The Lord is love. His kindness is beyond our understanding. I spent so many years thinking I would never be able to measure up to some sort of “churchy” ideal, thinking of that as a picture of what God wanted me to be. I was pretty far from it in our very small conservative…
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If we can help a sheep fallen into the ditch, how much more should we help what was created in God’s image? Like Jesus, we are called to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. The Sheep Fallen Into the Ditch “What man is there among you who has…
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God invites us to join with Him in an adventure that will change the world. Sometimes that call is to do something radical in your community or work. Often we have to let go of something we’re familiar with like comfort, safety, or just knowing what’s next to be able to follow God into the…
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“When a street kid goes missing nobody does anything about it at all.” This truth weighed on James and his wife, Shannon, after moving to India as missionaries. They thought they were going to fulfill the great commission in orphanages, and they did, but God was leading them to a bigger picture. They were told…
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We are a mixed up people, wanting justice and mercy at the same time. When a friend suffers at the hands of another, we demand the offender pay for what they did. But when our mistakes surface or we’re caught when we hoped to get away with something, we plead for pardon by the ones…
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Who has seen their need for God’s mercy and grace? If we glimpsed our vast debt to the King and how greatly He’s forgiven us—could we not love Him? He looks for who will recognize the gulf He spanned to adopt us in adoration. God proclaims over you, “My child, all your sins are forgiven,” canceling the…
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Since I came to the Lord as a young adult, I didn’t grow up knowing all the peculiarities of the church. The first Easter I heard someone expectantly greet me with a peppy, “He is risen!” An awkward silence fell as I tried to respond. My gracious friend whispered the code, “You’re supposed to say,…
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Jesus’s whisper echoed in my spirit, “Freely you have received; freely give.” My heart is tender this morning as I pray and thank Him for giving His life on the cross. When I write, I always want my words to be from Him to you. So I had asked Jesus, “What do you want to say?” Jesus…
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Do you believe the practice of repenting and renouncing sin should be a normal part of our life? When I gave my heart to Jesus, I was a big mess and it was painfully obvious I needed change. But now, sin pulls at me in more subtle ways. I’m learning the importance of practicing what God’s…
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You will reap what you sow. This is a spiritual truth. You can’t get away from it. It encompasses all life. Whichever words you metaphorically plant, whether from God or the enemy, have the potential to mature and bear fruit. This is why you must keep watch over the garden of your life and be…
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