From the category archives:
No earthly father in his right mind would want his children to be insecure about his love for them; that he would protect them and provide for their needs no matter what. Even when they misbehave, he doesn’t want them to feel as if he going to kick them out of the house. A good father doesn’t love his kids one day but not the next. His love is unconditional, and his children know that. Home is a safe place for them, and that’s why they are secure and well adjusted. So it is with God.
Read: I John 4 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (I John 4:12) Ask a thousand different people for their concept of God and you most likely will get a thousand different [...]
Jesus summed up God’s requirements of us in two straightforward commands: The first requirement is that I am to love God with my entire being—my spirit, of course, but also my intellect, my emotions, and my body. The second requirement is that I am to love my fellow man just as I would love myself.
Think about this: You received a full and unconditional pardon from the penalty of death, and thus, you are no longer an object of God’s just judgment. But there’s more; God’s love didn’t stop there. You were not only pardoned, you were adopted into God’s very own family. You who were once an enemy are now brought near to God’s heart and given a place in God’s kingdom. A permanent place was set for you us at the King’s table and you were given a position of purpose in his eternal plan. What love indeed!
An overwhelmingly high percentage of Americans claim Christianity as their faith, yet there is not a correspondingly high number of people who are walking as Jesus did. Obviously, this points to a fatal misunderstanding of what it truly means to be Christian.
The truth is, we all sin. Every Christ-follower who wants to do away with sin stumbles, sometimes in small ways, sometimes largely. But by God’s grace, Jesus has made a way for us to be relieved of our sins simply, thoroughly and unconditionally when we humbly and honestly confess them before him. And when we confess our sins, he forgives us!
Read I John 5 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (I John 5:13) Thoughts… God does not want you to be insecure about your salvation. He takes no pleasure in [...]
Ray Noah
Lead Pastor of Portland Christian Center
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