Author: Kathy Tucker

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:22 As Jesus was preparing for His crucifixion, He also tried to prepare His disciples for the coming events. They loved Jesus and trusted Him, but they were sad and confused by some of what Jesus was telling them. Their finite, human minds could not comprehend how things were going to work out. To say the least, they were probably a bit overwhelmed. But Jesus reassured them by letting them know that their grief would not last forever. He would see them again and then no one would take away their joy! These words must have been comforting to the disciples. Although…

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25 Happy Resurrection Day!  Today we celebrate our living Savior. Jesus did die on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried and His family, friends and followers mourned for Him. BUT, Jesus did not stay dead! Death could not hold Him in the grave! On the third day after His crucifixion Jesus arose victoriously to life again!   This is our reason for celebrating Easter! We celebrate a living, loving Savior who offers forgiveness of sins to all that will accept it. We celebrate a promise of life with Him…

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!” Revelation 5:13 Today is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem before His arrest and crucifixion.  The crowds met Jesus with praise and worship. They shouted  “Hosanna”  or save us and blest Him as one that was coming in the name of the Lord. (Luke19:28-40, Matthew 12:12-13).   Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus to shush those that were worshipping and praising Him. Jesus replied by saying, “if they keep quiet, even the stones will cry out.”  What…

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders, I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2  David is credited with penning these words. His heart must have overflowed as He thought of  the greatness and awesomeness of our Lord. David used his poetic ability to put his thoughts into words and songs to express his love for God and to worship Him. As we read this scripture, let us be reminded that we too can praise and worship God with our natural abilities and talents. All of us may not be poets or songwriters, we may not even be able to put into words our feelings toward God, but…

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 “Promises, promises that’s all I ever get”, these are words from an old Lynn Anderson song in which she confronts a boyfriend that’s more talk than action. His word is useless and leaves little to be trusted. We may feel this way too when companies vie for our attention by making promises about their products.  We are told about  toothpaste that whitens our teeth better, detergent that cleans our laundry the best, vehicles that are the most economical to run and phone service that has the best coverage. Promises are easy to make, but we all  know that these promises are only good until the next big thing comes along and then we…

“The Son of  Man came to find lost people and save them.” Luke 19:10 What a wondrous mystery to ponder — why would Jesus leave the perfection of heaven and come to a wicked earth? Why would He choose to live among ordinary human beings when He could be surrounded by angels? Why would He give up the peace and tranquility of heaven to be ridiculed, hated and ultimately beaten and killed by His very own creations?  WHY? Because He loves us.  Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection to life provided a way for people, then and now, to receive salvation. Through the reading and preaching of His Holy Word, through the prayerful witness of Christians, and through the wooing of the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to seek those…

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,  so that we may receive mercy and  find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 What a blessing to know that God welcomes us to Himself! Through Jesus Christ, we can come to God without fear or hesitation.  He will not reject us or turn us away because Jesus is our mediator. We can be sure that He will hear us, He will be merciful to us and He will grant us grace to strengthen us in our walk.  How sweet it is to be in the presence of the Almighty and to feel His love shine upon us!

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 Today marks the first Sunday of Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is the forty weekdays and six Sundays preceding Holy Week, culminating on Easter Sunday. It is typically a time of prayer, dedication and devotion as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection. This prayer from Psalm 19:14 is fitting for the season of Lent. It reminds us that every word we speak and every thought we have should be pleasing to our Lord. As we draw closer to our Rock and Redeemer may our faith grow stronger and our dedication to Him grow deeper. 

“…the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10b In the book of Nehemiah we read that Ezra was sharing with the Israelites about God’s law. The people had drifted away and were not following the commands of God. As Ezra read and explained the laws of God to them, the people were so moved that they  fell down and worshipped. They cried and repented of their sins and humbled themselves before God. The people were sad that they had failed God in so many ways. But, then Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites continued by telling the people not be sad. Instead they told them to rejoice because this was a ‘sacred” day to the Lord! They were encouraged to be happy and celebrate with a great meal because now…

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 It is said that temptation in itself is not a sin. It is when we give in to that temptation that we mess up. Jesus knew about temptation. The devil had tried to get Jesus to sin in so many ways after His baptism. (See Matthew 4) But Jesus resisted all the temptations set before Him by trusting God and standing on His Word!  In our lives we deal with temptations everyday. Jesus knew that we were going to face problems. He knew that the devil was going to be right there trying to persuade us to follow his cunning ways and turn our backs on the God that loves us. In verse 13 of…