31 Mar 2026
Jesus knew exactly what would happen to Him. He predicted the betrayal by Judas. The disciples could not believe that it would be one of them who would betray Jesus. May the Lord give us insight to understand some of the things that will happen to us and around us. May this inspire us to intercede more and align to God’s will. Matthew 26:14-25.
The Ring of Authenticity
Can you tell if the imperfections have been cleansed? All 22 of us were standing in the shop and listening to our guide explain the unique nature of the porcelain works we were visiting. Made from a special mineral-content clay taken from nearby Turkish hills, some of the beautiful work was on display around us. All of us were interested in the process. He began by explaining the work of the master craftsman whose wheel was turning. A skilled artisan would take the clay and mold it under the steady pressure of his trained hands. Then, when the piece was in the form the master desired, it would be placed in a kiln heated to some 1,200 to 1,400 degrees Celsius. The delicate-looking plate, vase, or bowl would be left in that extreme heat for 14 hours, then allowed to cool for ten. In the transforming heat of the kiln, the clay forms glass and metal particles that interlock to form fine porcelain that has high mechanical strength and hardness. Henceforth, it is both resistant to thermal shock and penetration by chemicals that would weaken or discolor it. Finally, the translucent piece will be colored by an artist and glazed for the sake of brilliant and lasting color. Fascinating as the narration had been to someone who knew nothing of the process, the part of his account that impressed me most was yet to come. Reaching for a large bowl, the narrator asked, “Does anyone know how to distinguish high-quality porcelain from its inferior cousins?” I certainly did not and looked around only to see similar blank looks on the other 21 faces in our group. He smiled, balanced the bowl with the fingers and thumb of his left hand, and lifted it for all of us to see. “Please,” he said. “Listen!” With that, he thumped the lip of the translucent piece with the forefinger of his right hand. A distinct and resonant ring came from it and wafted over his audience – a sound almost as beautiful as the sight of the piece he had lifted for us to admire. “Now,” he continued, “listen to the sound from this piece that is flawed.” Lifting a piece with his left hand that looked identical to the first, he thumped it with his right forefinger. And the sound reminded me of one I used to hear as a child when I threw rocks onto the rusty tin roof of my neighbor’s barn. Grating. Harsh. Anything but beautiful. How like human character! All of us are being formed by life’s experiences and our practiced responses. Through the pleasant and unpleasant days, we are formed. Then the crisis moments put us into the fire. And we emerge – refined and matured, or embittered and brittle. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:2-3 NLT). If life gives you a thumping this week, pray that your heart will ring true. About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 53:3-4
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and he carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. —Isaiah 53:3-4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus was everything, created everything, and gave up everything to become nothing for you and me (Philippians 2:5-8). Most of the people on earth he came to save didn’t recognize him or accept him when he was here. Many in the crowds just assumed he deserved what he got, crucifixion. Most did not repent. But there was something about Jesus’ self-sacrificing story, self-emptying story that grabs our hearts and calls us, God’s lost children, home. On our journey home, we not only find him to be our Savior but also the servant promised by God through Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-7, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12), who is also God’s Son, the one who came to bring salvation to all humankind. My Prayer… God Almighty, your plan to redeem me takes my breath away. Why you chose to take your precious son and expose him to such public disgrace while he was on earth, I will never comprehend. But this I do know: you love me with an everlasting love, and so I will serve you with all of my strength in thanks for his great sacrifice. Thank you for your love. In the name of Jesus Christ, my LORD and Savior, I pray and praise you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
30 Mar 2026
The death of Jesus on the cross will always be the greatest sacrifice of all time. He willingly lay down His life for our redemption. May this act of love always motivate us to ĺove others. May it also increase our love and respect for God. Matthew 26:10-13.
The Last Word
Who has the final say in our lives? Two brothers were playing in the back yard on a beautiful Sunday morning. All of a sudden their dog, Matt, bounded into the bushes and came out shaking a black and white lop-eared rabbit. The two brothers were aghast because the rabbit belonged to their neighbor, Mrs. Clausen. How could they tell their neighbor their dog had killed her pet rabbit? They decided to take their problem to their father since he always seemed to know just what to do. His suggestion, however, wasn’t very wise. He told the boys to hose the little fellow off real well so he would look nice and clean. Then they should dry him off with a towel and stick him back in the cage. Mrs. Clausen was at church while all this took place. When she returned home, they thought she would discover her pet rabbit, but would determine that it died a natural death. The boys did as their father had advised, then hid in the bushes to get a good vantage point to observe Mrs. Clausen when she discovered her dead rabbit. Sure enough, when she came home from church, Mrs. Clausen came out of the back door and headed for the rabbit cage. All of a sudden, the boys heard the worst screaming anyone has ever heard. Mrs. Clausen went on and on crying, shrieking, yelling, and asking God all kinds of questions. It was then that the mother and father of the boys came outside and approached their neighbor in her back yard, pleading with her to stop and tell them what had happened. When they finally calmed Mrs. Clausen down a little, they asked her once again what was wrong. In between sniffs and sobs she finally got it out: “I buried that rabbit three days ago.” We do the best we can to mask the reality of death, but to no avail. Death is not our friend, no matter what the circumstances. The Word of God makes plain that physical death is the last enemy of God to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:20-26) and will be completed defeated when Jesus returns. In the meantime, however, we must live with death staring us in the face. This does not mean that we should be afraid of death. Jesus’ resurrection has sealed the fate of death. Death will be swallowed up in victory and so its most powerful sting has been removed through the victory of Jesus who insures that our lives will not be lived in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) Since Jesus holds the keys of Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) and I belong to Him, then death will not have the last say in my life. So the question we must all ask is this: “Do I belong to Him?” About the author: Joe Bagby has been preaching for thirty years. He and his wife Paula were missionaries to Thailand in the 80’s for eight years where they adopted twin girls, Hope and Joy. Joe receive his masters degree in Congregational Ministry from Abilene Christian University with a BS in Education from University of North Texas. He is now serving as Pulpit Minister for the 4th and Elm Church of Christ in Sweetwater, Texas.
Compliment Guys
Now aren’t you nice!? Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God (1 Peter 4:10-11). They were tired of it. Tired of people being grumpy, depressed, and worried. Tired of always worrying about the current economic climate. So Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott decided to do something to bring a little light and joy to their corner of the world – which happens to be Purdue University. They became The Compliment Guys. That’s what everyone calls them, anyway. Every Wednesday afternoon from 12:30 to 2:30, Cameron and Brett set up their “Free Compliments” sign near a main walkway outside the chemistry building. Rain, snow, sleet, cold – whatever the weather, The Compliment Guys are “In.” For those two hours on Wednesday, they live up to their name. Every person who walks by gets a compliment. To a guy in Purdue sweats they say, “Love your school spirit.” To a woman carrying a trendy black bag: “Very nice purse.” “It’s very large.” To the student who ran past them in knee-high leather boots: “I like your hustle.” “I like your boots, too.” The guys try to be very personal and specific in their compliments, too. “I like your red coat,” Westcott says to a woman listening to her iPod. She turned and laughed, which prompted Brown to say, “Very nice smile.” Three women leaving biology lab purposely walked by them. “I like your curly hair. Great smile. I like your glasses,” the guys said, pointing to each of the women. One Wednesday, they told a professor to enjoy his coffee, thanked the groundskeepers for their hard work and encouraged someone eating an apple to “stay nutritious.” While most people react positively, the guys sometimes get ignored, or get nasty looks, or the occasional obscene gesture. They get accused of being there only to pick up girls. (They both have girlfriends.) Some think it’s a psychology experiment. But Brett Westcott says their reasons for being The Compliment Guys are pretty straightforward, if not too sophisticated: “Just overall, making people’s day is really satisfying. Not enough people do nice things anymore.” I don’t know about you, but I think The Compliment Guys might be on to something. We’re a culture that doesn’t take seriously the power of words. Strange, when you think about how many words we speak, process, e-mail, and text every day. Everywhere we look, there are words: on signs, on screens, on forms and petitions, in documents and books, on labels and menus, billboards and bumper stickers. Everywhere we go, people are speaking: cell phones clamped to ears as they walk, Bluetooths (Blueteeth?) clipped to ears while they drive, in meetings and at coffee shops, in schools and churches and offices and bars and restaurants, over dinner with family and over conference calls with the home office. So many words. So little thought. How else to explain the careless ways that husbands and wives, parents and children, students and teachers, friends, colleagues, and fellow church members speak to each other? How else to explain the torrents of profanity yelled out of car windows when a driver feels cheated out of a spot in traffic that he thinks should have been his? How else to explain how we trivialize things like sex or family or even God with too many meaningless, thoughtless, graceless words? How else to explain all the ways in which we use words to hurt, manipulate, belittle, and control? So many words. So little thought. No wonder members of some religious orders take vows of silence. When you discipline yourself not to speak at all, you gain a better understanding of the value of words, in much the same way as a person who’s fasting understands the value of food. Maybe we Christians should give more thought to the vow of silence. I can certainly think of situations that would have worked out much better if I had taken one. Or maybe better, let’s discipline ourselves to use words more carefully. That’s where I think The Compliment Guys have it right. They’re making a choice to use words to “make peoples’ day.” They’re disciplining themselves, at least for two hours on Wednesday afternoons, to speak in ways that are positive, affirming, and encouraging. I suspect, too, that those two hours on Wednesday carry over, at least to some extent, in the ways that they speak when they’re “off duty.” “If you speak,” wrote Peter, “you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.” I love that it’s Peter, of all people, who wrote that. Peter, the guy who was so well-acquainted with the taste of foot. The guy who swore he’d never desert Jesus, and then swore just as vehemently that he didn’t know him. He learned, somewhere along the line, and by the time he was an elder statesman of the church he had learned how much words mattered. He had begun to regard words, and the opportunity to use them, as gifts from God. He understood that the faithful words of God’s people are one of the many ways in which God’s grace takes form in this world. So he wanted the church to take words seriously. He charged them to give careful thought to what they said, to consider whether or not the words coming from their mouths or pens were suitable vehicles for the grace of God to travel in. “If you say something, make sure it’s something that wouldn’t seem out of place coming from the mouth of God himself.” Well, we can try to do better at least, can’t we? It might not work for you to set up your own “Free Compliment” stand at your own work or school. But then, there are other ways to bless people with your words than firing compliments at
Beautiful Feet
How pretty are your woofing dogs? The only feet I have ever admired are those that belong to babies or very young children. For the most part, I think adult feet are ugly. They have a right to be. Most of us, especially women, abuse them with shoes that don’t fit correctly or have inadequate arch support. Many years ago, my husband worked in a shoe store and he says it always amazed him when some women would shove their feet into shoes that were obviously too small. Not me. You won’t catch me in uncomfortable shoes. Once, my mother bought me a pair of shoes to wear to a cousin’s wedding. For some reason I don’t remember now, I didn’t try them on until the day of the wedding. They were too small and so painful that now, almost 20 years later, the only thing I can remember about the day my cousin said, “I do!” was how much my feet hurt. Ugly feet are hereditary in my family. Once, when all the women on my father’s side were together, we took off our shoes to show those who married into our family what their children’s feet might look like. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they thought we were kidding. However, when we took off our shoes, there was no denying the similarity. “How do they get that way?” they asked. “Genetics,” we all replied in unison. “Admire your children’s feet when they are babies because one day they may look like this,” my aunt advised. I remember my grandmother saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” But when it comes to feet, I didn’t believe that anyone could possibly find my feet attractive. I am so self conscious about them that I never wear sandals, flip flops, or open-toed shoes. No sirreee. I want those ugly puppies covered up as much as possible. Last week, I was reading my Bible and I came upon a verse that I didn’t remember. Paul quotes the Old Testament when he says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:15 NLT). My mouth dropped open in amazement. The message was loud and clear. If I am a Christian and I am bringing the good news to others, I have beautiful feet! I slipped my shoes off and looked at the same twisted toes and huge bunions that I’ve looked at for the last several years. They definitely didn’t look beautiful to me, but if God thinks they are beautiful … I know they are. When my brother was a little boy my mother looked at his hands one day and told him he had beautiful hands. “No they’re not,” he argued. “Oh yes they are,” she replied gently. “The things they can do are beautiful.” And that’s the way it is with feet. No matter what they look like, when they help us carry the message that Jesus Christ came to this earth and died for our sins, that He arose victorious from the grave, and that He’s coming back for us one day, then our feet our beautiful indeed. About the author: Teresa is an accomplished author, speaker, mother, and grandmother. Teresa has been married to Bill for a lifetime of family, faith, and love. They are members of Pleasant Hill Church of Christ in Kentucky. They have 5 children and 4 grandchildren. Teresa is also the author of the popular women’s blog called “NanaHood”!
Today’s Verse – 2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Righteousness! That’s what we are. We are not just righteous. No, it is much bigger than that. We are God’s righteousness. Before Jesus, and without Jesus, no one is righteous (Romans 3:21-24). Now, however, we find our righteousness in him (Philippians 3:9). We are the testimony of how holy and gracious God truly is because of Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-9). God provided the sacrifice for our sins, and now his righteousness has re-created us in Christ Jesus to do good works for him in our broken world (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10). Altogether, this is God’s righteousness, and that’s what he has made us, his righteousness in Jesus! My Prayer… Thank You, Almighty God, for making me righteous by the blood of your Son’s death. May people see a reflection of your holiness, justice, and mercy in me, as I try to share your grace with them. By the authority of Jesus and his sacrifice for my sins, I pray with confidence. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The Fourth Quarter
So are you ready for the buzzer to sound? I was raised in a home that loved Jesus, church, family and basketball. My dad was a University of Kentucky fan and if the Cats were playing, the whole family watched – thus the graphic at the top of the article celebrating the “Battle for Kentucky” tonight in this year’s “Sweet Sixteen.” When I grew up I married a “Yankee” who thought basketball was a sissy sport, I made him promise not to say that to my dad. Over the years, my husband realized that he was wrong. Now he loves basketball as much as I do. The years passed and we were blessed with four boys and a daughter. Three of our five children played basketball. We went to little league games, middle school games, high school games, and a zillion tournaments. My back ached from spending so much time on bleachers. At one point in my life, I would lay down at night to go to sleep and I could hear basketballs bouncing and tennis shoes squeaking! Even though I have never played basketball myself (they didn’t have a girl’s team when I was in high school) I have been around the sport so much that I often think in basketball terminology. The other day I was talking to my friend about something and I said something about being in the fourth quarter of life – they still play basketball in quarters in middle school, high school, and pros while colleges play in halves. She looked at me strangely. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Well, we are into our 50s. Assuming we live about as long as our parents… I think it’s safe to say this is the fourth quarter of life.” She thought about it a minute, “We might get an over-time,” she said with a grin. We might, but regardless of how long we live, eventually we reach the fourth quarter. Then it’s not long before “game over” – the buzzer sounds and everyone goes home. When I was younger, I was too busy living life to think much about the fourth quarter! Now that I’m older, I realize that one of the reasons I didn’t want to think about it was I knew I wasn’t ready for the final buzzer. I wasn’t ready to face the coach and give my answer for how I had played the game. Ready or not, this life – your life and my life – will end. Ready or not, we will all answer to God for the life we have lived. No matter how old or young we are, let’s live with commitment so that when the final buzzer sounds, or when the coach takes us out of the game, we are ready to face our final score with confidence! The apostle Paul loved athletic metaphors, too. Notice what he says about finishing with confidence: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV). About the author: Teresa is an accomplished author, speaker, mother, and grandmother. Teresa has been married to Bill for a lifetime of family, faith, and love. They are members of Pleasant Hill Church of Christ in Kentucky. They have 5 children and 4 grandchildren. Teresa is also the author of the popular women’s blog called “NanaHood”!
Today’s Verse – 1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time. —1 Timothy 2:5-6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We do not need to have another human, no matter how mighty, pious, or special, to intercede for us before God. As God’s children, we can go freely, knowing that God himself has provided the perfect mediator and intercessor between himself and us. That mediator is the Son, who is head of the Church, one with God himself, and our High Priest interceding before God on our behalf. His name is the man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son, and our LORD, Savior, and brother, who ransomed us through the cross and who now lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 2:11-14, 4:14-15, 7:25; Acts 3:6). My Prayer… O God, you are my God, and I praise you for making access to you so freely available. I know that if left to my own worthiness, I would have no strength or righteousness with which to approach you. Yet in your grace, you not only provided a ransom for my sin that makes me holy, but you also provided a mediator for my approach to you. Jesus, I thank you for paying the price on earth and now at the Father’s side to intercede and speak for me! Thank you, Jesus, for making this prayer known to the Father, as I pray in your name. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.