Luis Acosta

[Jerry Bridges @bridgeswisdom]

Kindness is a sincere desire for the happiness of others; goodness is the activity calculated to advance that happiness. Kindness is the inner disposition, created by the Holy Spirit, that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others, whether physical, emotional or spiritual.

[Desiring God @desiringGod]

The lusted-after woman or man in your head, or on the screen, or on the street is dishonored — not treated as a sacred, precious, eternal person made in the image of God.

And the only way this dishonor can be carried out is by disregarding God while we are in the sway of our lust. Therefore, the way the Spirit produces self-control in the believer is by revealing the beauties of Christ to our souls as supremely beautiful and supremely satisfying.

From John Piper’s message “You Can Say No to Porn: A Pleasure Greater Than Lust.”

[Jerry Bridges @bridgeswisdom]

R. C. Sproul: “God just doesn't throw a life preserver to a drowning person. He goes to the bottom of the sea, and pulls a corpse from the bottom of the sea, takes him up on the bank, breathes into him the breath of life and makes him alive.”

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Justification gets you out of Egypt, but sanctification gets Egypt out of you.

[Pines Baptist Church @pinesbaptist92]

Join us this Sunday as we worship the Lord Jesus and Celebrate all the moms!

[Jerry Bridges @bridgeswisdom]

Guarding our hearts begins with guarding our eyes and ears.

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Just because a Bible verse is frequently quoted does not mean it is fully understood.

A great example is from one of the verses we read today in Bible in One Year, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6).

Or, as many people have it memorized: Our righteousness is “as filthy rags.”

Some of you are also aware that the Hebrew behind “filthy rags” (בֶּגֶד עִדִּים [beged ʿiddîm]) is more literally “a garment of menstruation.”

A common misunderstanding is that Isaiah is going for the rhetorical “ick factor.” While that may be in play also, it is hardly the main point.

We must hear these words through “Leviticus ears,” not view them from the perspective of modern feminine hygiene products.

Isaiah first says that we have all become like one who is “unclean.” In Hebrew, טָמֵא (ṭā·mē). This is a ritual category. One who has touched a corpse, has a skin disease, a male with a seminal emission, or a woman on her period is ritually unclean.

That means he or she must first be made clean before entering the sanctuary to worship God.

Isaiah is drawing upon this ritual background. He says that our sins have made us unclean, so much so that even our best (“our righteous deeds”) are like a garment of menstruation, that is, a ritually unclean object. If this unclean object were to come into contact with someone, it would also make the person who touched it unclean.

We cannot appear before God this way. We need cleansing. Only then can we stand on holy ground before the holy God.

Christ provides this cleansing. He washes us pure in holy baptism. As Paul writes, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

Though our sins are as scarlet, they are as white as snow. Our purity is found in him. When we are in Christ, we have become clean. We are wrapped in the robe of Christ’s pure righteousness.

[Josh Barzon @JoshuaBarzon]

Promises & Shadows: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

Day 1: Light That Overcomes the Darkness (Gen. 1:1-5)

➡️ The Shadow
The Bible opens not with humanity, sin, or salvation, but with God. Before anything exists, He speaks, and the first thing He speaks into being is light.

This light is not yet the sun or the moon. It is light created by God’s word, pushing back chaos and making life possible. Darkness does not overcome it. It retreats at God’s command. From the beginning, God’s saving work is pictured as light breaking into darkness.

➡️ The Fulfillment
The New Testament deliberately echoes Genesis 1 when it speaks of Christ. John begins his Gospel the same way: “In the beginning.” He identifies Jesus as the eternal Word and says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

Jesus does not merely teach about light. He claims to be the Light and says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Paul later uses the same creation language for salvation. The God who once said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” now shines in human hearts through Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

➡️ Why It Matters
Salvation begins with divine initiative, not human effort. Just as creation did not produce its own light, fallen humanity cannot produce spiritual life.

Genesis 1 reminds us that God’s answer to darkness is not improvement, but divine intervention. He speaks, and light appears. In Christ, God has spoken again, and darkness gives way to life.

➡️ Thanks for Reading! (and Happy New Year!)
If this post blessed you, please give it a share and follow me @JoshuaBarzon for a new "Promises & Shadows" post every morning in 2026.

[Luis Acosta @livethecross]

@Remnantgen Behind every godly man, there’s a woman of God who makes him shine.

[Luis Acosta @livethecross]

@birdchadlouis Thank you brother for your faithfulness to the Lord, His word, and His people. 2nd time through Unveiling Mercy. Enjoying it again this year!

[Luis Acosta @livethecross]

@JCRyle Ruth 2

[Luis Acosta @livethecross]

@birdchadlouis My brother,
Thank you so much for your faithfulness to the Lord, His word and His people. I truly enjoy these videos. I’ve been reading through Unveiling Mercy this year and it’s been a blessing. Plan to read it again next year. Lord bless you and yours!

[Tom Ascol @tomascol @tomascol]

To my Christian brothers & sisters, remember:

God doesn't love us because Jesus died for our sins. Jesus died for our sins because God loves us. Further, God does not love us because we trust in Jesus. We trust in Jesus because God loves us.

Salvation is all of grace.

[Lewis Miles @Maga4liberty]

I've watched this three times and still can't get enough!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Whoever serves as President of the United States during this next term, certain truths will remain unchanged.

+The President will be a flawed, sinful human being, in need of our prayers, in whom we are not to put our trust, and on whom we are not to set our hope (Ps. 146:3-5).

+Our neighbors, created in the image of God, for whom Christ died, will be in need of our love, service, and help, no matter what we think of their political opinions.

+We will all have our vocations to faithfully fulfill as parents, children, spouses, and workers, serving as baptized priests in this world, advancing the kingdom of God.

+The church will remain NOT a political party or affiliation. Rather, the church will still have the calling to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded.

+Jesus the Messiah will remain on the throne, beside his Father, as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the King of America, King of Germany, King of Israel, King of Iceland, King of all nations and all peoples everywhere.

No election, now or in the future, will change these truths. Be at peace, friends.