Through The Bible in a Year - July 30, 2026

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” - John 17:15-16

Jesus had every opportunity and many reasons to pray that God would take His disciples out of the world. They were about to face intense persecution. They would be cast out of synagogues. Some would be killed by religious people who believed they were serving God by doing so. The world would hate them.

Yet, Jesus did not pray, “Father, take them out of this dangerous world.”

He prayed, “Keep them from the evil one.”

Jesus prayed that his disciples would be in the world but not be overwhelmed by its evil. This is the old Puritan Dilemma: our calling to live in the world, without losing our testimony—to be in the world but not of it. The questions that dilemma always poses are: “How do you live in the soup of a sinful world without the soup soaking into you? How do you remain a witness for Christ in the world without becoming indistinguishable from it?”

Jesus doesn’t try to solve the dilemma by removing His disciples from the world. Rather, He sends them deeper into it challenges—promising his instruction and presence to make them different even as they remain engaged in his mission.

The current realities of the dilemma Jesus commissions His disciples to face remain sobering. The statisticians tell us that those who identify as born-again Christians differ very little from the surrounding culture in divorce rates, entertainments, work practices, moral choices, wealth priorities, and more.

Few Christians can deny that we have been in the soup—and some of it has soaked into us.

That confession always tempts us to run in one of two unhealthy directions: either we retreat into a Christian huddle, isolating ourselves from difficult people and a hostile culture – neglecting Christ’s mission; or, we conform so completely to the world around us that there’s nothing left to distinguish us—forgetting Christ’s example. Both are failures of the calling Jesus describes here.

Abraham Kuyper powerfully described the claim Christ has upon our world and our lives: “There is not one square inch of the world over which Jesus does not stand and say, ‘This is mine.’” That means the places that where a testimony is hard and the culture is hostile are places where Christ’s disciples are called to live in transforming faithfulness.

Respond: In which direction is the world’s evil  pulling you—toward retreat or toward conformity? Are you insulating yourself from the world in ways that protect your comfort but eliminate your witness? Or have you soaked in the culture so completely that nothing distinguishes your life from those around you?

Jesus is not asking you to choose between safety and conformity. He prays for you, as he prayed for his disciples, that the Father would protect you enough to fulfill his purposes as you stay engaged in the world for Christ’s sake.

This week, it may help you to identify one place or person from which you have been retreating, rather than using opportunities to make Jesus known. And, it will almost certainly be helpful to identify where you have been conforming to the world, but where Jesus is now calling you to live differently.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your Son didn’t pray for You to disengage your disciples from the world—but to keep them from the influences of the evil one in that world. Forgive me for retreating into safety when You’ve called me to be a faithful presence in difficult places, and for conforming to worldly priorities when You’ve called me to be different. Keep me from the evil one as I go. Let my life in the world—the places I work, the relationships I have, the neighborhood I live in—carry the mark of someone who belongs to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 29, 2026

“He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” - John 16:14-15

The final and most important thing Jesus says in this passage about the Spirit’s role is this: “He will glorify Me.”

The Holy Spirit’s job is not to glorify Himself. He is not to draw attention to spiritual experiences or gifts or feelings or phenomena that make us focus on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s purpose is to make Jesus known, evident, praised—to take everything that belongs to Jesus and declare it to His people.

And what belongs to Jesus? Everything the Father has. The love of the Father. The righteousness of Heaven. The stature of being a child of God. An inheritance that is vast and eternal. The assurance of being treasured. All of these blessings and attributes belong to Jesus.

These features of Jesus’s character and care are what the Spirit is charged to declare to us. He is to testify of the glory and goodness of Jesus. The Spirit’s mission is not to say, “Look at me” or “Focus on certain spiritual gifts.” Rather, the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help you understand who Jesus is and remember that you are His. The task and treasure of the Holy Spirit is to make Jesus real in your heart.”

An adaptation of a story by a Southern novelist describes a young girl in a parochial school whose teacher told the class: “Your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Don’t let the boys make you unholy.” Later, the girls in the class laughed and jeered, calling each other “Temple 1 and Temple 2.” But this one girl, struggling with everything the teacher had warned against, walked away from the gigglers to a private corner. There she wept tears of joy because she had already been molested by the boys but now rejoiced to know that her body was still the temple of the Holy Spirit. Despite everything, she was God’s treasured possession, loved by Jesus, and precious to Him.

Such grace is what the Spirit has been sent to declare. Not your accomplishments or His. Not your spiritual resumé or His miraculous power. The Spirit has been sent into your heart, the temple that God has prepared to receive Him, in order to declare to your soul who Jesus is and how His love enfolds you. That is what is being declared to you—even now in whatever struggle of sin or circumstance you are experiencing. 

Respond: What is the Spirit declaring to you today about Jesus? Not what do you wish He would say about you or your circumstances, but what is He saying about the character and care of Jesus? Remember that the mission of the Spirit is not to spotlight His power but to glorify Jesus. The reason is simple: when we know Jesus is for us and with us, then we can face anything with faith in Him and faithfulness to Him.

This week, in a quiet moment, ask: “What is the Spirit declaring to me about Jesus right now?” And listen for the answer—in a verse, in a hymn, in a conversation, in a moment of unexpected peace. The Spirit will testify to your spirit that Jesus is near and you need not fear. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I need the Holy Spirit to declare to my heart the truths of Jesus’s character and care. I need to be reminded from your Word who Jesus is and that I am His. Testify to my heart that I am His temple, His treasured possession, His eternal brother or sister. When I think that He has left me because I have wandered from Him, use the Holy Spirit to remind me that I have been purchased by His blood forever. Have the Spirit do what only He can do: make Jesus real to me. Glorify Him in my heart. Take what is His and make it mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 28, 2026

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” - John 16:12-13

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

This is one of the most tender statements Jesus makes in all the Gospels. He is not withholding important matters from His disciples out of frustration or disappointment. He is pacing what he communicates to them out of love for them. “I know you can’t carry everything at once,” He is saying. “So, I will give you more as you become able to bear it.”

How will Jesus provide more that the disciples need to know when they need to know. The Holy Spirit, Jesus says, will guide them into all truth—not all at once, but progressively. He will speak what He hears from Jesus’s heart. He will declare what is to come in God’s plan. He will also bring to your mind, at exactly the right moment, exactly what is needed from God’s Word—the verse you memorized as a child that returns with new power in a crisis, the hymn of your youth that speaks into grief you don’t have words for, the truth that seemed abstract in young adulthood until suddenly it becomes personal in senior years.

The Spirit doesn’t dump everything on us all at once. He guides us—step by step, truth by truth, as we are able to receive the truth so that we are never crushed by it.

When a young woman in my congregation was struck and killed by a drunk driver, I went with local police to tell her parents. I felt desperately inadequate—what will I say, what will I do, how can I comfort? No great revelation came—only the words of an old hymn began to echo in my mind:

“He leadeth me, O precious thought. O words with heavenly comfort fraught. He leadeth me, wherever I go, whatever I do. Still ‘tis God’s Word that leadeth me.”

The Spirit brought the words to mind so that I would have enough peace of mind to share God’s care with the hurting family. Had the Lord told me years before that I would need that hymn to minister after a tragic death, I would probably have run from the task—maybe even run from the ministry. But, when the truth was needed, the Spirit delivered it to my heart for the strength I needed.

 The Holy Spirit will do the same for you. He will bring to your heart and mind what you need to know and remember. Not all at once. Not more than you can bear. But what you need, when you need it, brought to mind by the One who knows exactly where you are.

Respond: Always there are truths whose full implications God has not fully revealed to you – not because he doesn’t care but you could not bear it all at once. He loves you enough to pace His teaching to your capacity?

This week, trust the Spirit’s timing. He knows what you can bear. He knows what you need. Ask Him specifically: “Guide me into the truth I need for today—grant me today’s portion and give me faith that your pace with the rest is what is best for my heart.”

Prayer: Heaven Father, thank You for being gentle with my capacity. Jesus said there are things Hewould not tell His disciples because they could not yet bear them all—and I know that’s true of me too. There are things I’m not ready for. So, guide me, by your Spirit of truth, into what I need today. Bring to mind the truths I’ve stored away that need to be brought to heart again as I need them. Give me today’s portion, and enough faith to receive it in the proportion you give it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 27, 2026

“And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” - John 16:8-9

The Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts about three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Sin first. The Spirit’s job is to open hearts to the reality that we are not right before God—that His holiness and our condition are not compatible, that we need something we cannot provide for ourselves. This conviction is not meant to crush. It’s meant to direct. The Spirit convicts of sin so that we will seek the grace of God.

But the second conviction is the one that surprises: righteousness. Against the tendency to assessour righteousness by balancing scales (“I’m not perfect, but the good outweighs the bad”), the Spirit exposes the insufficiency of all human righteousness by revealing the breathtaking perfection of Christ's righteousness. That’s the conviction that breaks open revival—not simply acknowledging sin, but being broken by the inadequacy of our own righteousness in comparison to God’s holiness. When we are convicted by his righteousness of the insufficiency of ours, then we fall on their knees saying, “I cannot stand before You based on my goodness, I need your grace.”

That need for grace becomes most apparent with the third convicting work of the Holy Spirit: judgment. The Spirit convicts us of our habit of establishing our righteousness by comparison with others. When we judge our holiness merely based on comparison to others unrighteousness, then we are ignoring the true standards of the God who will judge eternally. Only when the standards of his holy judgment humble us are we ready to receive His grace for us.

Trevin Wax describes his shift from basing his righteousness on judgment of others rather than on the judgment of God. He saw a news report about a celebrity’s profane and provocative performance and, then, spent the day fuming about cultural decay evident in such unrighteous conduct. But, then, the Spirit moved in his heart revealing the judgmentalism that was more concerned for culture war victories than for the tragedy of lost souls.

Trevin wrote, “Tonight I do not judge; I weep. I weep for the lostness of that girl who doesn’t see herself stumbling about in the dark. I weep for the times I’ve looked at women as objects and not really cared with Christ’s heart for them. I weep for the lack of compassion I have seen in me.” Trevin recognized that God could rightly judge his own judgmental self-righteousness that did not come close to reflecting the true heart of God.

When the Spirit convicts of judgment, He moves our hearts to seek and reflect more of the grace of Christ.

Respond: Which of the three convictions does the Spirit need most to work in you right now?

Are you minimizing sin—yours or someone else’s? Are you maximizing your righteousness-- leaning on your religious record to feel right before God? Are you judging your worth against others who seem worse—rather than considering the judgment of God that makes us all desperately in need of His mercy?

Such conviction isn’t punishment. It’s the Spirit pointing you toward the grace of God. If you feel the weight of any of these three today, don’t run from it. Let the conviction of the Holy Spirit take you to Jesus. His mercy and grace are always the gifts at the end of the road of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please make my heart open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Give me the understanding that His conviction is not to condemn me but to direct me. Show me where I’m minimizing sin, trusting in my own righteousness, or establishing my standing before God by judging others. And when You do, don’t let the conviction take me down. Let it take me to Jesus—the one who lifts the heads of those convicted and ashamed with the assurance that God’s grace is sufficient to cover all our sin and His steadfast love never ceases. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 24, 2026

“But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away…” - John 16:5-7

No one asked “Where are you going?” this time. A few verses earlier, Peter had asked that very question—and heard Jesus predict his three denials. So, silence fell upon the room this time when Jesus announced his soon departure. No one asked Jesus, “Where are you going?”

Jesus knew why there was silence. He knew exactly who these men were. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew they would all abandon Him. Every single one would turn their back, scatter into the night, leave Him to suffer alone.

Yet, for these men—the betrayers, the deniers, the cowards—Jesus said: “I will send the Helper to you.”

Not “I will send the Helper to those who prove themselves worthy.” Not “I will send the Helper once you’ve sorted yourselves out.” Rather, he said, “I will send the Helper to you. As you are. Knowing everything about you that I know.

Jesus’s promise is a key reminder that the Holy Spirit is not a reward for spiritual achievement. He is a gift for spiritual need.

The wonderful thing Jesus is promising is that He is not waiting for us to qualify to some level of spiritual achievement before the Holy Spirit will come to work in our lives. God gives the Holy Spirit for the bad times and the difficult people—even those who would betray Him. And that’s all of us at times.

Think of how a radio broadcaster’s voice reaches people in many different circumstances: firemen at a firehouse table, a plumber under a sink, a family at a barbecue. In a similar way the presence of God is reaching you by the work of the Holy Spirit. No matter what you’re doing, no matter your circumstance or location, the Holy Spirit is present to bring the purposes and power of God into your life.

Respond: What makes you feel like you’ve put yourself beyond the reach of the Helper? What failure, what denial, what betrayal of Jesus makes you think He wouldn’t still send the Spirit to you?

Peter denied Jesus three times. And the Spirit still came to Peter; still spoke through Peter at Pentecost; and, still worked through Peter to inspire Scripture and give hope to millions.

This week, receive Jesus’s promise of the Holy Spirit as personally addressed to you—not to the version of you who has it together, but to you as you actually are right now. The Helper is not waiting for you to be better before He comes. He comes because Jesus sends Him to bring God’s presence, power, and care into your life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know You see everything in me—the denials, the failures, the times I’ve faltered when I should have stood firm. Like the disciples, I’m sometimes am too ashamed to even ask to follow you. But You promised to send the Helper not to the qualified—but to strugglers like me. Thank You. So, Lord, please send the Holy Spirit, to where I actually am, knowing everything about me, and be my Helper to enable me to follow you wherever you want me to go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 23, 2026

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” - John 16:7

It was Passover—a celebration meal. But Jesus made a statement that drained all the joy out of the room: “I am going away.” The disciples were so filled with sorrow they couldn’t even speak.

And then Jesus said something that must have seemed impossible to believe: “It is to your advantage that I go away.”

How could that possibly be true? How could losing Jesus—the one who calmed storms, raised the dead, healed the sick, walked with them and taught them and loved them—how could losing Him be an advantage?

Because when Jesus was physically present on earth, He was only appearing in one place at one time. But when Jesus sent the Helper—the Holy Spirit—the goodness of Jesus would be present everywhere, with every believer, at every moment, in every circumstance. Not limited by geography or physicality. Not absent when you need Him most.

In addition, the Helper would not be an inferior substitute. He would make the power and love of Jesus available to every struggling, failing, grieving, searching person in every corner of the world.

I think of a young woman named Sarah who moved to a new city, endured a hard breakup, had no friends, was under tremendous stress at a new job, and was spiraling into serious depression. The memory verses of her youth failed her. She couldn’t muster the strength to pray.

When her pastor listened to her story, he said: “I know it feels as though someone has put a blanket over your soul and that God has turned His back on you. But God has not gone anywhere. He is still with you.”

That’s Jesus’ promise in John 16:7. The promise to send the Holy Spirit means that you never have to conclude merely that “God was with you.” God is with you. The Helper has come. He is not only where you once were, but where you actually are now—in the depression, in the grief, in the loneliness, in the moment when nothing seems to be working right. God is with you.

Respond: Where does “your advantage” of the Holy Spirit’s presence, power, and care feel impossible to believe right now? What loss, what hardship, what closed door makes you feel like you’ve been abandoned to something worse?

Jesus said these words to disciples who were about to watch Him be crucified. Still, He was proven right and his promise came true. The Helper came. At Pentecost, the Spirit came upon the disciples in visible and audible power, and then showed his continuing power and blessing in the expansion of the church. Nothing was ever the same. Despite the hardships and challenges the disciples would face, the Holy Spirit was with them and God’s purposes were furthered and fulfilled.

This week, practice saying to yourself—even if you can’t fully feel it yet: “The Helper has come. He is with me here. Not despite my circumstances—in them.” Let that truth be the first thing you say each morning before the day’s weight and worry settles in.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess right now that Jesus’s words, “it is to your advantage that I go away” sound hollow. I want Him here, visible, tangible. But He promised the Helper—the full presence and power of His care would now be made available to me everywhere, always, in every circumstance. I believe that promise—help me to remember it in times of trial or trouble. Give me faith that the Helper has come to where I actually am right now in my pain and struggle. Strengthen me by the faith that You are here. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 22, 2026

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'" - Matthew 16:24-25

Jesus has just told His disciples He must die. And now He tells them: so must you—in a sense.

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

This isn't an empty metaphor or sentimental poetry. In Jesus' day, a person carrying a cross was carrying their instrument of execution through the streets to the place where they would die. Everyone watching knew what it meant: this person has surrendered any claim to saving themselves.

That is what Jesus calls every follower to: a life that has surrendered its claim to self-preservation, self-advancement, and self-protection in order to fulfill Christ’s mission.

Such commitments are made not because suffering is good in itself. But because some things are worth dying for.

Kayla Mueller was a college student from Prescott, Arizona, who went to Syria to serve with Doctors Without Borders. Captured by ISIS, she was offered the chance to escape—yet stayed behind so that Syrian girls could flee. She knew that she was valuable to her captors and that ISIS would relentlessly hunt the other girls down if she were with them.

Her letter from prison: "I have come to the place in experience where I understand all you really have in the end is God. In every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to the Creator because there is nothing else for me."

She understood what Jesus was saying. And she lived—and died—by it.

Most of us will not face an enemy as cruel as ISIS. But Jesus doesn't say "take up your cross only in extreme circumstances." He says take it up daily. That means:

Standing for ethics when your career is on the line. Refusing bitterness when someone controls your situation without care for you. Maintaining purity when the culture laughs. Staying faithful in a relationship that's hard. Giving money you could keep. Serving when you could rest. Witnessing when you could stay silent.

Every day, bearing your cross means that you are saying from your heart, and living with actions that confirm, “His mission matters more than my comfort.”

Respond: What cross is Jesus calling you to take up today? It probably won't involve ISIS. But it is real.

Maybe it's a conversation you've been avoiding because it might cost you a relationship. A commitment that will cost you time or money. An act of obedience that will cost you approval. A refusal to compromise that will cost you comfort.

Jesus says: "Whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

The mission is worth it because Jesus is the One who died for you and calls you to it. Still, the war is real. Cross-bearing is costly. But, the stakes are eternal, as are the blessings.

So, take up your cross and follow Him. Always the blessings and the glory of Jesus are at the end of that path.

Prayer: Dear Lord, You didn't ask me to admire the cross from a distance. You asked me to pick mine up and follow You. I confess I often want to follow You without the cross—enjoying the benefits of Your kingdom while avoiding its costs. Show me the cross You're asking me to carry today. Give me the courage of those who chose Your mission over their own reputation, comfort, or survival. Help me to deny myself so that I might declare your heart. Give me the willingness and strength to take up my cross so that I might lift up Jesus for all the world – and all my loved ones – to see and love because he went to the cross for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 21, 2026

"From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, 'Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.' But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'" - Matthew 16:21-23

Peter receives great commendation for declaring Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus says, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! My Father revealed this to you!" Then, seconds later, Peter becomes the mouthpiece of Satan.

He didn't mean to make such a U-turn. He was trying to push Jesus to greater acclaim and accomplishment. His motives were not malicious—they were human, even loving. "Far be it from you, Lord, to suffer and die! This shall never happen to you!"

But Jesus' response is immediate and stunning: "Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Peter's problem wasn't obvious, bad intentions. It was earthly thinking. He could not conceive of a kingdom built through suffering and death. He wanted glory without a cross. Victory without sacrifice. A king without a crucifixion.

And Jesus said: that is Satan's agenda, not God's.

We may recognize ourselves in Peter more than we'd like to admit. We want Jesus—but we want Jesus on our terms and for our earthly gain. We want the kingdom—but without the cross. We want to follow—but without the cost.

We want the prize without the sacrifice. The harvest without the hard seasons. The victory without the battle.

And Jesus says: "That is the thinking of man, not the thinking of God."

The mission of Jesus was not to make life comfortable. It was to die for sin, defeat death, and advance a kingdom that the gates of hell cannot stop. And anyone who truly follows Him participates in that mission—including the hard parts.

One of the most striking memorials I have ever visited is the building in Korea dedicated to early missionaries who were beheaded for their witness. They died for Christ. Some are remembered by name; some are not. Earthly acclaim and gain were not their goals. They set their minds on the things of God, not the things of man. Their priorities were eternal not earthly.

Respond: Where is your thinking more like Peter’s right now? Where are you trying to redirect Jesus’ ministry toward a more comfortable path—for yourself or for someone you love?

Maybe you're praying for ease instead of faithfulness. Asking God to remove the difficulty instead of trusting Him through it. You may be asking for his help in avoiding the costly conversation, the uncomfortable obedience, the sacrifice you know He's asking for.

Peter had the right confession and the wrong agenda. Jesus needed him to align his thinking with the Father's agenda, not with the world's.

This week, ask God to show you where your mind is set on the things of man rather than the things of God. Bring that to Him honestly—and ask for the courage to think and act like it. Then Jesus will walk with you wherever you need to go, and will give you the strength for whatever you need to do for his agenda.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that sometimes I'm like Peter—right confession, wrong agenda. I want You, but on my terms. I want the kingdom, but without the cross. I want to follow, but without the cost. Set my mind on the things of God, not the things of man. Where I've been trying to redirect You toward what's comfortable for me, forgive me. Align my thinking with the Father's will—even when it costs me. I want to follow You, not the version of You I've invented. Please walk with me wherever you know I need to go. In Jesus’ name, Amen..

Through The Bible in a Year - July 20, 2026

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18

Jesus spoke these words at Caesarea Philippi—which was not only a center of pagan religious wickedness but was also believed in the ancient world to be literally the entrance to the underworld. The cave at Caesarea Philippi, called the "Gates of Hell," was thought to be a portal to Hades itself.

Jesus stood right there, at what the ancient world called the gates of hell, and declared: "My church will be built here, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

He wasn't speaking theoretically. He was planting a flag in the enemy's front yard.

Though it’s been decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, many will vividly remember what it looks like when a gate that seems impenetrable is finally breached. That wall—built with such evil intent, responsible for hundreds of deaths and the oppression of millions—fell. What seemed impossible to overcome could not prevail against the greater forces of freedom.

Jesus says: the gates of hell that seem to control your actions, captivate you soul, hold you prisoner to sin—they will not prevail against His advancing kingdom and the freedom from oppression that he provides.

The gates of hell take many forms. An abuser who controls through fear. An addiction that feels unbreakable. A family pattern passed down through generations that seems impossible to escape. A nation ruled by terror and totalitarianism. A culture of sexual exploitation. A prison camp in North Korea.

Amy Carmichael fought both Indian religious authority and English churches to rescue children from temple prostitution—because she believed the gates of hell would not prevail. Young women from our church’s seminary went into the brothels of Bangkok because they believed the gates of hell would not prevail. I think also of a brave Christian woman, name Kayla, who stayed behind in an ISIS prison cell to help other Syrian girls escape—because she believed – whether she lived or died – that the prison gates would not have the victory over her soul or her Savior’s witness.

Jesus isn't promising an absence of difficulty. He is promising ultimate victory. "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." The walls and wiles of the evil one will not prevail over the advances of Christ’s kingdom.

Respond: What gate of hell seems to be prevailing in your life right now? What feels impenetrable, impossible to overcome—in your own heart, in your family, in your community, in the world?

Jesus stood at the literal gates of hell and planted His flag. He said that his kingdom would advance and the gates would not, could not, stop it.

This week, identify the specific "gate of hell" that seems most immovable to you. Then pray with the confidence of Matthew 16:18: "Jesus declared that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. If you are a member of His church by faith in his ministry, then He will advance His Kingdom through you. The walls may resist for a time. They may not fall in accordance with your timing, but they will fall in Christ’s time and according to his plan. They cannot stand because the Kingdom of God is advancing in the power of Christ in you and for you. He is advancing. This gate of hell will not hold."

Pray with confidence in this reality: the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Kingdom of our God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You stood at the gates of hell and declared that they would not prevail against Your church. I believe You. But right now there something not right in my life that feels immovable. Sometimes, I feel like it's winning. Remind me that You've already planted Your flag at the enemy's front door. You are advancing. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Break down this gate. Build Your kingdom here. I will trust in Your victory, not in what I can see but in the promises of your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 17, 2026

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.'" - Matthew 16:15-17

Jesus had already asked what other people were saying about Him. The answers were varied: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Good guesses. Even flattering. But wrong.

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and made it personal: "But who do YOU say that I am?"

It's the most important question ever asked. Not "What do people say?" Not "What does the culture say?" Not "What do your parents say, or your church, or your theology textbook?" But you. Personally. Right now. Who is He to you?

Peter's answer is everything: "You are the Christ—the anointed One, the long-promised Messiah. The Son of the living God."

Not just a teacher. Not just a prophet. Not merely a moral example. Not a genie in a bottle. Not a dancing bear on a chain who performs signs on demand.

Jesus is the Christ. The Son of the living God.

Jesus isn't playing the fame game. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came demanding a sign—after He'd already healed the blind, fed 5,000, stilled a storm, and cast out demons—He refused. What were the Jewish leaders really asking? What the human heart always does: "What have you done for me lately?"

There's a difference between wanting Jesus for what He provides and knowing Jesus for who He is. The Pharisees wanted a performance. Peter declared a person. Jesus isn't a cosmic vending machine or an entertaining magician. He is the Christ—the one who died for your sin, rose from the dead, and holds the keys of death and Hades.

Respond: Answer the question honestly: Who do you say Jesus is?

Is He a helpful addition to your life—someone you turn to when things get hard but set aside when things are comfortable? Is He a set of rules to follow to get earthly blessings from God? Is He a vending machine you approach with prayer requests?

Or is He the Christ—the Son of the living God—to whom you have surrendered everything, whose death paid a price you couldn't pay, whose resurrection secures a future you couldn't earn? Only when he is the Christ to whom you owe your eternity because of his sacrifice for you, will you truly know the blessings of uniting your heart to his (and having Him unite His to yours) forever.

This week, write out your answer to Jesus' question. Don't write what you know is the "right" churchy answer. Write the honest one. And then ask Him to make the true answer – that He is the Lord of the Universe who gave Himself to save your eternal soul – real in your daily life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You're asking me directly: Who do I say You are? I don't want to give You the Sunday school answer. I want to say and believe the true one. You are the Christ—the Son of the living God. Not a vending machine. Not a dancing bear who performs on demand. You are not a genie in a bottle. You are the one who came to die for my sin, who rose from the dead, who conquered hell itself. Help me live like I actually believe that – help me to live for the One I believe died for me. Make this confession the foundation of everything I do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 16, 2026

"When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'" - Matthew 16:13

No Jewish holy man would go to Caesarea Philippi. It was the Roman center of paganism—a place where sexual slavery, prostitution, and bestiality were celebrated and approved by pagan Roman religion. It was, quite literally, among the most morally filthy places in the ancient world.

Still, Jesus went there.

Not accidentally. Not reluctantly. He walked right into the middle of it and began one of the most important conversations in all of Scripture.

Why would He go there? Because that is where the people were that needed Him. And He was making a point—not just with His words but with His feet. "I am willing to get in the mud for you."

We are sometimes tempted to think our lives are too dirty, too complicated, too broken for Jesus to come near. Too much has been done to us. Too much has been done by us. There are things we can barely confess to ourselves, let alone to God. Surely Jesus wouldn't come near all of that.

But Caesarea Philippi says otherwise.

Just weeks before the cross, Jesus deliberately journeyed to the darkest, most morally compromised place in the region of Israel—and there He declared His kingdom. Not from a mountaintop of purity. From the mud of Caesarea Philippi.

Jesus isn't calling you to have it all together before He shows up. He is the God who shows up in the mud. He went to Caesarea Philippi. He will come to wherever you are.

Respond: What place in your life have you decided is too dark, too dirty, too far gone for Jesus to enter?

Maybe it's a relationship you're ashamed of. A habit you can't break. A part of your past you've never brought before God because it feels too ugly. A current struggle too embarrassing to admit even in prayer.

Remember that Jesus went to Caesarea Philippi. He is willing to get in the mud to rescue those who are there.

This week, bring the thing you've been keeping away from God directly to Him. Don't clean it up first. Don't explain it away. Just bring it. He's already been to places far worse. He will not be surprised. He will not turn away. He went there for exactly this.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I've been keeping parts of my life away from You because they feel too dark, too dirty, too shameful. But You walked into Caesarea Philippi without flinching. You get in the mud. You come to where people are, not where they pretend to be. I bring You the parts of my life I've been hiding. Come into the mess. Come into the mud. You are not afraid of it. And I trust that You are present, even there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 15, 2026

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice... I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." - John 10:3-4, 11

One of the most striking things about the Middle Eastern shepherd is what he doesn't do. He doesn't drive his sheep from behind—prodding, pushing, forcing them forward. He leads from the front. He walks ahead into unknown territory. He goes first.

That means when the path is uncertain, the shepherd has already been there. When the valley is dark, the shepherd has already entered it. When the danger is ahead, the shepherd is already standing between the flock and whatever threatens it.

"He goes before them."

And Jesus—the Good Shepherd—took that to its ultimate expression. He didn't just lead through danger. He led through death itself. He went to the cross first. He lay in the tomb first. He walked out of it first. And because He went before, He can lead His sheep through.

I remember the first time that I conducted the funeral of a young person. Friends wept, a community mourned, parents were devastated and I felt totally inadequate. The only thing I knew to do was pray for God’s help and in his mercy brought an old hymn to mind: "He leadeth me. O precious thought. O words with heavenly comfort fraught. Whatever I do, wherever I be, still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me."

I needed those words to remind me that Jesus was already leading that young person to a heavenly home, leading friends and family to needed faith, and leading me to adequacy beyond my ability. Jesus was already ahead of us all, leading us to his presence, power, and peace.

Whatever you are facing right now—the shepherd has gone before you.

The grief you're walking into—He's been there. He wept at a tomb. He knows what it is to lose someone dear.

The suffering that seems pointless—He has walked that path ahead of you, hanging on a cross abandoned by friends and family. He knows what it is to be in pain without immediate resolution.

The future trials that lie ahead—He went ahead of us into those also, setting His face like a flint toward Jerusalem knowing what was waiting. He walked into the pain and come through it so that we would never have to face it alone or without purpose.

You are not walking into anything that your Shepherd has not already entered ahead of you.

Respond: What path ahead of you feels most uncertain or frightening right now? What valley are you approaching that you can't see through?

The shepherd goes before you. Not beside you—before you. He is already there. Already standing between you and whatever threatens. Already knowing the way through.

This week, pray Psalm 23 about God’s presence in shadowed valleys as a personal declaration about the specific valley you're facing. Don't read it generally. Read it as a word about your specific situation. "Even though I walk through this valley—He is with me. His rod and His staff, they comfort me. He prepares a table in the presence of my enemies."

He has gone before you. Follow His voice. He will take you through.

Prayer: Good Shepherd, I can see the valley ahead and I don't want to walk into it. I don't know how to get through. Help me to remember that You go before me. You have already been to the cross and through the tomb. You know what it is to walk through darkness and come out the other side. Lead me. Help me follow Your voice. Even through this. You are ahead of me – and behind me, and above me, and below me. I trust You to lead me through. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 14, 2026

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." - John 10:27-30

Jesus makes one of the most breathtaking promises in all of Scripture: no one—no one—can snatch His sheep out of His hand. Or out of the Father's hand. And He and the Father are one.

Two hands. The same grip. Greater than all. No exceptions.

Notice also what He does not say. He doesn't say, "They will never perish as long as they hold on tightly enough." He does not say, "They will never perish as long as they don't struggle or doubt or sin." He says, "They will never perish"—full stop—because they are in His hand, not because of how tightly they're holding on to His.

I remember playing "helicopter" with my children, when they had bunk beds. I would lie on the top bunk, and then would reach down, allowing them to grab my hand as I lifted them high in the air. Yet, every time, as they dangled in the air, they would cry: "Daddy, I can't hold on to you! Hold on to me!"

That's the picture of the hand of the Lord that secures our eternity. Your grip isn't the point. His grip is.

A young musician spent years cycling through churches and groups in search of a father figure who would stay. Yet, it wasn't until he was at a concert, overwhelmed by lyrics rooted in Psalm 40 about God lifting us from the miry pit of our lives that the grace of God broke through—not because the musician finally held on tightly enough, but because he understood how the steadfast care of the Lord never lets go. Confidence in His grip, not ours, is the source of the strength and peace that we need to face our fears and trials. Remember, "When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast."

Respond: What makes you doubt that you're securely in His hand? Persistent sin? Recurring doubt? The feeling that you haven't been faithful enough, passionate enough, certain enough?

Jesus didn't say His sheep are the ones who can hold on to Him most tightly. He said His sheep hear His voice. If deep in your heart you hear Him calling your name and believe that He paid the penalty for your sin that you could not, that he lifts you to heaven even when you did not have the strength to keep holding on to Him, then you are safe.

Jesus has you. Even when you can't hold on to Him, He will hold on to you. Confidence in his grip, not ours, is our peace no matter how difficult our days. When you are weak remember that He is strong and will not let you go.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, some days I feel like I can barely hold on. My faith feels thin. My doubts feel strong. My failures feel disqualifying. But You didn't say my security depends on my grip. You said no one will snatch me out of Your hand, nor out of Your Father's hand. So, grant me faith that you will hold me fast when I have lost confidence that I can hold on. Help me not to place my trust in my faithfulness but Yours. When I fear my faith will fail—hold me fast. In Your name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 13, 2026

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.... I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." - John 10:11-15

The contrast Jesus draws is sharp and deliberate. The hireling works for wages—he's there as long as the conditions are favorable for him. When danger appears, his calculation is simple: the pay isn't worth the risk. He runs.

But the Good Shepherd is not motivated by pay. He is motivated by love. These are His sheep. He knows them. He owns them in the deepest sense—not as property, but as those dear to Him, more dear than his own life. So, when the wolf appears, He doesn't calculate risk. He steps in front of it.

As that Good Shepherd, Jesus says, "I lay down My life for the sheep."

Not "I may sacrifice something." Not "I will endure to some degree of discomfort." But "I lay down My life."

This is what Israel's shepherds – priests and kings – failed to be for centuries. They used their position for personal gain rather than the good of the flock. But now comes Jesus: the Greater King, the truer Priest – the one the prophets predicted would come and actually lay down His life for those in His care.

The question of which shepherds are hirelings and which provide genuine care still applies.

Whom do you trust to provide for your greatest security?

In modern terms, the hireling is the career, relationship, substance, salary, or achievement that will hold up as long as conditions are acceptable. But when the threats to our security appear—when the diagnosis comes, when the relationship fails, when the career collapses—the hireling runs.

Jesus doesn't run. He steps in front of the danger. He lays down His life. Not because of what you've done, but because you are one of His sheep. You are one that He knows by name and loves.

Respond: What have you been entrusting to a hireling that only the Good Shepherd can be trusted to provide?

What relationships, achievements, or securities have you been leaning on as if they were your shepherd—only to find them running when danger or appeared?

Bring your specific disappointments and dangers to Jesus. He is not surprised that you were let down by a hireling. He has always been the only One who would not run from the worldly threats that endanger us. Lay your trust on Jesus—not on what holds up only when conditions are favorable. Trust in the One who came for you when the cross was in front of Him.

Prayer: Good Shepherd, I confess I've been trusting hirelings—things and people and achievements that hold up when life is manageable, but run when real danger comes. I've been disappointed. I've felt abandoned. But You are not a hireling. You didn't run from the Cross. You stepped in front of the worst of spiritual dangers for me. You laid down Your life for me. Help me trust You as the Shepherd You actually are—not providing for me just when things are fine, but staying with me, even when the wolf appears. I need your protection and trust you for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 10, 2026

"So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'" - John 10:7-9

A traveler visiting the Holy Land once stood inside an ancient sheepfold—a small room formed by rocks stacked against a hillside with one small opening. She asked the shepherd where the door was. He looked at her as if she'd asked something slightly ridiculous, then lay down across the opening.

"I am the door," he said.

No wood. No hinges. No lock. The shepherd himself was the door. He lay across the entrance so that nothing could get in or out without going through him. His body was his sheep’s protection.

When Jesus said "I am the door," this is exactly what He meant. He is not a door among many doors. He is the door through whom all who enter will be saved and the door that will close to protect all who enter from danger.

He is the true door—giving himself for our spiritual safety and salvation. And He is the door that will open to all who want His care.

The unified message of Scripture from Genesis through Revelation underscores two vital truths. First: "You are not your Redeemer."

Second: “No one but Jesus can redeem you from this world’s spiritual dangers.” Not Abraham. Not Moses. Not David. Not you by your good deeds, your prayers, your church attendance, your moral record. None of these are the door to your spiritual safety.

"I am the door," Jesus says. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved."

Jesus says that He is the door to make it clear you can't provide for your spiritual safety by yourself. But he also makes it clear that He is the door provided for you—opened not by your abilities but by faith in His.

Respond: Honest question: What are you still trying to add to Jesus’ provision as the basis for your eternal safekeeping? More consistent Bible reading? Better behavior? More generous giving? Years of faithful church attendance?

None of those things will be the door to your eternal safety. They may be good things—but they are not the way in. Only Jesus is.

This week, practice saying this: "I am not the door. He is. My relationship with God is through what He has done, not what I do. He has opened the door for me. Trust him for your spiritual safety. He is the best door—and the only door that will truly open eternity for you and protect you from every evil that would endanger it."

Let that penny drop from your head to your heart.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am always tempted to go through other doors to get to God—my good behavior, my religious track record, my efforts to be worthy. Forgive me. You are the true door, the only door, and the open door. My standing before God is not based on what I bring but on what You have done. You laid down your life across the entrance of eternity, inviting me to pass through safely and be protected eternally. Thank you for being a door for me. In Your name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 9, 2026

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." - John 10:3-4

In the ancient world, a single sheepfold often held multiple flocks from multiple shepherds. They all slept together overnight for protection. But in the morning, when a shepherd called out, only his sheep responded. They knew his specific voice.

Jesus adds to the poignancy of that image by saying that He doesn't just call His flock in general. He calls each sheep by name.

Psalm 147 says God determines the number of stars and calls each one by name. Science now tells us the number of stars exceeds the grains of sand on every beach of every ocean on earth. That many stars—and He names every one.

And yet the same God who names every star in an incomprehensibly vast universe knows your name. Knows your voice. Knows your story.

As a recent song rightly declares, "I have a Maker. He formed my heart before even time began. My life was in His hands. He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls. And hears me when I call."

A dear young woman came with an internal struggle so see me. She was bright, effervescent, beloved by her youth group, but had become someone even she didn't recognize. Living between two worlds of good and bad choices, two voices were pulling her in opposite directions. She confessed, "I don't know which is the real me."

Most of us can locate that experience somewhere in our own lives. One life at church, another at work. One life in public, another in secret. And beneath all the competing voices, the desperate question: "Who am I really?"

Jesus answers that question not by handing you a personality quiz but by calling you by name. Your identity isn't determined by the loudest voice around you. It's secured by the One who named you before time began and calls you still.

Respond: What competing voices are most loudly defining your identity right now? The voice of your failures? Your achievements? Your family's expectations? Your culture's values? Your own sin struggles?

Jesus' voice may not be the loudest—but it is the truest. And His sheep, Jesus says, know His voice. His voice is saying that you are His and He is yours.

This week, practice listening for His voice specifically. Read John 10 slowly about the Good Shepherd who calls his sheep by name. Read Psalm 23 aloud as your Lord declares that He is your shepherd and you are his sheep. Let the words land not just in your mind but in your heart. Let the truth that the God of the universe knows your name and names you as his own settle your mind about your true identity. God is calling you by the name that marks you as His own. He is identifying the real you as one that He loves and will shepherd through life’s trials and temptations. Listen to Him as he speaks to you from His Word.

Prayer: Dear Lord, there are so many voices telling me who I am—voices of failure, voices of expectation, voices of doubt. Sometimes I can barely hear You above the noise. But You know my name. You call me specifically. You see every tear that falls, and hear me when I call. Quite the other voices this week. Help me hear Yours. Let my identity be shaped not by what others say or what I do or fear, but by what You call me: Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 8, 2026

"Now when they drew near to Jerusalem... Jesus sent two disciples... The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them... And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!'" - Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus knew exactly what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem. He had already told His disciples plainly: "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death, deliver Him to the Gentiles, mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him, and kill Him. And on the third day He will rise."

He rode toward His own prophecy. He knew the mocking, the spitting, the flogging, the cross were all ahead. He could see Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives as He rode toward the city. He could see the temple. He knew what would happen inside its walls within the week. He also knew what would happen on a cross outside the city walls in that same week.

And still He rode on.

We call Jesus’ final journey into Jerusalem his “Triumphal Entry.” It had been a long road to that “triumph.” He was born in a lowly manger, had to flee to Egypt to escape his own religion’s leaders, was raised in the tiny town of Nazareth – whose people would later try to kill Him, never received the respect of religious leaders, and was crucified by Roman soldiers.

Why did Jesus endure all of this suffering? Because He was coming to share his heart with us.

"Jesus was relentless in His pursuit of us so that we would have no hesitation in seeking and serving Him."

Think about what that relentlessness journey cost Jesus. From the foundations of the world, He was the Lamb set apart for slaughter. From the moment He entered human history, He was moving toward the cross. Every step of His ministry was a step toward Calvary—and He took every step willingly, with full knowledge, with eyes open, because He was coming to provide the grace we need through the suffering He did not deserve.

His sacrifice was offered not because we were worthy, but because we were in need. His provision came not because we had lived well enough or believed hard enough, but because His heart was determined to claim us. He was relentless, unwilling to let us go.

Respond: What has made you hesitant to come to Jesus? What failure, what weakness, what shame, what persistent sin has made you think He wouldn't want you?

He rode into the jaws of His own prophecy—knowing the cross was waiting—because He was coming for you. He claimed the territory of your pain, your shame, your sin, and your weakness by entering into it Himself. Nothing in your life surprises Him. Nothing in your life will turn Him away.

This week let Christ’s relentless love for you stop you from hesitating to follow Him. Confess your sin, acknowledge your unworthiness, and trust in the One who rode relentlessly toward you so that you could rest in his pardon and peace.

He came after you so relentlessly because He wants you. Go to Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You rode on knowing everything—the mocking, the spitting, the cross. You rode on knowing everything about me too—every failure, every weakness, every sin before and after I claimed You. And still You rode on. You were relentless in Your pursuit of me so that I would have no hesitation in seeking You. So here I am—no hesitation, no pretense. I confess my sin. I confess my unworthiness. I trust in the One who rode toward the cross for my sake. Though trials should come, though Satan should buffet, let this blessed assurance control: it is well with my soul because Jesus claimed me – even me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 7, 2026

"And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant... Jesus said to them, '…Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise"?'" - Matthew 21:14-16

Who praised Jesus on Palm Sunday?

Not the Roman soldiers watching from the garrison across the valley. Their report would have been: "Nothing to worry about. Just a pauper rabbi on a borrowed donkey surrounded by poor people and children."

Not the chief priests or scribes. They were indignant at the very idea that this man deserved such worship.

It was the poor, who needed his help. The blind and the lame who came to Him for healing. And it was the seemingly inconsequential children who cried out "Hosanna to the Son of David!" in the temple.

The religious establishment was offended. But Jesus quoted Psalm 8: "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise." As if to say: "The ones you have dismissed are seeing most clearly what you, with all your learning, have missed entirely."

The victory lap that Jesus took around Israel before riding into Jerusalem didn't begin a few days earlier when he passed through Jericho or even when he went to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter declared Him, “the Christ.” The victory of Christ’s earthly ministry began in an animal stall in Bethlehem, where He was laid in a manger—the King of the universe born in poverty. Then, as a refugee, King Jesus was taken down to Egypt to escape a jealous and murderous King Herod. Then growing up in an obscure carpenter's home in the looked-down-upon town of Nazareth. Then came years of itinerant ministry in which he was rejected by His own people, but welcomed by the poor and the broken.

He claimed territory not by military conquest or political maneuvering, but by entering into the pain, the shame, and the sin of humanity. And the people who recognized Him were the ones who needed Him most: the blind, the lame, the poor, the children.

I once considered the importance of this heavenly King coming to minister in such humility as I watched a worship leader lead the singing of a large conference. Her frame was small and shrunken from days that I had known her as a younger woman. She was now carrying the weight of a broken home, a betrayed marriage, a hurting life. Yet, she led hundreds of others in singing a hymn whose words are, "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blessed assurance control—that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed His own blood for my soul. It is well with my soul."

The trials that had buffeted the worship leader had not convinced her that her Savior had abandoned her. She believed that he knew her pain and never ran from those experiencing the same pain and desperation of life’s trials. His humility was her confidence and comfort.

Respond: Are you more like the chief priests—theologically informed but somehow missing the point of who Jesus is? Or more like the children—broken, dependent, crying out "Hosanna" because you genuinely need saving?

The chief priests had more knowledge. The children had more sight.

This week, come to Jesus the way the blind and the lame came—with nothing to offer but your need. No performance. No credentials. No pretense of having it all together. His humility should be your confidence. Just say to Jesus, "I need You. Hosanna—God, save me." I need you.

That humble prayer will move His heart because his humility brought Him to this earth to give himself sacrificially for you. The humility that he showed for his people is the humility he loves in his people.

Prayer: Lord, the religious establishment missed understanding Jesus, but the blind, the lame, and the children got it right. I want to be like them—not performing, not pretending, not trying to impress You with my knowledge or my righteousness. Just coming to You humbly with my need because Jesus came in humility for me. Help me to be so humble as to be willing to say, “Hosanna. God, save me” with the confession that I am the helpless apart from Jesus. Yet, he who regarded my helpless estate shed His own blood for my soul. Let this blessed assurance control my heart. He is humble enough to look past the trials and troubles that humble me and to love me. So, it is well with my soul. Thank you for sending Jesus to make it so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 6, 2026

"Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!' And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, 'Who is this?'" - Matthew 21:8-11

When the crowd spread cloaks and palm branches in the road and shouted "Hosanna," they weren't inventing a new ceremony. They were reenacting the inauguration of King Jehu—the Old Testament king sent by God to deliver Israel from the wicked reign of Ahab and Jezebel. When Jehu arrived so suddenly and unexpectedly, the people improvised: no silk carpets, no gold bricks, just whatever they had—cloaks, branches, whatever was at hand—was spread in the road as a makeshift coronation carpet.

And "Hosanna" was not just an exclamation of praise. It was the cry from Psalm 118, shouted annually at the Feast of Tabernacles—the feast that celebrated God tabernacling, making His home with His people. "Hosanna" means "God saves." "Hosanna in the highest" means "God’s salvation deserves our highest praise and honor."

The crowd may not have fully understood what they were saying. But they were right. This King had come to deliver His people from a worse enemy than Ahab. He had come to tabernacle with humanity forever, making his home in the hearts of those who receive Him. And for those who receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord, God saves forever – that is the highest of blessings, deserving the highest of praise.

The whole city was stirred up asking, "Who is this?" It is still the most important question any person can answer.

Not "What do people say about Jesus?" Not "What does my tradition declare about Jesus?" But honestly, personally: Who is this Jesus to you?

Jesus made this ride as a deliberate declaration of His identity. He rode the prophesied donkey. He accepted the coronation cloaks. He received the Hosannas. He preceded this triumphal entry with a personal tour through the territories of Israel, re-claiming them as His own—from Dan in the north, to Caesarea Philippi in the west, through Jericho like Joshua in the east, then – from the South – down the Mount of Olives. Jesus was leaving no ambiguity about who He was or the claim that He had on the Promised Land that reflects the spiritual Kingdom He gives to those who trust Him. Jesus’s journey showed that, unlike previous kings of Israel, He was the King who would not fail to claim or hold all the territory that God had prepared for his people.

Jesus is the King. Not one option among many. Not simply a prophet among prophets. Not just a teacher among teachers. He is the King. The One who deserves our love and devotion because His power and love are securing the blessings of his eternal Kingdom for us.

Respond: "Who is this?"—the whole city asked it, and it's still the question that determines everything.

If He is truly the King—not just of Palm Sunday but of your life—then He is due the honor of your heart, the praise of your lips, and the obedience of your daily choices.

This week, take stock of how you're actually treating Jesus day to day. Are you treating Him as the King who deserves your devotion, or as a helpful advisor whom you listen to when it seems best for you? Where is your practical allegiance going—to His priorities or to the world's?

The crowd gave Jesus what they had—improvised, inadequate, but genuine devotion. Bring what you have – your resources, your priorities, your devotion. Give them to the King and He will reign in your heart and life, providing what is absolutely best for your eternal soul in his Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, the crowd asked "Who is this?" and I want to answer from my heart, not just my head: Jesus is my King. He is the Son of David, the fulfillment of every prophecy, the one who came to deliver me from a worse enemy than Ahab. Because of Jesus, I can shout, “Hosanna—God saves—in the highest”. Jesus is my King. Not just a helpful advisor for my life. Jesus is King over my life. So, help me to lay whatever I have in the road of my life before Your Son—my inadequate praise, my imperfect obedience, my whole life. He is worthy of it all. Help me to trust Him enough to consecrate my all to Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - July 3, 2026

"Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," but you make it a den of robbers.'" - Matthew 21:12-13

When Jesus cleared the temple, He wasn't having a bad day. He was acting as our Great High Priest, protecting the worship of God's people and ensuring access to God for all nations.

The money changers were extortionists, preying on pilgrims who had traveled from distant lands with foreign currencies. The pigeon sellers were exploiting the poor—pigeons were the only sacrifice the poor could afford, and here were merchants making profit from even that small act of devotion.

But something even larger was at stake. The money changers had taken over the Court of the Gentiles—the only space in the entire temple complex where non-Jews could gather to pray and seek God. The full verse from the Prophet Isaiah that Jesus quotes is: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." But the one place in the Jerusalem temple designated for other nations to come to God was now occupied by Israel’s profiteers.

Jesus cleared it all. Not because He was angry at commerce, but because His heart was burning for the poor who were being exploited and for the nations who were being excluded.

The same Jesus who cleared the temple to protect worship still acts as our High Priest. He still intercedes for us. He still ensures that nothing—no sin, no shame, no background, no nationality, no ethnicity—can keep us from the God who desires all people to come to Him.

What has set up tables for personal gain in your own heart where prayer should be? What has crowded out the quiet space where you meet with God? Anxiety can do it. Busyness can do it. Entertainment can do it. Bitterness can do it. The noise of a thousand other things can colonize the court of your heart until there's no room left for prayer.

Jesus, our High Priest, wants to clear that space. Not in judgment, but in care. He is protecting your access to God.

Respond: Consider your own "court of prayer"—the space in your daily life where you are supposed to meet with God. What has taken it over? What has crowded out Scripture reading, quiet prayer, and honest communion with God?

Jesus overturned the tables because the house of prayer had become a house of commerce. Where has convenience, busyness, personal gain, or distraction turned your house of prayer into something else?

This week, it may be time for you to carve out of your schedule a protected time of prayer each day. Clear the space. Overturn the tables of whatever has crowded in. And then use that space for its intended purpose: meeting with the God who died to make your access to Him an eternal blessing.

Prayer: Dear Lord, You cleared the temple because Your house was meant to be a house of prayer—for Your people and for all nations. But I confess that my own heart has become cluttered. The space I should reserve for You has been colonized by busyness, distraction, personal gain, anxiety, and noise. Come into my heart and clear it. Overturn the tables of selfish pursuits. Make space in me for prayer again. I want to meet with You. Protect my access to You, by reminding me of the access I have to you through Jesus, my great High Priest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.