Articles Tagged 'Given' (Page 4)

How Could a God of Love Let His Son Die?

If God really loved his son so much, why make him die?

God loves his son. God loves us. Sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and then raising him from the dead demonstrates that love.

Are You Trying too Hard?

We must not treat sin cavalierly, but we also must not think we have to earn God's grace!

Rubel Shelly risks being misunderstood by talking about the frustration of trying to win God's grace by living perfectly and over-analyzing our sins, failures, mistakes, and missteps.

She Had An Abortion

How big of a sin can God forgive?

Many times, our zeal to condemn sin can make the vulnerable among us feel alienated from God.

I Know too many Hypocrites

Hypocrisy is often cited as a reason not to follow Jesus. It is just not true.

Hypocrites say one thing while intending to do another. That is not what Christians do.

High Cost Forgiveness?

Is it really worth the cost?

Ron Rose reminds us of the need to forgive, not just because we are commanded but because we are imprisoned in bitterness when we don't.

Which Kind Are You?

Are there really two kinds?

Thom Lemmons reminds us that we all need grace.

But I Knew all the Words

Knowing what the words mean is not the same as understanding the converstation.

Grace, forgiveness, redemption, and other Christian words can only be understood by non-Christians in the context of how we Christians live.

Better Broken: Forgiveness and Power

I can actually get better?

Phil Ware continues his series on Better Broken reminding us that God can make us better after we have been broken and use us to do his work in the Kingdom because of two things: forgiveness we receive in Jesus through baptism and the power of the Holy Sp

Restoration

You can come home

Like the Israelites of old, we too can find ourselves ripped from our homes, forced to go places we don't want and become slaves to our emotions and desires. BUT we can go "home" anytime we choose restoration with our Father.

Stray Dogs and Jesus

How rescuing stray dogs makes me think of Jesus.

We are like stray dogs: unwanted, not clean, wounded. Jesus brings us home to His family.

As Far as the East Is from the West

Take time to be thankful

There are lots of reasons to give thanks. It doesn't always seem that way, but if we put our mind to it, we can usually think of more reasons for being thankful than for complaining.

Line in the Sand: Baptize!

What is your line in the sand in your faith walk with Jesus?

Phil Ware continues his series called Last Words, First Priority and emphasizes the line in the sand moment we call baptism.

Two Questions

Two questions remain that you need to answer

David betrayed God, asked for forgiveness and is granted it, yet David still suffered the consequences of that sin (two of his sons die). In spite of all this both the prophet Samuel and Luke describe David as a man after God's own heart. If there was for

He Did Not Retaliate

How did he hold back his power?

Tom Norvell reminds us that Jesus had the power to get even but did not retaliate in word or deed when he was reviled, mocked, belittled, mocked, and ridiculed.

Sunny Morning

One morning seemed brighter than all the rest

There is no cleansing like the one that God gives us when we give our life to Him.

A Promised Pardon

Billy the Kid is still waiting

We all need a pardon from God, forgiveness for our sins. But He won't make us wait.

Whiter Than Snow

How can a muderous adulterer be cleaned whiter than snow?

God's forgiveness can make even the darkest life new, clean, and pure.

SH!FT: READ_faithfully

Isn't it time you put this back into your daily life?

Phil Ware continues his shift series, focusing on our need to read Scripture because it is from God and useful to our living and beneficial and able to make us wise and leads us to salvation.

This World Is a Mess

Is God to blame for the mess this world is in?

If God does not exist, you can't blame him for the mess this world is in. If He does, He will fix it.

The Judas Problem

Judas never really understood Jesus.

Judas betrayed Jesus and killed himself over it. He did not have to.

A Small Man, a Big Day

Who would have thought he would be out on a limb?

Patrick Odum does a fictional biography styled account of Zacchaeus and Jesus and the special moment in the tree.

Even When the Rain Falls

Are you washed by the water?

Tammy Marcelain shares her experience at a recent baptism and reminds us of the mercy and grace that are ours in Jesus.

My Coffee/Chocolate/Coke Cup

Sometimes life is like my coffee cup.

Just as my coffee cup could be washed clean from the accumulated remains of my drinks, so can our lives become clean in Christ.

The Awful Shame of Shame

When guilt is right and why shame can be destructive!

Rubel Shelly reminds us that feeling guilty isn't necessarily bad, but shame can be destructive and lead to denial or living a self-fulfilling prophecy about our badness.

Have We Missed the Point?

Is there a real difference? What would you say?

Ron Rose talks about the difference between living with faith and being religious and asks if there is a difference between being a Christian and being religious.