As the people of this world perpetually chase after good feelings by doing whatever their selfish impulses dictate, God has called his children to take hold of profound joy and lasting gratification by cultivating a deepening relationship with their Maker. Sin is deceptive and…
So often we are surprised that God “would allow” suffering, pain and death. But actually, these unpleasant realities are the promised outworking of God’s response to sin in Genesis 3. Our Creator has clearly and consistently maintained that the wages of sin is death – and all the painful
Because of God’s grace, our lives are full of potential usefulness for Jesus Christ. God has a proven track record of consistently reaching out to restore his stumbling servants. Proverbs 24:16 compares the “falling” of
We’ve all heard about the Pharisees. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day who clung to the letter of the Law and placed heavy, over-reaching rules on the people. What is interesting is that…
We’ve all heard about the Pharisees. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day who clung to the letter of the Law and placed heavy, over-reaching rules on the people. What is interesting is that…
We live in a violent and tumultuous world—for now. Surprisingly, it’s one of the byproducts of grace. Had God chosen to destroy every sinner at the moment of his or her sinful intent, our world would indeed be free from all the horrible headlines, but it would also be unoccupied. Instead, God graciously and mercifully provides…
We can derive strength, courage, and perspective from God’s longstanding and indomitable plan to build his Church in preparation of the establishment of his coming kingdom on earth.
Unfortunately, there are many these days who have come to believe that as it relates to our sanctification, God’s grace and personal effort are mutually exclusive. They unwittingly, and in some cases intentionally, conflate their understanding of justification with their practice in sanctification
Essential to developing, cultivating, and maintaining a vibrant love for God is the practice of continually recalling and affirming the profound expressions of love God has demonstrated toward us.
One of the most heartfelt Psalms as David cries out to God for forgiveness after he is confronted by Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba. Be encouraged by the forgiveness we have from God when we confess our sin to him and are made white as snow.
We must be mindful of God’s unfathomable power and greatness as we consider his creation and seek his gracious gifts in prayer.
The New Testament Gospel is a message of “freedom,” not from an expectation to keep the rules, but from the just and deserved penalty of our sin. All too often Christians bandy
God is rich in mercy to all, but shows the magnificence of his grace in bestowing favor to the penitent who deserve nothing but his unmitigated justice.
We must be mindful and vigilant of the continual battle we face with sin and temptation, grateful for God’s restraining grace and his immeasurable patience.
Dig into the key verse for Book of Luke. We should rejoice in our salvation and pursue our sanctification knowing that when God works repentance in our lives his forgiving grace entirely covers our sins and permanently redirects our lives.
Realizing our desperate need, we ought to trust the omnipotent Christ for salvation, willing to follow him in this life knowing that soon he will take his great power and begin to reign over all things.
Christ calls us to trust him for salvation with the helplessness and full dependence of a little child, and in the process shows his special regard for children.
God’s pending judgment is the sobering aspect of Christ’s return that should make us grateful for its gracious delay, motivated by the current opportunity for evangelism, and thankful for our forthcoming salvation.
We must identify and thank God for his many acts of mercy toward us, remembering that these are small foretastes of the ultimate mercy of the eradication of our debt of sin by his cross.
Christians should regularly examine and contemplate the amazing grace of God that provides our salvation so that we might rightly worship and sincerely thank him for it.
Christians need be extremely grateful for the way God planned, orchestrated, and empowered our turning from sin and our calling out to him to be forgiven.
Obtaining the grace of Christ and receiving the honor of service and reward in his kingdom all hinge on a humble awareness that we do not in any way deserve his favor, acceptance, or honor.
While the hard realities of God’s just retribution of the lost in hell should sober us, we ought to sincerely rejoice in the gracious realities of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf to free us from that penalty.
Understanding that God is able to be gracious toward us because his perfect justice was satisfied on the cross should prompt us to be profoundly grateful and extraordinarily gracious toward others.
Pastor Mike answers questions on the Bible, God and Christianity Questions from Part 2: 1. Is there anything on the prophetic clock that needs to happen before the Rapture? 2. What are the sins that lead to death? 3. Question on persecution. Is there a point where we flee from it. 4. Mandatory vaccination and …
Regardless of the answers to our prayers we must remember that God is infinitely good and loving toward his redeemed people, and that above all we have the promise of his Spirit in our lives.
Understanding and applying God’s truth are gifts from God to underserving people, yet even those graced with the gift of perception must work hard to carefully understand and apply the truth.
Christ’s compassionate acts of supernatural healing proved that he was God’s credentialed Deliverer sent to free us from our ultimate problem with sin.
