How would you like to defeat sin in your life? Imagine how wonderful it would be to embrace your life while enjoying the freedom you have in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote… We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no…
Do you ever think about what it means to be sanctified? It’s not a word we use often. But in His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said… Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17 (ESV) So, what is this sanctification that Jesus wants for us? The blessing of sanctification is God’s act of making…
Adam and Eve sinned. Everyone person who has ever lived, except for Jesus, has sinned. I sin. You sin. Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. Romans 3:23 & Romans 5:20a We don’t like to admit it…
Is your church welcoming of people who appear rough around the edges? How well do the members extend God’s love to everyone? I’ve visited churches where individuals won’t make eye contact, and I’m generally clean and put together for Sunday services. One of the things I love about my current faith family is that so…
Do you have a list of challenging Bible verses you wish had not been included? Today’s verses fall into that category for me. I remember hearing them many years ago and thinking I don’t know how this can be true. I don’t even want to think about it. What are they? They begin with these…
Imagine yourself standing before a judge. You committed a crime against Him. You know you’re guilty. He knows you’re guilty. As He raises His gavel to pronounce judgment, He looks at you and says… Not Guilty!
Have you ever wondered what people commonly believe they need to be saved … to go to heaven? Here are a few replies I found through a brief internet search. This is what Jesus told His disciples before His ascension to heaven… “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who…
Are you ready for the best news ever? We’ve spent the last few days addressing God’s Laws and our failure. Today, we will sit with Paul and let his words wash over us with the Gospel Truth about God’s grace. Now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping…
People have had questions about their sin and God’s righteousness since sin prompted the Garden eviction. Through the Old Covenant Law, God gave His chosen people a system of sacrifices and rules to follow, offering to forgive, protect, and bless them if they obeyed. Although many tried, Scripture tells us about the countless ways they…
What is the truth about obeying God’s Law? Before Jesus transformed Paul’s life on the road to Damascus, Paul was a proud law-keeping Pharisee. He understood the thoughts and ideas of the people to whom he wrote… You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with…
We all wanted to be the favorite kid. I always believed I was my grandma’s favorite and told the family to keep any contradicting facts or opinions to themselves. I also believe that great teachers make their students realize that they are uniquely and wonderfully made, and for those reasons, they’re each a favorite. Good…
Why is it so much easier to point out the flaws and failures we see in others than admit the ones we need to work on ourselves? Let’s examine the impact of judgment… Jesus said… “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” “How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let…
Today’s verses are challenging in that they invite us to examine God’s righteous anger. Less than halfway into the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote… God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He…
Do you know followers of Jesus who exude so much love, joy, peace, patience, trust, and passion for Jesus and life that they make the people around them want to know more about Him? The Life Application Notes say that these character qualities show believers are created in God’s image. We were made to be…
John showed us what it looks like to KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST Jesus. Paul showed us that anyone can be transformed by God! Saul, later known as Paul, made it his purpose to silence people like John who were doing all they could to keep Jesus’ legacy alive. We learn about him in the Book…
Do you ever wonder if anyone or anything is trustworthy? Can you think of anything enduring and absolute? How often have we discovered that something we believed to be true was a lie all along? Between the news, social media, and the spins and slants of repeated talking points, it’s easy to be cynical and…
Twenty years ago, the following words from Scripture played out in my dream. The only difference was that I was the one who walked and talked with Jesus instead of Peter… After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “You know I love…
What is faith? The writer of Hebrews defined it like this… Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 The Collaborative International Dictionary says… “It is believing the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and…
The Holy Spirit prompted me to cling to powerful resurrection truths and surrender this morning. I went to the cemetery and knelt by our headstone. I needed to give my grief, fear, anxiety, and every other little thing that was distracting me to the Lord through faith in Jesus. It was time to say, “Not…
Faith tells us to celebrate Easter every day, but we don’t like to think about Good Friday, even on Good Friday. We love proclaiming the empty tomb, but want to look away from our suffering Savior. I’ll admit, I had a hard time watching the crucifixion scenes in The Passion of the Christ. It was…
You’ve heard the phrase, “Fear is a liar.” The only way we can experience peace is to forsake fear and follow Jesus, giving Him the burden of our fear and trusting Him to give us what we need. A common challenge for people who enjoy positions of power, unlimited popularity, and luxurious prosperity is the…
