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In: God's love, Sin and Holiness

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:10) Today’s verse comes in the middle of the vine and the branches parable urging us to abide in Christ.  We were designed to connect to God and we need to receive spiritual nourishment from him to grow and live. Christianity is all about love and relationship to some. To others, it’s really all about rules and regulations with lip service paid to Christ’s atonement for our breaking the rules and regulations in the past. What we actually have is a divine paradox.Read More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Idols, Post-Modernism, Prayer and Devotions

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6) Longing for peace and harmony in your relationships? This blessing in Romans points us to the only source of reconciliation: Jesus. It starts with prayer, filling up on encouragement and endurance from the Lord, opening up to his power to bring  each of us into accord with him. The more like him each of us grows, the more harmony we will have with oneRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) In context, Paul is responding to a heresy going around in his day, which is still plaguing some corners of the world today, that there is no resurrection from the dead. He first expresses amazement that anyone in the church would say this, pointing out our entire faith hangs upon Christ’s resurrection and theRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Grace, Prayer and Devotions

“ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4) As Palm Sunday and Easter grow ever nearer, our study points us more and more to the good news we have long taken for granted. Yet it is the truth that Christ died for us by which we standRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Faith, Fatherhood, God's love, Grace, Prayer and Devotions

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10) Sometimes we feel like we shouldn’t bother God so much, that he expects us to have gotten it by now and be able to handle it ourselves. This lie of course tricks us into doing things in our strength rather than God’s and failing to get the victory over our sin. Paul reminds us, in his letter to the Romans, that Christ laid down his life for us while we were hisRead More →