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Written by Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929), an Indian Christian missionary and sadhu. This is an excerpt from his book “At the Master’s Feet.”

Many there are in this world who know about Me, but do not know Me; that is, they have no personal relationship with Me, therefore they have no true apprehension of or faith in Me, and do not accept Me as their Savior and Lord. Just as if one talks with a man born blind about different colors such as red, blue, yellow, he remains absolutely unaware of their charm and beauty, he cannot attach any value to them, because he only knows about them, and is aware of their various names. But with regard to colors he can have no true conception until his eyes are opened. In the same manner, until a man’s spiritual eyes are opened, howsoever learned he may be, he cannot know Me, he cannot behold My glory, and he cannot understand that I am God Incarnate.

But God raised him [Jesus] from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. [Acts 10:40-41]

Written by R.C. Sproul (1939-2017), a minister, author, radio broadcaster, and founder of Ligonier Ministries.

The beginning of the Christian life is rooted in repentance. The word for repentance in the Greek is metanoeō, which refers to a changing of the mind. Prior to your repentance, you thought one way. You thought according to the precepts of this world. You thought just like your secular neighbors, doing everything in your power to bury your sin in your subconscious. But when the Holy Spirit brought you to conviction, awakened you to your absolute need for a Savior, and you rushed to the cross, your mind and the entire direction of your life were changed. The mind is in the center in this . This transformation comes by having a new mind … A changed mind is a necessary condition for transformation, but it is not a sufficient condition. You can study the things of God, you can study the Word of God, you can make 100 percent on every theological examination that you ever take—you can have it in your head but never get it to your heart. If it does not get to your heart, you will never be transformed. However, the way God has made you is that the avenue to your heart is through the mind. The Bible was written and given for our understanding so that we might begin to think like Jesus thinks, approve what He approves, and despise what He despises. That is the way our lives are changed. When we begin to think like Christians, we get a new mind. Out of that new mind, we pray that the heart will be changed. When the heart is changed, the life is changed, and we are a transformed people.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. [Philippians 2:5]

Written by Ines Velasquez-McBryde, a contemporary pastor and speaker.

Lamentation is a declaration that things aren’t as they should be… The God of heaven hears the voices of the unheard. The voices of the marginalized. The voices of the oppressed. Often misrepresented. Frequently dismissed. Repeatedly mocked. Easily discredited. Brutally dehumanized. Systematically silenced…Lamentation includes listening. Listening is a habit…Listening is critical for the flourishing of all humankind. The three circles of listening are listening to self, listening to God, and listening to others. Without listening, we end up limiting. We limit God’s expansive imagination about ourselves and about who others are becoming. Without listening, we stop short of who we could be and who others could become. Without listening, we truncate lamenting. And yet, lamentation leads to liberation. God extends to us an invitation to listen, privately and publicly.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” [1 Peter 5:10]

This is an excerpt from “The Bible in a Year: A 52-Week Journey Through God’s Word,” written by the Spiral Bible team.

Biblical joy is a deep-seated contentment in God that transcends circumstances and emotions. It flows from our relationship with God and remains steady even in difficult times. Paul’s command to “rejoice in the Lord always,” establishes joy as more than an emotional response to favorable circumstances. This repeated instruction reveals that joy is a choice we can make regardless of our situation. Like a deep-water spring that flows regardless of surface conditions, Christian joy draws from a source deeper than circumstances…It isn’t about manufacturing happiness but drawing strength from God’s own joy over his people. Like a battery that energizes a device, God’s joy provides spiritual energy for life’s challenges and opportunities…Are we depending on circumstances for our joy, or have we learned to rejoice in the Lord regardless of conditions?… Let’s practice choosing joy as a deliberate response to God’s faithfulness, remembering that true joy flows from who God is rather than from what is happening around us.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [Philippians 4:4]

Written by Paige Vanosky, a contemporary author and member of the Village Church.

Father, you know us fully. And you know that while many of us outwardly celebrate Jesus’ Easter resurrection, inwardly we wrestle with doubt—even disbelief—despite recognizing that it fulfills your promises throughout history. From the very beginning, in the Garden, you promised that one day you would provide a Savior to overcome the worst Satan could do—death itself. Throughout the history of your people, as revealed in the Old Testament, you promised this Savior would come through the line of Abraham and David, providing details of His birth and life. Yet, though Jesus fulfilled these promises and later told of His coming death in Jerusalem, we admit to experiencing doubt. Even though His miraculous resurrection from death occurred during the commemoration of the Jews’ miraculous deliverance from death, we sometimes struggle to believe. Thank you, Father, for meeting us where we are, just as Jesus did with the disciples—showing His scars to quiet their doubts, speaking words of peace to calm their fears, and giving them space to wrestle with what seemed the impossible. Please transform us daily through an ever-increasing belief in your resurrection. Help us to trust you more, to believe you more deeply, and to follow you more faithfully each day. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! [Mark 9:24]

Written by John Sherrill, a contemporary author.

It’s Monday, the day after Easter.  Yesterday, when the children and grandchildren left, my wife, Tib, and I went through the usual post-holiday letdown. We coped with it as we always do–cleaning up. I collected left-behind jellybeans before they could be trod into the rug, picked up a ball of colored foil where someone had missed a wastebasket, found a half-eaten chocolate rabbit under one of the kids’ beds. Tib gathered the wicker baskets and carried them up to the attic, then got out the vacuum cleaner and attacked the escaped Easter grass.  How did the shiny green strands get so far from the bedrooms where we had unpacked the baskets? I plucked a couple from the back of the sofa in the living room, found one on my sweater sleeve, even extracted one from the butter dish. But Tib and I didn’t give up; we searched and swept until eventually we had picked up the very last one. And then last night, as I started upstairs to bed, a green sliver winked at me from the riser. It’s been the same this morning. I’ve found three strands already in places where I’d already looked. I was getting exasperated with the stuff until I thought, Wait! Aren’t these the little tokens I used all last week to assure me that–whatever the grief or frustration or disappointment–Easter will come? Maybe I should change my attitude about these elusive strips of grass mysteriously popping up at unexpected times and places. Last week, I chose these spots as forecasts of the Easter message. Suppose I let the grass choose for me now. Suppose in the future, each time I catch sight of a piece of it, I let it remind me that Easter is not a day. It’s a promise.

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. [Romans 8:11]

Written by Noelle Kirchner, a contemporary writer.

Almighty God, today we rejoice with all of heaven: Jesus is risen! The grave could not hold Him, death could not defeat Him, and sin has lost its power forever. Because He lives, we have hope; because He conquered death, we have victory; because He reigns, we have nothing to fear.  Fill our hearts with resurrection power, renew our spirits with Your love, and let us walk boldly in the freedom Christ has won for us. May our lives declare the truth: He is risen! He is risen indeed! In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. [Matthew 28:6]

WERE YOU THERE WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD?

A 19th-century African American spiritual, that was the first spiritual included in a major American hymnal (in 1940).

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. [Acts 2:23]

Written by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

From one viewpoint the death of Jesus was a tragedy. Here was a Man who had gone about doing good and urging people to turn to God—and yet His life came to an abrupt end because some people saw Him as a threat to their way of life. But from another viewpoint, the death of Jesus was the greatest event in human history—and the reason is because through His death we can be saved. You see, only one thing separates us from God, and that is our sin. But sin is very serious, because it means we aren’t only separated from God right now, but we will be separated from Him forever…How can our sins be removed? How can the gulf between us and God be bridged? We can’t do it ourselves; no matter how good we are, we can never measure up to God’s standard, which is perfection. Our only hope is for God to intervene and save us—and that is what happened on Good Friday! By His death on the cross, Jesus became the final sacrifice for our sins. We deserved to die for our sins—but Christ died in our place. Yes, we call it Good Friday because on that day our salvation became a reality. What happened then was truly good—and Jesus did it out of love. Don’t turn away from His love, but by a simple prayer of faith open your heart and life to Him today. Find peace with God today.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23]

Painted by Margot Wallace from the Village Church

Written by the team at Spoken Gospel, an organization that supports Bible readers in understanding the Bible.

1600 years ago Christians began calling the last days of Jesus’ life “Holy Week.” “Maundy” comes from a Latin word that means covenant. Maundy Thursday remembers the day Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples and gave them a new covenant… Maundy Thursday is good news because Jesus announces that the darkness and disappointment of these final hours will lead to freedom and a Kingdom. Just as bread cannot be eaten until it’s broken and wine cannot be drunk unless it’s poured, a covenant cannot be made without blood…On this day Jesus promises that he will bear the cost for our covenant of freedom. Just as Israel was freed from slavery by the blood of a lamb, we are freed from slavery by Jesus’ blood. He is the firstborn son who was lost so that we are no longer captive to this world’s powers, temptations, sins, and consequences. Because of Maundy Thursday we are free citizens of Jesus’ new eternal Kingdom. So, I pray that on this Maundy Thursday you will accept Jesus’ body and blood as a new covenant—God’s promise to free you and bring you into his Kingdom,

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  [1 Corinthians 11:23-26]