We were all destined for hell. All. But because of God’s extravagant love he rescued us from the path of destruction, paid for our sins, freely forgave us, declared us as righteous, gave us His name and called us children. If that were the end of the story, that would have been enough. But it wasn’t. Because He Loved us, He gave us His Spirit to comfort us in times...
The Most Excellent Way
I was talking to someone the other day, and they mention someone was very religious but very cruel. And I thought, that was not uncommon. Religious people tend to be rigid, caring more about rules than people. The Pharisees cared more about upholding the law than setting people free. They were outraged when someone was healed on the Sabbath. How cruel is that? Paul, a former Pharisee, warned us as...
Apology for Friday – Stuff Happens
Good Morning Faithful Readers, Friday, you may have gotten several strange emails from me. I apologize profusely. Apparently my host server had an issue. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. I appreciate your support and for allowing me to be part of your morning routine. Below is my post from Friday, ironically titled, “Stuff Happens.” God has a sense of humor. STUFF HAPPENS Let me...
He Loved the “Hell” Out of Us
Just a reminder my friends that God’s gift of salvation was just that – a gift. You did not earn it. You didn’t deserve it. It was given freely to you because God is good. Because God loved you when you were unlovable. God accepted you when you were unacceptable. God pronounced you righteous when you were unrighteous. God is faithful even when we aren’t. Let us extend that same...
Loved
You are loved. Unconditionally. You don’t deserve nor did you earn it. God loved you (and still loves) while you were far from Him. When you didn’t want anything to do with Him. He loved you when you were smoking pot, or sniffing coke. He loved you through the divorce even if the divorce was initiated by you. You don’t have to work for or earn His love. He loves...
Counterintuitive
Our entire life, we live in a reward driven society. As a child, we learn to study and our reward is good grades. We earn good grades and our reward is entrance into college. We go to work and apply ourselves and our rewards are raises and promotions. We learn the harder we work, the more successful we are. Which is why it’s so hard to understand the Kingdom of...
The Challenge – Week 5 Day 5
God is love. Therefore God is patient towards me. He is kind. He does not envy, is not proud. God will never dishonor me, is not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of my wrongs. God will never delight in evil but rejoices in truth. God always protects me, always trust me, always hopes in me, always perseveres for me. God will never fail me. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV)...
The Challenge- Week 5 Day 4
I got some disappointing news this week. It’s been weighing on my heart. At the same time this week, I have been meditating on God’s love. So my struggle all week has been which reality am I going to let define me. It’s been a struggle. God and I have had some serious discussions. I’ve told him I’m disappointed. He said “Trust me.” I’ve told him I’m angry. He said,...
Week 5 Day 3
We have all sinned – done the unspeakable, the unthinkable, the unimaginable. We were all deserving of God’s wrath. We all deserved a life separated, exiled from a Holy God. We were all sinners. But God…. Even while we were dripping in sin, loved us. Even when we were unlovable, loved us. He loved us so much He… Sent His Son to die on our behalf Raised us up from...
The Challenge – Week 5 Day 2
As King of a nation, David had his share of foes. Perhaps he felt as if he were always on guard against his enemies. As a response, David wrote prayers in the form of songs, we call them Psalms. As we read through David’s prayers we see him declaring truth, declaring his assurance of God’s love and faithfulness, declaring the majesty of God. David was a man who made some...