shame

Jesus Took Our Shame

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Jesus frees us from our shame. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV). Hebrews 12:2 states: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (NIV). Even if there had been no physical pain on the Cross, Jesus still had to endure the public shame of being executed naked as a criminal, being rejected by his people the Jews and abandoned by nearly all of his disciples. Yet, he willingly embraced the shame. The rulers judged him a sinner and all the shame of our sins hung on the Cross with Christ. When Christ substituted for our sins he also substituted for our shame for sins. Before we received Christ we bore the shame of our sins. True shame is rooted in our sin or in Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Benefits Of Doing The Right Thing – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. Proverbs 10:9, (NIV) Sometimes we are faced with ethical choices that might lead to loss or rejection. Whether this is at work, church or with family, we may have to do or say something that will disturb or hurt others and trigger a reprisal against us. God reminds us that if we will walk in integrity we walk in security, in safety. Yet, it does not seem safe, especially if we get hurt. So how are we secure? We are secure in all the important things. Our soul is secure from the poison of dishonesty and avoidance. The crooked person stabs their soul with every ethical failure. If we maintain integrity, our soul is secure from damage. We are also secure in our relationship with God, we are abiding in Christ and we can continue to Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Wisdom Gives Us Life – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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For whoever finds [wisdom] finds lifeand obtains favor from the LORD, Proverbs 8:35 (ESV) Wisdom promises two things that we highly value: life and God’s favor. What is wisdom? Proverbs describes wisdom in many ways: it dwells with prudence, knowledge and discretion; it hates pride, arrogance and perverted speech; it walks in the way of righteousness and justice; it begins with the fear of Yahweh; and, her ways are peaceful and pleasant. James also describes wisdom: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17, ESV). Wisdom leads us into good conduct: “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13, ESV). We may get the impression from some that God wants to speak specific guidance to us for all Continue Reading →

self exam

Ask God To Reveal Your Heart

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Honest self-examination is critical to maturity because it reveals areas of resistance to the restoration of the image of God. If you take the time to go through this post I think you will learn more about the benefits of self-examination. Proverbs 4:23 prescribes self-examination: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (ESV). Our heart is like a reservoir that we need to protect from pollution because our life springs from it. So it is important to ask yourself if you do self-examination with “all vigilance”. Paul told the Ephesian elders: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, ESV). Thus, we need to be proficient at discerning our thoughts and attitudes. Self-examination and self-knowledge have Continue Reading →

heaven angel

Seeking And Focusing On Things Above

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Our passage is Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (ESV). Notice that it says that we have been raised with Christ, implying that part of us is in heaven with Christ now (“we are seated with him in the heavenly places,” Eph. 2:6). Since that is true our minds should be focused on Christ’s location: heaven. In fact, we are to seek heavenly things, not just be aware of them. What heavenly things should we seek and set our minds on? Most importantly, the virtues of God. We are to seek the fruits of the Spirit. And since we are citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem, we should seek to live in accord with that culture. Continue Reading →