Sunday, June 15, 2014

I Just Want to be Forgiven!

God Is Merciful

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Luke 5:20

We often do things that we aren’t proud of --and sometimes, they are a bit more serious than others. Time can erase the memories, but the guilt can come back unexpectedly. Many times we try to compensate for our poor actions by bringing gifts to those we have hurt or by making promises that we’ll never do it again. If criminals carry records, our employers keep files on our misdeeds, and our loved ones keep score – then how can we truly be forgiven and earn a fresh start?

The Bible tells us that we are forgiven though Christ’s death on the cross. He died for our sins, paying our debts in full. We don’t have to do anything to be forgiven other than believe in Christ as Lord and repent. True repentance means to turn from our sin and turn to God. While this is a big step, when we trust God, we experience forgiveness and we are made free from the bondage that follows our folly.

If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9


Because God is merciful, all our sins are forgiven through Christ.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Is Work an Idol?

God is Sovereign

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:24


Unfortunately, society lures us to get wrapped up in our title, the power of our position, the size of our paycheck…. Not only do we let our work define who we are as individuals, but work often becomes the source of satisfaction in our lives.

Giving up an identity defined by work seems counterintuitive to culture, but with Christ as the center of our affections, we are able to see a much grander vision. We end up with balance in our lives and the ability to love our neighbors when we’d otherwise be consumed by work. God does not define us by what we do or what we own, but rather by whose we are. We are God’s children -- the sons and daughters of a King! When we grasp that concept, work should no longer have a stronghold on us. We no longer are a slave to performance, but are free to think differently about the true purpose for our lives.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

Because God is sovereign, we can find our true identity in Him.