Jesus loves you. How often do we hear that and take it for granted? The truth is, we don’t have to earn His love. God loved you in your past—however messy and shameful that may be—and He loves you today, in the present. We aren’t worthy of it, and that’s why we love Him back. Let’s remind ourselves of Jesus’ sacrificial love every day.

Jesus Christ is an outsider. To be followers of Him, we can’t run with the crowd or fit in with the world. As the Son of the Living God, He goes against the flow. He’s holy. Jesus was perfectly sinless, yet He endured unspeakable mockery and torture. And He did that for us. Jesus Christ—our holy, sacrificial Savior—has a beautiful, wonderful name. Let’s cherish the name of Jesus.

Why didn’t Jesus save Himself from the mocking and the beatings that He endured? He could have called down angels to rescue Him and punish His abusers. But He didn’t. Because we, as sinners, desperately need a Savior. While Jesus suffered and died on the cross, we were on His mind. Reflect on His sacrifice and tell someone about our Savior today.

Prayer is an awesome thing. When we pray wholeheartedly, we call on God. Through the psalmist, the Lord said, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you”! The God we serve always keeps His promises and fulfills His plans. What peace we can have when we call on God, knowing that He cares and answers!

Pastor Cymbala focuses on Hebrews 2:5-9 and exhorts us to be heavenly-minded rather than being taken up with money, politics and other earthly things that will pass away.

Pastor Cymbala focuses on Hebrews 2:9 and asks us to consider whether we have the confidence that we belong to Christ.

Ministry is hard work. Some of us are called to full time ministry, while others volunteer in nursery, the choir, the sound booth, and other places. We get tired sometimes! But Jesus didn’t suffer on the cross for us to just sit in a church service. We are called to serve others. Let’s shift our focus to Jesus’ sacrifice. If He could endure that, we can persevere for His glory.

Ronald Olivier, a former inmate serving a life sentence in the notorious Angola Prison in Louisiana, shares his powerful story of redemption, which is the subject of his newly published book, 27 Summers.

Everybody wants to fit in—at school, at work, even at church. Some Christians choose to blend in with the crowd so that they won’t be called “holy rollers” or “Jesus freaks.” Regardless of what society says about us, we must put all our trust in Jesus Christ. He died for us! We can’t worry about pleasing the crowd or fitting in when we focus on living for Him.

Pastor Cymbala discusses the reasons why ours is a great salvation that we ignore to our peril, as he reviews Hebrews 2:2-3.