DAILY DEVOTIONS with MICHELE

His blood reached us in our faraway, desperate state and pulled us near. Without the Cross, no grace or mercy is extended, no salvation is available. Without the Cross, we cannot be called sons and daughters of the Most High. Without the Cross, we have no reason to rejoice.

Not only does God collect our tears in His bottle, He also records them in His book. Think about the tears that you have cried: when failure disappointed, death shattered your heart, loss uprooted your life, your child deserted his faith, malicious words wounded.

As believers, we are enrolled in a continuing education program. We become lifelong learners as God opens His Word and speaks His truth.

In Luke 22:44, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, and His sweat poured out like huge drops of blood. Why? He believed in us, and He was working for us. Jesus bore the burden of our humanity, and in that moment, He struggled mightily.

Think of the chains that bind you today and then look in the mirror. You are now face-to-face with your worst enemy. Yet the person you see in the reflection has been completely liberated, set free to live a life of abundance. Calvary made that possible!

The Cross delivers you from arbitrary rules for obtaining righteousness with God. It erases your past and give you a future full of promise. You don’t need anything but the Cross—the Blood of Jesus Christ—to be made whole and totally set free from any form of bondage. Period.

You are a designer original; don’t live like a cheap knockoff! Make today your best day! Give it your all in everything you say and do. Live a life full of confidence, knowing that the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is rooting for you every second of every day. Don’t listen to the negative things the world has to offer; keep your eyes focused on the Cross.

More than a symbol, the Cross is our source of triumph, our place of victory! The message of the Cross is the power of God to those of us who are being saved.

Today's Scripture | Roman's 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. In 2 Kings 5, we meet Naaman, commander of the Syrian army, a great and honorable man. He led his country to victory against the...