside them through the appointments, the difficult conversations, and the long nights. You remain present because you love them. Passion Week invites us to do something similar with Jesus. It invites us to stand near the cross, to witness His suffering, and to allow our hearts to grasp the depth of what He endured. When we do, we begin to understand something profound. The same sin that fills our world with violence, betrayal, and grief is the very thing Jesus came to confront and overcome. He endured the cross so that forgiveness could be offered to us. Forgiveness offered not after the pain has faded , but in the very midst of it. And that is why the words spoken from the cross still echo across centuries: “Father, forgive them.” Those words reveal the heart of the gospel. A mercy greater than our failures. A forgiveness stronger than our sin. And a love that refuses to let the story end in condemnation. © David Jun

Have you ever lost everything you had? Was it easy to let go? I know of many who lost everything they had, either through natural disasters, carelessness, or human actions such as arson or theft. I've seen many sifting through rubble, desperately searching for remnants of their past lives. They needed a photo, a child's toy, or something else to cling to for comfort. This is especially true if the loss included the life of a loved one. If you have lived long enough, I'm sure you are acquainted with loss. God tells us not to dwell on the things of the past, as He is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:18-19). There's a good reason for this. I have found that when I dwell on the past and recall what I have lost, I become despondent and depressed. When I remember the people involved who have wronged me, I feel bitter. These feelings are natural and normal, but this is not the way I want to live. I have taught myself to live one day at a time. In fact, my mantra has become "one thing at a time, one step at a time." This is how I get through each day. There was a time when I felt that life had turned its back on me, but I have since realized that it's not true. Life is challenging. Jesus didn't sugarcoat this reality when He told us that in this life we will have troubles. Thankfully, He didn't leave it at that, but encouraged us to take heart as He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Paul's life encourages me too. He had everything, but gladly sacrificed it all for the sake of following Jesus and proclaiming the Gospel. He changed from being a highly respected Pharisee to a persecuted prisoner who suffered stoning, beatings, shipwrecks, and even snakebites. He learned to be content with little or much (Philippians 4:11-13). He enjoyed blessings, but he didn't allow his circumstances to determine his attitude or rob him of his joy. I have learned that God gave us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17), but He doesn't want us to become attached to temporary earthly things. At least this applies to me and my life. I lost everything I owned. For a time, I lost hope, dreams, and ideals. My husband and I thought that we had a second chance at life and building a future together, but a debilitating stroke robbed us of this opportunity too. Every day has become a battle with survival, responsibilities, and exhaustion. There is little to celebrate when looking at everything we've lost. My husband lost everything due to misplaced trust in an unscrupulous family member. He has forgiven this person, but he struggles to let go. After losing his business, his house, and everything he worked for, he also lost his health, mobility, speech, and most recently the lives of beloved family members and friends. Yet, despite all of this, God has remained faithful. We haven't lived extravagantly, but neither have we gone without necessities. We have never gone to bed hungry. We've always had a roof over our heads. Despite the challenges, I'm still strong and healthy enough to hold down a full-time job and take care of my husband. God gives us what we need. I strongly believe that if God doesn't provide, we don't need it. Sure, I'd love for God to restore everything I've lost, and I know my husband feels the same. We would dearly appreciate it if his health could be restored. We are believing that God will heal and restore him, but if He doesn't, we trust that God has a special plan and purpose for everything He allows. Favorite verses like Joel 2:25, Romans 8:28, and Jeremiah 29:11, to name but a few, seem empty or void of meaning when compared to our daily reality. Did God really promise to restore the years that the locusts have eaten? Can He give me back 30 years of my life? Can He restore my youth? I'm sure He can, but does He want to? Were these promises meant for me, or did they apply to the Israelites only, and only in the time and circumstances they lived in at the time? Will He work all things for my good, or is it ultimately for His purpose? I know that I'm not living the future I had hoped for. Reality is much different from dreams or ideals. How are we to apply what we read in the Bible to our own lives? I've learned to let go and trust God. He is the only constant and unchangeable reality in my life. Everything else is fleeting and subject to change. Life offers no guarantees. We don't even know if we will see another sunrise. God taught us that this life is not our home (Hebrews 13:14). We are merely passing through on our way to eternity. As someone once said, "we are walking each other home." We are meant to enjoy life, live carefree, and not fret or worry while anxiously trying to accumulate as many possessions as we can. Possessions neither bring happiness nor security. Our joy and our security are found in God alone. God takes care of my needs, and if He doesn't provide, I don't need it. I may want it, but I don't need it. This has become my philosophy in life. I would be so grateful if my husband could be healed. I would love to have my own house again, but at the same time I wonder whether I'll be able to maintain it and take care of it. I question whether my longings are realistic or whether I'm clinging to memories. I wonder about my motive. Do I want my own place because of the security it gives? Am I trying to find security in things, rather than in God? I'm not getting younger. The years are marching on. Time passes relentlessly. I feel old age creeping up on me. I know I can't do the things my younger self could do, but I'm not sure that I'm factoring in this knowledge when I think of my desires. How do I let go without letting go? How do I give up on desiring the things I once had without giving up on life itself? I grapple with this every day. How do you cope with loss and the emotions that accompany it? © Rina Schultz

The questions we’re afraid to ask might be the ones that grow our faith the most. I used to think doubt was the enemy of faith. Like termites chewing through the beams of belief, leaving the whole thing ready to cave in. That’s what I was told anyway. But somewhere along the way, that neat little box I’d kept my faith in started to rattle. Prayers felt quiet. Scriptures didn’t land like they used to. And the answers I once clung to began to feel thin, like fabric worn down by too many washings. I didn’t walk away from faith, but I did start asking harder questions. And wouldn’t you know it, that’s when something deeper began to grow. Can Doubt Actually Lead Us to Deeper Truth? We treat doubt like it’s a slippery slope to atheism. But what if it’s just a natural part of the journey toward an honest, resilient faith? If I never questioned anything, was I really believing, or just parroting what I was handed? Real faith isn’t scared of questions. God certainly isn’t. In fact, some of the most faithful people in scripture, Job, David, even Jesus in Gethsemane, wrestled, doubted, and cried out in the dark. If God is real, then truth can withstand our questions. If not, then maybe it wasn’t truth to begin with. What If Certainty Is the Real Opposite of Faith? We’ve made an idol out of certainty. But Jesus never said, “Blessed are the ones who have all the answers.” He blessed the poor in spirit, the seekers, the ones hungry for righteousness. Faith, by definition, involves trust in the unseen. That doesn’t sound like airtight proof to me. Faith isn’t a brick wall, it’s more like a rope bridge. It sways. It creaks. Sometimes it feels terrifying. But it still holds. Why Do We Shame the Very Questions That Could Set Us Free? I’ve seen too many people pushed out of church for asking honest questions. Too many told they’re “backsliding” just because they’re trying to make sense of their spiritual pain. That’s not what Jesus did. He didn’t shame the doubters. He invited them closer. Thomas wasn’t cast out, he was welcomed with wounds wide open. The Thomas story tells me that Jesus doesn’t demand blind belief. He offers presence. He shows up in the middle of our uncertainty. You may ask, “Well, what about Jesus saying to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet still believe.” (Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples.) The thing is, I don’t believe Jesus was shaming Thomas and requiring blind faith if he were a true follower. Jesus isn’t shutting Thomas down; he’s widening the circle to include all of us who live in the shadow of mystery and still dare to believe anyway. What If Doubt Is Holy Ground? I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t trust the ones who claim they do. But I’ve come to believe that doubt, honest, aching, soul-searching doubt, isn’t the opposite of faith. It’s part of it. Maybe even the doorway into it. If you’re in that place, you’re not alone. And you’re not broken. You’re growing. You’re searching. And sometimes, that’s where the real encounter happens, not in the certainty, but in the sacred space of not being certain about everything you’re supposed to believe. So go ahead. Ask the hard questions. Wrestle in the dark. God isn’t offended. © Gary L Ellis Gary L. Ellis (1944–2026) served as an editor and contributor to this publication. His work remains part of our archive in grateful remembrance.

Looking at the Old Testament Today Over time, and especially with the current drastic social changes happening in the world, the word abomination in the Bible has gone through a lot of reinterpretations and redefinitions. Let's look at what abomination means in the Old Testament and how God feels about it. Leviticus 18:22, where abomination (toebah, tō-w-‘ê-ḇāh, toʿevah) is used for the first time. “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” Most Bibles translate it as “detestable,” while other translations say, “That is an evil thing to do.” “That is abhorrent.” “It is a sinful thing.” “it is repulsive.” I will begin with Biblehub.com’s information on the word “abomination” from the book of Leviticus. I immediately see issues for those who would try to twist this word or re-explain it. “Definition: Abomination, detestable thing. Meaning: something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idol Word Origin: Derived from the root תָּעַב (ta’ab), meaning “to abhor” or “to detest.” “Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: — G946 (bdelugma): Often translated as “abomination” in the New Testament, used in contexts such as idolatry and moral corruption (e.g., Revelation 17:4–5).” “The word conveys a strong sense of moral and spiritual repulsion.” I see the words “detest,” “abhor,” “repulsion,” “moral corruption,” and “disgusting” in relation to this word. But this is just one source. We all know sources aren’t always right, so let’s look at more sources and see what we find. I headed straight for some Jewish sources since it is their language, after all. “Three Hebrew words connote abomination: תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah), שֶׁקֶץ (shekeẓ, sheqeẓ) or שִׁקּוּץ (shikkuẓ, shiqquẓ), and פִּגּוּל (piggul); toʿevah is the most important of this group. It appears in the Bible 116 times as a noun and 23 times as a verb and has a wide variety of applications, ranging from food prohibitions (Deut. 14:3), idolatrous practices (Deut. 12:31; 13:15), and magic (Deut. 18:12) to sex offenses (Lev. 18:22 ff.) and ethical wrongs (Deut. 25:14–16; Prov. 6:16–19). Common to all these usages is the notion of irregularity, that which offends the accepted order, ritual, or moral.” (1) “Furthermore, Egyptian has a precise equivalent to toʿevah, and it occurs in similar contexts, e.g., “Thus arose the abomination of the swine for Horus’ sake” (for a Canaanite-Phoenician parallel, note tʿbt ʿštrt — Tabnit of Sidon (third century B.C.E.) — in Pritchard, Texts, 505). Thus the sapiential background of the term in the ancient Near East is fully attested.” (1) Here is another Jewish source. “Sexual transgression is particularly denounced as an Abomination (to’ebah) (Deut. xxii. 5, xxiii. 19 [18, A. V.], xxiv. 4); especially incest and unnatural offenses (Lev. xviii. and xx.): “For all these abominations have the men of the land done who were before you, and the land became defiled; lest the land vomit you out also when ye defile it” (2) “But the word to’ebah also assumes a higher spiritual meaning and is applied also to moral iniquities:” Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. . . For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God” (2) “These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven things are an abomination to him: haughty eyes; a lying tongue; hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that be swift in running to mischief; a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” Proverbs 6:16–19 (2) Now we’re going to pause for a second and look specifically at Proverbs 18, because I know what some will attempt with this verse, since sexual immorality isn’t explicitly mentioned. biblehub.com We’re looking at the word wicked. “Definition: Iniquity, trouble, wickedness, sorrow, idolatry, vanity Meaning: strictly nothingness, trouble, vanity, wickedness, an idol Word Origin: Derived from an unused root meaning to pant (hence, to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught)” “Usage: The Hebrew word “aven” is often used in the Old Testament to denote iniquity or wickedness, particularly in the context of moral and spiritual corruption. It can also refer to the trouble or sorrow that results from such iniquity. […] “Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israel, the concept of “aven” was deeply tied to the covenant relationship between God and His people. The Israelites were called to live in obedience to God’s laws, and “aven” represented a breach of this covenant through acts of sin and idolatry.” (3) “The Israelites were called to live in obedience to God’s laws, and “aven” represented a breach of this covenant through acts of sin and idolatry.” Just wanted to clear that up. Let’s move on. And another source. “One of the common arguments brought against the traditional understanding of Leviticus 18:22 is the claim that the Hebrew word “toebah” (abomination) only refers to pagan temple practices and not things that are revolting in and of themselves.” “[…] I took the time to look up every occurrence of the word “toebah” in the Bible. I found that the above claim cannot be supported by the facts and that the English term “abomination” is an accurate translation of the word “toebah.” “These passages and many more reveal to us that the Hebrew word “toebah” does not refer to pagan temple practices as many defenders of homosexuality claim. It is true that many of the uses of “toebah” in the Bible occur within the context of pagan temple practices, but that is because many of these practices (such as tossing living children into a fire to be burned to death) are repugnant and disgusting in and of themselves. The association with paganism is incidental to the revulsion.” “The claim that it refers to pagan temple practices is merely an ad hoc response from the modern homosexual movement to passages describing homosexual intercourse as “toebah.” In reality, these passages are claiming that such intercourse is revolting, and so it is.” (4) And yet, another source. “All abominations are sins, but not every single sin (some of which are unintentional), rises to the level of being an abomination.” “Committing abominations elicits much stronger anger, fiercer judgments, and more striking punishments from the Almighty than are seen for other forms of sin.” “An abomination in the Biblical sense is an attitude, behavior, or lifestyle that is particularly evil and detestable in the sight of God. In fact, abominations are considered by God to be so detestable that in in order for God to maintain true righteousness, they incur His wrath and violent punishment. Abominations are attitudes, behaviors, or lifestyles that are so evil and detestable in the sight of God that they incite Him to great anger.” (Michael Lankford)” “We can reason that the more angry He becomes, the less likely He will be to extend mercy to the violator.” (5) End of Part 1 — Part 2 will be going into the New Testament, what Jesus said, and a few other things. © 2025 Jane Isley Sources: (1) Abomination | Jewish Virtual Library (2) Jewish Encyclopedia ABOMINATION By: H. Pereira Mendes M.D., D.D. President of the Union of Orthodox Congregations of the United States and Canada; Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, New York City. (3) Biblehub.com Strong’s Lexicon: ’ā·wen (wicked) (4) It Is Abomination: A study of the Hebrew word “toebah” in Scripture (5) TheGospelLight.com: What is the Difference Between a Sin and an Abomination? (6) Jesus on Same-Sex Marriage By: Andrew Bunt (7) Biblehub.com Strong’s Lexicon: bdelussomai (having become abominable)