READ: JOHN 11:1-44; HEBREWS 4:14-16; REVELATION 21:1-5

I closed the book and pondered what I had just read. Jesus weeps for me? The novel I was reading explained it in such a way that I just had to stop for a moment and think. The book said Jesus is there with us in our suffering. His heart breaks over human pain, and He mourns with us.

But He doesn’t mourn because all is lost. Christ will come back and restore everything that has been broken by sin, and everyone who has put their trust in Him will be saved and restored. The reason Jesus mourns is because He loves us and hates to see us suffer.

I realize God could stop all this sin and suffering right now, but His plan is to wait for just the right time to do so (2 Peter 3:9-13). In the beginning, He gave us a choice to trust Him or not. We humans chose to go our own way and reject God, and now we are suffering, not just from the consequences of our own sin, but also from the effects of all humanity’s sin.

I will suffer, but I won’t do it alone. I have a High Priest—Jesus Christ, the Son of God—who weeps for me because He has been where I’ve been, and He knows how terrible it is to be alone. He was despised by His own brothers, and one of His closest friends denied Him. He felt the sorrow of losing a loved one, and He knows the pain of utter humiliation. His heavenly Father, with whom He had a perfect relationship, poured out all of His just wrath against our sin on Jesus when He hung on the cross. Jesus was willing to go through all of this, because He loves me. He knows how I feel, and more. He is my Comforter, my Healer, and my Friend.

Next time I’m suffering, I’ll know that God hasn’t abandoned me in my time of trouble. Instead, He has provided a way for me to be rescued out of this mess by stepping into it Himself. He’ll be weeping with me, comforting me, and redirecting my focus onto eternity, reminding me that—because Jesus has conquered the grave—there will come a day when He and I won’t weep anymore. • Emma Pamer

• How does it make you feel to know that Jesus has been through everything you might be going through, and more? How does it make you feel to know that Jesus weeps with and for you?

• Consider taking some time to tell Jesus about a couple ways you have been experiencing suffering— whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually—and imagine Him sitting beside you and weeping over these things.

Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 19:7-11; 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17; HEBREWS 4:12

Martin Frobisher, an English explorer, once discovered a huge hoard of gold on Baffin Island in Canada. He sent three ships, carrying 160 tons of gold-containing ore, back to Queen Elizabeth I in England. Unfortunately, the ore contained nothing more than a pile of yellow mica or iron pyrite—otherwise known as fool’s gold.

Fool’s gold looks exactly like the real thing. But it’s completely worthless. So how on earth can you tell the difference? Fool’s gold sometimes has sharp edges which glisten when caught by sunlight, so it glitters when you turn it in your hand. This explains why it’s often mistaken for treasure. But real gold doesn’t need to be at just the right angle to shine.

Gold is a soft metal. It is malleable and will bend when a small amount of force is applied to it. Fool’s gold is generally hard and brittle. It will shatter if you pound it. Real gold rarely shatters. If you drop a piece of real gold into some nitric acid, it will remain completely unaffected. Fool’s gold will dissolve.

But perhaps the best way to learn how to distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit is to get your hands on the real thing. Once you’ve handled real gold, you’re much less likely to be fooled. The same principle applies with money: bankers are trained to spot fake currency by consistently handling real currency.

If you consistently handle God’s Word—pressing in to relationship with Jesus, the one the Bible is all about—you’re far less likely to fall for the devil’s lies. As you become more and more familiar with the truth, you’ll get better and better at sniffing out the counterfeit. All the glittering lies and false equations we encounter are worthless. They’re no match for the power, beauty, and goodness of the truth. And, thanks be to God, He graciously reveals the truth to us in His Word. • Angela Jelf

• The whole Bible is about Jesus, the one who died and rose again to save us from sin and death. Why is it important to read the Bible through the lens of the gospel? (Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.)

• If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we know God personally and His Holy Spirit lives in us. The Spirit teaches us, helping us understand God’s Word in ways we couldn’t otherwise (John 14:23-31; 16:12-14; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 2:20-27). And He does this for every believer! As we study the Bible, why is it important to talk to God and trusted Christians about what we read?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 14:6 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 5:6-11

Jesus Christ died for your sins.

Does this sentence amaze you every time you read it?

For many of us (especially those of us who have grown up going to church), this amazing statement has become so normal in our lives that we often glance over it. But that’s just what this truth is—amazing. Something that inspires awe, admiration, or wonder.

Jesus’s death on the cross was amazing because it accomplished something so surprising and important that it echoed into all eternity: God in flesh laid down His life for people who were His enemies.

Many of us have at least one friend or relative we would be willing to die for. But imagine dying for a criminal. A murderer. Someone who killed people you love—and was bent on killing you too. Now multiply that by millions—and you’ve got what Jesus did for us. Out of love He laid down His life for people who sinned against Him, people who deserved death. That’s all of us (Psalm 51:4; Matthew 5:21-22; Romans 3:23-24; James 2:10). But don’t forget the next part...

Jesus Christ died for your sins and resurrected from the dead. So now, if you’ve put your trust in Him, you have been saved from death and forgiven from sin—and you get to look forward to the day Jesus will return and resurrect you to live with Him forever. This is the gospel, and it is truly amazing, no matter how many times we hear it. • Merrick Potter

• What parts of the gospel amaze or surprise you the most? (If you want to know more about the gospel and what it means to put your trust in Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

• Do you have any favorite Bible verses or passages about the amazing things Jesus has done for us? Consider taking some time to read one of these slowly, praising God for what He has done for you.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Romans 5:6 (NLT)