"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." – John 3:16 We have looked at all kinds of exchanges lately. We have talked about trading comfort for the cross, selfishness for the Savior, and judgment for joy. But none of those matter without the one exchange that makes them all possible. The exchange...  Read More

"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done." – Matthew 16:27 There is something strange about judgment. None of us likes to be on the receiving end of it, but somehow, we often feel justified when we are the ones handing it out. We may not say it out loud, but our thoughts can be quick to assume, quick...  Read More

"For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?" – Matthew 16:26 There is a story about Lord Castlereagh, who once owned one of the most beautiful castles in all of Ireland. After years of abandonment, he returned to find the walls of his castle picked apart by locals who had scavenged the stones to build with. Ho...  Read More

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it." – Matthew 16:25 If we’re honest, most of us like control. We like to steer the ship, manage the schedule, and call the shots. We build our routines around predictability and comfort, and the moment something feels uncertain, we tighten our grip even more. But Jesus challenges us with something...  Read More

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24 There is something brutal about a cross. It is not made for comfort. The wood is raw, the edges are splintered, and the weight is not just physical but emotional and spiritual too. It is not built for relaxation or ease. It is built for death. Jesus did no...  Read More

"If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself…" – Matthew 16:24 You do not have to teach a child to be selfish. It just comes naturally. Maybe that is why a story like this hits home. A mom was making pancakes for her two young boys, Tom and Ryan, when a fight broke out over who would get the first one. Seizing the moment, she said, “If Jesus were here, He would say, ‘Let my brother ha...  Read More

"For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?" – Matthew 16:26 Jesus never asked empty questions. Every word He spoke was purposeful, meant to cut through the noise and reach the heart. In Matthew 16, He asks one of the most piercing questions of all. What does it really profit a person if they gain the world, b...  Read More

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1 Years ago in Ireland, a man named Castlereagh inherited a beautiful but abandoned family castle. To protect it from being dismantled by the locals, he hired a mason to build a protective wall around it. He gave the plans and paid the price, expecting the castle to be preserved. But when he returned years later, the...  Read More

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21 There’s an old story about a man named Castlereagh, heir to a once-great estate in Ireland. After generations of influence and wealth, the family castle sat abandoned, its stones being stolen piece by piece by the locals. Hoping to protect what remained, Castlereagh hired a mason to build a wall around the property. Years ...  Read More

“He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” – Matthew 14:19 Most of us love the idea of being a blessing. We want to be used by God, to make a difference in someone’s life, to offer something that matters. But the part we usually overlook is that our blessings often have to be broken before they can be multiplied. That truth shows up...  Read More

“Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces.” – Matthew 14:19-20 It’s one of the most familiar miracles in all of Scripture, but sometimes we’re so used to it that we forget just how staggering it really is. Thousands of people sitting on a hillside, hungry and tired after fol...  Read More

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” – Luke 5:4–5 Sometimes God asks you to do something that just doesn’t make sense. In Luke 5, we read about a group of professional fishermen who had spent the entire night do...  Read More