There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 NIV The algebra of Heaven reads something like this: Heaven is a perfect place for perfect people, which leaves us in a perfect mess. According to Heaven’s debt clock, we owe more than we could ever repay. Our debt is enough…
The Search for Grace: My father and My Father
[God] waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain. — A. W. Tozer He was leaning back in his leather recliner in the wood-paneled den, his eyes darting back and forth between the television set and me, as if he didn’t deign to…
If He Didn’t Forget, How Could We Pray?
If He Didn’t Forget, How Could We Pray? He Forgot I was thanking the Father today for His mercy. I began listing the sins He’d forgiven. One by one I thanked God for forgiving my stumbles and tumbles. My motives were pure and my heart was thankful, but my understanding of God was wrong. It…
Forgiving: Releasing the Grip of the Grudge
The longer you hold a grudge, the longer the grudge has a hold on you. — Jeff Henderson, Buckhead Church Has anyone ever done you wrong? Forgiving is very difficult, I know. Whether or not you were able to forgive has probably shaped you in one way or another. Here’s the issue: you may have…
A Kind of Love that Changes the World: Investigating the Death of Ronnie Smith
Let me tell you a story about Ronnie and Anita Smith. Ronnie, a young husband and father, had been out for a morning jog when gunmen in a black jeep targeted and killed him. The news reported that Ronnie had graduated from the University of Texas with a master’s degree and was teaching chemistry in…
Letting Go: My Justice Fantasy
Editor’s note: Wilma Derksen’s world collapsed when her teenage daughter, Candace, was taken hostage and murdered. Through the process of grief and enduring the legal trials that followed the murder, Wilma learned to choose to “let go” and trust God with the outcome. * I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict…
The Grace-Given Give Grace
On a November evening, Victoria Ruvolo, a forty-four-year-old New Yorker, was driving to her home on Long Island. She’d just attended her niece’s recital and was ready for the couch, a warm fire, and relaxation. She doesn’t remember seeing the silver Nissan approach from the east. She remembers nothing of the eighteen- year-old boy leaning…
God’s Peace for When You Feel Unforgiving
Tonight even your cozy bed can’t swallow up the feelings vying for your attention. They’re strong feelings, powerful and passionate. To sum it up, you’re harboring unforgiveness toward someone, and it feels good to let your anger simmer over time, stewing in your frustration and putting the lid on any grace. Friend, we have all…
Love in Action
Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. —1 John 4:11-12 (NIV) Jesus said, Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another…
Forgiving: With Towel and Basin
Editor’s Note: For those of us who aren’t familiar with Jewish traditions, Passover is an eight-day festival which is celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of the Hebrew month called Nissan. The dates on the American calendar change every year. This year Passover is Friday, April 22 (Shabbat, or Sabbath) in the evening through Saturday,…
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