Righteousness is a Gift The Law was given by Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is full of grace and truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the irrevocable gift of the Father, the good tidings of great joy for all people. You can’t work…
Peace with God Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (CSB) 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (CSB) When we become a new creation, according to 2 Peter 1:4, we get to…
Bad Behavior Sometimes, maybe even often, we may find ourselves behaving in ways we wish we didn’t. Ways that are inconsistent with who we are in Christ. When that happens, run to Papa. He has provided grace for you. He commanded light to shine out of darkness and He shines in our hearts. We have…
Declaration of Dependence We are complete in Christ.We have been given everything we need for life and godliness.Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live uprightly in this present age.As Jesus is, so are we in this world. Think about these Scriptural declarations.Let them wash over you.Steep yourself in them. If we really understand…
Fearing God I always knew I needed to treat my dad with respect. He was powerful and I was but a boy. I had a healthy respect for my dad, but I also knew I could walk right up to him, grab his big hand, climb into his lap, and just be my authentic self…
Qualified by God God worked through highly educated and articulate Paul.God worked through soft-hearted and loving John.God worked through impulsive regular guy and fisherman Peter.God worked through a condemned thief hanging on a cross.God worked through a Roman centurion.God worked through Matthew, a hated tax collector. God worked through a broken Samaritan woman.God worked through…
Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (NASB 2020) Dear Saint, God is love.He lives in you, so you’re loving too. God is genuinely joyful.He lives in you, so you can be joyful. God is serenely peaceful.He…
Abraham Laughed Abraham laughed when God said he would have a son by his 90-year-old wife. Genesis 17:15–17 “Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son…
Great Failures When you feel inadequate, useless, unqualified, or think you’re a failure remember this. Father put His treasure in jars of porous clay. Abraham laughed at God’s promise and bent the truth to protect himself from people who might desire his wife. Moses was a murderer who could not speak well. Rahab was a…
True Love Scripture tells us not merely that God loves, but that He is love. Let’s think through what that statement means. Anselm of Canterbury (1033—1109), a Benedictine monk, theologian, and philosopher wrote that “God is that than which there can be nothing greater.” We might define perfection as that state than which there can…
Living Water John 7:37–39 37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But…
Look Trust Rest John 3:14–18 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not…
A Thankful Heart 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (KJV) Notice that his passage does not say “for everything give thanks.” There’s a lot of teaching out there that would have us believe that as Christians we are to rejoice and be…
Contentment The idea of contentment has been on my mind a lot lately. We are facing many uncertainties. Uncertainty about illnesses threatening people everywhere,Uncertainty about political issues causing turmoil in many places,Uncertainty about the weather, storms, cold, heat, and firesUncertainty about whether to do certain things or refrain. Amidst all of this, there is the…
The Saint Jesus Loves Have you ever noticed that John constantly refers to himself as “the disciple Jesus loved”? We would do well to do the same. When we truly know God’s great love for us, it results in our outward behavior becoming increasingly conformed to our inner state of being in Christ,it results in…
Follow your Heart It’s not like you to speak division, strife, and negativity. You really want to say things that build people up and give them grace, because that’s who you are. You are prone to kindness. You have a tender heart. You are a naturally forgiving person in the same way that it was…
Approaching the Throne Coming into the presence of the all-powerful, all-knowing, just and holy God induces fear, trembling, and falling prostrate as if dead. Incredibly, this majestic and mighty God is your Father, and you are His beloved child. Since that’s who you are,you can boldly approach Him.You can be your authentic self.You can stand…
Having it All Reaching your potential is a popular topic of books, classes, and motivational speeches. Like you, I want to reach my full spiritual potential. For years, I read the Bible, devoured books by Christian authors, attended seminars, and dedicated myself more fully. I was looking for the key that would result in my…
Evil and Calamity Father will not always remove you from difficult circumstances. He will not prevent the evil of the world from impacting you. The Lord Jesus told us to expect to be hated and to expect trouble here in the valley of the shadow of death. That’s all part of the plan. Though we…
Hope of Glory Christ is in you, and you are in Christ. This would be impossible unless Jesus –Forgave all the sins you will ever commit(Ephesians 4:32, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 9:12 & 10:10) –Gave you the righteousness of God(2 Corinthians 5:21) –Made you perfect and holy at the core of your being(Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 1:22,…
Saving Faith Living Trust We are saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. At that moment, Holy Spirit begins to live in us. Holy Spirit living in us can only happen if we are righteous. Being righteous is not something we can do, so Jesus gave us His righteousness….
You are Fruity The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Here’s what that means for you. The Spirit within you produces self-control.Don’t let the enemy tell you otherwise. God’s heart is perfectly gentle.Because He lives in you, your heart is gentle too. Father is unfailingly faithful.You…
Struggling with Sin Romans Chapter 7 has a lot to say about sin and the desire to do good. Paul spends some time beginning at verse 15 talking about wanting to do what is good and right, but finding himself doing the very things he hates. In verse 17 he says something odd. He says…
Dead to Sin You have died to sin. Sin is no longer your master. You are now a child of God. He has given you a new heart and a new spirit, so you are not who you used to be. Sin used to fit you. That’s why old you could do it and not…
God is not the Author of Calamity God is not the author of calamity. He does not place His children in harms way. He does not kill them or make them ill because they have sinned or to test their devotion. The world is fallen and cursed because Adam and Eve decided to listen to…
