Do you need forgiveness? Are you hopelessly carrying the baggage of sin that is so heavy you don’t know which way to go? If you are, you are not alone! We all need forgiveness because as Paul writes in Romans 3:23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.[1] The Good news …
Ancient pagan gods were always thought of as far away. But what about our Lord and Savior? We receive the answer in John 1:14So the Word (Jesus) became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one …
Our family was visiting the World War I museum in Kansas City and watched the opening video. The uncertain times detailed in the video leading up to the war sounded strangely familiar. There was unrest surrounding the major powers of the world, which made for uncertain times. In today’s world we live in very uncertain …
After our oldest daughter spent nine weeks in seventh grade, we realized her school was having a very negative affect on her and our family. A once model child had taken a turn in the wrong direction and there was not another school for her to transfer to. My wife did not like the idea …
I tend to depend too much on myself instead of relying on God. I know I need to ask God to help me not to sin. When Adam and Eve fell into sin it was because they relied on their own strength, so they were easily manipulated by satan. Part of the Lord’s prayer is …
Have you ever been around a person who was the model of compassion and wished you could be more like that? If you have, you are not alone. “Compassion is a deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering. Jesus is the model of compassion.”[1] No matter what your past has been, the good news …
Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” What was finished? His sacrifice was payment for our sins so He could extend mercy to us instead of justice. Justice is getting what we deserve. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God …
Failure can be an unpleasant experience, but also a learning experience. Failure can be humbling and can lead us to be more teachable. Sometimes, we won’t listen to anyone because we are puffed up with pride and think we know better. When failure comes, we begin to realize we were wrong. Maybe you are like …
I remember hiking in the Rocky Mountains and each of us had to carry heavy backpacks. Over time, the back packs seemed to get heavier and heavier and were quite burdensome. It would have been a lot easier on this trip if I was dressed more like a distant runner with light weight clothes and …
Shame is defined by Merriam-Webster as a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety.[1] Guilt results from knowing that we have done something wrong, but shame tells us we are something wrong. When shamed we think we are not worthy and have trouble accepting forgiveness. Andrew Comiskey describes shame like this: “Shame …