Suppose a tiny seed had a will of its own and decided to save itself by refusing to be buried. It would abide alone. It would save itself but would not save others. When it decided to be buried and die, then the result would be a golden harvest. Take a mother: she goes down into the valley of the shadow of death to bring...

Whilst familiar, the crucifixion never loses its power. Even Jesus’ critics recognise His teachings as good, and there’s The challenge we have with sin is that once we react inappropriately, as Cain did here in his anger with God in accepting Abel’s and Some non-Christian religions claim that God is the Author of their sacred writings as well as of the Bible, but the god they talk about is not the God who has revealed Himself in the Person of His Son. The true God is a Father - the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mohammed wrote in the Qur'an (as we saw): "Allah...Serving God and others is the heartbeat of Christian discipleship (Mark 12:29–31). In EDWJ we shall explore what this means as we seek to make a God-shaped difference in the world. Paul’s clear: we’re to take personal responsibility for ourselves, but not at the expense of living in mutual support with others, i.e. community. God’s given us everything and encourages us to rely on His grace moment The Every Day With Jesus campaign is designed to remind, encourage, and inspire you as you seek to remain in him. Find resources to meet you where you’re at—whether it be a reading plan that gives you realistic goals or a podcast to turn on in the car as you navigate the busyness of life. Mortality is a daily reminder that death awaits us, a reminder that whoever we are will disappear when we die. What is it that

At the start and finish of the book of Ruth we have a clue as to why this is included in God’s library. This book is a wonderful contrast to the preceding book of Judges (mentioned in verse 1), which has some of the toughest narrative in the whole of the Bible. Selwyn Hughes was a Welsh Christian minister best known for writing the daily devotional Every Day with Jesus. He founded the Christian ministry Crusade for World Revival and wrote over fifty Christian books. George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, described Hughes as a "giant in the faith". Wikipedia Whenever I hear a person saying that all religions are the same, my mind runs immediately to the cross. If what is found here is true (and I believe it is), and represents the meaning of life, then clearly all religions are not the same. No authentic note of divine self-sacrifice comes from other faiths. The cross... What do we mean when we say that the Bible is "inspired"? There are various views. One is natural inspiration - that the Bible is inspired in the same way that any work of genius is, like Pilgrim's Progress for example. Another view is of partial inspiration, which claims that the Bible is not a scientific textbook... Christianity is born out of hospitality, which means ‘friendliness to guests’.* And everyone living on God’s earth is a guest. As Christ’s disciples, we are invited by Jesus to offer the gift of friendliness.

Jesus never wastes a moment, and the interchange between Him and the two sisters is telling. He could have simply announced before they spoke: ‘It’s OK – I’m going to raise your brother from the dead, so don’t worry!’. But instead, He could see the value in talking with the woman about their faith in Him and the situation. The late Bishop John Robinson stated: "The resurrection of the body of Christ is no essential belief for Christian people, and it would make no difference to their faith if the Lord's body had been flung into the Valley of Hinnom, like those of the malefactors, to disintegrate among the rotting corpses." Such a... Choose which version of EDWJ to use: Selwyn Hughes’ writings or contemporary EDWJ by new contributors We’ve observed that God places decision taking squarely in our hands. This free will precedes the Fall, demonstrating God has no interest in micro-managing His creation. In his state of innocence, Adam heard God’s advice with nothing to compare it to or contradict The ritual of burial in first-century Israel involved the corpse being washed, then anointed with a variety of oils and spices. The body would then be wrapped in white linen grave clothes, which also contained spices. The body of Lazarus had been given life, but he still had to contend with the grave clothes that would inhibit him. Hence Jesus’ command in verse 44.

This issue of EDWJ will look at God’s Word, God’s will and God’s work. Today we start with God’s Word. Strikingly, it preceded all of creation, for God’s Word is Jesus, the foundation for all that is. Jesus heals all who ask Him in the gospels with one exception – this one! And in this case the outcome is far better. We cannot imagine fully what was going on in Jesus’ mind when he hears news that Lazarus is ill and close to death. We know that Lazarus is a close friend, indeed Jesus stayed with the family when He came to the Jerusalem area. Herbert Spencer, whom we quoted earlier, wrote: "The task of religion is at-one-ment: atonement. If it fails to do this it fails at the vital point." Its ritual may be beautiful, its sanctions may be ancient, its precepts may be good, but if it fails to bring men and women into correspondence with God it fails vitally... Now accepted by God, Paul provides a list of characteristics that we can nurture by His grace. Love lies at the centre of God’s activity throughout the world (John 3:16). Once we discover that we are loved unconditionally, we’re invited to respond to thatSweeter than the day before. [Refrain] Every day With Jesus Is Sweeter Than the Day Before Hymn Story

What humiliation and shame our Lord endured for us on the cross of Calvary. Cicero, a Roman philosopher, said of crucifixion: "Far be the very name of a cross not only from the bodies of Roman citizens, but from their imaginations, eyes and ears." But He, our Lord, though sinless, was crucified on a cross. Although... The story of the two sons is such a powerful one. Many begin to see that the ‘DIY Christianity’ they follow is so distant from what Jesus teaches. Jesus compares us to branches dependent on the vine: “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me” (John 15:4-5). Today is Maundy Thursday. ‘Maundy’ is a Latin word for ‘command’ that reminds us of the commands Jesus gave His disciples; most especially, ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (John 13:34).

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Change is feared because it interrupts our familiar routines and the comfort they give us. Neuroscience tells us that change offers