Full of Truth
“The Word…came from the Father, full of grace and truth… the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 17). The followers of Moses knew all about the letter of the law. In Jesus, it was not the letter of the law, but the spirit of law (2
A Fountain Of Grace
Christ who was “full of grace” (John 1:14) has come to live in our hearts. He is to be in us an overflowing fountain of grace, grace incarnate taking up residence in us, even “grace on top of grace” (John 1:16). The river of the Spirit within us is to be a fountain of
Rationalization and Self-Deception
We are rational beings. We know our behavior should follow some inner reason. Oftentimes, when we seek to rationalize our behavior we fall into a kind of self-deception. What we might condemn in others we condone in ourselves. Honest self-examination is not an easy road to take. It requires openness to the word of
The Astonishment of Grace
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him” Matthew 21:38-39 (NRSV). This is a glimpse of the cross in a parable. But wait, did not
Loving God Foremost
It may be more prevalent to do things for God than to love God. It is possible to teach, preach and witness about God without a passion to be near Him. It is easier to pursue the Great Commission than it is to practice the Great Commandment. Loving God is our first and foremost
The Tuning Fork
The goal of our life should be to live in harmony with this Love-Energy that flows from God, the Spirit of Jesus. Love’s tuning fork must set us straight for there are other notes being sounded in the world that will never keep us in the harmony spot with our Lord. If the love
Eternal Word
The Word that abides forever, even after the flower and grass fades, is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is that the Kingdom of God has arrived (Mark 1:15). It is that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), the King of the kingdom, and the Lord of all people, the Lord
Purifying or Painful Fire
David said, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! (Psalm 139:7–8 ESV). John said, “God is Love”. His Spirit is the Spirit of Love. When God is there,
The Spirit and New Creation
It is the Spirit that brooded over the waters of the first creation and gave us our beautiful earth. It is by the Spirit that we are made new creations in Christ Jesus. It was by the Spirit that Jesus was raised from the dead as the first fruits of new creation. He is
Your Pastor
The pastor is not the hired employee of the church board or congregation. The minister is on a God-assigned mission/vocation. Most people, though they have spent their lives around the church, do not grasp the size and scope of the pastor’s job. He does not punch a time-clock or give an account of every
But the Lord
“Lord, the thorns that the ground brought forth in Your creation have often caused us great pain. Yes we know, You wore a crown of thorns. May we not complain. “Sometimes our enemies form hooks to catch us in some way; we read the Book and they did You that way also. “Sometimes saboteurs
Connecting the Dots
As children we would trace from dot to dot and then discover that we had created a picture. Life is about connecting the dots. It may take us a while to see the picture. Connect the love of God with your own thought that you are unloveable. Connect the mercy of God with your
Rock of Refuge
Throughout the ages rocks and mountains with their caves have been sources of refuge. There are times we need such places of protection. The Psalmist found such a place in the temple at worship. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house
God Holds it all Together
God holds together what He created. The universe does not fly apart because of God. You are becoming His new creation. You may think it is all going to fly apart; but the one who called you can keep you. The One who loves you will see you through the darkness and bring you
The Intersection of the Cross
Isaac Watts said of the cross “Did ere such love and sorrow meet…”. In Christ love and sorrow meet; yes, even yet, dwell together. It was His great love that gave the birth to His great sorrow; it is the pain of loving. It is the cross where divine love intersects with human misery.
Christ before Jesus
Before Jesus was born Christ was! The Christ was present with God and was God: He made everything that is (John 1:1-5). That same Christ became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, He was before creation, He was the instrument of creation and was active in it before He was present in it. It
Healing the Broken
When we make sin normal we shut off the sick from healing and the broken from wholeness. We acknowledge our sin by confession, not to make it the norm for others, but to bring about our own healing. Jesus comes to us where we are; He grants His healing touch, but remember, He said,
Loving Like my Father
To Love as He loves is the goal of our spiritual maturity. His love does not delight in the demise of bad folks. He hurts for the consequences of bad decisions. He loves enough not to interfere with reaping what we sow; His own love is His inner pain, the source of His tears.
Un-rung Bells
Spiritual truth undiscovered and unexpressed is an un-rung bell. So is gratitude for unnoticed folks and manifold gifts. Neglected praise to our God for the blessings we missed. Then there are testimonies not given, joys not expressed, prayers that were not prayed, songs that did not get sung, books that did not get written,
Limited Choices
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could choose your own struggles? You could just say no to unpleasant circumstances and problems getting ready to head your way. Well, you did not choose your DNA, how you were nurtured or not nurtured, where you lived, your parents, your extended family, your teachers, the good ones
Being with the Lord
We say, “I have to pray more.” Prayer is more than a job to be done; it is a conversation to be had and a relationship to be cultivated. The goal of prayer is to learn to delight in conversation with our Lord. It is always a delight to have conversations with the ones
Be Present
To be present in the present is blessed contentment. To despise who we are and where we are is a discontentment that will rob us of our life and its times. Our rejection of where we are and this present time is an overestimation of our own importance. We may think we are too
Healing Love
We are rescued (saved) by love; we are saved to love. The great sickness of humanity is the failure to receive love and the failure to give love. It degenerates society; it degenerates every soul. The law does not have the power to convert; love has the power to transform. The law can and
Attitude Is a Choice
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances” (Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning). Frankl learned this in a Nazi concentration camp. We want to think that our attitude is a mere reaction to what
Grumbling and Complaining
We need to learn that grumbling and complaining are no harmless pastimes. It is so easy to find our undisciplined tongues listing the offenses of those around us. Most of the time we do not stop to think about the things that we have done that are just as bad or worse than those