Are We Fully Accepted By God Regardless Of Our Good Works?

Are We Fully Accepted By God Regardless Of Our Good Works?

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Boy do I feel some fear and trepidation writing this post! I wonder if Martin Luther would pick a fight with me if he read this. And I’m concerned that some hard-core Calvinists will consider this heresy. But I trust that readers believe in the supremacy of scripture, so here goes. It is very popular with some to talk only about how important it is to rest in God’s love and grace for us. It is said that there is nothing more we need to do to be accepted by God. Certainly these things are true in the sense that salvation is by faith only, not works. But if these ideas are the whole message or sermon then are they truly biblical? Colossians 1:9-10 states: “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Our Supreme Inheritance – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” Col. 1:12 (NIV) God promises to us that we get to share in the inheritance he has planned for his children. If a wealthy person is facing death and he has children that he is proud of and loves with all his heart then he is glad that he can pass his wealth on to his children. He rejoices that he can bless them and help give them a prosperous and happy life. Consider how much more God wants to bless us with a tremendous inheritance. And consider how far God’s “assets” surpass anything that an earthly parent could bequeath to his children. This is the inheritance God has for us! God’s Song Of Love Is With Us – Weekly Words Of EncouragementSeptember 8, 2026Jesus Is Continue Reading →

fire of spiritual intimacy

How Can We Describe Intimacy With God?

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I am on retreat this week so the post today is a quote from something I’ve been reading from John Ruysbroec, a Christian spiritual writer who lived from 1293 – 1381. He had deep experiences of intimacy with God. Below is a quote of his description of what he felt. The second paragraph is a description of what we will experience in the next life. They are both from his book The Sparkling Stone, chapter 3. The love and joy he describes are encouraging and inspirational. He stated in other places that he did not believe in a merger of essence with God, so he was not heretical. His vocabulary may seem strange but he was looking for words to describe something that seemed beyond words. [Note: the “spirit” refers to our human spirit.] For students of church history it is interesting that Ruysbroec uses fire language similar to that used Continue Reading →

discipleship model

You Have A Modeling Career

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“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” Phil. 3:17 (NIV) At first this statement by Paul might seem too audacious. Why would he tell the Philippians to imitate him instead of telling them to imitate Christ? He does talk about imitating Christ in other places so why would he direct the Philippians to focus on Paul? Is he being prideful? Is he too focused on himself? Is he misleading the Philippians? I don’t think he has any of these faults. I think Paul understood the power and importance of modeling for spiritual growth. It is easy for us to say that we aren’t the one that others should look to for an example. But really, if we are saying that Jesus changes lives and makes them good then shouldn’t Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Freedom And Confidence With God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Eph. 3:12 (NIV) This is a simple but enormous promise for us. Since Christ has paid all our debts we can always approach God without any restrictions. This reminds me of the annual entrance into the holy of holies conducted by the Jewish high priest each year. Only one person could enter, only once a year, only in the Temple, and only the high priest. But now all of us can enter, any time we want, anywhere we want, and we don’t have to be a top religious leader. Better yet, we can be confident that God will welcome us and bring good to us. The Jews did not have this confidence under the old covenant. There is an unverified tradition that the high priest had a rope tied around his ankle when he entered Continue Reading →