Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

 

Are you holding another's sins against him or her?  How long have you held that grudge?  Do you think it is serving you?  In your mind, has it punished your offender, this withholding of mercy? How does God forgive us?  When we seek Him for His mercy and grace, He delivers forgiveness.  Immediately.  The thought of God holding a grudge against us is unfathomable.  He promises to forgive us if we confess our sins to Him and ask His forgiveness. We, however, being wiser than God (sarcasm) withhold forgiveness toward others because they don't "deserve" it.  And we do deserve it?! There are countless Christians roaming this earth with the sludge of unforgiveness in their hearts.  How can they fully follow Christ with a darkened heart? If you are in that camp of those who refuse to forgive, please know that it is harming you more than it is your offender. Years ago, while undergoing chemo treatments, I was on the phone with one of the many provide...

We are each of us being molded by everything that we allow into our hearts and minds. This may seem an obvious statement.  But if we stop and think about everything we watch, read, listen to, and think about on any given day, we may be surprised! First off, there is freedom in Christ.  So I'm not here to give you a to do list, or a "thou shalt not" list. When we belong to Christ, we are free to choose what we watch, with whom we spend our time, and so on. But with that freedom, which is a privilege, comes responsibility.   The Scriptures are clear on this subject.  We are either being molded by God into the image of Christ, or we are being molded by popular opinion (the mores of our culture), by others opinions of how we should live, by peer pressure, by the temporal ways of the world, by our own "grid" system (we determine right from wrong apart from God), and countless other ways there are of molding. Just a reminder that our flesh wants nothing to do with bei...

What draws people to Christ?  Scripture tells us that His Holy Spirit woos them.   So we can and should tell others about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it is God who moves in their hearts to want to receive Him. Then what? Once a seed is planted, it needs to be watered in order for it to grow and become whatever it is. Without water, the right soil, and sunshine, the seed will die. Once the Holy Spirit is planted into a soul, it too needs watering and loving care, or it too will never mature. Spiritual growth is a crucial part of drawing others to Christ.  How so?  When others see genuine love in our church communities, they will be drawn to God. But if we remain childish, not letting God have full sway in our lives to grow us up, our growth will be stilted and others may not want to join us. Growing up is hard.  That's why we call it "growing pains."  Yet that is precisely what we are called by God to do.  Scripture is filled wit...

 

 Listen here on my YouTube channel as I read an excerpt from my new devotional, “Greater is He.”  https://a.co/d/9RlkTld