Moody Media Latest Blog Entries

Why Karl Marx Still Rules the West From His Grave—and the Preacher Who Offered the Better Hope

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Story Behind My New Book

Last year, I stood at the tomb of Karl Marx in London and said something out loud that unsettled even me: He still rules much of the world from his grave. His ideas about class, power, and revolution didn’t die with him. They are reshaping our culture, our politics, and our universities right now.

Then I found out another man was looking at the same broken world—and he deeply believed there was a better answer to human need. D.L. Moody, the American evangelist, was in London at the same time, holding revival meetings that drew enormous crowds. Friedrich Engels, who helped Marx write The Communist Manifesto, attended one of those meetings. Engels later noted Moody’s revival was one of the reasons England never had a communist revolution.

Same city. Same era. Two very different men, and two very different legacies still shaping the West today.

That contrast is the story behind my new book, Marx and Moody. It releases today.

The Purpose of Marx and Moody

In it, I trace the roots of Marxism in our culture, including a clear look at Democratic Socialism and where it leads. My co-author, Dr. Gregg Quiggle, gives us a moving portrait of Moody’s life and ministry, proving that the gospel, faithfully preached, can turn back even the darkest cultural tide.

We wrote this book because we deeply believe that our moral, spiritual and political slide must ultimately be confronted by the gospel. The same gospel that changed millions through the ministry of D.L. Moody can still change lives today. And I’m sure you agree: the time is urgent.

Marx said religion was the “opium of the people.” Moody proved the gospel is the power of God.

Learn more about Marx and Moody: Two Contemporaries. Two Gospels. Two Tombstones. One Choice.

Dying To Live

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24

D.L. MOODY
Take a little black flower seed and sow it; after it has been planted some time, dig it up. If it is whole, you know that it has no life; but if it has begun to decay, you know that life and fruitfulness will follow. There will be a resurrected life; and out of that little black seed will come a beautiful, fragrant flower.
Here is a disgusting grub, crawling along the ground. By and by old age overtakes it, and it begins to spin its own shroud, to make its own sepulchre, and it lies as if in death. Look again and it has shuffled off its shroud, it has burst its sepulchre open, and it comes forth a beautiful butterfly, with different form and habits.
So with our bodies. They die, but God will give us glorified bodies in their stead. This is law of the new creation as well as the old: light after darkness; life after death; fruitfulness and glory after corruption and decay.

ERWIN LUTZER
Moody’s illustration is biblical: When we die, we are like a seed that has fallen into the ground, but shall be raised with an incorruptible body. We are sown in weakness, but raised with strength. There will be both continuity with our present body, but also discontinuity (see 1 Cor. 15:35–49). For we shall have a body “like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21).
The point Jesus was making in John 12:24 not only applies to our physical death and resurrection, but to our present life. We must die to ourselves. As someone has said, we cannot pray, “thy kingdom come” until we have prayed, “let my kingdom die.” Dying to self-will is the most challenging struggle we will ever have. In our sinfulness, we cling to self-will until our knuckles turn white. There is truth in the statement that we must “let go and let God.”

PRAYER
Father, teach me to die that I might live only unto thee.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How can self-will hinder your relationship with God?

Are you praying only "Thy kingdom come," or are you also willing to pray, "Let my kingdom die"?

All I Can Give

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 23:26

D.L. MOODY
I remember hearing a story about a Native American Indian who wanted to come to the Lord. He brought his blanket, but the Lord wouldn’t have it. He brought his gun, his dog, his bow and arrow, but the Lord wouldn’t have them. At last he brought himself, and the Lord took him. The Lord wanted himself.
What the Lord wants is not what you have got, but yourself, and you cannot do a thing to please God until you surrender yourself to Him.

ERWIN LUTZER
Before salvation, we are dead in our sins. Our fallenness permeates our entire being: Our minds are tainted with sin, our souls are stained, and our wills are paralyzed. Good people or not, we are in deep trouble. And even the best we bring to God will not be received.
If God’s rescue program had included our efforts, grace would be diminished and salvation would not be wholly the work of God. Some things can exist together, but the grace that brings salvation and human works, like oil and water, do not mix. Our self-effort will be put on a shelf labeled, “Unsuitable For Use.” God acts alone when He saves us because He neither needs nor accepts our cooperation. He invites us only to believe.
When you come to Christ, you do not come to give, but to receive. You do not come to be helped, but to be rescued. You do not come just to be made better, though thankfully, that does happen, but you come to be made alive! Salvation is not based on our promise but on His promise. It is His work, not ours, that gives us the gift of grace. We bring nothing but ourselves and our need.

PRAYER
Father, you have saved me apart from anything I could ever do or offer. Thank you for making me see my need for you and for saving me by grace through faith alone.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What do we bring to God to contribute to our salvation?

How does knowing that God acts alone in salvation give you assurance?

Nourished By The Word

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165

D.L. MOODY
The study of God’s Word will secure peace.
Take those Christians who are rooted and grounded in the Word of God and you will find they have great peace. But it is these who don’t study their Bible, who are easily offended when some little trouble comes, or some little persecution. Just a little breath of opposition, and their peace is all gone.

ERWIN LUTZER
How can we make sure we are rooted in God and not in something that cannot support us, especially when times are difficult? This trust in God can only come about by the Word of God itself. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The person who meditates day and night on God’s law shall be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3).
But I’ve discovered that even if I am nourished by the Word on Wednesday, I’m dry on Thursday. Like manna in the desert, you can only gather a day’s supply in the morning, but it doesn’t carry over until the next day. If you’re simply coming to church but not meditating in God’s Word, I can tell you that when hardship comes, and when the pressure is on, you aren’t going to have the resources to enjoy peace when those struggles begin.
A final warning: Some study the Bible in order to take pride in how much they know, not to humbly seek the Lord and His promise. Your attitude when you approach the Bible matters. Are you teachable, humble, and obedient?

PRAYER
Father, may I faithfully study your Word and meditate on it so that I might be a tree rooted and planted by water, bearing fruit and able to endure trials that surely will come.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why can those who are saturated in God’s Word endure hardship?

What differences have you noticed in your life when you have been regularly in the Word?

Fairmindedness and Compassion

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27

D.L. MOODY
After the Chicago fire, I came to New York for money, and I heard there was a rich man in Fall River who was very charitable. So I went to Massachusetts. He gave me a check for a large amount, and then got into his carriage and drove with me to the houses of other rich men in the city, and they all gave me checks. When he left me at the train, I grasped his hand and said: “If you ever come to Chicago, call on me, and I will return your favor.”
He said: “Mr. Moody, don’t wait for me; do it to the first man that comes along.”
I never forget that remark; it had the ring of the true good Samaritan.

ERWIN LUTZER
The money Moody raised was for his ministry; in fact, he wanted to die a poor man, having given everything for the gospel. He was an astute businessman who directed his efforts in only one way: winning people to Christ. He was, perhaps, the most selfless person we’ve ever known about.
If Moody had not been converted, Chicago might have a “D.L. Moody Hotel” or “D.L. Moody Jewelry Store.” Instead, we have The Moody Church and the Moody Bible Institute. The ongoing impact of his life is enormous. But, as all who knew him realized, he was humble, approachable, and willing to help even “the least of these.” He began his ministry with children in the slums, who were homeless and often fatherless.
Moody’s world was as big as his heart. He stands as a rebuke to the rich and the famous who have only their own narcissistic interests at heart. The rich never have enough, and the famous are never famous enough.
Meanwhile, the Bible reminds us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

PRAYER
Lord, may I be quick to show your generosity, love, and goodness to those in need.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How is the good Samaritan an example for believers?

Do you tend to hold tightly to your time, money, or talents, or do you view them as gifts from God to share?

Truth, Half-Truths, and Lies

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25

D.L. MOODY
We have got nowadays so that we divide lies into white lies and black lies, society lies, business lies, and so on. The Word of God knows no such letting down of the standard. A lie is a lie, no matter what are the circumstances under which it is uttered, or by whom. I have heard that in Siam, they sew up the mouth of a confirmed liar. I am afraid if that was the custom in this land, a good many would suffer.
Parents should begin with their children while they are young and teach them to be strictly truthful at all times. There is a proverb: “A lie has no legs.” It requires other lies to support it. Tell one lie and you are forced to tell others to back it up.

ERWIN LUTZER
Many years ago I read the book, The Day America Told the Truth, and I was surprised at how often people confessed they had lied, even several times a day. Jesus taught that the devil was the author of lies (John 8:44). It’s frightening to think of how the human hearts sides with Satan, choosing to skew the truth rather than face reality. We must each ask ourselves: Are we truth-tellers, even at our own personal expense?
Let me repeat our verse, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth.” If you find yourself telling a lie, confess it immediately to God and to the one whom you have wronged. Let it never be said that we can tolerate deceit. As the saying goes, “Truth hurts, but lies hurt even more.”
Let’s take this a step further. David wrote that a person in fellowship with God “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:4). In other words, that person not only tells the truth, but lives by what they say, even at their personal expense.

PRAYER
Father, I desire the truth and to honor you with the truth. Help me to keep falsehood away from my tongue.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why does lying show a lack of faith?

When are you most tempted to lie?

Two Paths, Two Eternal Destinations

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13–14

D.L. MOODY
Many a man would be willing to enter into the kingdom of God if he could do it without giving up sin. A man may become a disciple of Muhammad and continue to live in the foulest, blackest, deepest sin; but a man cannot be a disciple of Christ without giving up sin.

ERWIN LUTZER
What Moody said about Islam is true and also applies to other religions. How? All religions, except Christianity, are based on self-effort. Even religions claiming to seek God’s help teach that we must make ourselves worthy of such grace and forgiveness. In other words: All other religions insist we must wash our hearts with the dirty, sin-infested water already existing within the human heart. But the sins remain.
One reason that the message of the cross is offensive is that it teaches our complete inability to save ourselves. All we can do is to receive what has already been provided for us in Christ. As I like to remind people, the issue is never the wickedness of our hearts, but the wonder of the gospel that changes our desires and gives us the righteousness of Christ.
This might explain why Jesus said that the way to hell is broad but the way to heaven is narrow. The gospel is a free gift, but it’s a difficult gift to receive because it requires us to admit to our inability to save or cleanse ourselves; it is the final admission that self salvation cannot actually save. And, yes, in turning to Christ, we are turning our backs on sin.
Islam requires its followers to be slaves to Muhammad’s teaching; Christianity teaches we must become slaves of Christ, a joyful slavery, no longer dominated by our sinful, evil hearts.

PRAYER
Father, keep me from the temptation to envy those on the broad way with their acceptance of sin and worldly pleasures. I choose the narrow way of your kingdom.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does Jesus mean when He says the way is narrow?

Why is it difficult for people to admit they cannot save themselves?

Gospel Comfort At Death

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” John 11:25

D.L. MOODY
At the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War, a soldier was just able to crawl to his tent after he was struck down. When found, he was lying upon his face, his open Bible before him, his hand glued fast to the page by his life-blood which covered it. When his hand was lifted, the letters of the printed page were clearly traced upon it, and with the everliving promise in and on his hand, they laid him in a soldier’s grave. The words were: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
I want a religion that can comfort even in death, that can unite me with my loved ones. Oh, what gloom and darkness would settle upon this world if it were not for the glorious doctrine of the resurrection! Thank God, the glorious morning will soon break. For a little while, God asks us to be on the watchtower, faithful to Him and waiting for the summons. Soon our Lord will come to receive His own, whether they be living or dead.

ERWIN LUTZER
No matter how many victories death wins, they are only temporary. Thanks to Jesus, our final victory has been won; death will be abolished. It’s been said that, for Christians, this life is the worst there will ever be; the future is eternally bright.
Let me repeat the good news: If you believe Jesus’ death and resurrection was so sufficient and you trust only Him, you will be saved. Through repentance and faith, we receive the gift of eternal life and, like the soldier Moody referred to, we are assured of the words of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25).
Is your faith in Christ alone?

PRAYER
Father, I thank you my hope is eternal, final, and secure.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does faith in Christ change the way we view death?

What does it mean that those who believe in Christ will live, even though they die?

Twice Born

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

D.L. MOODY
The only way to get into the kingdom of God is to be “born” into it. The law of this country requires that the president should be born in the country. When foreigners come to our shores, they have no right to complain against such a law, which forbids them from ever becoming president. Now, has not God a right to make a law that all those who become heirs of eternal life must be “born” into His kingdom?
An unregenerated man would rather be in hell than in heaven. Take a man whose heart is full of corruption and wickedness, and place him in heaven among the pure, the holy, and the redeemed, and he would not want to stay there. Certainly, if we are to be happy in heaven, we must begin to make a heaven here on Earth. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. If men were taken to heaven just as they are by nature, without having their hearts regenerated, there would be another rebellion in heaven. Heaven is filled with a company of those who have been twice born.

ERWIN LUTZER
We are being readied on Earth to be citizens of heaven. The older we get, the more we anticipate heaven and wonder what it will be like. So yes, among God’s people, we should begin to see a bit of heaven on Earth.
As for those who are in hell, they have taken their stand against God and will maintain it with anger, curses, and with “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42). In that state, they would not be happy in heaven among those who are praising and blessing God.
The bottom line: Our new nature will find its full expression in heaven. Loving God now, we will love Him better forever; reject Him now, and we will reject Him forever.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for giving me a new nature. Thank you for bringing me into your family and calling me to love what you love.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why would the unregenerate not want to be with God in heaven?

Why is spiritual rebirth necessary to enter the kingdom of God?

What Your Giving Is Making Possible in 2026 | An Update from Pastor Lutzer

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The need for biblical truth has never been more urgent as the spiritual battle is intensifying. Through Moody Church Media, we're faithfully proclaiming the Gospel far and wide—but we need your help. Pastor Erwin Lutzer shares a timely update of how to keep Gospel truth going forth through this ministry.

From all of us at Moody Church Media, thank you!

LEARN MORE: moodymedia.org/matchingchallenge2026

Holy Work

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12–13

D.L. MOODY
I have very little sympathy with any man who has been redeemed by the precious blood of the Son of God and who has not got the “spirit” of work. If we are children of God, we ought not to have a lazy drop of blood in our veins. If a man tells me he has been saved and does not desire to work for the honor of God, I doubt his salvation.
Laziness belongs to the old creation, not to the new. In all my experience, I never knew a lazy man to be converted—never. I have more hope for the salvation of drunkards and thieves and harlots than of a lazy man.

ERWIN LUTZER
Of course, a lazy man can be converted but, as Moody pointed out, if you are lazy after you claim conversion, others are right to question your conversion. Simply put, conversion results in both a new nature and a new motivation. God will test our works by fire to reveal whether they are gold, silver, precious stones—or wood, hay, and straw (1 Corinthians 3:12). Christians are no longer under condemnation, but we will give an account for our faithfulness, or lack of it (2 Corinthians 5:10). So, Paul said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and with trembling.”
“Fear and trembling” you ask? Yes, but not a soul-destroying fear, like a servant has of an unpredictable master. It’s the kind of fear between a son and a father. I’m grateful my father would have never neglected or disowned me. But a look from my father compelled me to obey!
The bottom line: No true Christian wants to hear Jesus say, “You wicked and slothful servant!” (Matthew 25:26).

PRAYER
Father, show me the doors you have opened for me, and may I have the initiative to walk through them, wholly committed to work with you and for you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does it mean to fear God? Why should believers fear God?

How has your relationship with Christ changed your motivations and priorities?

The Old Is Gone, The New Has Come

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

D.L. MOODY
I saw an advertisement which read like this: “If you want people to respect you, wear good clothes.” This is the world’s idea of getting the world’s respect. Why! A leper may put on good clothes, but he is a leper still. Mere profession of faith doesn’t transform a man. It is the new nature spoken of in Corinthians, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

ERWIN LUTZER
The Pharisees had many outer rules, which they couldn’t live up to themselves, and yet they imposed those rules on others. Rules are parameters to keep us from doing wrong, but they cannot give us life. We must come to Christ for life and for strength to live for Him, to say no to sin and yes to walking in the Spirit. When you do come to Him, He’ll not leave you the way you came because He is the One who, despite our guilt, our confusion, and our wondering, gives us rest. This change goes beyond outer appearances.
Compare the religions of the world. Only Jesus Christ promises a transformation of your heart and desires. That’s why we do not simply promote rules; there is an inner transformation of the heart, a miracle of God called “being born again.” To be clear, there is something within you that wasn’t there before you were born again. There is a new nature with new desires. It certainly doesn’t make us perfect, but it does give us hope on our journey so we can stay on the path. That’s the offer Jesus makes. The old is gone, the new has come.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for not leaving me as I was by transforming me into a new creation in and through your Son.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does it mean that believers are “new creations” in Christ?

What are the effects of being a new creation?

The Works of Christ Done by Us Today

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12

D.L. MOODY
I used to stumble over that verse, but the longer I live, the more I am convinced it is a greater thing to influence a man whose will is set against God, to have that will broken and brought into subjection to God’s will—or, in other words, it is a greater thing to have power over a living, sinning, God-hating man, than to quicken the dead. He who could create a world could speak a dead man into life; but I think the greatest miracle this world has ever seen was the miracle at Pentecost. The men who surrounded the apostles were full of prejudice, full of malice, full of bitterness, their hands, as it were, dripping with the blood of the Son of God; and yet an unlettered man, a man whom they detested and hated, stood up and preached the gospel. And three thousand of
them were immediately convicted and converted and became disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ERWIN LUTZER
The greatest miracle God ever performed was for your salvation. The same God who created physical light by a single word is the One who created the moral and spiritual light within us. Salvation is more than a miracle of power, it’s a miracle of cleansing, new birth, love, and grace. God overcame the moral and spiritual barrier between Him and us in order to save us.
Today, the church is doing greater miracles by the Holy Spirit being poured into believers around the world. Jesus’ miracles were confined to Israel, but now the saving gospel is spreading around the world.
Let us personally claim this verse even as we witness to the power of Christ in our lives).

PRAYER
Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who enables us to continue Christ’s work on Earth. Help me to see how I am a part of a worldwide movement spreading the miracle of the gospel each day.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why can it be said that our salvation is the greatest miracle that has been done?

What spiritual barriers exist that keep unbelievers from coming to God? What does the Bible say?

Super Grace

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42–43

D.L. MOODY
When a prominent man dies, we are anxious to get his last words and acts. The last act of the Son of God was to save a sinner. That was a part of the glory of His death. He commenced His ministry by saving sinners, and ended it by saving this poor thief.

ERWIN LUTZER
Jesus was saving sinners up to and including His final breath. This thief heard the crowd mock Christ and in derision call Him, “The King of the Jews.” But this thief thought if He is a king, He must have a kingdom. “Remember me” is all he could hope for. But he received something beyond his expectations. He was promised meeting Christ that very day in Paradise!
What will our last words be? Will we leave hope and encouragement for those left behind? Will we urge others to believe on Christ, no matter the greatness of their sin? John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace,” wrote his epitaph that speaks to us: “John Newton, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
The apostle Paul, who preached the faith he once sought to destroy, said, “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me…that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience” (1 Timothy 1:14–16). The Greek word for overflowed is where we get hyper. When God saves us, He gives us “hyper” or “super” grace. That’s how God changes our legacy—and our eternal destiny.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for Jesus who changes our eternal destiny by His promises and His Word.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Paul said he was the worst of sinners. What does it mean for us that even he could be saved?

What does Jesus’ purpose for coming into the world say about who God is?

Take Courage

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Mark 15:43

D.L. MOODY
I consider this one of the sublimest, grandest acts any man ever did. In the darkness and gloom, His disciples having all forsaken Him, Judas having sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, the chief apostle Peter having denied Him, the chief priests having found Him guilty of blasphemy, the council having condemned Him to death, and when there was a hiss going up to heaven from over all Jerusalem, Joseph went right against the current, right against the influence of all his friends, and begged the body of Jesus.
Blessed act! Doubtless he chastened himself for not having been more bold in his defense of Christ when He was tried and before He was condemned to be crucified. The Scripture says he was an honorable man, an honorable councilor, a rich man, and yet we have only the record of that one thing—the one act of begging for the body of Jesus. What he did for the Son of God, out of pure love for Him, will live forever. That one act rises up above everything else that Joseph of Arimathea ever did.

ERWIN LUTZER
Do we understand the power of one courageous act—one courageous person? David’s killing of Goliath plunged the Philistine army into fear while transforming Israel’s army into one of triumph, victory, courage, and faith. Joseph of Arimathea, in requesting the body of Jesus, showed love and dignity to his Savior when no one else did—fulfilling a Messianic prophecy (Isaiah 53:9).
One person can make a huge difference by one heroic act of service, one opportunity to identify with Christ. Ask God, “What can I do today to inspire others to remain faithful to Christ?” Let us take these words to heart, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6).

PRAYER
Lord, grant me the courage to identify with you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why is it difficult to act in faith when no one else will?

What effect can courageous faithfulness have on others?