Two weeks ago, I shared with you about Living in the Freedom of Christ. Last week we focused on Living in the Grace of Christ. This week, I want to share with you about Living in the Forgiveness of Christ. These three truths are closely intertwined, but, in my experience, forgiveness is the key to experiencing what it really means to live in the freedom and the grace of Christ. If you recall, I promised [...]
Oh, what a glorious thing to be forgiven! To no longer carry the guilt of your sins! God’s willingness to forgive all who come to Him in true humility and repentance is an amazing thing. But I have found that the forgiveness of God is often misunderstood. On the one hand, there is nothing you or I can do to earn forgiveness from God. We receive God’s forgiveness based on what Jesus did on our [...]
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus knew He had but a few hours before He would be handed over to the authorities. So, He gathered His beloved disciples around Him and shared with them those things which pressed most urgently on His heart. He began by washing their feet. We know that washing of the feet was a common practice. After all, the people wore sandals, if any shoes at all. And although major [...]
There is sometimes confusion over what the Bible says about pride. On the one hand we are told, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (Jam 4:6, 1Pet 5:5) Then on the other hand, we see the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians, saying he wants to give them an occasion to be proud of him. (2Cor 5:12, see also 2Cor 1:12-14, Phil 1:26) As is often the case, the lack of [...]
If you have children in your life, there is a good chance you have seen the movie, Frozen. In fact, if your household is anything like mine, you may have seen it many times. What is it about the movie that has had such an impact? For those not familiar with the story, Elsa is born with the ability to manipulate ice and snow. Early in the tale, Elsa accidently injures her little sister Anna [...]
Do you know what it means to be holy? The apostle Peter wrote, “…like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior…” (1 Peter 1:14-16) I believe in order to understand what Peter is saying, we need to first really understand what holiness is. And for me, the best way to understand holiness is by comparison. So, if you will bear with me a moment, let me try to explain [...]
The decisive battle for salvation was won at the cross. But the decisive battle for the cross was won at Gethsemane. Each of the four gospels describes Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew, Mark and Luke all focus on Jesus agonizing over what He was about to face (Matt 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). Being a physician, Luke describes in clinical detail the physical manifestation of the emotional and mental agony [...]
