A summary of the warnings from the early chapters of Hebrews. ...
How can a holy God deal with sin and still offer hope to sinners? Since it is a paradox that God can’t both give justice and not give justice, which one will God have to forget about, justice or mercy? "...
Jesus often spoke of a paradoxical principle: "The last shall be first, and the first shall be last." This isn't a simplistic glorification of poverty or suffering. Rather, it's a profound truth about the nature of love and faithfulness. Clenching our fists to get ahead often leaves us and our relationships broken. But being faithful, even when it seems foolish by worldly standards, is rewarded....
The story of Ruth and Boaz is more than just a touching romance; it's a testament to the faithfulness of God and the power of living a life of "hesed." In a time of widespread unfaithfulness, Ruth and Boaz stand out as beacons of light, demonstrating what it means to trust in God and to extend kindness beyond what is required....
If there is no Creator, then there is no moral standard outside of ourselves that we ought to obey. ...
Gentleness reinforces our genuine affection, allowing someone to take their defenses down so that you can remove the speck from their eye having no log in your own. ...
Faith and faithfulness is a fight. And often the battleground of that fight is what our hearts remember and what they meditate upon...
Thinking about the way that God is good, He goes beyond utility and into the realm of benevolence....
His love has not ended at the point of patience but has moved beyond forbearance into lavishing those whom he could rightly condemn. ...
God likes being patient. It is glorious to Him that His love is steadfast, dispensing mercy and grace when his justice could have been immediate....
When you give a child a gift, they take it with great anticipation. But when you give a gift to an adult, they take it with skepticism and an obligation to return the favor. What happens to us?...
Peace is an incredibly frequent word in the scriptures. Often times, our English word (peace) does not quite match the force of a word like shalom– which not only gives the impression of the absence of trouble, but the presence of blessing and reconciliation, especially with God. ...
We glorify the Father by bearing the fruits of love and joy. Or, maybe more accurately, we glorify the Father by bearing the fruit of love in our joy....
Today, we will be looking at how to glorify God by speaking in Love. ...
Whatever is right at the brim is what spills out when you are shaken. It is what is abundant in the heart that makes its way out into your speech....
A man in the grip of lust cannot see that he is pouring gasoline on his house, his family, and his very life–his only perspective is to play with the match in the red dress....
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV) ...
This is the moment of clarity in the madness. The moment when Satan switches from bedazzling trickster to accurate taunter. ...
As all who find once they bite, lust is hollow, poisonous, and fatal–a chocolate covered razor blade...
It was Augustine who coined the phrase “homo incurvatus in se”, man curved in upon himself. This is what sin does, it idolizes the self, sacrificing, manipulating, killing, fighting, charming, ultimately willing to do anything necessary to the barriers that keep it from personal fulfillment (James 4)....
Sin is never isolated strictly to the sinner. Like radiation, it poisons those around it, even if they are unaware of what is happening or where it is coming from. Getting rid of Uriah, concealing the evidence, hiding behind walls and doors or cleared search histories cannot seal up the effects of sin. For David, this meant that “the sword would never depart from his house” (2 Sam 12:10), a consequence that plagued the rest of his life....
Forgiveness (This post is adapted from the growth focus teaching on forgiveness) Our focus text is: "Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" (Matthew 18:2122, ESV) Forgiveness is one of those windows ...
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