People in the western world, where the shepherding of flocks is normally done by driving sheep with dogs, may find it hard to grasp the intimacy seen in biblical shepherd passages. Here, the shepherd is pictured as having a personal attachment to the sheep, and the sheep are portrayed as recognizing the shepherd’s voice and responding. The rewards for this unique relationship are both satisfying and eternal.

As God works through His people to bring salt and light to the world, He promises to share His glory with them. But in their sinful hearts, they can be tempted to forget who is truly changing the world around them. The test for Evergreen is not whether temptation will come; it is a matter of when. The only thing more predictable than the temptation is the certainty that God will provide an escape to help us finish the race!

"Paul's prayer reveals the need of the believer to have discernment of what God has already given them. Though the Ephesians were faithful and loving, Paul knew they still needed spiritual understanding and insight. He prays that their hearts would be opened to grasp their hope, their value, and the power available to them in Christ. We are called to move beyond surface-level faith into a deeper, Spirit-enabled understanding of our identity and what has been offered to us in Jesus."

The closing verses of Mark are often stigmatized as spurious by NT authorities, both ancient and recent. This closing feels different from Mark’s typical style; yet verse 8 would seem to be an awkwardly abrupt ending. These verses, however, provide exactly what is desired--resurrection scenes parallel to the other gospel accounts. What did Mark intend? How should we proceed?

Easter is the crux of the Christian faith. Everything believers hold dear rises or falls with the truthfulness of this claim to resurrection after death. This event is so far out of our normal experience, we may doubt it in our mind…but our heart, nevertheless, suspects it is true.

Death by crucifixion is one of the cruelest and most degrading forms of punishment ever devised by human perversity, even in the eyes of the pagan world of old. Josephus described it as “the most wretched of all ways of dying,” and the shudder caused by the cross as an instrument of execution is still reflected in the English word “excruciating.”

Contemporary news stories confirm that the Bible is, in fact, more relevant today than ever before. Events from 2000 years ago read like the New York Times. Yet, for people of faith, resurrection and new life are always right around the corner. The King overcomes even when rejected by the elite and the masses.

As the night before the cross continues to unfold, both Peter and Jesus are on trial in their own ways. Peter dismally failed his test; Jesus triumphed in His. In the providence of God, this text applies to Christians of all generations and in every situation in which faith is challenged.