George Floyd. Not another name, not another statistic, not a news story. He is a man made in the image of God. Church rise up, silence is not an option. God has commissioned us to represent him in the face of injustice. Speak out. Lord please intervene. Lord help us!
When you pray, remember that the power of prayer is not in the beauty of the words or the righteous deeds of the one praying, but in the character and power of the one being prayed to.
It’s important to remember that Jesus said that others will know we are Christians, not by the degree of our theological correctitude, but by our love for one another.
The Bible isn’t a book of heroes. No, it’s the story of one hero, everyone else was flawed and needy, only made usable and strong by the grace and power of God.
Jesus predicted that in this world, between the “already” and the “not yet,” we would experience trouble, but then said we don’t have to give way to fear because he has overcome the world.
It is important today to humbly admit that the greatest danger in your life doesn’t exist outside of you, in the people and situations in your life, but inside of you, in the thoughts and desires of your heart. That’s why you need a Savior.
Christian maturity is not about acting as if you’re strong for the battle, but about admitting weakness to yourself, confessing it to God and running to him for strength for the fight that only he can give.
Christian maturity is not about arriving at the point where you no longer need grace, but about a deeper sense of need for and appreciation of the grace you’ve been given.
There is only one ruler who will never be voted out of office, who is perfect in every way, who is the hope of the universe and whose kingdom will never end.
You will not always understand why God brings something into your life, what you can understand is that he is wise, loving, good, kind and full of grace.
Begin this year reminding yourself that when you are exhausted, God isn’t, when you are discouraged, God isn’t, when you are unfaithful, God isn’t, when you are weak, God isn’t. We have hope and a future because God isn’t like us!
No sin will make your Savior turn away in disgust, no weakness will make him want to give up, no struggle will make him feel his grace has been given in vain. He will not give up, will not forsake you, he will complete what he has begun.
Sinners tend to respond sinfully to being sinned against, that’s why if you’re patient, kind and forgiving, in the face of other’s sin, you know that grace has visited you.
When Satan whispers in your ear, “You aren’t strong enough, “ say, “You are right, but Jesus is enough and he is always with me, providing what I need, when I need it.”
He is not working to make you comfortable, but to transform you. The uncomfortable places are places of grace, where redeeming love is doing the good work that was promised.
If sin is the problem, then you need something more powerful to defeat it than education, politics, etc. You need the renovation of the heart that only God’s grace can accomplish.
Humility is admitting, when people are critical of you, that if they really knew you and were able to look into your heart, they would have even more reason for criticism and concern.
Read your Bible, there is only one hero there, the Lord Almighty, everyone else is just like us, weak, broken and in need of an ongoing supply of redeeming grace.
When a bill is paid, it’s paid, nothing you add to it will make it more paid, so it is with our acceptance, forgiveness and present standing before God. Jesus paid the price, our obedience doesn’t pay anything toward what has already been fully paid.
Complaining is never just horizontal, every complaint has verticality to it. Embedded in complaining are questions of God’s wisdom, his nearness, his compassion, his faithfulness, his goodness and his love.
Because God loves you, he will continue to expose the dark places in your heart, not to shame you, but to draw you to his cleansing and transforming grace.
Nothing in creation (not your spouse, children, friends, job, possessions, etc) was designed to give you identity, no, the function of created things is to point you to the One in whom identity can be found.
On the day following the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., I have a personal confession to make.
The gospel that I have held so dear has been, in reality, a truncated and incomplete gospel.
Here's what I mean