Archive for July 5, 2012

The Gospel Described In Two Words

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). (Eph 2:4-5)

“But God.”

With these two words we come to the introduction to the Christian message, the peculiar, specific message which the Christian faith has to offer to us.

These two words, in and of themselves, in a sense contain the whole of the gospel.

The gospel tells of what God has done, God’s intervention; it is something that comes entirely from outside us and displays More >

Not Afraid

In Matthew 28:10, Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Paul  starts every epistle with “Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” After we have received grace from God, we experience the peace of God. We have no reason to be afraid anymore. Usually it doesn’t work out that way. When we thought with the mindset of the world, we were quick to spit out our opinions and new plans to swim in the sea of sin. We had no More >

Life Source – Week 8 – Day 1 ** John 16: 16

Jesus is still in His final conversations with His disciples – wanting to prepare them for the coming trauma as well as to encourage them.

Today, read John 16: 16 – 33.

The disciples still struggle with confusion over the things that Jesus is saying.  I can relate to that!  Until you experience something, often the descriptions just don’t make sense.  People try to prepare you for child birth.  But … you know … until you have done that … the descriptions just don’t communicate!  When you face a major surgery … people try to prepare you for what it will More >

Thought for the morning of Thu July 5, 2012

We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were “saints” in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are “saints” whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honours him in More >