Today is traditionally recognized as “Good Friday,” and praise God, as one preacher famously put it, “But Sunday’s Coming!” It’s a phrase that emphasizes the Hope which is ours who are in Christ, even though things may look bleak and dark and all hope seems to be lost. There are times that we must live through the “Fridays” of this world, but if we are in Christ, Sunday is coming!
S.M. Lockridge’s It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming meditation closes with these words:
It’s Friday.
Jesus is buried.
A soldier stands guard.
And a rock is rolled into place.
But it’s Friday.
It is only Friday.
Sunday is a comin’!
So, what took place on Sunday? What difference did three days make?
During the Easter season of 1874, preacher and songwriter, Robert Lowry, was meditating deeply on Christ’s resurrection, particularly as recorded in Luke 24:6 – “He is not here, but is risen.”
Rising from his meditations, Robert Lowry seated himself at the little pump organ in the parlor of his home. Soon, the words and music of Christ Arose gave flight from that which had been uppermost in his mind. The next year it was published and generations of believers have enjoyed, with awe, the almost thunderous climax of notes ascending “up from the grave” to heights unknown, attempting to capture our Christ’s bursting forth from the grave for our justification! Hallelujah!
“It is only Friday. Sunday is a comin’!” And on that glorious Sunday, death and the grave COULD NOT hold Jesus, our Saviour, our atonement, our propitiation. Pointing to our justification in HIM…
“Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes! He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!“
Not only does the resurrection of Jesus Christ make a positional difference in the spiritual lives of believers – bringing us from death to life (Eph. 2:4-6) – but also brings a transformational difference in the lives of believers in a practical way as well.
This week’s Decency Minutes (DM) give a small sampling of what our resurrected lives IN CHRIST bring about:
In our first DM script, we see Jayden Ivey standing for truth and declaring a need for holiness and righteousness in practical ways. He, following Paul’s example, desires to see Christ magnified in his body whether by life or by death (Phil. 1:20) – including the death of his career. There is power in the resurrected life of believers and we are urged to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Eph. 4:1)
Our second DM script encourages us to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves through the practical actions of being aware of who political candidates are, what they stand for, and what they stand against. But it’s not enough to just be aware, we must be active – informing others of what we know and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, it’s the motivation of love which causes us to stand against evil and to promote righteousness.
Our third DM script reminds us to study the Word of God, but we must also be aware of the deceptions that abound. Scripture calls us to study to show ourselves approved, calls us to grow in faith, and to grow in our experience of Jesus – these all lead to practical holiness, obedience, and learning.
In each of our Decency Minutes, we see the necessity of contending for the faith; may we by God’s grace be contenders!
Talking Like a Christian Got Jaden Ivey Fired
Whether or not you follow professional basketball, Chicago Bulls player Jaden Ivey should be a household name.
I should say, former Chicago Bulls player.
Jaden was waived from the Bulls with them citing “conduct detrimental to the team.” What was this egregious conduct?
Talking like a Christian, that’s what got Jaden Ivey fired.
On his own social media account, Ivey spoke out against the NBA’s celebration of LGBTQ ideology through Pride Month events and promotions.
Here’s what Ivey said that apparently got him fired, “They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim in the streets. Unrighteousness. So, how is it that one can’t speak righteousness?”
Next thing you know, he was kicked off his team.
May we follow the example of Jaden Ivey! Let us speak the truth, no matter the cost.
Increasingly, those with allegiance to foreign nations and anti-American ideologies are being elected to positions in government. First, Michigan had Rashida Talib. Now our state is at risk of electing Abdul El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate.
After the Iranian terrorist leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed by U.S. strikes, Democrat candidate El-Sayed was caught saying that he would not make a public statement about Khamenei because, “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad” about his death.
Not only was Khamenei responsible for the death of countless Americans, he murdered over 30,000 of his own people.
Yet El-Sayed sides with Muslims in Dearborn with terrorist sympathies, rather than the United States.
We have a Fifth Column in our nation, those seeking to undermine America from within.
Michigan voters need to be aware of what’s at stake and get involved in this year’s election.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s Understanding of Scripture, Because You Can’t Trust AI’s
Warning: If you use AI for Bible study, insight, or even sermon prep, you may end up with a seriously compromised view of Scripture!
According to popular Bible app YouVersion’s CEO, AI platforms misquote the Bible at least 15% of the time and up to 60%, depending on the AI model.
Even though many of these changes might be as minor as putting a comma in the wrong place, we’re talking about the Word of God, a precious treasure to guard, study, and believe, living it out faithfully. We must be sure that it is the pure Word that we are following.
As YouVersion’s CEO said, “For Bible translation, every word and punctuation is meaningful to Scripture translation.”
Go to the actual Scriptures for spiritual discipleship. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth, not a man-programmed artificial intelligence.
NOTE: For more information on this topic, read an article we posted earlier this week here.
To view this article in your browser, Click Here
For more information, articles and newsletters, please check out our website at https://americandecency.org/
You can support ADA financially by visiting: https://give.cornerstone.cc/americandecency
Call us:
231-924-4050Email us:
info@americandecency.orgWrite us:
American Decency AssociationCopyright 2026 American Decency
