daddy4ms

I have enjoyed reading a small book published by Mockingbird Publications called Law and Gospel. It is helpful in understanding how both words shape and influence the Christian life.  I finished the book last week so here are some quotes to think about: the Law must continue to convict us of our utter unrighteousness, and the Gospel must continue to save us...So where the Law is a closed fist, the Gospel is an open hand. Gratitude is a natural response to salvation. It does not require coercion or encouragement; to the extent that individual understands what has happened, gratitude will flow organically and abundantly from their heart. The precise form it takes will be different every time, but such is the nature of fruit. Belovedness can actually beget love itself. God's presence and promise are objective comfort, not to be conjured or obtained but only recognized. Thus the wild, absurd, unconditional truth of God's love in Emmanuel--"God with us," just a...

I was talking about this same concept last week during a meeting.  Are you settling in the Christian life?

I have been studying for a message I am preaching on May 19th.  As I reflect on this message, I am drawn to two specifics (I might even go so far as to say basics) of the Christian life.  I need to know who God is and I need to know who I am.  If I look to the world or determine these on my own, I can have a flawed understanding of both.  We need to look at God's Word to see who He is and who we are.  What does the Bible say about God?  God has revealed himself throughout the Bible.  After all, the Bible is truth about God.  Every page tells us something about God.  More intelligent people than me have taken the passages of Scripture and tried to explain God's attributes (his character) in a systematic way.  This is helpful, but we also have to understand God is bigger and wiser than we are.  We will not understand everything about Him. What does the Bible say about us? Many Christians are confused about their identity....

Today, Steven Furtick on his website posted the following message clip.  It was so great that I had to share.  Do you want to know the secret to a victorious Christian life?  Watch this short clip.

Check out this great video by Steven Furtick on achieving vs. receiving.  I hope it is a reminder about your identity in Christ and the gospel.

So, we just finished celebrating Holy Week.  As you reflect on that experience, did it help you better understand this equation: Jesus + Nothing = Everything?  Chapter 10 from the book by Tullian Tchividjian helps us.  I hope the quotes below inspire you to become more gospel centered. "But when God's amazing grace in the gospel grips our hearts, the motivational structure of our hearts is radically changed, and we begin to obey out of faith not fear, gratitude not guilt." "The Bible never starts with what we need to do; it always begins with what God has already done." "We spend more time asking what would Jesus do instead of what did Jesus do." "One of the reasons we experience so much failure in the Christian life is that we think more about obligations then we do gospel declarations."

This past week, I was reading and meditating on Romans 5:1-2 at the Perk.  I have included the passage here for your convenience:   1 " Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." I am familiar with the theological meaning of our justification by faith.  We are justified not by our works but by what Christ did for us on the cross.  Christ's righteousness is imputed (God counts the righteousness of Jesus as our own) to us.  Many times we refer to Hebrews 11:1 for a definition of faith which says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." But I was drawn to do some deeper study of this word, "faith."  Is faith a belief, a trust, or something totally different?   As I studied, I discovered the Greek word, pisteuo, ...