Author Archives: Vic Alvarado

It’s offensive. What is? The Cross. The New Testament speaks of the Cross of Christ as an offense. If fact, it would appear that the entirety of true faith in Christ is scandalous, foolishness. Perhaps that is why the Apostle Paul wrote: “I know very well how foolish the message of the Cross sounds toContinue reading “It’s Friday…The Mystery of True Godliness”

Most followers of Jesus believe at some level that God is unknowable. It is true that we can never know everything there is to know about Him. We will explore His depths for eternity and still be near the surface. But if there is anything God has made Himself known in it is in theContinue reading “It’s Friday…Every Time, For Every Purpose”

Bankruptcy. The life of faith begins when we confess bankruptcy. In order to accept Jesus Christ as Savior we must accept our need. We can’t have His righteousness without denying our own; we cannot have His holiness without confessing our sin; and we cannot receive His redemption without owning up to our bondage. We areContinue reading “It’s Friday…He Completely Undid Us”

The world is a dark place because it doesn’t know the God of the Bible. But why would God allow such ignorance? Why would He not want the world to recognize Him through its own wisdom? Doesn’t He want to be known? Why isn’t He more easily found? Let’s think about it this way: WhoContinue reading “It’s Friday…A Stressful and Futile Pursuit”

Isn’t this true, when someone sins against us, we are driven by a sense of fairness, we want the sin acknowledged, repentance demonstrated, and restitution made. Within our minds are detail-sensitive measuring devices that scrutinize others’ actions to make sure we are treated fairly. When we sin against someone else, we have an entirely differentContinue reading “It’s Friday…We Are No Longer Entitled To It”

The wisdom of the world would never have chosen a cross for its salvation. The wisdom of the world always chooses a path of obvious victory. It knows nothing of the deeper battles and the subtleties of faith. It acts on what it sees on the surface and grabs as much visible glory as itContinue reading “It’s Friday…Walk Toward It With Confidence”

Fat Tuesday was this week. It embraces the carpe diem philosophy – “seize the day” – that is as old as man has been around. Such philosophy is written about in Scripture – Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, and in a parable of Jesus. Those who practice this philosophy assume that human life is short and our capacityContinue reading “It’s Friday…It’s Dumb”

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend. A great opportunity to check our heart. Our heart, the wellspring of our life, is given free reign by most of us. We’re under the illusion that we can’t help how we feel, our emotions are considered the foundation of who we are. And as our feelings rise and fall asContinue reading “It’s Friday…Be On Guard”

Have you ever seen someone take credit for something you’ve done? If so, you can relate to God. He sees people created in His image do it all the time. When someone is sick, people pray. When God heals, the credit too often goes to the medical care they received, or to the natural healingContinue reading “It’s Friday…He Remains Unglorified”

Patience is one of the hardest virtues for us to understand. We pray to an all-powerful God. We know He is able to help us at any moment. We know that He who defines Himself as “love” and gave His Son for us to prove it is not reluctant to help us. So, when weContinue reading “It’s Friday…He Is Never Too Late”